Book Review: The Devil You Know

I was a bit worried about how this storyline would end, but it concluded better than I expected. All the characters I cared about survived. A part of me was kind of hoping a…triad between Dahl, Fari, and Lorcan would form, because I couldn’t decide who I wanted her end up with. Dahl was better for her, as she said, but I like the “devilish” characters. Either way, I am glad Lorcan survived. I was kind of worried about what was going to happen, since he was in a precarious position. It ends with him starting a new path in life (that’s literally the last scene), and I am curious to see what happens, but I realize this is the end of the series. The characters I cared about survived, so I was happy about that.

The ending felt a bit rushed, as often to seems to be the case in fantasy novels (fantasy is my love, so don’t get me wrong, I breathe the genre as much I breathe yaoi manga, but the endings are often rushed). There is all this build-up to the ultimate confrontation, and then that confrontation is a bit hurried. But it was still a good ending. It blew things up without blowing them up, if that makes any sense. I am glad things turned out all right. I actually kind of enjoyed the scene where Havi and Fari were in the Fugue Plane. That was interesting. I love things involving the gods, and I always feel better when there is an afterlife, though depending on who you are, that can be good or bad, in the Realms. I don't have siblings, but I liked the theme of sister-bond. Alyona and Bisera’s story was tragic, but selfless in the end.

Fari kind of annoyed me in this book, in a way she hadn't before. As Mehen thought at one point, she was moving too slowly. Then again, she was dealing with a bunch of stuff at once that I can't even imagine, so I should cut her some slack. She just seemed very...within herself? I guess? I still like her, but she did bother me more than usual.

But that shows the power of Evans' writing. Her characters are flawed, making them believable. I would like to see more about the development between Enlil and the dragonborn. I'm glad for Kallan and Mehen (I would have liked an ending scene with them, but at least we know Mehen has a companion in him), and Duzumi really grew on me in this book. It was touching at the end to see Fari, after everything she'd been through, still nervous about Dahl's family. All in all, I enjoyed this book, as I have enjoyed all the Brimstone books. It was epic, with diverse characters and lots of conflict.