Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Picking up five years after the events of the previous book, Apocalypse Rising, and the rise of the Angel of Death, we’re introduced to Kohaku Hitaratsu, an underworld kingpin that is being thrown out of his company and life by an unexpected usurper named Albert Titan. With no other place to go, he returns to the neighborhood and friend that took him in as a child.

Once there, he begins his fight against the stuff of nightmares in defense of his new home and begins to learn who he truly is.

One of the things I loved about this book is the way it made me feel dirty after reading it. I’m usually one that loves to cheer on the bad guys in books and movies, but it was difficult for me to do that for Kohaku in the beginning. At first, he was the clichéd bad guy that’s dethroned and wishes to rebuild what he had, but that quickly changed as he started on a path of redemption. While that may sound cliché, it was far from it.

The author did a fantastic job of bringing Kohaku up from the sewers and into a fight he feels obligated to take part in. The entire switch in his character was done without changing him, at least not in a way that is easily noticeable. Kohaku stays the same aggressive tough guy throughout, but his edges are softened by the people he meets that help him grow.

It is due to the author’s ability to make an unlikable character likable that I really wanted to reach out and smack the author around by the end of the book. By the time the ending came, I found I had invested a great deal into the outcome of the story and felt exhilarated and depressed when it ended. It’s a unique feeling I only felt a couple of times before, so I’ll definitely remember it.

The biggest complaint I have is now I have to wait for the next book for the story to continue. If you love a good versus evil story filled with monsters, then you’ll love this book.