Review: Deosil by Jordan L. Hawk

Title: Deosil

Series:Whyborne & Griffin: Book Eleven

Author: Jordan L. Hawk

Publisher: Self-Published

Length: 244 Pages

Category: Paranormal/Fantasy, Historical Romance

At a Glance: This book is the whole package. It met every one of my expectations, and even surpassed them. I can’t wait to reread the series someday and get to experience it all again. Thank you, Jordan L. Hawk, for giving us these characters and taking us on this journey.

Reviewed By: Jules

Blurb: Whyborne, Griffin, and their friends have faced down cultists, monsters, and sorcerers. But their greatest challenge is now upon them.

On the return voyage from Balefire Manor, Whyborne receives the worst news possible: Widdershins has fallen before the onslaught of the Fideles and their servants. There’s still time to stop the return of the Masters, but that window grows shorter by the hour.

Together with Christine and Iskander, Whyborne and Griffin must reach Widdershins to face the ultimate test—and decide the fate of the world, once and for all.

Review: Almost seven years ago, Jordan L. Hawk published Widdershins, the first book in the Whyborne & Griffin series. They didn’t know whether anyone would even read it (Ha!), and they certainly had no idea that it would reach the scope it has, or that it would garner a community of fans all over the world. Today Deosil releases. The ELEVENTH book in the series. Eleven books! That’s incredible. And, even more incredible is that with every book it seemed like the bar kept getting set higher and higher, and Hawk kept meeting it. I can’t imagine the pressure they must have felt to get this last book right. I mean, it’s the last book…you’ve got to get it right, ya know? Well, I know I’m just one opinion, but I can’t imagine a single reader disagreeing with me…They absolutely got it right. Deosil was every single thing I could have wanted for this final book. (Here is where you indulge me for a few paragraphs while I tell you all the ways this book is perfect.)

Let’s start with the action. We all know that Jordan L. Hawk writes kickass action sequences. I’m so used to preparing myself for that last third of each book, where my heart is pounding, I’m on the literal edge of my seat, and I can’t put the Kindle down until everything is ok and I can breathe again. Deosil is like that—except it’s for the ENTIRE BOOK. No joke, guys, the shit starts hitting the fan while the squad is on their way back from Cornwall after the events at Balefire Manor. Whyborne, Griffin, Christine, and Iskander, along with the Endicotts, are in a small flotilla of ships headed back to Widdershins, unsure of what they’re going to find there, though they are hoping to get there before the Fideles, and certainly before the Masters. Before they even make it to shore, however, they come under attack from some type of modified ketoi, which they call nereids, and it’s non-stop from there.

Even with the non-stop action, though—and Widdershins really is a horrible murder town—Hawk still managed to get in plenty of romance. I love that we’re once again given dual points of view, because being in both Whyborne’s and Griffin’s heads provides lots of opportunities for their love for each other to shine. Their romance is truly one for the ages, and there were so many massive moments for them in this book. And, not just the romance, but also their mutual respect and admiration is so wonderfully apparent. There were several times where we see not only Griffin’s love for his Ival, but his pride as well, which I loved so much.

But what is a great romance without monsters, am I right? Don’t worry, folks, there are plenty of monsters here! There are our friends the umbrae, and of course the ketoi; and let’s not forget the rat-things, and the Hounds of Tindalos, or the byakhee. And on top of those, there are new terrifying monsters that aren’t of the Outside, but are created by the Fideles and unleashed upon the town and our heroes. I thought the battle scenes in this book, along with the descriptions of and characters’ reactions to some of the horrors they encountered, are some of Hawk’s best work in the series. It was all so, so good.

And finally, it wouldn’t be a Whyborne & Griffin book, or a Jordan L. Hawk book really, if it wasn’t also packed with loads of humor, heart, and sentiment. There are a ton of great lines in this book, as you’d expect, and so many ‘awww’ moments. In fact, my reactions while reading it ran the gamut of emotions. I absolutely laughed. I also gasped and almost shouted out loud. And I totally cried. There was a lot of sentiment in this book especially, of course. I highlighted so many passages, sometimes whole pages, because they kicked me right in the feels. And there were also several epic speeches from Whyborne, so be prepared for your love for him to be ratcheted up several levels.

This book is the whole package. It met every one of my expectations, and even surpassed them. I can’t wait to reread the series someday and get to experience it all again. Thank you, Jordan L. Hawk, for giving us these characters and taking us on this journey. I will forever love Whyborne and Griffin, and of course Christine and Kander and all the rest. Widdershins knows its own ❤️

You can buy Deosil here:

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