The Priesthood has battled demons for years. Anaya, a high-ranked priestess, has her beliefs challenged when she meets the demon Samael. A classic case of “Are we the bad guys?“

For a while, this book appears to be about the priests’ war against demons: full of death, greed, and blood (called “claret” way too many times). The focus shifts to an ACOTAR-like blooming affair between star priestess Anaya and an angsty (30-year-old) demon. I should have seen it coming from the prologue.

I enjoy dark fantasy and fantasy romance, but this book didn’t work for me as they didn’t mesh properly. Its cringey Disney-esque scenes clash with the gore from the fight scenes. There are graphic sex scenes that felt out of place and harmed the narrative’s pace. I usually enjoy those, but I found myself skimming them to get to the plot.

The story features multiple romantic pairings, and I’m disappointed none of them is queer (except for an accidentally represented demiromantic character). There’s one character dealing with sexual abuse trauma, and it wasn’t treated sensibly.

We spend the whole book watching our heroine question her priesthood’s methods and motives, just for her to back down near the end for the sake of drama.

This first chapter of the saga isn’t actually closed. It ends with a smut scene that, once again, doesn’t do much to advance the plot, while many threads are left open to lure you into the next one. It goes without saying that I won’t continue the series.