Review: Forevermore by Kristen Callihan (Darkest London #7)

Forevermore (Darkest London #7)
Kristen Callihan
Published: June 28, 2016 (Forever)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Margaret

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it does make reference to previous books. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Firelight.

The previous book in the Darkest London series was quite eventful for St. John “Sin” Evernight. He became an angel of Justice and used his new powers to destroy Mab, the Fairy Queen who had enslaved him. And that was all before he got his own book. Now Sin is adjusting to his powers and his new role in the supernatural world, but he’s still miserable. His time with Mab alienated his family and the abuse he suffered makes him reluctant to connect with others. But his mentor Augustus, the Angel of Justice, has a job for him. Sin is now the official bodyguard for Layla, Augustus’s adopted daughter and Sin’s childhood best friend.

Layla is starting to develop powers of her own. No one knows precisely what those powers will be, but Augustus has prophesied that they will make her a target for demons. In order to ensure Layla’s safety, Augustus has asked her to find a husband. He, and Layla, wanted it to be Sin, but Sin refused thinking himself unworthy of her. He’s then forced to escort her to social events and watch other men try to woo the woman he loves. The romance plot is probably the most straightforward in the series, but I’m a sucker for a friends-to-lovers story.

The rest of the plot focuses on the angels and demons, who we haven’t learned much about before. I love filling in those blanks, but the angels were probably my least favorite of the supernatural groups in this world. I love the GIM, the Ghosts in the Machine, with their clockwork hearts, who aren’t even mentioned. I know their story has already played out in the previous book, but I still missed them.

Augustus has been an enigma throughout this series and I liked that we finally got to hear his story. And we learn just how integral he’s been in the lives of the rest of the characters. Sin’s sisters and their husbands also play a big role in the story, especially Miranda and Archer from Firelight. I always love to get updates on previous couples, but Will and Holly from Evernight, who were my favorite, aren’t in Forevermore. Sin does mention what they’re doing though.

I can’t decide if I’m disappointed by this series finale. I’m happy to finally get Sin’s story and I enjoyed it. But I wanted to be blown away like I was by Evernight, and I just wasn’t. What I did feel was inspired to reread the series and figure out how all the pieces came together. I’m sure I’ll catch things that I missed the first time through. So even if I’m not crying and hugging the book, that’s not a bad way to end it.

Sexual content: sex, references to abuse that took place in a previous book