A Battle of Blood and Stone by Sawyer Bennett
Chronicles of the Stone Veil #4

Four books into a series that definitely should be read in order, I find myself with another cliffhanger ending eager to start in on the next and final book of the series…at least I *think* it is the final book in this series. I suppose there could be spin-off books, though, depending on what happens in book five. I guess I will find out soon enough!

In the previous books we met Finley, her friends, her twin sister, Carrick and many others. We learned that Finley is instrumental in thwarting a dark fae queen as both are mentioned in a prophecy. We learned the myth of the world with Dark and Light, Fae, Daemon, Gods, and demigods. We are provided with a romance or two that continue through the series, Finley learns more about who she is and works on getting stronger while learning new skills, and we go along for the ride as Finley, Carrick and the rest work toward preparing for their part(s) in the prophetic happenings that will take place. The series has all the elements requires of required of an excellent urban fantasy and I am hooked.

What I liked:
* Finley: strong, independent, human, coming to terms with her situation and what is expected of her, falling deeper in love with her soul mate Carrick, and I like her.
* Carrick: demigod, immortal, in deep abiding love with Finley, dedicated to assisting Finley succeed when she deals with the prophecy, hopeful, strong, stalwart, HOT.
* Lucien and Maddox: Carrick’s demigod brothers…keep wondering if they might get stories of their own in the future.
* Zaid: mixed breed paranormal with a murky past and evil father – he is definitely growing on me.
* Rainey and Miles: Finley’s friends, in love, part of the team though not as active as in previous books.
* The visit to the Hall of Histories
* The battle for the Blood Stone
* That I was drawn in, felt part of the story, and found myself rooting for the good guys
* Zora: though taciturn and distant I hope that she can be saved from the underworld
* Getting to see characters from previous books
* The way the characters are bonding as they prepare for what is to come
* The growing relationship between Carrick and Finley, the strength of their love, and the way they communicate – there is a nice balance between them
* The scene where Finley is helped to access her “powers”
* Wondering how Finley will get out of the situation she finds herself in at the end of this book

What I didn’t like:
* Not knowing what happened to a few characters in this book…they might be okay OR might be gone forever.
* The baddies…including the new one that was revealed in a twist near the end of the story
* The ending…but then I was expecting it to have a cliffhanger as each of the previous books had one, too. s

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to the author and Inkslinger PR for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )