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The end has come at last.

With the Arc of Radiance gone, Asmodeus, the Prince of Darkness, marches on Tarsynium with an inumerable demon host at his back. It would seem that the end of the world has finally come.

A slim hope remains as our heroes ride forth, determined to cast an ancient spell that has not been used in centuries. Their success hinges on their ability to hold back the R'Laar long enough for them to try their desperate plan. Their failure means extinction for all humankind...

The thrilling conclusion to the epic Arc of Radiance saga!


308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 7, 2020

74 people are currently reading
99 people want to read

About the author

Blake Arthur Peel

21 books73 followers
Blake Arthur Peel has been coming up with stories ever since he was a kid. He inflicted his scribblings on family members and friends throughout his youth, always drawing maps in the back of notebooks and daydreaming when he probably should have been paying attention. It wasn’t until he was out of college that he finally decided to get serious about pursuing his career as a fantasy author.

His favorite stories have always been about good conquering evil, about fantastic worlds and wondrous magic systems. The works that have most inspired him are The Lord of the Rings, The Dragonlance Chronicles, The Riftwar Saga, The Stormlight Archive, and The Wheel of Time, among many others.

Blake was born and raised in Hemet, California. He loves playing games, being outside, and spending time with his wife and two sons.

Follow him at facebook.com/blakearthurpeel

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5 stars
187 (38%)
4 stars
170 (34%)
3 stars
95 (19%)
2 stars
32 (6%)
1 star
8 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
Profile Image for Olivia Marie Clark.
326 reviews10 followers
December 3, 2018
OMG! Then ending of this book shattered me. It was a heart wrenching end to a wonderful series. I’m so glad I was able to read and enjoy this series. It’s been a roller coaster of emotions, ending with one last stand between Light and Darkness. I am sobbing.
167 reviews7 followers
December 5, 2018
First off I have read this entire series and it has quickly become one of my favorites .The main characters have grown as the story has progressed and you the reader are vested in them , Blake Arthur Peel has written himself a winner . You as the reader should do yourself a favor and buy this series and start reading , you will not be disappointed with the series , so hang onto your seats and enjoy the ride you will not regret it......😃😃😃😃😃
Profile Image for Jas.
1,026 reviews
August 18, 2024
This is the Epic Conclusion to what has been an exceptional series, building up over four amazing books, to reach this climactic ending that is incredibly powerful and moving.
Peel holds nothing back in this final part of the series, as the last remnants of humanity fight desperately to hold their own against overwhelming odds of a R’Laar army that seems unstoppable.
At the start of this book, Owyn and Zara were still trapped outside of Tarsynium, on the other side of the Arc as a hoard of demons was descending upon them. However, as timing would have it, this was the exact point that the prophet destroys the Arc of Radiance, and in doing so, he inadvertently saves our reluctant heroes.
There is a moment in book 4 in which Zara looks at Owyn, and compares him to one of the heroes of old, like one of the heroes of the Legion of Light or other ancient heroes, and you really get a feel for just how daunting their circumstances are, but how striking Owyn must look, as he dashes about, with nothing more than a handmade dagger and bow, fighting hand to hand with monsters from nightmares. At the same time, Zara, this young mage with barely any experience, is performing magic that mages 3 or 4 times her age would be incapable of, pulling on reserves many could only dream of, again, to fight these demons as only a true hero could.
Peel has created these two extraordinary people, who at the end of the day, are only hard working apprentices, two young people who have excelled at their craft through hard work and dedication. But they have been in the wrong place at the right time, their exceptional abilities the only ones that have not only been able to combat the evil there, but to be able to rally others to the cause as well. And through it all, they have been the perfect balance for each other, always complimenting the others strengths and weaknesses to make a powerful combination. It has been fascinating watching the pair grow throughout the four books, to reach this point in the story as they meet their final challenge.
Without giving too much away, Zara and Owyn make it back to Elias, and others, and come up with a desperate plan to stop the largest army that has ever marched on the face of the planet, one made up on R’Laar and Mindslaves, hundred of thousands strong, coming to crush humanity forever.
With their plan in motion the Heroes, Owyn, Zara, several Mages and a group of Wastelander’s go to save the last of humanity.
In this story, we also follow two other main characters, Elias and Talon. Again, I don’t want to give too much away from this brilliant ending, but it is fascinating learning what happens to Elias in the final stages of this saga. Elias has always been somewhat of a mystery in this series, but we get to learn a lot more about his character and his relationship with both Owyn, and Tamara, as well as some others. The character of Elias is resolute, commanding and uncompromising in his ability to never surrender, and face down unbeatable odds. Peel really brings Elias to life in this final book, not just as the Nightingale/Ranger, but as the leader that he is within as well.
Talon is really extraordinary in this final book, having lost his hand, and feeling like he is a useless cripple, he has become very depressed, suffering from a form of PTSD, and struggling to find the confidence he used to have. He no longer has the fighting ability he once had, and this has caused him the most damage, as he feels he is worthless without the ability to fight. Peel has really captured the despair of Talon, and how he is turning to drink to drown his sorrows. The story of Talon in this final book is a very clever and realistic bit of character writing.
There are so many other extraordinary characters in this story, but it is both difficult to capture them all, and difficult to discuss them without giving away too much of the story. Needless to say, Peel has created a stunning bit of character driven story telling that tells a powerful and gritty story of some incredible Heroes in a war with the R’Laar vs Tarsynium.
It should be obvious that there is not only going to be a lot of combat in this final book, but a major battle of Tarsis as well, without giving anything away.
The combat sequences, and fighting scenes in this book, including the magic, and the images of the archers and the skill of those with their blades, even the R’Laar themselves, all of it is written with stunning detail, capturing breathtaking intricate moves, so that you feel like you are deep in the thick of the combat, the siege sequences are riveting, and leave you glued to the book, I quite literally finished that section of the book in a single sitting (who needs sleep right?).
The other exceptional part of this series has been the world building, from the beautiful city of Tarsis, to the stunning country sides, Peel has created these amazing locations for the stories to be told. Within each of these locations though, are these creative, and brilliant back stories of the Conclave, the Rangers, the Nightingales, the Royals and Nobles, as well as the actual people, and all these wonderful little villages and towns that are located throughout Tarsynium, every one with their own backstory as well, a history, and people. There is so much depth to both of the major Protectors as well, the Mages and the Rangers, with each of them having so many amazing Characters and such multi-faceted, complex and intricate backgrounds, so that you can really immerse yourself in the story. The world building is an outstanding aspect of this series.
If you are a fan of fantasy, love a great character driven story, or just an epic series with amazing characters, and exceptional world building, that leads to a stunning conclusion – this is well worth the read. This is such an extraordinary ending to the series.
A Stunning Conclusion to an Epic and Extraordinary Saga
57 reviews1 follower
November 17, 2020
While this is a review in the COVID-19 era, I doubt it would change in any other recent time.

