Book Review: Age of Vampires Series (Books 5-7)

After I enjoyed reading the first four books in the Age of Vampires series, I knew I wanted to continue reading this series to see what would happen next with these characters and their story. I also knew I wanted to write about them here on my blog like I did with the first four books as I’ve found I enjoy writing reviews on a series this way. So to get started with the last books in this series, let me share my thoughts with you about Forsaken Relic.

Forsaken Relic (Age of Vampires #5)

Rating: 4.5 stars

The curse will destroy us all.

I’m changed beyond return, my life torn apart by the god who forced this fate upon me. Now I’m a creature of ruin and bloodshed, but the price I’ve paid comes with the sweetest of gifts.

The prince who claimed my heart has seized me once again, but this time, I’m on equal ground. I’m strong enough to fight at his side and face the wrath of our enemies, but some dark plot is brewing in the city, and I fear what’s coming.

Because it feels like an unforgiving storm.

My sister is lost, and I don’t know if we will ever be whole again. Will she love me as she once had, or will her newfound hunger be the death of us?

Though I’ve reclaimed my freedom, the taste of it is bittersweet. Because without my twin, nothing feels right.

And even though I can finally claim the man my soul aches for, I’m afraid of the darkness seeping into my life.

The threat of gods and monsters is mounting upon us by the hour, and time is running out to save us all.

***This is a dark, fantasy romance series by the authors of Zodiac Academy with all the enemies to lovers vibes – don’t go expecting a sweet vampire with sparkling skin and a tendency to watch you sleeping. These vampires are savage and bloodthirsty, and the slayer who hunts them will stab first and ask questions later. This war-torn fantasy world is a brutal bi*ch and only those 18+ have a chance at surviving the darkness lurking between these pages. There’s no well-meaning vampires snacking on Bambies instead of babies, and if they get their teeth into you, you’ll be damn lucky to escape with your life and panties intact. So grab hold of your slayer blade (wooden stakes have too many splinters) and get ready to defy the gods, because this is going to be one helluva ride***

With the way Wrathful Mortals ended, I had a feeling this book was going to be a page-turner for me. And I was right as this book didn’t disappoint. If anything, this book quickly became one of my favorites in the series so far. What I enjoyed about reading Forsaken Relic is that we continue to get more backstory on these characters. But we also get some character development too as these characters finally realize who the real enemy is that’s been responsible for all of the terrible things that happened in their lives.

And I love it. The vampires and slayers, while not perfectly getting along initially (which is to be expected) have a lot of wonderful interactions in this book with each other that I can’t help but enjoy. It’s especially nice to see because we finally see them starting to realize that they need to work together as there are bigger threats to them than each other.

One of which becomes a big part of the story in this book as she looks to get Magnar and Erik along with looking to kill Callie and Montana. While Valentina isn’t my favorite character in the series, she makes for a wonderful antagonist with the way these authors have written her into this story. She wasn’t someone I expected to play the type of role that she ended up playing here. But at the same time, I had a feeling there was going to be a character who wasn’t happy with the way the world was run or who craved a power they didn’t have and would try and get it. And the way these authors wrote Valentina’s character in this series was wonderfully done.

I also enjoyed reading Forsaken Relic because of the balance between the story and character development. Most of this book centers around Montana and the change that has happened to her due to what happened in Wrathful Mortals. As a result of this change, we also start to see character development in the slayers regarding their thoughts about vampires now that Callie’s sister has become one. Especially since her becoming one turns out to be a part of the prophecy they are all trying to solve to break the curse. I feel like she was able to help the slayers and vampires in the story begin to break common ground to work together with each other against Valentina and the Gods who are set on them fighting against each other.

If I had to choose anything with this book I didn’t necessarily enjoy it would have to be the ending. I both loved and hated it. What I enjoyed about the ending is that it held me in suspense and made me want to continue reading the series to see what would happen next. I also enjoyed it because it was a wonderful way for the authors to get the slayers and vampires to work together since both groups had a shared enemy take someone they cared about. I also disliked it though because of how much the Gods in this series continue to interfere in their lives no matter how much these characters have done for them.

As a whole though, Forsaken Relic was an enjoyable read for me. I enjoyed the way the story was written and the character development between the vampires and slayers that happened here was wonderful to see. I’m really happy to see everyone finally starting to work together in this series and am excited to see how this continues.

Ravaged Souls (Age of Vampires #6)

Rating: 4 stars

The gods have turned on us. The man I love has been poisoned against me, his heart twisted by the gods he served faithfully for so many years.

Running feels like abandoning him but staying can only end in death. Time is slipping by like sand through grasping hands and no matter what choices we make, these wicked deities seem set upon our destruction.

I’ve changed so much from the frightened girl I used to be, but now that I know the most desperate desires of my feral heart, I will do whatever it takes to save the man I claimed for my own.

I only hope I can get to him before the forces at play break him for good.

This new life of mine was such a fleeting victory, the tainted love I’d found becoming something unimaginably pure.

The key to the curse seemed so close at hand but now all we had come to rely upon has been scattered to the wind.

Answers evade us like starlight in the clouds but the more stones we uncover, the clearer our path becomes.

I only hope that we can find a way to follow it before the monster breathing down our necks sinks her ragged claws into us and all chance for salvation is lost.

With the way Forsaken Relic ended, this book had me in a vice grip to discover what would happen next. I wasn’t overall happy with the last book’s ending, but I wanted to continue reading to see how Erik and Magnar were going to get out of the situation they found themselves in with Valentina. I know the rest of their comrades were trying with all their power to do what they could to save them, but it just seemed no matter what they did here it wasn’t enough.

