I wasn't in love with the first 3 or so books in this series but found them interesting enough to keep on with. Although I'm digging how Kara is growing as a character, both as a person and in power, I think that she is verging perilously close to Special Snowflake status.

This book and the one directly previous have lots of great action and the story is moving in some really unexpected ways. However, when Kara is back on Earth, I feel like things are falling in her lap too easily. Not in terms of the demon lords and that power struggle, but having a source of income now that she's no longer a cop and all of the stuff related to her house. And her finding the people she's gathering around her. There are just too many coincidences and neat solutions. I kind of wish that there was more of a balance between the cop demon-summoner Kara of the start of the series and the super-summoner Kara of now. But I am looking forward to the next book so it's not all bad.

( )

It's really kinda amazing that Rowland decided to go with her gut and change the series as much as she did. Police procedurals and all have a huge place in the world now and it's fine and stuff, but I get the distinct impression that everyone's going WAY OVERBOARD with the whole genre.

Enter Kara Gillian.

The last book allowed us to explore the demon world. I was enraptured. This book brought Kara back to Earth.

Kara isn't working for law enforcement anymore, but she does have friends. What's more, she's back with demon lord friends and more power than you shake a stick at. We're also introduced to new (and fun) characters as she attempts to save a number of demon thralls, save Idris, and we even get a Roadtrip novel. (Yes, it's a thing.) But here's the best part of these books: They're all character driven. The plots are more than decent and Rowling is smart about where she takes the stories, the betrayals, and the powerups. Even the magic system is becoming WORTHY.

But at the core, it's the characters that really drive everything in her novels. The story is always going where they want to go. It flows in just that way, and it's right and good. This is something beyond my saying that I love it. I'm saying the tale couldn't go any other way. It feels genuine. Everyone's reacting to their nature or striving against it in dynamic ways. The reveals transform our way of thinking about everything.

Yes, to Zack. Yes, to Ryan. I'm starting to love these guys. It took some time, but I'm finally on board. How many times do I have to like villains in Rowland's books before I get the clue? lol Who is the villain? Well, that's most of the fun. We're dealing with demon lords here and they are indeed very crafty.

Do I miss the police procedural bits?

Nope. *shrug* If I wanted more police procedural magic, I can get it anywhere. What I don't often see is truly dynamic and huge change in these UF's, and I'm just going to have to say bravo. :) ( )

2.5/5 stars. I liked that the majority of the action was back in the human realm with Kara's human friends, even though the "posse" stuff could be a bit much at times. I'm not thrilled with how conveniently her Aunt was written out of this story. For the majority of the book I expected her Aunt to actually have been kidnapped--and I will not be surprised to find out in the next book that something has happened to her. ( )

Fury of the Demon
3 Stars

The tone of the series has changed drastically from the first five books. While some of the developments are intriguing, others are exceedingly disappointing and as such I’ve ended up rather ambivalent about the next installment.

The story begins with Kara once again in the demon realm. Thankfully, this situation doesn’t last long and the majority of the narrative takes place in the human world. The problem with the demon realm is the abundance of confusing jargon and terminology: Arcane, potency, sigils, nexus, valves …. not to mention all the exotic sounding demon names, which are virtually impossible to keep straight.

Although the basic plot revolving around Kara’s search for the missing Idris is compelling with an exciting climax, it takes far too long for Rowland to get to the point. The writing is excessively drawn out and the story good have been cut down by at least 100 pages.

Despite the gripping revelations interspersed throughout the book and the compelling questions that have me interested in continuing, such as the origins of the demon lords, the reasons behind Tessa’s memory loss, Zach’s new situation, Mzatal’s anger management issues and Kadir’s ambiguous nature, there are just as many unappealing elements.

The most significant of these is the evolution of Ryan’s character and the direction his relationship with Kara is moving in. The chemistry between Ryan and Kara has always be one of the most engaging aspects of the series, but it is quite obvious that my hopes for their HEA are doomed. Similarly, Kara’s romance with Mzatal is unsatisfying. Although he is likable as a hero, their chemistry has definitely waned and they have yet to form a believable connection. Moreover, Kara tendency toward calling Mzatal “boss” is exceedingly irritating. There is something not quite right about a woman calling her lover by a term that implies an employer/employee relationship...

All in all, I’m conflicted about the direction the series is going and the next installment might be my last. ( )

Awesome, and an almighty revelation at the end. This series just gets better and better with each new book and I'm ready for the next one. ( )