The Shadow War

Demon-Born Trilogy #3

by L.C. Hibbett

This world will burn...

Millions of pages read in Kindle Unlimited and tens of thousands of worldwide downloads in its first year--readers are raving about the Demon-Born

"An Academy series with a difference. Harry Potter meets Raven Cycle meets Fallen. Unmissable!" - N.M. Howell (USA Times Bestseller) ★★★★★
"Fast paced, action packed series with wonderfully complex and endearing characters. With betrayals, battles, and losses at every turn, the story will keep you riveted." -AJ ★★★★★
"What an excellent book to conclude this series with ! I really liked all the twists, it was full of surprises ! So well written, great characters, I love it!" -Olga ★★★★★
"A great ending for the series. It was action packed till the end. I would love to read more of their story. This series would make a wonderful movie." -Gail Cole ★★★★★
"Unreservedly substantiates Lucy's place in the halls amongst the truly astounding and substantial fantasy literary works, at least to this fan and reader. Five - 5☆☆☆☆☆ - stars by three is a must!" -Damian ★★★★★
____________________________________________________________________________

Riveting. Heart breaking. Unforgettable.

This world will burn...

The Shadow Children's greatest enemies have been unmasked, and the stakes are far higher than Grace had ever feared. With her friends imprisoned and the Circle determined to annihilate the Human race, Grace and The Shadow Children must prepare for war.

There is only one way to break the Circle--are Grace and Sam strong enough to make the sacrifice?

Perfect for fans of The Mortal Instruments, Hush Hush, and Fallen.

The Shadow War is the heart-stopping finale to L.C. Hibbett's unique Paranormal Fantasy Trilogy.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural, Young Adult

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 11, 2017

Reviews

[Coco.V]

🎁 The Demon-Born Trilogy (3 book series) is FREE on Amazon today (12/16/2019)! 🎁

[Lloyd L Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concluding book of the trilogy was not a disappointment. Well written and it tied up all the loose ends. I enjoyed it immensely. I would recommend the series to anyone who enjoys a great paranormal romance with lots of action and a host of characters.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I should have read this after I read the other 2 books as it took a while to get into this but it was a good read in the end.

[Damian Southam · Rating 5 out of 5]

DETAILS:

The Shadow War is the third and final book of The Demon-Born Trilogy by L.C. Hibbett. It's a lengthy urban fantasy with a worthy word count of 125,107 words, or roughly 456 pages. Lucy's two prior books in the trilogy are: The Shadow Children; and The Shadow City (see review links one and two; the third review link is to Wicked Witch [A Wicked Witch Prequel Story], and I've included a link to Amazon's L.C. Hibbett page). The Shadow Children has a Goodreads average rating of 3.93, and an Amazon rating of 4.5; with 60 reviews and 137 reviews at the time this review is written, respectively. The Shadow City has a Goodreads average rating of 4.36, and an Amazon rating of 4.6; with 27 reviews and 56 reviews, respectively. The Shadow War has a Goodreads average rating of 4.36, and an Amazon rating of 4.8; with 11 reviews and 18, respectively.

Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/L.C.-Hibbett/e...
Review - https://www.amazon.com.au/review/R2S6...
Review - https://www.amazon.com.au/review/R2QV...
Review - https://www.amazon.com.au/review/R1S4...
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION - THE STORY:

For Sam, paranoid sleep-induced terror is becoming a real problem given its presence for the third time in a week, or perhaps more accurately, for the poor victim of his panicked violence at being awoken by said victim. You'd think that three punches to the face would be enough to caution someone off, but then that doesn't ring true in roommate's case. Even if motivations lay in wanting to end his fearful suffering, it did nothing for the aggravation of repeated guilt at having bloodied Brandon's face repeatedly. Regardless of any evidence of fatigue and sleepless eyes, he could never reveal the truth of what keeps haunting him since leaving the Elder's accursed Shadow City. For it involves his too-good-for-him girlfriend, Grace.

