ARC Review: Devouring Darkness by Chloe Neill

Devouring Darkness
Author: Chloe Neill
Series: Heirs of Chicagoland (Book 4)
Publication: Berkley (September 20, 2022)

Description: In the newest installment of the USA Today bestselling Heirs of Chicagoland series, vampire Elisa Sullivan unearths an ancient grudge, with potentially devastating consequences.

As the only vampire ever born, and the daughter of two very powerful Chicago vampires, Elisa Sullivan knew her life was going to be…unusual. But she wanted to make her own way in the world, preferably away from her famous family. Then supernatural politics—and perhaps a bit of destiny—intervened, and Elisa had to steady her nerves and sharpen her steel to fight for the city of Chicago. Luckily, Connor Keene, son of the North American Central Pack’s Apex wolf, is right by her side.

When Elisa and her Ombudsman colleagues agree to escort a vulnerable supernatural to Chicago, they inadvertently set in motion a scheme of long-awaited magical vengeance. The city may pay an arcane price it can’t afford unless Elisa and her allies rise to the challenge.

My Thoughts: In this episode of the Heirs of Chicagoland series, Elisa and her colleagues have to find and capture a chaos demon who has damaged one of the wards built in 1872 which allowed her entrance.

While Elisa is busy dealing with the chaos demon, the Pack is dealing with interlopers from out of town who have come to lodge complaints. Connor is pulled between helping Elisa and helping with the pack. 

Things get much worse when the demon causes Cadogan House to disappear just before Elisa and Connor arrive for a brainstorming session about removing the demon from Chicago. Trapped in the house are Elisa's parents, Connor's parents and Lulu Bell's parents along with the head of one of the other vampire houses and all the vampires who were at home when Cadogan House was removed. 

Elisa and her team now have to figure things out on their own without the help of older vampires and the extensive library at Cadogan House. Lulu is so angry that she decides that she has to share a secret she's been keeping for ten years about her reasons for not using her magic.

The story was fast-paced and filled with action. I enjoyed the interactions of the characters and the worldbuilding in a Chicago with a variety of supernaturals. Fans of the series won't want to miss this latest episode.

Favorite Quote:

"So if this demon made it into Chicago, in order to stop her, we have to figure out her sigil, which only she knows. We have to find her, and we have to use metaphysical magic in order to lock her down again."

"Correct."

I blew out a breath. The world had just gotten very, very complicated.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.