Book 5), The Core (The Demon Cycle

Brett ties up all the loose ends. I finished feeling satisfied. There is some bizarreness at the start that feels more like social commentary than really integral to the story but it didn't really detract from the arc, so whatever.

Really disappointed. After such an amazing start, this series turned so linear. Every chapter was predictable, and there weren't even any twists at the end. So so dissapointed. I felt like Peter couldn't be bothered anymore, and that his attention was elsewhere while he finished these off.

I love the characters, hence the 2 starts, but the plot and arcs we're so dissapointing. A poor end to an amazing start.

Brett has succeeded my expectations for this book. I find "Core" to be his best yet. He manages to surprise, intrigue, and tufts your heart string with his characters and the situations that those characters are in.

Keeps you hooked all the way through. It is sometimes violent even disgusting but always redeeming. Dont read until youve read the others in the series. But be prepared for a series you wont soon forget.

**Minor Spoilers**

I greatly enjoyed the first four books of this series. Unlike some other reviewers, I thought that the flashbacks were intriguing and relatively well-done. As for focusing on political maneuvering and minor characters, I thought that Brett made an interesting and ultimately successful decision in choosing to show how “normal” people were dealing with events, especially in the absence of the Deliver(s).

With that said, the fifth book is . . . odd. As other reviewers have noted, the first half has a very strange fascination with sex and castration that is much less present in previous books. Pretty much all of that content is gratuitous and unnecessary to any story arc.

The mid to late book demon fights are annoyingly repetitive. How many times can the demons use the exact same strategy on the same people before they defend against it? Most of those scenes were well-written, as Brett has remarkable talent, but their overall structure was disappointing.

And then there’s the end. Many reviewers have described it as a deux ex machina, and while that is true, it does not bother me all that much because most books employ that strategy to one degree or another. No, what bothered me most about the end was how rushed and odd it was. So much was left unresolved that I actually flipped through the appendix thinking, “Is that it?” The climax was rushed, and the resolution was almost nonexistent. There were multiple minor strands that Brett created and then left alone. Many characters who had been present for more than one book were cast aside with little fanfare. He never addressed what the mind meant by saying that humans did not understand their own magic. He started a running internal monologue on Jardir’s part regarding faith and doubt that he simply ignored at the end of the book, with no indication of how that played out. Beyond all of that, the title is disingenuous. We do not actually learn anything definitive about the Core. There is a lot of hazy description that could mean any number of things, but mostly means that the reader comes away confused as to what exactly happened.

Overall, the book is alright. It does not ruin the series, but it certainly does not complete it well. It is just filled with odd plot choices. I can’t help but feel like Brett could have done much better.

Excellent ending to a riveting and exciting series. This series stands apart within the fantasy realm and core brings the series to a thrilling end. Highly recommend, and very entertaining from page one to the conclusion.