Such a great series! I’m glad the quality is consistently good and that the author continues to take the plot in surprising directions. The more I read this series, the more I like it. I loved the scene when Lily passed the Wythe mantle to Ruben. So unexpected, and it was written so well. The death of the Nokolai rhej and Cynna’s sudden change in status was a shocker too.
( )

Eileen Wilk’s world of the Lupi novels are the perfect combination of FBI procedural and paranormal werewolf fantasy. Rule and Lily face more challenges as Ruben, head of Lilly’s division, comes under suspicion for murder. ( )

Lily Yu and her fiancé, Rule Turner, are again in DC trying to counter the political hate groups aimed at the supernatural – now fully being manipulated by the Great Enemy of the Lupi

That war is growing ever more complicated –and compromising – as Lily’s mentor and boss is also looking at setting up their own shadowy organisation which puts Lily in a very difficult position

A conflict that only grows more difficult when her boss is accused of murder – and her ethics and the rules are put to a harsh test as she must make hard decisions and risk not just her career but her sense of self and identity with it

The metaplot continues to be excellent as it develops more and more. A lot of the world building that has been building over several books is now all coming together. We have seen battle after battle, more and more revealed of The Enemy’s plan, her resources and her powers as well as we increasingly see what is truly at stake with this war.

Aside though – can we not have The Enemy be known as “The Great Bitch”. I get we’ve got a whole Voldemort “do not name her” thing going here but there definitely could be a less misogynist epithet they could use. Especially in a culture which is supposed to revere women and a goddess (well so it’s claimed: I find it dubious that we have such an amazing woman-revering culture yet for some bizarre reason all Lupi must be men. That’s a trope that ends yesterday) AND a culture made of actual werewolves – people who turn to dogs – denigrating their enemy by referring to her as a “bitch” is ludicrous.

This series has done an excellent job of bringing everything together and building incrementally with every episode. With every book we reveal more magic – the fae, the different gifts, the lupi, the supernatural forces, deities and powers, new creatures, new players, new organisations, the dragons, the complexity of people who can manipulate the future against people who can see the future and the chess game they can play. I love the layers and how much has come together in this book.

And now we’ve added Brownies which are so fun because they have such an original alien culture

It sounds like all of these elements coming with a multi-sided storyline (Ruben being framed for murder, the hate groups being manipulated and acting against Rule, Lily and all supernaturals, dealing with the mantle Lily is holding and so many other issues) would suggest that this book is full and confusing. But it isn’t – it flows really well, there’s a lot of action but not so quick and action packed as to not cover and analyse the nuances there as well. It’s balanced between the plot moving forwards as well as examining all the elements that have been developing in this series.

All of this through the very excellent lens of the characters – particularly Lily. I like Lily, she’s such an excellent character – which has been very consistently developed. I love her dedication to the law, I love her logical brain and need to take notes and work everything through – her application to logic, sense and reasoning all to these fantastic circumstances are excellent

And I really love her conflict over the idea of a shadow organisation. She cares for the people involved, she trusts them. But the very idea of a shadowy organisation with no accountability horrifies her. I love her ethics, her dedication to them as well as how central her dedication to laws and ethics and accountability matter to her. I really like how strong and capable Lily is without being a classic combat monster

I do like some of the complexities of Rule’s faith. The Lupi being devoted to their goddess is a given, they’re created by her and have tangible evidence of her existence and intervention in their lives. But when one actually has a god who is definitely involved in your life… what do you do when said god starts doing things you disapprove of – or actively loathe. The idea that his god, his beloved Lady, is actually doing something that could harm or kill Lily creates the most amazing crisis of faith for him

It really is an excellent look at the real consequences of actually having a tangible deity – very common in fantasy worlds – and the price of that devotion. It’s an excellent complicated development of Rule’s character and the world building here.

Lily Yu is an East-Asian woman, lacking in many of the common stereotypes we commonly see concerning East-Asian women that I am aware of. This series continues to have multiple background POC as well – werewolves, different members of various groups (such as the police, the political groups) in minor roles who are POC and minor recurring characters like Sam Nguyen. The Rhej’s are very racially diverse and the most prominent Rhej (kind of high priestess to the Lupi), Ella in this book is a Black woman. She’s a fully qualified doctor but still takes advantage of people underestimating her because of her race. The new head of the Unit is a South Asian man. There’s a definite insistence that group scenes or groups in general are racially diverse. We also have Ruben and his family being openly represented as Jewish as well.

Lily challenges sexism around her whenever it arises – and it’s framed in classic microagression terms (like people discounting her skills). I also like there’s a moment where her own unfair snap judgement of a woman is challenged. This is something the book does well in general – just because someone is wrong or dislikes Lily or Lily dislikes them doesn’t make them inherently terribad. She also gently challenges Rule’s own sexism – taking issue with his willingness to help her when her arm is hurt while he tries to refuse her help when he is hurt.

Read More ( )

The book seemed to start out slow, but the pace did pick up about 1/2 way though the story. I enjoyed Brownies and Elemental characters in this book, I even enjoyed Deborah Brooks as a character and previously silent partner of Ruben, I hope she will get to play a bigger part in future books.
I do have questions... I don't think the dagger was resolved completely, I don't understand where the missile actually went, or why it was sent, but maybe this will be cleared up in future stories ( )

I was beginning to worry that one of my favorite series was off the rails after reading the last couple of installments, but Death Magic has renewed my faith in the author and the series. The previous books were full of information pertinent to the confrontation between the Lupi/Gifted world and the Humans First movement. The pacing was fast and so many plot points were brought full circle that I've lost count! I locked myself in my room and unplugged my phone so I could totally lose myself in the story. Now that it's over, I think I need oxygen!

There are lots of surprises revealed and I am thrilled with the direction the author is taking the series. I honestly expected that the mantel Lily carried was going to change her into a Lupi. Wow! I had no idea that was coming!. And the OMGOSH moments just kept up, feeding my action addiction like an ice cream binge at 2:00AM! Getting to know Ruben and his wife a little better was great! He's a mysterious character and I like that we're getting to see the softer, more personal side of his life. The brownies were a fantastic addition (although I do miss Gan and her unfiltered speech). I do hope Harry and his crew will be back in the next book. This is my new favorite of the series! ( )