Revenant

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Synopsis

Revenant was born and raised in Sheoul and for five thousand years has believed that he was a Fallen Angel beyond redemption. He only recently discovered that he has a twin who was raised in Heaven and given all the light and love that he was denied. He also actually never fell, but since he was given Satan's blood as an infant, he's tainted and still can't enter Heaven without destroying everything he touches. After recovering long lost memories, Revenant finds himself at a crossroads, trying to decide where he belongs, Heaven or Hell. The only thing he knows for sure is that Lucifer, who is about to be reincarnated in a new, more powerful form, cannot be born or it will spell disaster for everyone. Revenant recently met Blaspheme, a mysterious False Angel who works as a doctor at Underworld General. When the Fallen Angel Gethel, who is carrying Lucifer, needs medical attention, Revenant goes to Blaspheme for help, thinking that perhaps he can persuade her to do something to end the pregnancy. He also knows that he wants Blaspheme in his bed, and the more he gets to know her, the more she makes him want to be a better person until he's willing to break all his own rules to save her life.

For centuries, Blaspheme has held a closely guarded secret: she is a vyrm, the forbidden offspring of an angel and a fallen angel. Because of a dangerous power they possess, vyrm are hunted by both Heaven and Hell, so Blas has been hiding her true nature with an enchantment that makes everyone believe she's a False Angel instead. However, the enchantment is slowly wearing off, and the only way to revive it is with a blood sacrifice, something she's not willing to do. With angels already on her tail, this leaves her in a race against time to come up with another solution before they find and kill her. Then Revenant comes to her, asking her to make an obstetrics house call on Gethel. Providing medical care for Satan's baby mama is the last thing Blas wants to do, but eventually she sees it as a possible opportunity to help all the people Gethel hurt by taking out Lucifer before he can return to the world. Things don't exactly go as planned, but helping Blas try to find a solution for her problem, sparks an idea for Revenant on how to get rid of Lucifer once and for all. But it may cost him his life just as he's finally found something worth living for.

Review

Revenant is the twelfth book of the combined Demonica/Lords of Deliverance/Demonica Underworld series. As the title implies, this one is about Revenant, who we found out in a previous book is Reaver's twin brother. He was born and raised in Sheoul as a fallen angel, but only recently recovered memories that prove that he's a full angel who never fell. Still, he isn't exactly being welcomed into Heaven, so he's trying to figure out exactly where he belongs. He'd already briefly met Blaspheme who he believes is a False Angel. She's a doctor at Underworld General, but what no one knows is that she's really a vyrm, the forbidden offspring of an angel and a fallen angel, in disguise. Revenant decides to pursue her romantically, but at the same time, he wants her help. The one thing that Revenant has decided is that Lucifer must be neutralized before he can be reborn in his new, more powerful form, so Revenant asks Blaspheme to give Gethel an obstetrics house call, hoping that they can figure out a way to kill her or Lucifer or both. Things don't entirely go as hoped for, leaving Revenant in a race against time to come up with a different plan. Meanwhile Blaspheme's False Angel enchantment is rapidly wearing off. When Rev finds out the truth can he forgive the deception when he despises lies, and if so, can he break the Watcher rules, something he never does, to save her?

Revenant and his twin Reaver were born in Sheoul while their mother was being held captive there. However, a deal was made in which Reaver was taken to Heaven, while Revenant stayed in Hell. Because he's Reaver's twin, everything that happened to Reaver also happened to him, so when Reaver lost his memories, Rev did, too. And when he got them back, so did Rev. Now Rev remembers the entire truth of his torturous existence in Sheoul, as well as Reaver's rejection eons ago, and is rather bitter about all of it. A part of Rev wants to be welcomed into Heaven, but since he was given Satan blood as an infant, he's tainted and can't enter Heaven without destroying parts of it in the process. So, he's trying to figure out exactly where he belongs. For millennia, all he's known is being Satan's minion, and when Lucifer was killed, he became Satan's right-hand man. So, the one thing he doesn't want is for Lucifer to be reborn. When Gethel, the fallen angel carrying Lucifer, needs medical attention, Rev goes to Blaspheme, the only doctor he feels he can trust, hoping that she'll find a way the end the pregnancy without him getting involved, because to do so would make him a target for Satan. Although he'd been deeply attracted to Blas, he didn't count on falling for the presumed False Angel, and the more time he spends with her, the more his own goodness resurfaces. But when he learns the truth about her, he's extremely upset at her deception. Rev hates lying and learned a hard lesson at a young age that makes him a stickler for following the rules, but he may have to engage in some deception and rule-breaking of his own in order to save Blas when her enchantment fails, as well as save the world from the new ultra-powerful Lucifer. In many ways, Rev is the classic tortured hero we've seen throughout the Demonica series, and there are definitely places where that part of him shows through, but I ultimately didn't feel like it went quite as deep as it could have. I also felt like he came on a little too strong with Blaspheme in the beginning, making me a tad uncomfortable. As a result of these things, although I liked Rev, I didn't fall for him in quite the way I have with most of the other heroes of the series.

