SPOILER ALERT! I'm not in the business of ruining books, so if you haven't read this book yet, turn back now!
Author: Lauretta Hignett
Series: The Waif in the Wilds Series Book 4
Category: Paranormal Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
I have loved every one of the books in this series so far but the conclusion of 'The Waif in the Wilds' series may be the one exception.
Book four drops us into the final days before the Lightbringers come to lay waste to Earth. Dani has grown so much over the series and has finally accepted her feelings for Malik, as fleeting as their relationship may be. Malik and Dani are running out of time to find the last of Malik's siblings but as dire as things are, there is still hope since they are finally working together.
That is until Malik is forced back into the Wilds, leaving Dani to fend off a rogue Lightbringer set on conquering her world all alone.
In trying to spear Malik the betrayal of his brother, Dani created more of a mess with little options to fix everything in time. Shit is quickly going downhill and Dani is not prepared for what she is up against, as evidenced by the beating she takes from the Lightbringer. To make matters worse, Alaar sacrifices himself to save her and he is sent back to the Wilds as well.
"This was my fault. I should have told Malik everything."
As annoyed as I was that Dani and Malik never really got time together, the plot only got more convoluted from there. Up next is Dani's 'reunion tour', where every possible loose end is wrapped up and all of Lauretta Hignett's favorite cross-over characters get a nice little spotlight in Dani's bid to save the world.
Sucked into a slip after almost dying, Dani rapidly confronts life-threatening attack after attack, barely stumbling through dangerous situations with little to none of the fire that we've come to love from her prickly personality.
While I was interested in seeing more of the world from Dani's perspective, it's too much, much too late. Tromping through the different worlds of paranormal creatures didn't add any value to the story but felt like filler as Dani was delayed from her confrontation with Savior the Lightbringer until the last possible minute. The constant blackouts to move time forward or end scenes gave me major 'The Scorch Trials' (Maze Runner, Book Two) vibes and I hated its overuse in that series too.
"I'd lived both lives, and I'd barely scratched the surface of what it was to be human. But at least I understood what the Savior didn't. None of us were good or evil. Only our actions were."
I had a hard time taking some of the non-construct mental challenges Dani experienced seriously, especially with the over-exaggeration placed on them. She fell into the void for millions of years and became so crazy she ate her own eyes but it wasn't real except for the mental anguish...okay?
With Malik missing from most of the story, the lack of dark tension and playful banter between him and Dani were very apparent. Dani was a shell of herself, doubt and fear creeping into her actions whereas she never acted that way before. She was more dumb sweet Chloe than at any other time since she had awakened.
Characters that I couldn't care less about got way too much page time whereas Dwayne isn't mentioned until Chapter 15!? Of course, he is the BDE who comes through to save the day but his attitude was sorely missed throughout the beginning of the story.
"Why the fuck do you think I'm here, bitch? You think the 'white wings' on the White Winged Child of the Wilds were supposed to be yours?"
As always with these big buildup confrontations, the actual battle scene seemed much too simple. In the final fifty pages, Dani returns to Castlemaine and manages to find and kill the last two siblings, defeat the Lightbringer who brought a small army to hold her back, and venture to the Wilds to casually command the rest of the Lightbringers to stop acting up and stay in their own world.
It was that easy, just bop them on the nose like naughty puppies and send them home?!
'Savage Daemons' fell flat for me and I’m more than a little crushed. I was prepared to list this as one of my favorite urban paranormal romance series but can't say I would recommend it now. I adored the first three books but the fourth was rushed and had a mismatch of plots that did the whole series and characters a disservice.
I'm rounding this book review up to three stars but overall, I wanted more magic, more feisty Dwayne, more grumpy Malik, and more self-assured badass Dani.
Tropes and Themes: Urban Fantasy Romance, Paranormal Romance, Magic, Demons, Fae.
Blurb
The battle for the fate of the earth has begun...
A Lightbringer has crept into our realm, slithering in before the deadline, with brand-new sinister plans. Chloe must face her past, her deepest fears, and survive a trek through the darkest depths of all the realms to get her true love back.
And Dwayne ... well, let's not spoil his story. Although the "King of Chaos" has a nice ring to it.
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