The End is the Beginning

An alliance has formed between the angels and chimaera. A shaky alliance hinging on the deception of Karou and Ziri, her Kirin kin. After being attacked by Thiago, Karou killed him and put Ziri’s soul in Thiago’s body. Now the young Kirin has to make everyone believe he is the White Wolf, and that joining with the seraphim is their only option. Their new foe? Akiva’s uncle, Jael. He has learned about the portals to Earth and, thanks to the fallen seraphim Razgut, knows of human weapons. He wants to bring them back to Eretz, to fight the distant seraphim clan, the Stelians. Because pummelling the chimaera out of existence apparently wasn’t enough.

Karou travels to Earth with Akiva to stop Jael. He has arrived with his legion of Dominion soldiers, using Earth’s religions as a means to persuade them they are true angels here to save humans from the beasts that wish to harm them. Meanwhile, a young woman named Eliza Jones is having visions of even greater beasts, ones who wish to devour the universe. A bigger war than the one Jael is preparing for is waiting for our heroes.

I loved the hell out of this series and part of me is very sad that it’s over. Another part is glad I got to the end because there is just so much going on, and so many delayed gratifying moments that I thought I’d never get there. Just when you think a battle is won and the heroes might get a reprieve, that Karou and Akiva will have their moment, another battle pops up before them and they’re either separated or have to keep their distance so as not to incite hatred amongst their people. Just let them kiss, damn it! It’s worth it of course, and it never really feels like a slog because it’s so entertaining, but I was living for their snatched moments together (which I guess is the whole point).

If I had one nitpicky thing it would be the time we spend with Eliza. Bringing in a new character so far along in a series is hard I’m sure. It’s necessary, because she’s integral to the greater story, and we need her backstory and just generally to spend time with her to care, but I was frustrated by it because I didn’t want to be with her, I wanted to be with Karou and Akiva and the others I’d spent so much time with. But that’s my only quibble in an otherwise incredibly enjoyable book. It gave me what I wanted, for the most part (oh Brimstone, oh Hazael) and leaves you with hope enough for what is to come, even if the ending is not truly happy. There are far more battles left to be fought. And if Laini Taylor ever decides to write about them, I’ll be there in a heartbeat to read them.