Vengeance of the Demon: Kara Gillian, Book 7

There are some potential SPOILERS in this post depending on your POV. Also a little profanity.I’ll also add that if this is a series you read for general leisure among your vast reading list, you really should go back and reread. Probably from the beginning. There is a glossary at the end, but the glossary covers terms, not previous plot points that got us to where we are today.Potential SPOILER warning starts here. Do not continue if they offend. I tried to keep things vague but you can still infer plot points.Vengeance picks up a few weeks after the mess we were left with in Fury of the Demon with Kara and Eilahn on Earth and things don’t sound good for the demon realm. Turns out Kadir had a reason to be pissed at the end of Fury toward his demon lord siblings tampering with the nodes and the demon realm is now in chaos. But hey, we get a better explanation as to what the nodes are/do this time around, complete with real world analogy. Our old friend Marco Knight the clairvoyant also reappears with a cryptic warning. Neat.However, Kara doesn’t get much time to dwell on this as she comes under suspicion for Farouche's murder at the Plantation. Also, the node in her backyard kinda tries to self-destruct (problems in the demon realm = problems on Earth). Without getting into too much detail, Kara manages to convince a somewhat…overworked...Mzatal to lend her Idris and Bryce to help her stabilize nodes across the area. So Kara builds up a little posse with some outside and somewhat unexpected help to stabilize various nodes courtesy of a set of instructions from Kadir, all the while dancing around the legal issue of Farouche’s murder. And Jill. Jill and Baby are kinda important in this one. I mean, Baby made the cover. And there’s also the requisite betrayal. You apparently can’t be Kara Gillian and not be betrayed by somebody close to you.We DO finally finally FINALLY get some answers! Not nearly everything, mind, since we still have two more books to go. But yes, we finally get somewhere and I’m willing to bet Kara’s “hunches” at the end of the book are fairly accurate as well. And honestly, some of what happened in this book, I really didn't see coming. Including things involving Baby. I can't wait to get some explanations on that! Despite still having questions, I’m getting the feeling book nine will be the Holy Schlamoly Epic Book of All Answers.I think the biggest problem I have with this book is that the overall plot doesn’t seem to move forward very much. I write “seem” because I have a feeling (actually based on the ending you kinda know) that much of what was covered in this book will be extremely relevant later on. As in, it will be the plot of the next book. Or the final one. But in THIS book during THIS part of the timeline…we’re sort of walking in circles. I can’t think of a way around this without shortchanging some pretty significant character development, though, so it’s a little frustrating. The book is enjoyable and has some fun moments, don’t get me wrong. There are some big ideas introduced that you do NOT want to skip if you plan on reading the next installment. But yeah, it’s kind of a stalemate. There’s action at the end, and some in between, so it’s not like everyone’s sitting around talking the entire time, but in terms of the overall plot arc we’ve been following…not as much movement as I’d hoped for.As far as Kara goes…well, she’s developed a few crutches throughout the series and this was the book where she got to stand on her own two feet again. No Mzatal, no preconceived notions about who or what she is. To borrow a phrase from a previous book, her foundation, in more ways than one, was stripped from her and we get to watch her grow from the experience. From a character development standpoint this moment was inevitable, likely critical, but nonetheless emotional. And I’m not just referring to the scenes with Mzatal which are few but poignant. So while it’s sad to watch it play out, hopefully we’ll get to see an even stronger Kara as a result…again.I warned you about SPOILERS, right?And Mzatal. Dear God. I’ve read death scenes that packed less punch than what happened there. I’ve euthanized kittens and puppies (life of a shelter tech, yo) and held back emotion. But I cried after that scene. God Damn those two better get a happy ending. If nothing else happens in this series, at least let them be happy. No, this isn’t a “romance” series, but damn it they deserve it.All in all a good book that I enjoyed reading and will enjoy rereading, but sad, and not my favorite of the series probably as a result of that and the feeling of no plot movement even though the plot wasn't totally stagnant. There’s hope for Kara’s situation, certainly, and I’m not giving up on Mzatal getting a good ending either, or really most of the lords since they’re all approaching the end of their ropes. Rowland loves crumbs in this series and there’s foreshadowing for a good outcome, but at this point everyone’s just so downtrodden, beaten up, confused, or otherwise an emotional wreck. I can’t wait for the sequel if only to see everyone cheer up a bit and get some good news for once! Although I’m really not looking forward to seeing Mzatal in his current state.

