Romance/Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Pub date: 9 February 2027
4/5 ⭐️
Summary:
When a young chronically ill woman’s father is killed, she discovers her true heritage and the powers that come with it, all while finding herself at the center of an ancient battle between angels, demons, and the four horsemen of the apocalypse in the heart of New York City.
Lyraël has spent her life fighting a body that constantly betrays her. Living with a chronic illness that twists her joints and floods her days with pain, she survives by clinging to routine and the people she loves: her restaurant job, her best friend Hoshiko, her kind-hearted father Raphael, and her brooding boss Domenico, whose touch lingers too close for comfort. But when her father is murdered, Lyra learns that the world she’s known is only a veil- one that hides monsters, magic, and the truth about who she really is.
The power buried in her blood is ancient and catastrophic. It also might be the only thing standing between her and a fate worse than death. As her latent magic awakens in flashes of holy fire and unbearable light, both divine and demonic forces begin closing in. Hunted by celestial enforcers and infernal demons who want to use her as a vessel for the end of days, Lyra is forced to descend into a hidden supernatural world of succubi, soul markets, and secrets written in flame.
But even divine fire can’t cauterize the wounds of the heart. Torn between the demon she’s always loved and the truth her father died to protect, Lyra must confront the terrifying possibility that her body – forever her greatest weakness – may be the only thing holding the world together…or tearing it apart.
Trigger warnings:
- torture
- BDSM / kink content
- gore
Review:
He says it like a vow, like the universe itself would have to break before he let it happen. It isn’t protective or careful. It’s absolute.
First and foremost this book needs a good old list of trigger warnings, cause just like Wench this story gets BLOODY.
As you would expect from the first book in a duology there is a lot of world-building and lore dropping. But Erynne’s prose has such a nice flow and the prologue sets up the world beautifully so that you never feel talked at. Setting the urban fantasy in New York helps it greatly, everyone knows what the city looks like; so you’re immediately transported into Lyra’s world, even when it gets turned upside down. The lore of the world is absolutely delicious and I love that it integrated mythical creatures from different countries. We get Japanese kitsunes, Greek Furies, succubi, vampires, hell hounds and so much more. I can’t wait to find out more about demons and Dom’s background in book 2.
This is very much Lyra’s story of grief and pain and overwhelming responsibility, so the romance did feel like a little bit like an afterthought. The yearning from Dom’s side was delightful but there wasn’t really enough of a background given for us to be fully invested in the relationship developing.
Also Lyra’s handle on the world was a slightly unrealistic for me. The story takes place in a very short period of time and yet she’s very quick to pick up the complexities of politics and creatures. Which would be fine, she might just be a very quick learner, but then we’re subjected to MULTIPLE fairly long speeches about the Four Horsemen.
But even with the gripes that I have I absolutely devoured this book. If you want an urban fantasy story about a badass, chronically ill heroine and found family this one is for you.
I do have one very important question though, WHERE IS MY BOY HAL??
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