NEW HEROES.
OLD DEMONS.
THE ADVENTURE BEGINS….
They grew up in the shadow of heroes
Fifteen years have passed since the demons were destroyed. Heroes have become legend, and those that remain live in their shadows.
Olive, Princess of Hollow, has her entire life planned out. A steady march to succession choreographed by her mother. But Olive longs for freedom.
Darin is the son of the man who people say saved the world. But the only thing Darin has ever been good at is hiding.
But now it’s time to fight the darkness
When Olive and Darin step across the wards one night, they learn that the demons are not all gone, and those that remain hunger for revenge.
Are Darin and Olive ready to be heroes?
I was so impressed with this book, the world building alone is something to take your breath away.
I was invited to read this book and I had not read any of the previous Demon Cycle books but this one is the start of a new series set within the same world.
Events in this book take place after the Demon Cycle books but you don’t have to read those to make a start on this new series.
The book follows two main POVs of Princess Olive and Darin Bales. Darins father saved the world but it left Darin with the weight of his legacy on his shoulders and everyone looking to Darin to be the next saviour. Olive on the other hand is a bit unusual in that she has both genitalia due to absorbing her brother in the womb and as such she can appear as both sexes. During the start of the book she is female but hides what she is from the others. She is the heir of Hollow and unlike her other siblings, she is claimed by her mother and has her surname of Paper instead of her fathers.
Olives existence is troublesome for her as she can conceive and also father children, if this knowledge were to reach her fathers sons and they thought her to be a threat to the skull throne, they may come for her life.
Olive lives safely tucked away in a palace behind the great wards which keep demons at bay. Since the war itself no one has really seen demons but are told they are still out there. Olive and her young Aunt Selen want to go on the Borough tour where they tour villages outside of the great wards. Olive is banned from going but forms a plan with Selen to drug their nannies and guards and flee over the great ward.
Needless to say this did not end well and Olive and Selen got their first taste of Demons. While fighting, they discover that their nanny Micha isn’t quite who she said she is and backup isn’t far behind.
At this exact time, Darin Bales is also having his issues with Demons too, he’s practicing his pipes to keep the demons away but the demons keep coming. His Aunt is gravely hurt and he has no choice but to call for his mother.
It’s no coincidence that the two heirs were attacked at the same time and with dire warnings foretold in the dice, Darins mum Renna and Olives mum Leesha form a plan to find the demon hive and protect their children. They leave with a contingent of guards and Hollow lancers.
The events from here will spoil the rest of the book if I go into too much detail! So I’ll leave that out of my review here.
Needless to say these characters are so well formed and I love Olive. The struggles she has been through to discover her identity, she can be one or the other or even both if she so chooses. She doesn’t let other people decide her fate. Selen is just as much of a force to be reckoned with! Darin is adorable and is fighting to find himself without his dads shadow casting over him. I also have a lot of love for Micha too!
It’s such an interesting story and so immersive. You really do get sucked in and it reads like a movie in your head. I cannot wait to see where the story goes, it’s going to be just as epic! No doubt about that.
I will be investing in the demon cycle books while I await the rest of this series.
Epic is the best word to describe this book.
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