Such an amazing cast of characters and explosive last chapter! The Demon Tide by Laurie Forest. #2022AudiobookChallenge

Synopsis

Nothing can stop the demon tide….

Newly exposed as the Black Witch of Prophecy, Elloren Gardner Grey is on the run, not knowing if she’ll find friends or foes. With her fastmate, Lukas Grey, either dead or in the hands of High Mage Marcus Vogel, Elloren knows the only chance of turning the tide of the coming war is to seek allies who will listen long enough not to kill her on sight.

In the Eastern Realm, Water Fae Tierney Calix and Elloren’s brother Trystan have joined the Wyvernguard to prepare for Vogel’s attack. But Trystan is fighting on two fronts, as the most despised and least trusted member of the guard. And Tierney’s bond with Erthia’s most powerful river has exposed a danger even more terrifying than the looming war.

The Black Witch is back, and the Prophecy is at hand. It’s time to fight. But Vogel has one more earth-shattering revelation for them all.

Audiobook Review

4,5 stars

“Don’t ever let other people tell you who you can and can’t love.”

Holy Molly!

I don’t know what to write here

On the one hand, I feared that we would have tension building up endlessly without any real action of confrontation.

We have many point of view here and I know some didn’t like it but I loved it. Because Laurie Forest is so gifted that she made me care for each of these characters.

I even prayed at some point that this would become a reverse harem while I hate RH but… I was #teamyvan AND #teamlukas.

We’ll follow Trystan while he is shunned by the Vu Trin and the Wyvern Guards, reviled as a Gardnerian while he put up a brave front and endured. My heart broke for him so many times!

His unlikely allies were the death fae.

I found his path heartbreaking and transformative at the same time. We discover him like never before. He didn’t really had opportunities to really shine in the other books but this book was for a big part HIS book!

Voth is another character who had been introduced in The Shadow Wand. He too will have a huge character growth and I am now one of his fervent admirers.

I am amazed how Laurie Forest succeeded in showing us that following your beliefs blindly, howling with the wolves that are your friends and family, can not always be what is right to do. But rather what you should do is follow your moral compass and always be kind with other people, whatever their beliefs, sexual preferences, races and religion.

This truly is the central trop in this series.

It also shows that swimming against the tide, even if it’s the right thing to do, is an act of bravery and courage.

That’s what several characters did throughout the series, Voth being one of them.

Another character that we’ll follow closely is Tierney.

She is so far from the ugly glamoured Gardnerian! She is become so strong and beautiful and will play a key role in the story. This is another character development that I found very well done and very interesting!

Let’s not forget Olilly, Or’myr (I so love him!! It was incredible his connection with Elloren), Sparrow, Winter, Mora’lee, Aislinn, Lukas (oh Lukas) and of course, Elloren!

For the most part of the book, we’ll switch between point of views, following all these journeys and if I loved it, I felt like waiting, and waiting and waiting some more until the tension became unbearable.

I NEEDED something big to happen. I needed Elloren to fight Marcus Vogel. I needed her to have her power unbound. I needed…

And then, the last 25%, everything exploded!

It was non-stop action, desperate gestures, sacrifices, twists and turns aplenty! Laurie Forest sure delivered till a grand finale, very unexpected, for that fourth installment.

But the story is not finished, far from it and I hope we’ll get the last part of these chronicles early on in 2023 because… I can’t wait!

Also I switched from audiobook to hardcover in these last 25% and I must say that I have an immense respect for Julia Whelan when I saw all these exotic names written and how she pronounced them with brio!

Thanks for reading!

Sophie