Book Review: Oblivion

Oblivion

By:  Skyla Dawn Cameron

Publish Date:  August 9, 2016

Format:  eARC

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Series:  5th in Demons of Oblivion series; Novella 0.5 ~ Whiskey Sour, 1st Book ~ Bloodlines, 2nd Book ~ Hunter, Novella 2.5 ~ Hungry Like a Wendigo, 3rd Book ~ Lineage, 4th Book ~ Exhumed, Novella 4.1 ~ 9 Crimes, Novella 4.5 ~ Damaged: A Zara Lain Novella

First Impression:  We get to see Oblivion, and the true plans behind it all.

Synopsis:
Earthquakes. Plagues. Rivers of blood. The ever-so-popular rain of toads. When end of the world fare is on the rise, it’s well past business as usual in a city where the veil between dimensions is thin.

Quarter-demon Persephone Takata isn’t so keen on killing herself anymore. This time when death approaches, she’s ready to take a stand and fight to protect the woman she loves, along with everyone around them as the apocalypse swings into full force.

Meanwhile, trapped in her home dimension where her antichrist father’s rule is weakening, Mishka Thiering’s hopes for revenge on the living are put on hold when she stumbles across the truth the Court has kept hidden for centuries. Her death was the last piece of the puzzle, leading to a change in the dimensional landscape, affecting humans and demons alike.

Despite its fractured numbers, the shadow government who has kept tabs on Peri and Mishka for years is still very much in the game, ready to set into motion their final plan. For there is something much, much worse waiting in the wings—something old, something powerful, and something far more terrifying than Oblivion or any of the creatures it’s spawned.

Alliances, betrayals, casualties. This is war.

And only one sister can win.

First Sentence:
I pointed the barrel of my rifle at the nun's forehead and squeezed the trigger.

Purchase At:
Amazon  /  Barnes & Nobles 

My Thoughts and Summary:
It comes down to one of the two quarter-demon sisters will bring Oblivion to land. Neither figured it would be the way it is to happen. Peri was warned, but she didn't want to believe it. But she will be involved in stopping the world she knows from dying, along with news she thought she'd never hear again. Mishka is in Oblivion and learns what her father's plans are for Oblivion. Both Peri and Mishka will have have to decide who's dearest to them, and protect them, at any cost. Would they die for their loved ones or will they kill for them?

Skyla still surprises me with new twists I didn't see coming. This book uses everything we've learned in the previous four books from each character and their experiences. The characters are forced, through events, to face their deepest fears and realities to move forward. Some are hard and easy discussions, but all take a toll on those around them.

We see all the great characters again. Those we didn't expect to see are still as important as the first time they graced the pages. All the characters will have to find in them to form allies with those they hate to save others they love. It is great seeing the characters face these realities and swallow them.

We get time with all our favorites. We see Mishka as she's in Oblivion. We FINALLY! get to meet demon daddy. Well, half demon daddy. He's an interesting person and the world he lives in feels so alive. Through Mishka we see some characters we've lost along the way, one of which we hadn't met yet and I loved seeing here. Mishka also gets the scoop in Oblivion about what her father has in store for Oblivion. She's one smart woman and I'm... attached to her. She's got one person on her mind the whole time, her son. And I can understand that!

Peri... Oh Peri. She has come such a long way, and she'll have to face some hard facts about her and the divisions she was once part of. She is the one that has some of the hardest choices in life. What she picks just might surprise you.

Ryann! Yes! I've been worried about her for some time. I've had my suspicions on who...what... she is. We start to learn of what Ryann is capable of and how valuable she is with the demon presence. She has so much more to give us! Ryann and Ellie are a great couple. I do enjoy Ellie's humor as he tries to lighten the mood.

I know everyone's waiting on Zara. She is one of my all time favorite characters with her hardness and quick lip. We see sparks of that Zara here, though she has changed. And after this book, I don't think she'll ever be truly the same again. Zara has lived through some serious emotional trauma and is starting to come through with having to take the reins of the group and lead once again. There is a glimmer of hope for Zara and Nathan, in the very end. I am holding out for them both.

This story brings back some of the old feel that I had with Zara back in the beginning. Then, Skyla dives into the world and what happens from there keeps me worried for all and shocked at what we learn. I'm amazed at how all the pieces we've learned from all our characters of Oblivion throughout the books have come together and given us these pages that make our jaws drop.

Skyla delves into my emotions for her characters, vibrating each emotion through events, making a song of happiness, sadness, and even contentedness that I feel through her words. Basically, Skyla's not afraid to rip out your heart, stomp on it, and place it back a little bruised and sore. But, it's back where it belongs! The characters come together to help save the world. Some won't make it out, but some will. And what's waiting on the other side may not be what everyone expected.