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MY ⭐️ RATING: 4.25/5
Format: Kindle Whispersync
BOOK DESCRIPTION
On the run and out of time…
Everything changed back in Crescent City when Crowley made his choice to stand up to his angelic handler Shargrafein. It was either her or Rosa, and the choice was clear. Now, there’s no going back.
Something about Rosa has everyone scrambling—a hidden power. It’s up to Crowley to bring her back to land of the living, and discover exactly what she is. Only then might they have a chance against the forces of Heaven and Hell, both of whom want her for their own devices.
So what if that makes him a traitor to the White Throne? They kept the truth about her from him. Made him a pawn in their endless war.
But those above and below aren’t the only ones after Crowley and Rosa. An old rival has resurfaced and he’s out for vengence, no matter what takes.
If they hope to evade capture, Crowley will need to trust old friends and allies. And trust doesn’t come easy to a man shot to death by his own boss.
MY REVIEW
Bruno & Castle did a good job wrapping up this series with an action-packed showdown of epic supernatural proportions in Ace in the Hole. The setting changes once again with Crowley heading to the nation’s capital which added some new twists along the way, as well as the expected historical tie-ins that the pair of authors have been working in since the beginning of this trilogy. I’ve been comparing this series to RIPD 2, Jonah Hex and Dresden Files since the beginning, book 2 had a Dracula and Interview with the Vampire vibe and this finale had a slight Witcher feel to it.
The world building and character development got better, but the strongest part of this series and what carries the most weight is the narration by Roger Clark, aka Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2. This is a repeat of my previous reviews because I have nothing new to add… Clark makes the setting feel even more realistic than just the story itself. His deep voice can surprisingly even make female characters not sound masculine.
“This was the West, wild and free. You expect a damsel, you get a cutthroat. Brick walls couldn’t stop that woman when she had a mind to walk somewhere.”
The story itself was interesting with Crowley and Rosa now on the run from the White Throne, a new black badge in Ace Riker and the loup-garous, introducing skinwalkers and much more along the way. The biggest part of this was finally learning why Rosa was so important and how she changes the game completely. The action in the first three-quarters of the story was more exciting than the actual ending itself. I was slightly underwhelmed with how Crowley and Ace’s head to head ended up as well as Crowley’s confrontation with the White Throne.
A point of contention I had with the previous novels was the lack of development in the other characters not named James Crowley, and that did slightly change in this final addition to the Black Badge trilogy, with Rosa. She got some much needed development to her character that really helped seal the story. I do wish this happened a little earlier for such a strong character that was a big part of the plot, but better late than never. It still lacked some overall depth with the story and characters as a whole which is keeping it from being rated higher, but it was still a fun time in this weird western world that ends in a way that leaves the door cracked if they choose to add more one day.
Wolfmantula.com 