this is a 2*+ a smidge. Any fantasy fan has read this story a number of times already and this series is painfully weak at just about every level. The characters are very weak, the magic system leaves gaping holes everywhere, and the author tries to make up for the weak characters through ham-fisted and prejudicial "romance."

The whole thing, books 1-5, is a pretty sad example of large file-size multi-volume stories on offer these days.

It's COVID, so sometimes I make myself work through full series just to eat up hours, and this one didn't force me to stop reading it... I just wish I had something that was clearly better and would have overrun my impetus to move beyond the first book or two.

This is basically a male-identifying tween Dungeon Master's wet dream.

With all the development you'd expect from that type of writer.
1 review
July 18, 2021
Oh man I loathe spending hours upon hours of reading (or listening) to a captivating series only to be let down terribly at the end. There was so much unnecessary death in the wastelands with Zara at the end of this book.. I don’t want to throw in too many spoilers, but why didn’t one of the mages just use their talisman and the crios spell when they dropped the shield - before going back inside the mine??? Such a simple and obnoxiously obvious solution, but instead there is a ridiculous over-dramatic-death-filled scene.. Not to mention that if they were all willing to give their lives then just one of them should have offered to do the breaking spell on the large crystal… So frustrating!! I really enjoyed listening to this whole series, but the ending really left me wanting 80 hours of my life back.. I just can’t forgive this..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
13 reviews
February 17, 2022
Liked the series, but the end did not make sense. There were too many ways to stop things from happening like something as simple as brining an extra few shards with them to detonate. I just think that there were too many creative ways to solve the simple problems in the waste. I would rate the rest of the series as 4 stars. However, my friends and I do not like when endings like this occur when it is unnecessary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for BobA707.
819 reviews18 followers
July 7, 2022
Summary: Coming of age, a fairly straight forward premise, interesting magic, reasonable plot, but some convoluted actions to make things work out as needed. Writing is easy and enjoyable, light reading but recommended. Book 5 extends the theme, and brings the series to a nice conclusion

Plotline: Fairly straight forward, moves along nicely, engaging the 2 main characters as it does