For Grace, everything since leaving the Shadow City has become about solving the mystery of Jonah's journal and what she's certain he wanted her to realise. More's the pity, her first breakthrough came not from her endless hours reading it. The epiphany instead came from a dazed moment of staring blankly at the words on the page she'd stared at time and again, when she finally looked at the page without any intention of reading it. Deciphering the journal required a state of being, not an interpretation of the words' hidden meaning. Only then did she see or perhaps feel what the book's meanings were aimed at teaching future seekers about the endless war of races, and those with the Shadow Children's lost powers who'd be necessary for the next race slaughtered as sacrificial lambs.

Whilst the parties and their respective groups continue to be inexorably drawn into conflict, and the war that sits in the background, the factions involved and their fight over the accursed veil are no longer the only measure of danger to any who'll listen before it becomes too late yet again; none more so than those who'd take on the roles of Earth's protector, and even more saliently its intended race. As seen in glimpses in recent dealings and the pursuit of answers, an age old evil that has for the most part been swept under the rug must become a far greater focus if the truths are to be learned.

The darkness witnessed as feeding off the miasma of the most unjust and despicable treatment of halflings in the silent homes, and only then by the smallest number of witnesses able to detect it, is where the truth of the danger must be found before it's too late to do so. As if the prevention of mass genecide wasn't enough on their plates, they now needed to determine missing knowledge about a phenomenon an expert hostage who'd spent millenias chasing it after his own father had spent an even larger time doing so without success.

Harried by groups with stakes in the destruction of the veil even where no malicious or nefarious intent exists, for they simply wish to be able to return to their home worlds but cannot as long as the veil stands, the argument may well be less about the need to retain or destroy the veil than it is about how the party with the biggest stake wish to go about doing so. The attrocities carried out by the Elder Council in first gaining access to the magic necessary to raise what the natural order of affairs was intended to prevent, the very reason the attrocious history exists, are set to be a repeated; but only as a smokescreen for something altogether much worse. It becomes so much more difficult to gain allegiance when what you're trying to prevent affects everybody in an aspect that has merit but not in how plans are to see it come to pass.

So much is coming, as too so much has passed. Two millenia of bad habits and sticking your head in the sand, of playing ostrich is hard to break. Even in the face of overwhelming truths it's still many who'll continue in support of lies or wrongdoing sooner than admit to being wrong. Many a company or group has fallen into disrepute sooner than allow their weakness and flaws to come to light. There's no more unacceptable a situation than those where wrongdoers continue to do so based on tradition or because "that's just how we've always done it". Even when shown the light, those who thrive in it may continue to remain in the dark if the alternative is to accept their part and openly be contrite.

An innumerable instance of people live in glasshouses and are incapable of throwing stones for it. On replay, hindsight will shed light on just how many of us have truly been vulnerable to the potential for making the same errors. As the intention of the phrase insinuates, that of he or she without sin throwing the first stone, under a microscope none could throw any stones. Accepting that an absence of malice is present, then it's also true that the same goes for children too. In this final book, the above will flavour the tastes of revelations, regardless of whichever cases are attributable to the responsible parties.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OPINION:

The matrices of fear, lies and misdirection are as complex as their algebraic equivalents are to discern. What would you say if someone unknown to you, say versus dogmatic authority over belief systems based in religious, scientific or political faiths, were to come before you to reveal the truth of the known worlds. Where, in their teaching they speak of realms populated by many different and unlimited humanoid races that at one time span throughout history could willingly crossover between realms of existence where all that was required was the knowledge or skills necessary to do so. That in their telling there's nothing about angels or demons, pure blooded offspring versus that of hybrids, or any other dogmatic feature of cultural knowledge that empowers the haves versus the have nots? In your awareness of reality would you claim the teller looking to free you of the constraints of adherence to power bases built on lies, fabrication of knowledge, and fear and misdirection, was a fanciful lunatic or that instead your liberator where the established system is the insane party?

If knowledge is power and power controls the distribution of knowledge, then is there any truth that can be considered insane purely on the basis of beliefs if that person or believer doesn't actively seek to cause any physical outcome or consequence of their beliefs. Which is to say that when their ideas are nothing more than intangible statements that have no direct link to actions, yours or theirs, then is it truly reasonable to think of them as insane, or merely flexible in the propensity to believe that anything is possible if people simply believe it is. Can labelling people as insane or delusional affect the means of production and distribution of resources, and if yes, then can such a process be linked to unequal access to said features and resources based around the manipulation of truth in order to establish and wield power. If yes remains, then is it possible that the usage of sanity as a concept be about assigning power to some whilst taking it from others becomes the fault of the instigator and those who follow those beliefs, or the ones subject to or in argument to the so-called truths.

