Book 3 in The Demon Cycle series
Read by Colin Mace
Genre: epic fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook
About The Daylight War:
On the night of the new moon, the demons rise in force, seeking the deaths of two men both of whom have the potential to become the fabled Deliverer, the man prophesied to reunite the scattered remnants of humanity in a final push to destroy the demon corelings once and for all.Source: Info in the About The Daylight War was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8176879-the-desert-spear on 03/01/2016.
Arlen Bales was once an ordinary man, but now he has become something more—the Warded Man, tattooed with eldritch wards so powerful they make him a match for any demon. Arlen denies he is the Deliverer at every turn, but the more he tries to be one with the common folk, the more fervently they believe. Many would follow him, but Arlen’s path threatens to lead him to a dark place he alone can travel to, and from which there may be no returning.
The only one with hope of keeping Arlen in the world of men, or joining him in his descent into the world of demons, is Renna Tanner, a fierce young woman in danger of losing herself to the power of demon magic.
Ahmann Jardir has forged the warlike desert tribes of Krasia into a demon-killing army and proclaimed himself Shar’Dama Ka, the Deliverer. He carries ancient weapons--a spear and a crown--that give credence to his claim, and already vast swaths of the green lands bow to his control.
But Jardir did not come to power on his own. His rise was engineered by his First Wife, Inevera, a cunning and powerful priestess whose formidable demon bone magic gives her the ability to glimpse the future. Inevera’s motives and past are shrouded in mystery, and even Jardir does not entirely trust her.
Once Arlen and Jardir were as close as brothers. Now they are the bitterest of rivals. As humanity’s enemies rise, the only two men capable of defeating them are divided against each other by the most deadly demons of all--those lurking in the human heart.
I went into this book with a lot of prejudice. That didn't help any. So yes, this is a slow read, audiobook or not. And just like Book 2, it's just another chapter of a bigger book. Which makes this series, obviously, not a trilogy. This series seems to be becoming an ongoing thing so much like Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time series. Hopefully, unlike the Wheel Of Time, the author won't die before the final book is published! **fingers crossed** ...And also unlike the Wheel Of Time, there would be less padding... hopefully...
Also like the previous books, The Daylight War also has the same story telling style. The story has multiple threads and jumps from thread to thread every couple of chapters or so. Like for example I was reading about Arlen for the last couple of chapters. Then the next chapter jumps to Leesha. I have to go back to the last chapter where Leesha left off because I had forgotten what had happened to her last while being immersed in Arlen's story. The continuity of the story is broken. This story telling style feels jarring to the reading flow. And this is the very reason why I stopped reading Ian Irvine... And another reason why this book is a slow read. And then it ended in a whoopping, big-ass cliffhanger....
However, even after all that moaning, it still has a masterful world building! So much so that no matter how I dislike the story telling style, I could not, in all honesty give this book a less than 2. Well, 2, is not exactly the sum of its parts when broken down in the Empirical Evaluation, but that is what I give this book anyway. Cliffhanger endings is sooo not to my liking.
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 3.5
Writing Style = 1.5
Ending = 1
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 1.5
Plot = 3
Narration = 4.5
Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 cherries
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Raised on a steady diet of fantasy novels, comic books, and Dungeons & Dragons, Peter V. Brett (“Peat” to his friends) has been writing fantasy stories for as long as he can remember. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Art History from the University at Buffalo in 1995, and then spent over a decade in pharmaceutical publishing before returning to his bliss. He lives in Brooklyn. |
Books in The Demon Cycle series:
FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook copies of this book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.
The ebook and audiobook copies of this book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.
This book also reminded me why I don't really like crime fiction... because crime fictions gotta have crime in it! Uglies in life is not my kind of thing. I'm an escapist reader. I read to escape the uglies! Having said that, 
