This is a very intense read full of action and an intriguing mythology that will have far-reaching consequences in the books to come next in this captivating series. Issues of hatred, forgiveness, and the power that each of us possess become a major part of this story and stick with you long after the final page....which is somewhat of a cliffhanger.
Diana Jalinowski has had a life full of trauma. Her father suffered a stroke while she was at the top of her gymnastics career. Her parents were then killed, and she was left a paraplegic, in an automobile accident caused by a gang member with a grudge against Diana. When the courts don't give her the revenge she was hoping for, she uses the magical abilities that have slowly been building within her to hurt those who hurt others. As she gets further involved in the use of magic, she unwittingly frees a sadistic demon bent on enslaving humanity and taking over the realms of Angels and Demons. With the help of Sean Dominico, an Angel masquerading as her psychologist, they must together focus all their positive energies toward defeating the Demon. But Diana has been full of anger for so long that forgiveness, and hence the true way to victory, may be beyond her grasp. It's not until the very end that the dust settles, but even then there's more evil waiting to invade.
This story deals with very heavy subject matter....revenge and forgiveness. The author doesn't spare any expense showing why Diana is angry. She's been through a lot of horrible things and becoming disabled late in life definitely changes how you see and feel about yourself. I should know, I'm a quadriplegic, and it's one of the reasons I was drawn to this book. You can either rise above it and take control of the life you've been given, or drown under the grief. Diana's chose to wallow in grief and the continual aggressive behaviors she displays became irritating to me after awhile. I know the author's intent is to show how grief and rage affects a person, but I still became annoyed with Diana's actions. Because she's so full of rage, I never quite believed she could defeat the Demon. The way to defeat him seemed so simple and yet with Diana, not really possible. She's lucky she had Angel Sean!
Angel Sean at first seems very average, but as the story progresses you realize just how important his part is in everything that has happened to arrive at this moment. He's very likable and has so many emotional layers and it's through him that Diana gains the real power to fight the Demon. He tells it like it is, even when Diana doesn't want to hear the truth. I hope to see more of him in future books as he was really the heart of this story and found him a better character than Diana because of his looking at the good as well as the bad. Diana was always so consumed by finding the bad that I found her hard to relate to.
After turning the final page I'm left very impressed by how much mythology the author integrated into this story. At times it's a bit overwhelming, and there were times I wondered "what bad thing can possibly happen next?", but the author was able to keep things under control and not let the chaos overwhelm the story. I for one am excited to see where things go next and am definitely on board for wherever Mr. Tobin plans to take us. I just hope that Diana starts taking on more positive qualities and can finally earn the title of heroine. The wallowing in pity that permeated a large part of the story made it difficult to root for her at times, but Angel Sean saved the day in may ways and is the real hero in this story.
My rating for this is a B+.
*I was given a copy of this by the author and Bewitching Book Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.
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