The story is still awesome. The development not as fast I would like it to be, in reason of the number of questions raised in the last ones. But it keep the reader on edge, and even if it's a bit frustrating for my part, I really really like this story. I absolutely will read the next.But if I could I'll just say that Kara's behaviour sometimes piss me off. I find her a bit too naive and a bit too slow.I'll gave a explication for my say.I don't understand why the author made her so trustful of everyone, even the lords by whom she already has been betrayed.She doesn't stop five minutes to even think of her actions, just take in a blink of an eye a decision, impulsive and emotional, and doesn't think of the repercussion. Just when she had done it, did she just think, oh! Maybe I shouldn't have done that, oh! Of course they were waiting for us, it was all an act... Seriously it's becoming irritating to see that she doesn't learn of her so trusted personality.I'd like sometime shake her and tell her, youhhooo! Remember last time when you did something harsh, or when you trusted someone, without questioning their motivation? Errrr... Apparently not, and she put herself in a bad situation as always.She is a former cop, right? Thus She has experiences with law and justice and dealing with perps. And lies and people who lied and betrayed, she has a bachelor on betrayal by demonic lord, so why is she not more cautious? Less cocky and arrogant.I find her just a little bit slow to understand things, and would like her a little bit sharper.Spoiler: The only surprise in this book for me, was the come back of Rhyzkahl. Otherwise, all the betrayals and the characters who betrayed Kara and her cause, were expected. I was not a bit surprised by that which is make me feel disappointed with Kara, her character and her actions. I would, could excuse her blindness toward her aunt, and the author could have explain that because it was a close person and its human that to trust (for the majority of cases) people close from us. Even if I was waiting this from the very first introduction I have with her aunt. Seriously, her role in all this was like a giant red bullseye on a white board. As was the other, Szerain and Zach, I was waiting the how and when. Now even if I'm glad the author has at last unfold some cards, I am still left with a lot of question for which I still have no answer. And must I remind that we are at the 7th book. Patience is a virtue! Yeah right.I would like to know more, thus answer about:1- Who is really Elinore? What was her role? Why has Kara some reminiscence of her? What power did she have? And what was she for the Lords and for Rhyzkahl, Szerain? Why did she create or was the cause of the great catastrophe?2- who was really Giovanni? What kind of relation did he have with Elinor and the Lords? If he was in love of Elinor and Rhyzkahl was in for Elinor, what was the matter? who are those characters in the grand schema?3- Why Szerain did not want to answer the questions about Elinor?4- what are the Ekiri now? What place are they playing in all this? They taught the demons Arcana power, and lived in the outer realm, sure! But I have a feeling that there is more. And if there is not I greatly would like to know more about them. I started to believe, Kara had something to do with them.5- why Kara has some affinity with the grove. She did have it before she was marked by the Mraztur. For what purpose? What consequences?And there is so many more.But I don't see any of them answered, in contrary new characters emerged with new problems and questions, leaving the old ones lost.The time pass as does the books in the serie for which I feel kind a thirsty for more each time because I am left with the thirst for the answers from the first books. But still don't get them. I'd like at last an enlightenment about these subjects in the next at last . Because letting somebody parched too long and he die!

Completely loved this seventh instalment in the demon series.It's absolutely brilliant and has some more unexpected twists and turns. Am glad that there are two more books to come. The story isn't over yet.

Really loved it, the story is really reaally good, I 'm waiting to the next !

I love the seriescan't wait for the next (last?) one

Note: this is the 7th book in the Kara Gillian UF series and the books need to be read in the right succession. They all contribute to one overall story arc. So if you're new to the series, I recommend to stop reading here and start with “Mark of the Demon”.ReviewOh this one was hard to rate – there is so much that warrants five stars. The story is fast paced, full of action and there is never a dull moment. This occurs to the extend of me pitying Kara for everything bad that is thrown at her in such rapid succession, she literally isn't able to catch her breath.First it's her, Idris and some surprise ally I don't want to spoil, especially since he is an unlikely helper and suddenly plays such a huge and important role. So it's them being on a job around town stabilizing the valves from the demon realm, lest they become unstable to the verge of exploding or imploding or whatever [in the meantime I get fuzzy on all the details]. The danger is to earth and the demon realm both. And even though Kara spends no noticeable time there, you get the feeling that things are dire in the demon realm, because of the events in “Fury of the Demon”. The lords have to constantly work to repair and minimize the damage and it is brought across brilliantly how tired they all are and how unstable the situation is.There are two other consequences to the events in “Fury...”: there is Mzatal, Kara's demon lord lover who got so dangerously enraged because of what was done to her that he had to close himself off from her nearly totally. That can be translated into: “Kara doesn't really have a relationship any more”. And even worse are the cops who desperately want to connect her to the murder at Farouche's plantation. She didn't do it, but how to explain her presence at the plantation and even harder: how to explain all the arcane background. Not possible. And therefore Kara is in deep s***t on that regard.So plot-wise, there is a breathless hunt all over town to take care of the valves, then there still are murderous summoner Katashi and his flunkies to catch, a once captive demon lord on the loose [Ryan now is aware that he is Szerain, so no more Ryan guy] whose motifs and agenda are hidden and Rhyzkhal's former ptarl Zack fading slowly... yeah, I realize that this plot cannot really be told in any neat way. Believe me when I say, it's full fledged action and one never knows what is going to happen next. Then again there is Kara, this incredible heroine who kicks a** and cannot be defeated by whatever s***t is thrown her way. So, all five star rating material.What made me give less were a few things I struggled with. Firstly, I love the world building, it's one of a kind. But if you read one installment a year, this overly complex cast of demons, arcane methods and connections, the abundance of involved characters on earth... it just is a lot to take in. And it distracted me at times that I needed to go to the necessarily long appendix checking if I remembered right.Then there is the fact that at times it's so hard for me to read about Kara again having to suffer so incredibly. I don't want to spoil anything, but there is not only some unfathomable thing done to her, but she also finds that there is a whole new meaning to “betrayal”. And again she suffers. And last not least, there is heartbreak. A lot. So although I get back to grinning the moment Kara stands right back up each and every time, I detest fate kicking her time and again.And the third reason this isn't a full five star read is the fact that again for each answered question five new and unanswered ones arise. Although there is no cliffhanger, my head is spinning and I wonder how that could ever be fully wrapped up. But then, I believe in Diana Rowland, because once before I was at such a point in the series and she did some incredible things to steer the whole thing into a new and unexpected direction. So I'll wait and read...

Auf die Fortsetzung der grandiosen Fantasy-Buchreihe um (Ex-)Polizistin und Dämonenbeschwörerin habe ich bereits seit Ende des letzten Bandes sehnsüchtig gewartet. Und auch Vengence of the Demon ist ein großartiges Buch! Spannennd ab der ersten Seite zieht es die Leser sofort in seinen Bann und stürzt sie von einer Emotion in die nächste. Atemlos und in einem Wechselbad der Gefühle habe ich das Buch bis zum Ende kaum aus der Hand legen können - und warte nun wieder wie es weitergeht...