Note: This is Book 5 in the series and really needs to be read as part of that series, not as a stand alone.

In Book 4, we learned a few big things by the end of the book. First, Cisco has more family than he knew he did. Turns out the Spaniard from the Horn of Subjugation is an ancient relative. Then he also has a 10 year old daughter, Fran. Emily (Cisco’s ex-girlfriend) married Evan (Cisco’s best friend back in the day) and Evan has been raising Fran as his own, giving her some protection from Cisco’s enemies. So that was a lot for Cisco to absorb and digest.

Last book he was in a bit of funk, feeling pretty sorry for himself. But now he has to pull himself out of that well of self-pity and get his life in gear. Of course the attack on Fran’s birthday party is a pretty sharp spur to get him motivated! Once again, there’s plenty of action being tossed around – yay! It’s never a dull moment.

Cisco’s sense of humor has been a big draw for me in this series. He’s got a bit of machismo going and plenty of snark. That’s still there in this story, but some of the humor got a little tiring with all the references to other fantasy series. I felt it detracted a little for this story which I have so enjoyed.

Connor Hatch continues to be the big baddie and he is devilishly deadly. I really enjoyed hating him but I also felt for Cisco. His jinn powers give Connor a definite edge and I really wasn’t sure Cisco would be victorious. He managed a truce of sorts at the end of the last book but not a victory. With Finn, I couldn’t be sure how things would end with Cisco.

So lets talk a little about that ending. First, it was very satisfying in action and people getting what they deserved. However, there are tons of lose ends. I didn’t really feel like this was a series ending. There’s all these side characters that don’t get an ending in this book. Then there’s Cisco and his relationship with Fran, Emily, Evan, and even Milena. Things aren’t tied off there either. I’m really hoping for another book in this series or at least another series in this world that answers some of these questions. If this was just another installment in the series, I would give it 5/5 stars but since it’s supposed to be the series’s finale, I feel a little cheated. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Neil Hellegers makes a great necromancer full of snark and anger. His little kid voice is also believable and his female voices are believable. All the characters have distinct voices. I felt that Hellegers really enjoyed narrating this story. There were no technical issues with this recording. 5/5 stars. ( )

Great finale

What about Neil Hellegers’s performance did you like?
Neil Helleger did another amazing job with the narration of this story. He really brings all the characters to life with the different tone inflictions and emotions within the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
It always made me laugh, in each book, every time Cisco would say "I've been in worse situations before". However, each situation to me, appeared to be worse as the story progressed. I think it made Cisco feel good to state that view, to help him get through the situation.

Any additional comments?
I really enjoyed this book and the whole Black Magic Outlaw series. This 5th, and I assume final, book continued to develop and build on the characters, whether the reader was intended to like or dislike a character, and the story developed well to a great conclusion. It was good to see new characters and the role, albiet small, was still important in where the story was heading. I really like the role that Tyson played in this and as always, Connor is a great villain. The scene settings i.e. the different lands described were amazing.

This is a great series, one that I look forward to listening, and also reading, again in the future. ( )