If anything the angelic race is as well equipped if not more so to fit in with typical definitions of demonic traits.
The only true demonic beings are those created and used by those in power to enforce their laws and judgement, not an inherent species that fell from creation and became torn asunder by their evil to form misshapen shapes and black magic. None once had wings that turned black or fell from their pinions when they sided with a rebellious leader who argued against the truths and intentions of creation. If splitting hairs, those sort of angels and demons that exist under that framework of belief are far more fantastical than the fantasy ones herein.

Perhaps a pertinent observation irrespective of adherence to beliefs, is that herein the real evil is fed by and created by the evil that's done in the world, but not as a singular creature or being. The collation and solidification of the essence of evil behaviour, the ephemeral emotions embodied into a thing that then fights for its life, prompting again the cycle of behaviour resulting in essence resulting in embodiment is part of the true evil no matter where you go or what you read or by whom the laws of nature are attested.

It is now a time of final confrontations and war that'll end one way or another. Such times are those meant for sacrifice, and the position of that sacrifice in the hearts and minds will vary considerably, as is wont of such times. Some will be voluntary with acceptance and willingness no matter how the events will play out. Some will be voluntary but only in the hope that their sacrifice will to the ends they deem just and warranted. Others will be reluctant and begrudgingly because they've been left with no other choice or road to take, and as such may be altered in the final hour because new paths or ideas present themselves in the heat of the moment.

And finally of course, there'll be those who are dragged kicking and screaming every step of the way. But let us not forget those who'll allow no such sacrifice as any aforementioned case, those who'll sacrifice every other thing involved so as to avoid any of their own. Despite their statements to the contrary, it's this last of five cases where the true cowardice and fear survives, which is often why this is the stance most likely to be associated with the greatest evils in any of the previous types; including those dragged to the gates.

Lucy's attention to detail, diversity of constructed knowledge, understanding of that which she wields, and the functionality of it are second to none. The system is as easily well developed and fruitful as most of the epic fantasy systems of yesteryear, only this one ventures into the contemporary popularity of epic urban fantasy. She's given this modern framework an age old debate and used the expansive existing knowledge and her own constructions the fundamentally appealing topics of angels and demons from whence to grow a thesis equivalent of information.

The gammit and breadth of intersection between deoms, angels, halflings, and humans is marvellous in its entertainment and immensely well developed. The demons and angels are less a creation of respective forms and types, and more a potrayal by those with power to set the standards of belief. Indeed there's only two true demonic types and one has an outward appearance capable of passing any visible test and the other was created by those with angelic type power or magic.

These finishing touches and rounding off of the questions, conflicts, and revelations have spectacularly finalised what I would've said originally is the series and trilogy. Only on reflection after allowing sentiments to marinade a little before tying off the review did a single sentence that stuck in my memory lead me to wonder about the future of Lucy's intentions. If it is indeed a hint, and post finish notes didn't include or suggest such, but I nonetheless am left wondering if the trilogy has finished for one range of generational characters and that by association there might yet be a possible future generation that return at least in part to a future series or trilogy. The complexity of the building can certainly handle it, but I might be a tad biased when I do also state that I'd be happy if Lucy does return to the Wicked Witch with a follow-up or two; I did love the prewuel there.

The demon-born and the unsaid angel-born might also open doors as yet not covered. Whilst the angel-born escaped the scrutiny with such malace and intentions for control, those who went against the flow did get lumped in with their equally hated doppelgangers. This too could possibly be explored, say through a small number of companion stories if not a major undertaking instead. The trilogy whilst being extremely well finished off does still, I feel, have some fertile grounds left for seeds to grow. In any event the current framework has unreservedly substantiated Lucy's place in the halls amongst the truly astounding and substantial fantasy literary works, at least to this fan and reader. Five - 5���☆☆☆☆ - stars by three is a must!

