Nick’s tumultuous relationship with Vivian continues,
much to Morgana’s disapproval – and seems to be getting serious. Especially
after a mysterious, magical death in Nick’s arms leads him to investigate and
gives Vivian the chance to have an almost-honeymoon for them.
But Nick doesn’t have much time for relaxing or partying
when he follows the investigation – finding a vulnerable Amish community
suffering a truly horrific predation at the hands of a terrible and powerful
force. So desperate are they that they’re willing to accept help from him, Nick
Englebert, Lucifer’s son and the next Lucifer.
As he investigates and battles the darkness, his own
power flows; his father making frequent appearances to urge him towards
ascension and one day stepping into his shoes.
I
said before that this series is original and that is really well continued into
this book. The nature of demons, the retiring Lucifer, exactly who and what
Nick is coupled with the old gods, angel eaters, angry angels and an empty
Throne all combine to create a really fascinating world with multiple angles
and agendas. The idea of humans that ascend to become demons, Lucifer poking
his son to do just that, is an excellently maintained one – especially with the
very nature of Nick being developed so much more: what it means when people
stick holy symbols in their faces and start chanting exorcisms, or their magic
improving if people worshipping them – or Nick performing exorcisms simply by
demanding demons leave because he’s the boss.
I love the idea of Angels being more than a little lost
and aggressive with an empty throne – and I love that there’s been some real
research into the nature of angels and not just presented as people with wings
(which, if you read the original sources, is pretty divorced from the weird,
wonderful and outright alien descriptions of many angels).
The angel eaters – those who eat angelic flesh and seek
ascension to the empty throne are also a really good concept. I am torn as to
whether they were necessary in this book, we had them in the last book and it
was almost a distraction – but I think they maintain the ongoing meta as well
as underscoring that just because there’s one thing going on in the world doesn’t
mean there aren’t other things going on as well. I like the idea that the world
doesn’t neatly line up one problem at a time or that everything else stops
while you juggle something else.
I keep rambling on about the world – in fact if this
review is disjointed it’s because every time I start writing I leap back up to
the world building part to add another element that really appealed to me. But
the story is really strong as well- we have Lucifer constantly poking his head
in to try and get Nick to follow in his footsteps while Nick is moved to help
an Amish community bedevilled by, well, deviltry, out of sheer compassion (I
like that the demon is moved by compassion). Of course, when examining that
evil we have twist after twist after twist, we have big guns that don’t work as
well as expected, cocky demons learning that they’re not all that and the last
people we expected turning out to be the big bad, interwoven with Nick’s complicated
relationship with Vivian and the other people he invites to his bed.
It’s well written – with a much tighter and more succinct writing style than the first book. The ultra-dark film noir theme has gone, which means it doesn’t clash with Nick’s character any more – his personality now meshes with the books style rather than breaking it. We have a much better marriage of fun and darkness in the book and the story flows faster and easier because of it.
The portrayal of the Amish was interesting and nuanced.
There was both a good sense of their
values without the almost exotifying element I often find – a presentation of
them without the sense of pointing at the strange circus act. Their strengths
and positives are clearly laid out – but nor does it flinch away from the prejudices
levelled at, for example, gay people in Amish communities and how difficult it
is to leave and just “join the English” when you have so little money or
advanced education.
One major improvement for this book from the last is the
treatment of minority characters. Nick’s bisexuality is much much better
portrayed with his relationships and sex with men both as clearly presented as
his sex with women and made clear that he values sex with men in its own right
rather than as a display for Vivian. It’s a vast
There is still homophobia both in the town and in the
Amish community – but that is a reflection of the homophobia that actually
exists in the world and it would be far more problematic to cover it up and brush
over it than to portray it and challenge it – as was done here. The homophobes
were clearly in the wrong – and hypocrites besides.
In other positive moments, we have an acknowledgement of
both Nick and Vivian’s abusive past and it is clearly cast as abusive and has
left them with ongoing issues – as it should, it isn’t brushed over, it isn’t
downplayed and there’s no suggestion of them enjoying what happened to them as
there was before. They have misplaced guilt and self-esteem issues and other
effects of the abuse – but this is part of the damage of abuse and not
downplayed.
Vivian remains a strong and sexually positive character
with her own lines and limits. She is cast as weaker than Nick and he does play
protective of her – but equally she is resistant to any suggestion that she
needs protecting and equally determined to resist him putting her in a box. She
knows what she wants and is determined to get it and not afraid to give Nick
grief when she doesn’t – and she has lines which, when crossed, she will
completely shut down. Also, while she is weaker, it’s clear that this is a
matter of unrealised potential rather than inherent weakness.
The member of the Amish community who as brave enough and
sensible enough to ask Nick for help was also a woman – an old matriarch who
wielded considerable influence and respect.
Still for all that, the big bad is targeting young girls for rape – directly to create mystical pregnancies.
There is still an element of Nick and Vivian’s sexuality
being part of their demonic nature, but no directly link has been established
so I’m happy to see them more as demons who happen to be bisexuals rather than
demonic bisexuality.
There are POC in this book – but they’re mentioned from
the last book, not really present in this one; it’s a pretty racially erased
novel.
So, this book is one of those books that reminds me why I
always keep going in a series. The first book was good but had severe problems
and I have to say I wasn’t exactly jumping up and down to read the second. But
I do give a series a second (or more) chance because it’s amazing what authors
can pull off when they find their feet. This book is a perfect example – all the
bits that didn’t fit, all the rough bits, all the questionable bits of The
Devil You Know have been nicely sanded down to work smoothly with all those
wonderful elements that I loved about the series in the first place. It works,
it’s a great book – and I’m now eager for book 3.
