Apocalypse

Larissa Ione has been writing in the paranormal romance genre for more than fifteen years and her Demonica series, along with the related Lords of Deliverance and Demonica Underworld books, has built one of the more elaborate worlds in the field. The series takes place in a universe where demons run hospitals, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have personalities and complications, and the line between heaven and hell turns out to be a lot more bureaucratic than most readers expect.

Apocalypse fits into the Lords of Deliverance branch of Ione's universe, which focused on the four Horsemen and the women who change their lives. The premise of that series was clever from the start. Each Horseman is a member of an immortal family, has been trying to prevent their own apocalyptic awakening for centuries, and is now under threat from forces who want to push them past the point of no return. Ione handled the redemption arcs across that series with real skill, and her readers came to care about characters whose backstories included literally bringing about the end of the world.

This novel works best for readers already invested in the wider Ione universe. The references to her demon hospital staff, the Aegis order, the various supporting cast members, and the larger arcs running through her catalogue are constant. For longtime fans, these references are exactly the point. For new readers, the first Demonica novel Pleasure Unbound is a better starting place.

Readers who enjoy J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark, or Nalini Singh's Psy Changeling series will find Ione working in adjacent territory. Her writing is crisper than some of her peers, her dialogue carries a real sense of humor, and her plotting tends to stay tight even when the world keeps expanding.