The once mighty Ordo Solis – the Order of the Sun – has lost its following. Created to fight a demon who inhabited people and ate the souls of its victims, it no longer wields the power it had. People don’t believe the demon exists anymore. So, the American chapter of the Order now only consists of two members. Yes, two members in the form of Steven and Jeff, who still keep up traditions and faithfully watch the Raptor Gatekeeper each night for one hour in the hopes of clues to catch the demon.
But Jeff is struggling with keeping his
commitment to his day job, his Order work, and spending time with his wife and
daughter. And Steven feels he needs a holiday. Maybe permanently. They decide
to watch one last viewing together, when they notice a person approaching the
Gatekeeper. It’s almost like he knows the secret signal, but not quite.
With the Raptors, Unas, and Sanhe cults
still out there and waiting for the Soulstealer’s return, there is a huge task
awaiting Ordo Solis as the cults have no mercy and will stop at nothing to
defend him. Unfortunately, Steven is about to find out the depths they will go
to. After teaming up with Adeline from the European chapter, they land up going
to different countries and working with different Orders. Orders who have had
so little to do over the years that they have forgotten traditions. Most don’t
believe the Bane is back and others just don’t know what to do. Steven takes
matters into his own hands and, with evidence he has cleverly hidden, he plans
to use someone with influence who will present the evidence as valid and back
it. Will the government agree with this ruse, or will he and his evidence
disappear without a trace?
The Soulstealer is able to siphon millions
of souls at a time. But working out where and when he will attack leaves a
whole planet to keep an eye on. This ancient evil will take a lot to beat…
This is a very clever “side-story” in that
it is written in the same time frame as the first book but from a different
character’s perspective so we get to see how the other side felt about what
happened and how they dealt with it. The books fit together so well and a
side-by-side comparison will remind you of many small details you may have
forgotten.
Steven is not your average hero, and the
author allows you to feel his frustration and cheer when he defies orders in
order to put plans in motion. In book one, you feel empathy for the Soulstealer
as you understand the reasons why he is forced to do what he does, yet in book
two you can feel the pain that his actions caused. Characters that were only
briefly mentioned in book one now have their time to shine as you understand
their role in the big picture.
The author has a lovely fluid style of
writing and while there were a few small punctuation mistakes, they were not
enough to play a major distraction. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, both in the
manner of construction and the content, and am keen to see the direction the
story will go.
Thanks to Reedsy Discovery and the author
for an advance copy…
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