It's fascinating when what should have been a police procedural with demon summoning goes sideways.

This isn't a bad thing in my opinion. I mean, think about it. You get kidnapped to a demon dimension, learn a bunch of stuff about the arcane, and then come back many months later... should you really expect to keep your job after such a leave? Can you really hope to explain your experience, of being tortured, branded, of falling in love (again) with a demon lord, of coming into possession a massively powerful dimension-ripping tool, or even of being friends with so many demons? Or having so many enemies?

Just how should your cop buddies take this new you?

Um, where's the pitchfork?

Okay. So no. I like the new Kara Gillian still. And if she has to go a little renegade because you pitiful mortals just don't want to open your minds a little to see what's REALLY at stake, then so be it. Renegade it is.

Um. Even if the law is coming after you. And you can't even explain WHY you had to be a party to such a brutal murder or why it is vitally important to tear all your enemies to shreds.

Oh. Wait. You mean normal police procedurals can't get real? Ah, so be it. Well, that's why I like the direction this has taken. Events have consequences. We can't just go back to the same-ole routine. It simply doesn't make sense.

So again, bravo, Ms. Rowland! :) You're keeping it real. It's still very much a police procedural, but now we're getting into all the grey stuff. I'm really liking the characters and the changes, too, but you know what I'm really loving the most?

The magic system. I can't believe how detailed and workable it's getting. It's good enough to write a nice and long manual on. :) Perhaps a storytelling game. :) I'd love to play in this world. :)

( )

A good read, but in many ways it felt like we're clearing the decks for the next book. Not that nothing happens (plenty does), but there's not as much resolution as one would hope for. ( )

I missed Diana Rowland's writing - she puts genuinely laugh-out-loud funny lines in the middle of top-notch, nail biting action scenes. She does the unusual twist of taking a character you once liked and making you despise them the next book (or vice versa). This isn't a perfect book, but it's close to five star rating.

I dig Kara - she's great to friends, loyal, fair, doesn't pick on people for their differences, has a fun sense of humor and realistic self-esteem. On the negative side, she gets too cocky in the face of an enemy and irritates me with taking too much joy fawning when she gets the power - brings my opinion of her down. I didn't like a change in this book with her powers either, hope she returns to normal next book. To me that was a huge part of the main character - and since it's first person POV, if she can't do it anymore, *I* can't experience the uniqueness anymore either.

Surprising betrayal about a family member, but at least I never cared much about that person anyway. Mzatal blended into the background, barely there, and I'm over that. Really I thought the scene where he and Kara decided what he must do for the sake of saving the worlds was the worst written scene in the book - rang false, making them both seem one dimensional.

Rowland likes to get one attached to a potential relationship bubble and then pop it with a sudden jab of a freakishly sharp and huge needle the next book over. Since I go a year between reading these, I can emotionally disconnect a little but I can't imagine reading these books and getting that slap in the face book-back to book-back. You may need a swipe or two of shipping anesthesia.

But toss the previous demon lord intrigues aside, they're old news, I adored Pellini. He tugged on my heartstrings with his awkwardness, loyalty, and just....cute, unassuming charm. I never jumped on the other demon lord bandwagon anyway (it was oddly clinical), although I'm not saying that's over, for it certainly isn't for Kara. Not saying it's over in the books but my loyalties are stirred and shaken.

Ryan is sadly rarely around. Zack may end up less unlikeable than he actually was. There's a twist in the end, could go all sorts of directions.

As always lots of twist and turns - old things twisted to make surprises, new things popping up to bring forth further complication. The book progresses the story but I can see parts that were a little bit filler as well, for there's little progression in the main story arc. We instead get subtle bumps to existing players.

That said, Rowland's writing style is such fun that her words addict me. Kara's internal monologue is cleverly amusing. Some plot regression flaws aside, loved revisiting Kara's world and can't wait to revisit it again. ( )

Kara has her arcane powers stripped by Katashi. Mzatal has to become what he didn't want to, so that both worlds can be saved, will the price be worth it to Kara in the end? Julie has the baby, kind of, and Zach takes her away with Szerzain. Pellini is an awesome new asset for the group. Carl has a surprise for Kara. Can't wait for the next book! ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Kara is wrapped up into all kinds of craziness, all while trying to help her pregnant friend out.

Opening Sentence: Accessory after the fact.

Excerpt: Yes

The Review:

I am assuming this book picks up shortly after book 6, Fury of the Demon ends. Kara is trying to assist a detective looking into the murder of Farouche without giving away what she really knows about what happened. What actually happened was the taking down of Rhyzkahl, a demon who had used Kara and set her up in trap. Mzatal, Kara’s demon lover, marked her with his sigil and saved her life. Kara’s friend Jill is also close to giving birth to Zach’s baby, a demon who was closely tied to Ryzkahl.

Jill’s baby girl I have a feeling is tied into the series in a big way, especially after seeing the cover! She is born before the book ends, but I am getting ahead of myself. Kara goes through a lot in this book, betrayed by her Auntie, who is like a mother to her, a loss of her powers, a mutual breakup of sorts with her demon lover and getting arrested. The valves are not stabilized and the demon world is a chaos.

As you can see from my first paragraph I haven’t read the other six books. I really wish I had but I didn’t want to put off reviewing the book while I caught up. I sort of wish I had, but despite that I feel like I only missed out on some information. For the most part I was able to follow along all that was going on in this book with only minor confusion. It also didn’t stop me from liking the book and adding the first one to my TBR list!

I like Kara, she is sassy and willing to make hard choices even if she loses out. I don’t understand all that is going on in this world, but I am sure when I go back and read the first six books I will get my gaps filled in. I really enjoyed this book and I am really looking forward to reading the rest of them! If you are a fan of this series already then you will love this great addition.

Notable Scene:

“I knew without a whisper of doubt that he would never betray me with intent.”

“Twelve. The twelfth is a radical game changer. Spawned of fierce cunning. Beauty and power exemplified. Beware the twelfth.”

“Katashi has severed me from the arcane and my lover-a lover who needed me as much as I needed him.”

FTC Advisory: DAW/Penguin provided me with a copy of Vengeance of the Demon. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )