Series: Well of
Souls (bk. 2) Duology likely, final book
Genera(s):
Dystopian/Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Subjects:
supernatural, demons, demonology, exorcists, abilities, magic, souls,
possession
Setting: Badlands
of Oklahoma?, Kansas, Colorado
POV/Tense: 1st
person, past tense: Nina Kane
Age/Grade
Level: Teen
Length: 342
pgs.
HC/PB:
Hardcover
List Price:
$17.99
Summary/
product description:
“Nina Kane was born to be an exorcist. And since uncovering the horrifying
truth—that the war against demons is far from over—seventeen-year-old Nina and
her pregnant younger sister, Mellie, have been on the run, incinerating the
remains of the demon horde as they go.
In
the badlands, Nina, Mellie, and Finn, the fugitive and rogue exorcist who saved
her life, find allies in a group of freedom fighters. They also face a new
threat: Pandemonia, a city full of demons. But this fresh new hell is the least
of Nina’s worries. The well of souls ran dry more than a century ago, drained
by the demons secretly living among humans, and without a donor soul, Mellie’s
child will die within hours of its birth.
Nina
isn’t about to let that happen…even if it means she has to make the ultimate
sacrifice.”
My Review: The Flame Never Dies is the sequel to The
Stars Never Rise. The author had said this is a duology, so I guess this was
the final book. I feel like this series could have been longer. The author’s
Soul Screamers series lasted seven books, but a trilogy would have been nice at
least.
If you have not
read this series I recommend it to those who enjoyed The Demon Trapper’s
Daughter series, Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, Unbreakable by Kami Garcia and
urban fantasy books.
It’s written in
first person point of view and the main character Nina Kane is a natural born
exorcist. She can send demons back to Hell with the holy fire she can conjure
from her hands. Demon eat the souls of those they posses and when exorcised the
host body dies because there is nothing to occupy the body and there’s a bid
burning hole in the chest. If a demon is in a body too long it starts to
degenerate and become twisted. If you have not read the first book, then
spoilers are ahead.
Nina, Melanie,
Maddox, Finn, Devi, Reese, Grayson, and Anabelle are in the badlands (not the
South Dakota one, but Oklahoma or Kansas) trying to survive, hiding from the
Church. In the previous book Nina discovered the Church was ran by demons and
that her mother was a demon possessing a human body. Nina is public enemy
number one and a demon named Kastor wants her as a host.
Finn, a soul
who doesn’t have a corporeal form, is possessing a guard temporarily. Nina is
in love with Finn, no matter what body he’s in. Melanie is still pregnant and
due in about a month, and since souls are hard to come by, it’s possible the
baby won’t last an hour after it’s born. Nina plans on sacrificing her own soul
for the baby if it comes to it.
The something
unexpected happens that changes everything and sets Nina on a course for
revenge and for an even more meaningful sacrifice. Can she and her friends save
humanity from the demons who are destroying it?
So, this was a
great sequel. I wish it was longer or that there was a third book. I really
love it when there’s an interesting cast of characters, but I feel like some of
them were under-used. I wanted more dialogue from them. And I wanted more
romance. Despite that, it was a good sequel. Action and paranormal stuff and
cool discoveries and scary twists. I enjoy the way Rachel Vincent writes. She
has complex narrators that face terrible dilemmas, interesting love interests
(both Todd and Finn were incorporeal most of the time), interesting world
building and humor. I will miss the characters.
There was a moment
I considered this being set in the same world as Soul Screamers, but in the
future and that the demons were hellions, since both could posses people, but the
demons in this book don’t have a natural shape in Hell, and the hellions did in
the Netherworld. So that theory didn’t last long.
Cover Art
Review: Beautiful cover. Too bad it’s not metallic. I love the feather, but
there are no angels in this book. The title treatment is cool.
