Preacher, Prophet, Beast

I've enjoyed every book in this series. Book #6 seemed like an ending, so I was surprised to learn the series was continuing. This book is just as good as the others and I hope there will be even more.

The plot includes almost every important character from the previous books, as well as the continuing theme of ancient traditions and beliefs. I really like Pendower, especially, and he is pretty central to this story. We even got to see a little bit of his point-of-view. But, as always, it's all about Lee and Gideon.

The enemy in this book is (sort of) bigotry itself. Lee says, “I feel like there's blank faces everywhere. The States, Chechnya, even here on our own bloody streets since Brexit—just a rising tide of fear and hate, and it can put on any face it wants, and strike anywhere." I'm so afraid all the time these days, and it was good to read about favorite characters facing these enemies. The actual structure of the book is not completely clear-cut, even in the end. I think it serves the story, though. The relationships between the characters are messy and complicated, too, which feels realistic.

Sidenote: I've been wondering since very early in this series if someday Harper Fox might write a novel about Darren Prowse. I would love that, and the ending leaves the possibility open. But I like his role in this book a lot.

Wow, this was great. My heart was in my mouth for the entire second half, and I had to keep walking on the treadmill after my time was up so I had an excuse to read through to the end. The physical and emotional stakes were really high this time, and there were challenges to Gideon and Lee's relationship from numerous angles. I thought this series had run out of steam after [b:Third Solstice 28239707 Third Solstice (Tyack & Frayne, #6) Harper Fox https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1450459282s/28239707.jpg 48272274] but Brexit and Trump seem to have inspired Ms Fox to come up with new terrors and threats (I guess 45 is good for something after all). A nifty plot twist left my jaw on the floor (although I understand how it could seem manipulative to some readers), and the still developing talents of little Tamsyn Tyack-Frayne means that there could be even more tales in this exceptional series to tell.