Premise: Nice little world, lots more to learn

Writing: Descriptive, light, reader is right there in the action

Ending: Good ending, not completely predictable,

Pace: Never a dull moment!
5 reviews
May 18, 2023
Spoiler-I hated the ending. Great characters and interesting story only to be disappointed by the ending.
Profile Image for Lana.
2,766 reviews59 followers
March 22, 2019
The Arc of Radiance has fallen, and the people of the wastelands, together with Zara and Owyn are travelling back to their own homeland. People from the villages are afraid now that the arc is no longer there to keep the R'laar out, and they are travelling in their thousands, as refugees to the city of Tarsys. The city itself is in chaos as the King is dead, the master mage is dead as well, and the people are leaderless at a time when all should be uniting to fight their worst nightmare. The only person able to unite and lead seems to be Elias Keen and he gets the nightingales, the rangers, the mages,the king's militia and the wastelanders to prepare for their fiercest war ever, the one where they will be facing the Prince of Darkness himself, Asmodeus. This is the last book in this heroic epic saga and it is a book about bravery, loyalty and love but most of all it is a book of hope! Our young heroes are bent on saving Tarsynium and will do all that it takes to do so, they are asked to return to the wastes to turn the crystal Zara found in a cave over there into a massive force of energy which hopefully would take out all of the R'laar. Many lives are sacrificed to keep the dark hordes occupied whilst Zara and Owyn and a group of mages travel to the wastes once again on this crazy last bid to save their Kingdom. Where there is hope, there is life and this grand finale shows us that hope gives rise to the dawn of a new beginning! Well done Blake Arthur Peel for this great epic saga of good against evil with huge battle scenes fought against monsters out of nightmare and fought with both sword and sorcery with love and a belief in the Light at the heart of everything!
Profile Image for Blaine Bentley.
296 reviews
June 19, 2022
Solid ending to the series. Looking back at the previous books, I feel there was a really good build to this book and I loved how this series wrapped up in this last book. The way this “last battle” is handled was a lot different than I expected and a lot different from what you would normally see. I don’t want to say too much more to not spoil it. Anyway, the only thing that bothered me about this final book is that someone makes a discovery, which at the time is very obvious it will be used to overcome this pending doom. However, they only ever use this new discovery at the very very end. I can see why it wasn’t used again until the end of the book. But given the circumstances of what is going on throughout the book. I feel this could have been used to help give our protagonists a little extra help. So there were times where I felt like it would have made more sense to have these characters use this discovery a little more than they did. But beside that, I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a great ending to this series.
Profile Image for Farshad Torkashvand.
Author 1 book2 followers
August 24, 2024
Ah, "Prince of Darkness" by Blake Arthur Peel, a literary concoction that seems to have been brewed in a cauldron of clichés and seasoned with a dash of melodrama. The narrative, penned by an author who appears to have confused the thrill of the hunt with the horrors of war, wades through the battlefield with the strategic depth of a kiddie pool. The romance? Oh, it blossoms in the most inconvenient of places, like weeds in a garden of logic, leaving us to ponder the mysterious motivations of Zara and Owyn. The inhabitants of this realm operate on a level of reasoning so profound, it transcends the need for any recognizable human logic, selfish or selfless.

The Ranger's Oath, which should resonate with the solemnity of a sacred vow, instead echoes with the hollowness of a broken promise. And let's not forget the characters, whose strength must be constantly affirmed by a chorus of praise, reassurance, and the incessant reminder of their titles, lest we forget their grandeur amidst the chaos. Indeed, the book is an odyssey of confusion, a labyrinth where emotions go to perish. It's the kind of tale that, even after an extensive literary diet, fails to stir anything in the reader's heart. Two and a half stars, you say? A generous appraisal for a narrative that leaves us as emotionally engaged as a stone. Bravo, indeed, for the courage to venture where no emotion dares to tread.
Profile Image for C.J. Santiago.
478 reviews4 followers
January 12, 2021
Loved this story....

The Harbingers have effectively created chaos within the kingdom by destroying the Arc of Light. The king has commanded his men to destroy the Nightingales and Owyn and Sara are caught in the middle. The demons are coming to end mankind and little stands in their way. Unless they can unite all of the people, they will surely perish. Elias is tried as a traitor but one vote is what it will take to free him. The question is will Tamika find in his favor??

Talon lost a hand, but can still fight. With and Zara are banished from the kingdom and make a remarkable find. Asmodeus has his demonic army ready to crush the humans.

This is the final book of the series and it's great. It's sad and I hate the ending because it's so devastating, but every story can't have a happy ending.

Read on my friends
Profile Image for Andres Rodriguez.
Author 3 books24 followers
April 1, 2024
Woah, great ending to a good series. I'm always worried to get Brent Weeks'd in the 5th book but Mr. Peel hit me with this ending. Predictably it usually ends in Dues ex machina or unicorned rainbow farts. I think this is one of the better YA fantasies I've read and will recommend.

Profile Image for Valencia.
Author 5 books34 followers
May 6, 2025
Not me over here, crying like a baby!

