3 ⭐️
"“I’m getting my mates back, and I will destroy anyone who tries to get in my way.”
Rina raised an eyebrow. “Dramatic, much?”
I shook my head. “It’s not dramatic if it’s the truth.”
My men were my home now. Feeling their bonds torn away from me was the worst thing I’d ever experienced. I’d lie, cheat, steal, and slaughter to ensure it never happened again, and they’d do the same for me."
***** Review with spoilers *****
Again, everything was fixed too fast, without real consequences or any real weight to the situation. Not only that, but even the arcs that had been built since the first book were resolved in such an underwhelming way. Take Blaze’s prophecy, for example — the whole “he’ll die if he says I love you” thing that’s been hanging over our heads since the moment they met. And then, at the end, he just almost dies protecting Lilith from being stabbed by her grandmother, and she brings him back to life within the same scene. Not even a pause for anyone to suffer, panic, or feel the gravity of his death. It felt unnecessary, just like Lilith’s death in the previous book, added more because it sounded like a cool idea than because it made sense to the story. If anything, this was even worse, considering the prophecy was one of the most feared outcomes since book one.
Another situation that got the same rushed treatment was Ajax and Vendra’s death. Sure, there was some “preparation” with Lilith’s army entering the scene and a battle going on, but it still wasn’t memorable. Both times someone in her group got hurt, Enzo patched them up, and then the villain was taken down in the most underwhelming way possible. Ajax wasn’t even killed by them, and with Vendra, Lilith literally just made her pass out, assumed everything was fine — which was dumb on her part — and then came back to kill her with a Succubae kiss only because she was mad that her grandmother stabbed Blaze and she had to use her life energy to save him. Honestly, it was disappointing, especially since this was supposed to be the main arc of the entire series, present from the very first book.
And don’t even get me started on the Strange God. What do you mean everything that happened — the entire story, every little move from both sides — was “helped” by him, just so he could free himself and be with his mate, aka Nelly? That completely stripped away the divine, untouchable, powerful image of a god and reduced him to just another selfish guy with a bunch of power. Wasn’t he supposed to be a God? Focused on greater things, beyond human matters? And if the author wanted to give him a mate, why not lean into a Hades/Persephone kind of dynamic? It would’ve made so much more sense if, instead of just being hurt, Nelly chose to sacrifice herself for Lilith or her sister, bargaining her life and the mating bond in exchange for their survival. That would have been way more meaningful and powerful.
Then there were all the other deep, emotional situations that were just brushed aside. Matteo’s body being used by the Strange God, Nelly becoming disabled, Torin Valec’s death mourned for about two seconds, Lilith’s broken relationship with her parents, her mom knowing Vendra was head of the Syndicate but waiting to side with whoever won... and the list goes on. Like I said in my previous reviews, too much was added just because it sounded exciting, but very little was properly developed or tied up in the end. It really felt like the author had so many threads going that she couldn’t even remember which ones needed closure.
And as for Lilith and her Mates... well, the story continued with very little real development in their relationships or personalities, but plenty of sex scenes. The sex? Skipped. I honestly couldn’t care less anymore, and it reached a point where I was rolling my eyes and saying out loud, “again?” Their personalities got maybe a little development here and there, but nothing worth mentioning. They still felt like they were only there to provide their gifts when Lilith needed them, and their identities were shallow, tied too closely to their powers, almost as if their gifts were being used as a shortcut instead of giving them depth.
In the end, it was an okay series, but it could have been so much more if its potential had been properly used. And that’s the saddest part — because the world-building and the lore really caught my interest. That’s what kept me turning the pages and pushing through, even though I was never fully satisfied with the books themselves. Closing the last page, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the world deserved better than the story it got.
Main characters: Lilith Carazor, Aeron Saxon, Blaze Inferna, Daron Abraxon, Jin Sharax, Kain Zenunim, Bane Krossian and Enzo Orfo.
Tropes: reverse harem/why choose, chosen one, fated mates, moraly grey, found family.
Supernatural types: all demons, different powers, subpowers and houses. Lilith - lust, succubus; Aeron - lust, aphrodisia; Blaze - wrath, violence; Daron - envy, possession; Jin - slot, slumber; Kain - pride, accomplishment; Bane - greed, acquisition;
Enzo - gluttony, indulgence.