Blaspheme is a vyrm, the forbidden offspring of an angel and a fallen angel. Because of unusual and dangerous powers they possess, vyrm are hunted down and put to death by both Heaven and Hell, along with anyone who helps them, so Blaspheme's mother placed an enchantment on her at birth that makes everyone think she's a False Angel. However, the spell has a limited shelf life and is starting to wear off, and angels are already coming after her and her mother. It also required the sacrifice of a real False Angel, something that Blas is determined not to do again. As a result, she's desperate to find a work-around, but because of how hated vyrm are, she doesn't know who she can trust with her secret and also doesn't want to put anyone else at risk. Then Rev comes along, propositioning her at every turn. Although she's attracted to him, she doesn't need any more complications in her life right now, but eventually he becomes too much to resist. He also drags her to Sheoul to provide medical care for Gethel, something she doesn't really want to do. But it opens up a possibility for Gethel's and Lucifer's enemies to destroy them once and for all. Along with Reaver and Eidolon, they come up with a plan, but things go sideways. However, the search for a solution for Blaspheme's problem sparks a brainstorm for Rev on how to take out the bid baddies, but it's one that might ultimately kill him in the process. Overall, I liked Blaspheme quite a bit. Her belief in Rev and her love for him helps him to become a better version of himself. But much like Rev, I felt like her characterization could have gone a little deeper. She just wasn't quite as interesting of a character as many of the other heroines of the series have been.

Being part of a long-running series, there are some common characters, although not quite as many, who have significant roles. All the Sem brothers, Eidolon (Pleasure Unbound), Shade (Desire Unchained), Wraith (Passion Unleashed), and Lore (Ecstasy Unveiled), make appearances, but Eidolon was the most crucial to the plot, with Wraith getting in a few of his amusing one-liners. All of the Horsemen show up as well, but Thanatos (Lethal Rider) probably played the most important role. Of course, Reaver (Reaver) is definitely a pivotal character, and I was glad to see him and Rev finally mend fences. His mate, Harvester, also appears, her power and health waning as Lucifer feeds off his siblings' energy. She also makes an important visit to Tracker (her former warg slave who used to be known as Whine). He later becomes the hero of the book, Bond of Destiny. We're also introduced to some new Sem brothers Eidolon has hired at UG, and one of them, Raze, goes on to become the hero of the book, Base Instinct.

Overall, Revenant was another good addition to the series that was well-written and well-plotted. I enjoyed it, but I didn't end up loving it like most of the other books in the series so far. It was hard for me to put my finger on exactly what the problem was, but I think it was mainly that I felt the characterizations weren't quite as good as they could have been. As a result, I didn't fully connect with Revenant and Blaspheme in the way I wanted to. Perhaps because I didn't feel strongly connected to them as individuals, I also didn't entirely feel the emotional and romantic connection between them as a couple. Don't get me wrong, there are some sweet, heart-clenching moments, but for some reason, they weren't quite enough for me. However, I thought that the story itself was pretty well-done, adding crucial events to the overall series story arc. In that way, it was classic Larissa Ione storytelling. She keeps readers on the edge of their seats, making them think all might be lost and then turns everything around in a believable way to give the hero and heroine their HEA. I've heard that Revenant was originally conceived as a finale to the series, and if it had been the end, I might have been more disappointed. But since I already know it's not, I can honestly say that it was good. Now I'm looking forward to continuing with the Demonica Underworld stories soon.

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Larissa Ione

Themes

Doctors, Nurses, & Medical Professionals
Tortured Heroes