Book Info
Fiala's Demise by Auberon Shaw, Sullyn ShawSeries: The Fall of Fiala Duet #2
Rating:
Book ratings explainedGenres: Dark Romance, Fantasy
Pages: 167
ASIN: B09PQPC5F2
Published: 30/07/2022
Available on
Purchase at: Amazon | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon AU
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Betrayed. Gulled. Lured into a ruse that had been set long before my release. My trust was long shattered, but my naivete and ego remained.
And what did I get for allowing my faith to go undeterred? Darkness and suffering.
Just when things were looking up, new information came to light and parts of my past were revealed.
Apparently, Drystan wasn’t the only one who kept secrets.
In the midst of deception, Eryx, Ambroz, and Saxan’s powers grew, and the bonds between us strengthened.
I thought they were ready to face Makai, but maybe I was wrong.
Treacherous dreams, hidden intentions, and blood boiling decisions laid ahead.
As they said, when one villain met their demise, another took their place.
Who would rise when Fiala fell?
The Fall of Fiala Duet is the villain creation story for a second duet, Ascent of Leora. NO HEA, NO HEA, NO HEA, again, NO HEA, but we will see the characters again in the following duet.
Content warning: mental and physical t*rture, physical deformation, child pr*stitution, m*rder, m*rder of a pregnant woman, c*nnibalism, rape and sexual assault, dr*gging, s*icide
Fiala's Demise - My Review
After that epic ending in Fiala’s Return, I was super curious to discover what would happen next with Perla and the gang. As it turns out, there’s no big moment where the world comes crashing down due to Drystan’s actions. Instead Perla, Saxan, Ambroz and Eryx seem to pick up and carry on without the ‘big event’ having much impact upon them.
And this seems to be the attitude with every plot point in the box. Events pass without much fanfare or discussion and it sometimes feels as though they’re almost glossed over instead of used to progress the story. I wanted more. More emotion, more action, more drama.
When reading Fiala’s Return I was really drawn to Perla’s complex character. That complexity didn’t come through in Fiala’s Demise and I was left waiting for the reappearance of the magnificent woman from the first book.
What we do see in this story is character growth from the men. Each has their own past and trauma to heal from and the earlier part of the story begins to allow for this, even under the shadow of Drystan’s betrayal. When Drystan returns to the others this furthers their recovery, not just as a group but as individuals as well. We also get to see Perla’s epic sense of justice rubbing off on Saxan.
Now, I need to talk about that ending (and I need to do it without dropping spoilers). The main plot point in the book is the group working together to destroy Perla’s father. When his final moment came it was anticlimactic. In fact, I was ready to throw down my Kindle and complain because I know Sullyn Shaw is capable of far more than she and Auberon were giving me. There was a lot of closure offered in the final chapters of the book, but I didn’t feel particularly excited about it or captivated by what I’d read. It’s only when you reach the final few pages that everything clicks into place.
“Every beginning was an ending, and every ending was a beginning.” In the final pages, I saw not a book that failed to live up to its predecessor, but one with a slower pace as it’s sandwiched into the middle of what could be a series. At last, we see the Perla of the first book return, and I get the feeling that when she and the four men return in The Ascent of Leora Duet (releasing 2023), she will be more formidable than ever.
About Sullyn Shaw
Sullyn Shaw is an Alpha/Beta Reader, Author, and Eggplanter