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I did have a problem receiving the corrected upload from Amazon but they quickly remedied the problem. Please contact Amazon if your version was not the final version. I did!!**

Time for war. The Shadow Children (they have shown themselves to be anything but children) are scrambling. With betrayal and loss at every turn they have no idea who to trust. Things must be handled and there is no time to lick their wounds or sit and dwell on their problems. The story is fast and furious as are the obstacles and revelations. Many will be sacrificed in order to win and it will take more than they know to achieve their goal. They are all committed to make it happen if they can withstand the deceptions laid out before them.

What an amazing ending to the series as questions are answered and alliances examined. This author has done a wonderful job of bringing the story and world to life and getting us invested in the ending. Awesome read once again, one I am thrilled to be apart of.

[Saoirce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Series

Well written story. It was intelligent and imaginative. This is my review for the whole series. The build-up was wonderful, there was no gratuitous violence. In this story, it was necessary to further the story, as were the tragic losses of some of the characters. All of these losses broke my heart, but it also showed how much heart these characters had, and how worthy they believed their cause to be. And, believe me, it was indeed a worthy cause.
The only criticism I have, and it is a small one, nitpicky even. is that I wish the ending wasn't so rapid fire. I got whiplash from the ending. Blink and it was over. I like a little after story with my ending. Something about each character and some interaction between said characters. A couple of chapters at least. It is a small enough criticism that I would not take a star away.
This is a criticism I have in the end of a lot of books. Please look at it in a constructive way. I just want more after story. It can seem phoned in sometimes.

On the whole this is indeed a 5 star trilogy and we'll worth the read, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves this genre as well as to people who want to step outside their own box and try something new and exciting in a different box. :-) :-) :-)

[Mandy (MP Book Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The enemies of the Shadow Children are unmasked and the stakes are much higher than Grace had ever contemplated. Many of her friends are imprisoned and the Circle are doing everything they can to destroy the human race. Faced with a stark situation and even less choices it becomes apparent that Grace and the other Shadow Children are going to have to prepare for war. According to an ancient text there is only one way to break the Circle and their power but can Grace and Sam be strong enough to make that sacrifice?

What can I say? WOW. This is a fast paced drawing together of all the story threads towards the final confrontation. On the way there, were lots of twists, turns, and surprises where you didn't always know who was a friend and who was a foe. I felt that the ending was just open enough that there was room for a follow on series which I really hope the author creates as I will miss these characters and feel that there is more for them to achieve. As always everything was well written and clear/easy to understand. I could feel the emotions of the characters and the feelings involved in the story events.

[Eirlys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book

I gave this book five stars but I wish that it could have been ten stars. I loved this book even more than the first ones. It was breathtakingly exciting and moved at a fast pace. Grace and Sam were surrounded by friends as well as enemies. Sometimes it was difficult to differentiate between them. I hated finishing this book with nothing to look forward to. I would like to find out that more stories featuring these great characters is in the pipeline. I want to know what happened next.

[Ola Adamska · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a story that can be read as standalone - I also recommend to read books in one shot, as there are a lot of characters.
I had a problem with getting into the action as 1. I had a break after book 2 (bad idea, there is no reminder inside the book - action just goes); 2. This book was over talked to me.
The truth was unrevealed and there was a TWIST that changes our knowledge from previous books - I really enjoyed this. Can Demon-Born children rescue the world? Join them in third book of their adventure!

[Denise Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great conclusion to the trilogy

I have this book 5 stars, it kept me engaged and was action packed. I love all the characters and will be sad that I will not get to read more about them. The story focuses on what happens after they discover the high council and what happens as a result of their scheming. I would recommend this to anyone who like a story about fight for what is right.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good YA read

A good young adult read. I didn't understand the authors fixation with having people chew on their fingers. Seemed every scene, even action ones, took time out for someone to bite, chew on or pick at fingers. Makes me wonder if the authors are always bloody from being gnawed on. Other than that it's a fast paced read with plenty of action, good world building and characters.

[Lauren Werley Lankford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Editing is important

The story in this trilogy is enjoyable- solid four out of five. But the editing throughout the series is atrocious. Repeated words throughout- an an, the, the. And the misused words and phrases were enough to make your eyes bleed - mass occur for massacre and “cease the day” instead of seize?? I did enjoyed the story, overall, but this series makes a serious argument for the need for a competent editor.

