Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
It’s been well over a decade since vampire Gabe Santini went to ground. Now he has awakened with no idea who he is, what happened that caused him to step back from the world, and how long he has been gone. He quickly learns he has a partner, witch Sieran Rou, and that something terrible happened many years before.
When Gabe went to ground, Seiran never expected it to last almost 13 years, leaving Seiran alone with young children and trying to put his life back together on his own. He is still furious at Gabe for keeping so many secrets, for letting himself get so out of control and never sharing any of it with Seiran when he could have helped. Instead, things ultimately got so bad that the world almost fell apart. Seiran has spent the past years raising the kids and working for the Dominion as the head of Magical Investigations. As always, despite Seiran being the Pillar of Earth and one of the most powerful witches in the world, most of the Dominion continues to dismiss him because he is a male witch.
Now, Seiran has a new case investigating a golem being used by some students at the local university. Seiran knows the magic is way too powerful for the golem to actually have been created by these young witches, so he is determined to uncover who is behind it all. As Seiran digs deeper, it becomes clear that the golem is the tip of the iceberg. Someone has animated the golem with vampire souls and is trying to summon the dead. Gabe is determined to stand by Seiran’s side, to prove to him that he will not repeat his past mistakes. And with Gabe’s death magic combined with Seiran’s almost god-like abilities, the two have a strength to take on almost anything. But with those that should be protecting them looking to paint Seiran as the enemy, and untold horrors awakening, it will take all they can do to stop the attacks and make it out alive.
Resurrection is the first book in Lissa Kasey’s Pillars of Magic: Dark Awakening series arc. This is the second Pillars of Magic arc, following the conclusion of Pillars of Magic: Dominion. The Dominion arc was a series of five books that finished back in 2019 and that is set about 13 years prior to the start of Resurrection. The books take place in the same world, with the same characters, and while there is a considerable time jump, the stories are very much connected. Kasey does a nice job reacquainting readers with the characters, world, and plot threads here, which I found helpful given the time between this book and Absolution, which ended the Dominion arc. So patient readers who are ok with not understanding everything right away could probably jump in here. But expect some disorientation, especially as the book opens with Gabe awakening and confused about what is going on. I really love this series, and if this story sounds appealing, I would encourage you to start from the beginning with Inheritance.
Ok, so on to this story. I loved how we open up in Gabe’s head as he is coming back to himself after so many years gone to ground. Gabe has no memory of who he is, what happened in his past, or anyone around him, including Seiran. His memories come back as he regains strength and reconnects with his vampire progeny, but his disorientation serves as a nice set up to catch the readers up with what has been going on over the past 13 years. He and Seiran have a lot to work through, as Seiran is still hurt and angry about Gabe’s lack of communication about all that was going on so many years ago. Gabe let things get so far out of hand that when things fell apart, they did so spectacularly, resulting in him leaving Seiran alone for more than a decade. So it takes a while for the men to sort through their past, but there is never any question that the men are meant for one another and will come out of this together. In fact, we see that the new openness between them allows both men to access their power in new ways, and to combine their strength and their connection. Gabe and Seiran still have things to work through, but we see them make major progress here and it is clear that they will fiercely protect one another with their lives.
This story is definitely a transition book between the two series arcs, giving us a chance to close out the focus from Dominion and move into a new chapter for these characters. The case of the golem ties together nicely with this larger theme, as what starts out looking like some college boys trying to skip class by sending a golem in their place instead turns into the first sign of something much bigger afoot. As always, Kasey’s world building here is great, and the combination of the supernatural with the various politics of the world comes together well in the story. There is danger and intrigue and excitement, and the usual backstabbing Seiran seems to face at every turn. But he has his people behind him and I love the found family that are fiercely protective of one another. While the main focus here is on Gabe and Seiran, we do see the full ensemble cast, and Sam plays a particularly large side role. The investigation uncovers things that lead to a new chapter for this whole group and I am really excited about what Kasey has set up here. It is a great way to take this series and move it forward in a slightly new direction and bring a whole host of new opportunities.
I am a big fan of this series and am thrilled to see that Kasey is expanded things into this new arc. I love these characters and can’t wait to see what is in store for them going forward. If you enjoy magic, urban fantasy, and great found family elements, definitely give these books a try.