What happened in Ravaged Souls that resulted in them being released from under Valentina’s control is one of the few times I found myself okay with one of the Gods interfering with their lives. I don’t know if it’s because the characters called on this God for help and he helped them without too much fuss, but I appreciated that a God in this series helped the characters for once. I felt like it was one of the first times since reading this series that I felt like a God helped out the characters in a way that actually helped them.

What I enjoyed with reading this book was how Valentina kidnapping Erik and Magnar brought the slayers and vampires together in a united cause to rescue those they cared about. I felt like it allowed for more character development with everyone as they were all united to save Erik and Magnar and get rid of a threat. I also felt like it allowed character development between Erik and Magnar too because of them both being able to connect because of what happened to them while under Valentina’s influence. I also enjoyed continuing to see the interactions in this book between the vampires and slayers. In particular, I enjoyed seeing the banter that went on between Julis and Clarice here as I felt like the authors were hinting at the two of them becoming something more, which I felt excited about as I felt like they were characters that both deserved it.

I also enjoyed reading Ravaged Souls because there was some backstory here about a woman Fabian once loved. Throughout the books in this series before this one, there had never been mention of Fabian finding love with someone else, so I was excited to see this here. I was hoping (though things with that relationship didn’t go well) that this would allow him to find someone better suited for him than Callie. I also enjoyed seeing this because it showed that Fabian and Callie could get along and be friends. And I loved being introduced to Chickoa’s character too as a love interest for Fabian as she’s someone not to mess with and you could see why he loved her.

I have mixed feelings about the way this book ended. It was very sad because one of the Gods killed characters in the series that I thought would be with the group until the end. But it was also intense because the characters ended up fighting this God in retaliation for her killing them. And the fight these characters got into with this God resulted in a big change that happened with two of the characters in this series that I wasn’t expecting to have an impact on the events that happen in the last book in this series.

As a whole though, Ravaged Souls was a fantastic read for me. I felt like all the characters continued to go through immense character development here and it was great to see the vampires and slayers work together and get along the way they do in this book. It made me excited and hopeful to see how they’ll continue to develop in the last book in the series, Devious Gods.

Devious Gods (Age of Vampires #7)

Rating: 4.5 stars

All paths lead to this end. Ruin chases close on our heels and the price we have paid for a chance at our salvation is higher than any of us could have presumed.

I have claimed a love so brutal that I fear losing it might destroy not just me but the world I have fought so desperately to save.

The gods watch us more closely than ever, urging us to fulfil the task our destiny demands. We only have to make it to the end of this road, but I fear what we might find when we reach that final destination.

I am no longer the girl born to ruin and ash, but a woman set on a path of salvation with my heart in the clutches of a monster.

Our eyes are finally open to the true enemies of our kind and now that we have managed to unite against all odds, we are determined to see the games of the gods end.

Time is running out and fate calls our name on a tumultuous wind. Let’s pray that we can answer it before damnation claims us all.

This book was a good way to end the Age of Vampires series. The story and character development were so wonderfully done that when I finished this book, I was sad that it had all ended. What I enjoyed about Devious Gods was seeing these characters all continuing to work together to solve the prophecy that centers around Montana and Callie. I also enjoyed the slayers getting to see how difficult it is for vampires to resist drinking blood through how the curse impacts Magnar as he struggles to accept what he’s now become. I feel like the slayers are finally giving an understanding of how severe the blood lust a vampire experiences can be and how difficult it can be for them to resist drinking blood which allows them to understand better what Erik and the rest of them have been dealing with for thousands of years.

It was also nice to see grief portrayed in this story through the struggles Erik and Montana face in their relationship in this book. Once the events at the end of Ravaged Souls finally sink in, you can see Erik struggling with the truth of losing someone he cares about and how it impacts how he is around Montana. While I was not too fond of it because of how much they cared about each other, I also understood what was going on here and was glad to see this in Devious Gods. I think a lot of it had to do with being able to relate to what Erik was going through and understanding Montana’s perspective as she was trying to be there for the man she loved even when he was trying to push her away. At the same time, I was glad when their issues were resolved because I disliked seeing them at odds with each other and you could also see how it made their relationship stronger.

There were also a lot of good moments with everyone’s character development here that made this such an amazing read for me. You get to see Julius and Clarice finally give into the feelings you know they have for each other and finally see Fabian happy with the woman he fell in love with. I also enjoyed the peaceful moments these characters had together before Montana and Callie completed the prophecy, my favorite being seeing them all hanging out and swimming at the beach. I especially enjoyed the character development between Erik and Magnar in Devious Gods as they’ve gone from hating each other at the beginning of this series to seeing each other as brothers who had a lot more in common than they realized. I especially enjoyed seeing them working together near the end of the book once the prophecy is fulfilled when they realize what the cost of the prophecy ended up being.

Devious Gods was a marvelous way to end this serious as it had my emotions all over the place but in a good way. If there was anything I had to choose about this story that I wasn’t pleased about was that I felt like there were some loose ends that weren’t completely tied up and I felt like one of the character’s deaths that happens in this book was too quick for my liking. But as a whole, I enjoyed reading this last book in this series.

As a whole, I enjoyed reading the Age of Vampires series. I do feel like with the way the series starts out it took me a little bit to enjoy it more than other book series by these authors. But I feel like the story and character development progressed with each book to such a level that it made up to me my initial feelings when I first started reading these books. To where I’m now sad that I’ve finished reading this series and have to say goodbye to these characters.

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my review of the last three books in the Age of Vampires series! If you enjoyed reading my review of these books in the series, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments below or check out another one of my blog posts.

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