[Barbara Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book ended exactly the way I was expecting the trilogy to end. It keeps it very realustic as this is war and with war comes many sacrifices. I was sad to read characters die but found it very realistic as it was war. The book was filled to the brim with fantastic magic and the readers finally got a look into Sam's past and his relationship with Grace has really blossomed. All in all I was really happy with this book and on the verge of tears at the peoole who were lost in the books.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best ending I could have hoped for. Kind of sad by some of the plots and characters but the end made it all worth it! I’m glad I stuck it out and finished the series! I see how much longer it took me to read this book series versus other ones but I’m glad I was able to finish! Some really good character developments in my opinion and there were lots of plot twists that occurred in the entire series that really kept me engaged. Highly recommend!

[Miki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth It!!!

If this series wasn't so interesting I might have given up reading it when I had to email the author for the correct copy! So glad I didnt give up! She was gracious and immediately got me the right book. ❤ The story is full of action and the characters have great love and loyalty to each other! I love that!

[Sue Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Was This Ending Good. 😀

I really enjoyed this finale of three books. I really think each one got even better. I wouldn't mind a spin off series to show what future the kids create. This was good from beginning of the first book to the end of the third. I liked that it let you see a little down the road now just ending after the last battle.

[Tash L · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in the Demon-Born trilogy was a fantastic conclusion to the trilogy.

You've witness Grace and Sam grow to become who they are meant to be. They have a great group of friends and family that all support each other.
The story was really well written and draws you in and keeps you turning the pages.

I will be definitely re reading these books

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series but this last book just didn't draw me in as much. It started very slow and I had a very hard time getting into the story. It did pick up at the end but I wish it hadn't been such a slow start. This last book was ok in comparison to the first two books. Overall it was an interesting series and I enjoyed it.

[Brandi Pensinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ending

Like the previous 2 books in the series, this one is packed with action and surprised. Sam and Grace are together and that was great to see. I was very satisfied with the final battle and the end. Everything wrapped up nicely. However, it ended like there might be a spinoff??!! :) I hope so. I loved reading about the shadow children world!! Great series!

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the story and by book 3 I could keep track of all the characters. There are again a few parts that I had to reread because of character names being wrong or a missed edit part. These do not ruin the story, just tripped me up a couple times. As a whole this series is action packed with a little romance.

[Elizabeth Brazelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

so sad that this book is over but excited at the same time because the ending about made me cry. I love how the author was able to bring about the characters ending in a way that satisfied this readers point of view. I will definitely be checking out other books from this author based off these series.

[Rhema Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story line, desperately needs editing

I enjoyed the storyline. Kept getting sidetracked and annoyed at how many simple grammar errors I found in tense and punctuation. I would love for the scenes where dramatic things are happening to be lengthened and more descriptive - I felt there was a lot of jumping from action to action without any leading up to it or explaining.

[dianne bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read series...

Amazing story from this author.the characters were unique in their gifts.loved the mystery as to whom was the bad ones.read the first book and had to finish the series.thanks to this author looking forward to the next one.....

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

The conclusion to the series and I was a little sad to finish. I was captivated by the story line through all 3 books. Minor editing needs to be done but did not ruin it all for me. This little gem will be definitely be on my daughter's to be read list!

[Jojo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid Read!

Definitely was sad to see the end of this story. Well written book with lots of action and twists to keep you entertained. I volunteered to read this book for my review. I would definitely recommend this series.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific

Grace and Sam have to face the hardest battle yet. Secrets and betrayals revealed and they are so great it rocks their core. Really great job with how it ended. I did enjoy it.

[Aj · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third and last installment of the Demon-Born trilogy and definitely the best. There's romance, action, magic abound. The surprises and twists didn't end with the second book either.

Awesome series... wish there was going to be more!

[Samantha Gibbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I think the writing of the book was just amazing. I could feel the characters coming to life. Feel the pain of Sam and Grace every time she thought she was getting close until finally their love concerning all.

[Angela James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can you say plot twists

Eek! I loved it! Such a great book with so many plot twists that you will never figure anything out until it's time...lol So nerve racking and amazing! Bittersweet even but so worth the pain!

[Sarah Quick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralling believable world

I loved this book. The characters are so relatable and the story so fluid it sucks you in and doesn’t let go. Devoured the three books in two days. Couldn’t put them down