There is a 1 star review here from the previous book that I feel is inaccurate. I’ve reviewed this title before. It is even more beautiful the second listen. The One Star is wrong. They conclude the substance abuse was tacked on to the tale, the sex trauma was unnecessary, and characters boring. I do not know what books that reader read but they surely were not this series. SJ Himes has been building this series towards something. This is not the Tale of Isaac nor is it the Tale of Necromancer Salvatore. This is the Tale of Perseverance, a tale of being broken, hurt, and lost both by life and by oneself then clawing your way back. This is a tale of Healing on a backdrop of Urban Fantasy.
SJ Himes is truly a masterful writer and has built a world full of hidden lore. But at the end of it all what ends up being more important is the message they bring: I am broken but I am worthy .
Come for the magic and world building, stay for the message.