Mani's Daughters: A Sequel to The Diana Strain

by Joshua Converse

In this sequel to The Diana Strain, the body of a dead werewolf falls into government hands, and the race to weaponize lycanthropy begins. Detective Frank Crow and his wife Lela are driven apart by the dangers of her condition. Now, Lela and Aria, the wolf women infected by the Diana Strain, seek the origin of their strange curse in hopes of finding a cure. Meanwhile, a secret order of hunters haunts their steps and even stranger denizens of the night rise to menace them all.

Genres: Horror

Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2021

About the author

Joshua Converse was born in the San Francisco Bay Area and spent his childhood on a horse ranch in Louisiana. He served four years in the U.S. Army and spent time in the Middle East during the war. He holds a bachelor's degree in Literature and a Master of Arts in English. Joshua lives in Monterey, California with his wife and their children.

Reviews

[Elle Otero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting with lyrical prose

I absolutely loved it. This is the second installment in The Diana Strain series, but you can dive right in as a standalone. This is an incredible work of fiction that you will not be able to put down. It was thrilling, grisly, emotional... In a word, unforgettable. I'm a big fan of novels that bring gritty realism into fantasy settings, and Mani's Daughters does just that. If you were to sit down and ask yourself, what would happen if the government and secret church societies got a hold of a werewolf virus? You would have Mani's Daughters. Except you probably wouldn't come up with something quite so clever, quite so evil, quite so memorable as the events that take place between these pages. So buckle up and hang on, because this book is going to take you for a wild ride.

**Spoilers**

Okay so here are some of the deets. If you read the first novel (do yourself a favor and read that one... after this one if you must), you'll remember Frank, Lela, Aria and Nob who all make a come back (and how). The Gladius Dei is back too and they are pulling no punches. What I love the most about this one is the style of storytelling, and the way Converse is unafraid to go all the way. We're talking Norse Gods and government agencies and it's just such a rich backdrop for the INSANE events that happen. Also you're going to be upset at the end (in the best way). That's all I'm gonna say. If you don't cry, you are BROKEN.

[Ashley Root · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts with a bang and never slows down. It is fast-paced with great emotional depth in each character. With each twist of old Gods, religious factions, and government conspiracies I was more and more invested. It even follows a very loving relationship through some of the intense trials and labyrinths of the world. This book pulled me through the full range of human emotions in just a few chapters, with the question "what will happen next?"
You can tell the author developed as a writer since the first one as well. I will probably read this one again. I loved the expansion of the monster world in response to some silly humans meddling with the wrong God's affairs. I can't wait for the third book!