Death’s Champion by Karen Frost is the fourth and final novel in the ‘Destiny and Darkness’ series. I’ve read all four books now. Before this novel, I always considered the first story to be the best of the series. In my opinion though, Death’s Champion is equal to Daughter of Fire: Conspiracy of the Dark.
The fourth book takes us back to the characters we met and connected with in the first novel. This tale is told in First Person POV through the eyes of Aeryn, a young war mage we met in the first book. Aeryn is dead, but has been sent back to Iliyria to save both the human world as well as the Divine Realm from the Darkness that is invading both places. It is a Herculean task, and Aeryn is given only a few days to accomplish this. It will take all her effort plus the help of old and new friends to complete this quest, and even with all that help, Aeryn could fail, which would mean destruction and annihilation for everyone.
This story is filled with nonstop action and terrifying adventures from the beginning to the end. It was great seeing Aeryn’s friends Kjelborn, Cayleth, Pavo, and Kaylara, all from book one. There are also several new friends, some of them demigods, and of course there is Lyse, Aeryn’s one true love. Ms. Frost has done an amazing job with all of these very memorable characters. The bad guys are equally unforgettable. Some of the shadows and monsters invading the realms are simply horrific. The author definitely has a vivid imagination, which of course is needed for a dark fantasy like this one.
This story is filled to the brim with excitement, adventure, fear, darkness, friendship, selflessness, and love. It is a great young adult book for dark fantasy lovers of all ages. It also has a very satisfying ending. (And if the author ever decides to publish short stories in this ‘universe’, I would eagerly gobble those up!) I will warn you that this is not a standalone novel. To understand everything that is going on you need to read the series in order. I enjoyed reading all four books, and if you enjoy dark fantasy novels, then read this series.
I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections 