Althea M. (althea) reviewed on 8/2/2011 + 774 more book reviews

If you like sexy, tormented, demon-possessed men, then this series is for you.
I'd read the first two (Transformation and Revelation) quite a few years ago, so it took me a little bit to get into it, as it all came back to me.
The book follows the same protagonist, Seyonne, as he struggles to integrate the man he is with the demon inside him. Meanwhile, he supports his friend and king, Aleksander, through a political coup that deposes him...
I remembered absolutely loving the first two books. I liked this one as well (as I've liked everything I've read by Carol Berg), but it wasn't without flaws. Seyonne has absolute faith that Aleksander is a great leader, destined for great things. But in this book, seriously, he seems rather dumb and shortsighted, constantly letting emotion (and his short temper) rather than logic guide his decisions. I didn't see him as a potentially great king, or worthy of Seyonne's total loyalty.
This is a very unusual thing for me to say, but I also wished there was more romance throughout the book. I feel like it would have fit in. Instead, it's got a romantic interest just tacked on to the end, with absolutely no emotional build-up to it. I felt it was a missed opportunity. Instead, the main focus is on Seyonne's personal struggle to make decisions between power and human concerns, which are largely symbolized by his infant son, who isn't even realized as a character - he's just a 'baby.' Babies don't interest me much, so I felt a lack of involvement there. It's nice to see a man in a 'father' role, but even if there are reasons given, he's a pretty crappy dad. So yeah, I could have used more romance than a couple of lines bewailing the loss of the wife who tried to murder him.

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