My review of Book 1 is basically a series review, so instead of repeating everything, I’m going to focus more on the things I liked about this particular book.

This book is a little more serious than the previous books in the series as the overall plot thickens, the characters suffer through some loss and relationship struggles (among lovers, friends, and family), and Zoey and crew find themselves in the middle of a longstanding feud between Seelie and Unseelie.

The first book is full of tension and longing. The second book is full of heartbreak over having to choose between two loves. The third book is full of intensity. This one is full of loyalty and touching moments and all of the characters fighting for what they believe in, including each other.

Some of the things I loved most about this book in particular were getting to see the relationship between Daniel and Dev progress even further into new territory, getting to know Zack and Lee better, getting to have Neil back but seeing him in a kind of different way since his loyalty was to Zoey instead of Daniel now, and getting to see a different side of Declan.

“I told my brother I would care for you in his absence,” Declan explained. “I did that even after he punched me in the face for absolutely no reason.”

Oh, Declan, there is always a reason to punch you in the face.

He is most definitely a jerk, but this book showed me that he’s not all bad. He has to think of his kingdom and put the good of the many before the good of the few, and that’s a heavy burden he carries. He also misses Dev and is struggling with the fact that Dev is now older and different, that the twin Declan had by his side for 20 or so years of his life is no longer close to him. He even showed a vulnerable and compassionate side to Zoey. And when it came down to it at one point, he did the right thing because apparently he did have one moral that trumped all his prejudices and the opinions of his people. But once again, that’s the beauty of these books, the imperfect, three-dimensional characters and the way the author is able to make you care about all of them.

Another thing I love is how convoluted (in a great way) all the relationships are. *SPOILER (for the previous books)* Zoey’s got two husbands. Dev’s mother hits on both her son’s partners. Declan is constantly hitting on Zoey or announcing his sexual endeavors to everyone because he knows everyone is going to find out anyway (and he’s right). Half the time Zoey’s bed has four people in it because Neil likes to curl up in it, too. The threesome between Zoey, Daniel, and Dev is actually a strange kind of foursome because Dev has a god sharing his body with him. *END SPOILER* But I crack up so much at all the little moments here and there that really show how unusual everything is. I also love the way the main relationship evolves in this one. Everything about their lives is unusual, so they embrace it, and I like that.

There was one thing in this book that bothered me though. (Well, I mentioned a few things about the series in my first review, but this one applies to this book specifically.) Whenever a man touches or tries to make a move on Zoey, the men in her life want to maim or kill him. But when a woman molested Zoey, they didn’t necessarily like it, but they pretty much just brushed it off and thought it was hot. They shouldn’t be ok with anyone touching Zoey without her consent, regardless of gender.

One last thing, I’ve noticed throughout this whole series that Lexi Blake manages to find and write about the beauty in things that are generally not considered beautiful. For example, the way Zoey sees Daniel’s killing is magnificent, like it really is a sight to behold. It shows Zoey’s love for him, but it’s also a talent of the author. And I just adore this quote:

I watched intently because Daniel was a vision of violent power and grace when he worked. The crowd fell like dominoes as he twisted and whirled that sword in an arc that left not one of the men untouched. Blood began to splatter in a neat circle, saturating the ground around him. Half the men had already fallen.

Daniel stopped, his head down, sword held low, and he looked over at me and winked.

All in all, another fantastic book in this fun yet emotional urban fantasy series!

*I’ve read this book multiple times. This review was written after my 3rd read.*

Reread Ratings:
4 Stars (1st Read – 2015)
4 Stars (2nd Read – 2016)
4.5 Stars (3rd Read – 2017)
4.5 Stars (4th Read – 2018)
4.5 Stars (5th Read – 2019)