This series was incredibly enjoyable. The world building is top-tier. The interweaving of the relationships between the characters is unmatched. The complexities of the characters development is chefs kisses.

This series has so many biblical undertones that made it enjoyable for me to read as a Christian. I think this is a good bridge for anyone who’s into fantasy, but also a strong believer of the word of God. Would highly recommend for other Christian readers to check out this series and draw connections between the Bible and how we experience God and the events of this story.

But also, you may not want to because again I’m over here crying.
Profile Image for Hrishabh.
351 reviews2 followers
May 2, 2024
And it's done. For an author who claims to be inspired by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, this guy is remarkably low on twists. Almost zero politics in the entire series, barely any plot twists, and just a bad read for anyone who has read either of the two authors.

My favorite moment:
Owen and Zara reach the waste
Zara: How will we know where to go?
Owen: Ask the three people we got with us, who have literally lived their entire lives here?
Zara: Owen, you are a genius!
(When the parameters of genius are so low, that should tell you all about the book you are getting into)
6 reviews
October 5, 2020
Great series!

I enjoyed the plot. Not a lot of repetition or redundancy. I like that the author wasn’t too focus in reiterating the other books in the series. The description of each character along with the storyline kept me enthralled. I can imagine myself following along with the storyline. The ending was fitting even though it was somewhat sad. Author definitely did a great job!
Profile Image for Sean Helms.
325 reviews7 followers
May 24, 2021
This finale volume was the best book of the series. The author did a good job of closing loose ends and bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion.
This series, which began with much that was familiar from another series, finally found its own voice, and in doing so thankfully improved.
As a Christian, I found it refreshing to read clean dialogue without foul language. I would have no problem allowing a child or grandchild read from this author.
Profile Image for Cruz Hernandez.
34 reviews4 followers
June 9, 2023
I'm not saying this series is bad. It reads just fine. I'm just not in the target demographic. I'm not sure how many more teenagers in love high fantasy books I can read. If that's your vibe, then you'll enjoy this quite a bit. It hits all the formulaic points for a YA love story. The audiobook version is impeccably delivered by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading as one might expect. I am relieved it is done, though.
Profile Image for Haylie Yeats.
22 reviews
January 27, 2025
I really enjoyed this whole series. The world building and character development take shape across all five books so I recommend reading the whole series together to get the full effect. The books are not too long and are fast paced so it is very easy to do so (you'll feel motivated to anyhow once you start). The entire thing feels very cohesive. I grew attached to the characters and the whole series boasts well-written action scenes that are massive odds good vs. evil.

147 reviews3 followers
November 7, 2020
Magnificent Battle

The fifth and final book in the series brings a magnificent ending through an epic battle between men and demons. Well written and expertly choreographed with clarity and realism. The ending leaves a bit of sadness but supports reality. I highly recommend this series and am definitely going to search for and read other works by this author.
Profile Image for Justin Illum.
15 reviews
July 6, 2022
I had some hope for this book as it was the last one but it shattered all hope. They discover how to make this cool artifice that kills demons and only use it twice… like if I found a weapon that effective, I wouldn’t continue using old ineffective methods like mage fire etc… it was a huge meh for me. But love Kate Reading and Michael Kramer narration.
Profile Image for Susan.
605 reviews18 followers
April 27, 2021
That ending was perfect. It was heartbreaking but it made the story. Blake Arthur Peel made a decision that so many authors are not willing to make that decision.

Overall, thoroughly enjoyed the series. 4.5 stars
Profile Image for JennPenn.
19 reviews1 follower
December 24, 2021
I loved this series. I listen to the first one on auditable and I was hooked. Bought and read the other ones as I knew I wouid reread them. The ending was not what I expected and that was a good thing. I highly recommend this series!
142 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2024
If aimed at young adults, it would be okay, but if you're an experienced reader, choose something else. The story is simple, the main characters (teenagers) are smarter and more capable than adults and apart from the two kids and a few shining exceptions, everoyne acts like an idiot
25 reviews
December 5, 2018
This is a great series. It was a joy to read every book
Profile Image for Janice Smith-gentry.
272 reviews4 followers
September 9, 2020
A good series.

This is a wonderful series to read. I enjoyed the different characters throughout this world. I hope to read more from here, maybe about Talon?
Profile Image for Vaun Fiedler.
215 reviews3 followers
January 4, 2021
Victorious

United at last, Mages, Rangers and Kingsmen battle the Demons. Twenty Mages, the Seeker Mage and Ranger Owen ensure victory ✌.
2 reviews
February 3, 2021
Great series

What a gem of a series, great character development and plot pacing. This final book ramped up into quite the rollercoaster with a very satisfying finale. Great work!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews

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