Cesar and Suzume are on their first mission – an investigation to discover what’s behind a sudden demonic power spike. But with few resources in the Union, both of them are being thrown in the deep end, forced to question and face off against demonic powers they barely understand with so little experience

And then the werewolf shows up, and is further complicated by a cult that may have infiltrated the highest levels. If that weren’t dangerous enough, they all pale next to what happens when the Bosses suspect there has been an information breach.

Facing angry werewolves, fanatical cultists and insidious demons are bad enough – but your boss trying to take you down as well…

I like Cesar as a character – he is so perfectly balanced. He is out of his depth – grossly out of his depth – he has no experience with demons, he’s a middlingly powerful witch at best. He has no experience with demons and is a long way from ever being comfortable around them. He’s floundering, he’s more than a little lost and he’s desperately doing his best which isn’t quite good enough.

But he’s also capable, competent, intelligent and with a basic skill set and determination that means we can see his potential. After all he has been chosen for this roles – and it would be ridiculous if he was utterly incapable. He’s been thrown in early, he certainly needs more training but he isn’t inept. That’s an important difference in making the character fit the story; an out of his depth character works, but if he’s drowning then it wouldn’t make sense for him to be there at all.

It also fits with this very broad and varied world – we have a vast array of creatures in it and there’s rarely, if ever, a chance to just charge in and kill it ‘cos they’re evil. Including a plethora of demons and halfdemons – who don’t all need killing – and some angels who may certainly need avoiding. There’s a lot to learn here.

It also helps deal with the story being inherently reactive. Cesar, Suzume and Isobel are pretty lost in this book, reacting to events, trying to catch up, losing the thread and constantly in salvage mode. It says a lot that their original mission gets completely lost in the rush to try and deal with events that rapidly spiral out of their control. And it works – because they are new at this, because this mission their first and perhaps the protagonist shouldn’t win every one.

This book was more about Cesar learning more about the world he is in and the ultimate purpose of his unit – which is something that was missing since there already appeared to be the Union doing the job he’s been recruited for. The revelations in this book do a lot to justify what is happening and introducing the first threads of a long term meta-plot which hooks me into the story.

Another benefit of the development of this book is seeing the world through a different lens from what I’ve seen before (the ultra-competent and deadly Elise); which means you can see some of the beings and see them as the deadly threat they are rather than “oh, these again? Pfft, I shall kill them then have coffee. Then kill them again for delaying my coffee.”

And yet another development is more analysis of the Union and dispelling the whole good-guys myth that comes with them and bringing some harsh reality to Cesar’s world (appropriate because this whole world setting is kind of dark). This isn’t about fighting the good fight, it’s about keeping things as orderly as possible, taking care of the worst and stopping things getting out of hand; goodness, honour and saving the innocent take a very very very very very distant back seat and “ends justify the means” is virtually a company motto. Cesar’s illusions take a hit.

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4.5 Stars
A sarcastic and witty sequel that sporadically incorporates references to Sci-fi TV shows, films, and even comic book characters! In this installment you find out more about Cesar's boss and are introduced to some new and uniquely quirky characters. A character from another series also drops in. There is more action and less romance than many other works in this genre, which is refreshing. I love that this series is told from a guy's perspective and is fast-paced. S. M. Reine has created a vast and detailed world with complementing storylines that really pulls in readers. Waiting for the next one!
Sidenote, Wolverine gets my vote. ( )