Ruled by Steel by S.M. Reine [Review]

Ruled by Steel (Ascension #3) by S.M. Reine
Format: ebook
Source: provided for review
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: October 22, 2013

Ascension
1. Sacrificed in Shadow
2. Oaths of Blood
3. Ruled by Steel - Paperback | Kindle
4. Caged in Bone
5. Lost in Prophecy
6. Torn by Fury
7. Sins of Eden
8. The Second Coming

S.M. Reine
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Synopsis (Goodreads):

Only a demon can save the souls in Hell.

Elise Kavanagh failed to prevent the Breaking, and now Hell is spilling onto Earth. She’s delved deep into the City of Dis in an attempt to stop the infernal armies–but even the legendary Godslayer is unprepared to face Dis’s fiercest demons, not to mention the responsibility of liberating the humans they’ve enslaved.

On Earth, rogue angel Nash Adamson is wing-deep in damage control after the Breaking, and his fellow angels don’t want to get involved. War is approaching the werewolf sanctuary. If Heaven won’t help them, he’ll have to turn to Hell for salvation.

Everything hinges on who can control the City of Dis. Elise and her allies have no choice but to rule by steel…

Thoughts on Ruled By Steel: *stares at everyone* Guys, it took me a week after reading this book to get my thoughts in order. Basically, every book in this series blows my mind just a little more. SO MUCH happens and it's fantastic and fabulous and some other F words that make me look all crazy-eyed. In a good way, of course.

Elise feels like she's grown a lot since the early books. She takes responsibility for the enslaved humans, although she REALLY doesn't want to. That's not to say she would have left them to die before, but she would have freed them and moved along without stopping to think about what would happen to them. Now, it's on her to keep them alive in Dis and she does it. Whether this is Eve's influence or simply Elise growing into herself and her power a little more, I don't know. But I think it makes for an interesting contrast in her personality.

Meanwhile, James is growing on me. Again. While his motivations have never been a secret, I found myself a little more sympathetic to him with this book as we got to see what's been driving him. Honestly, I *like* the guy. I have since the beginning. He's a little off the rails at times and his endgame could end up hurting a lot of people, but he's doing it for his son and I GET THAT. Some of his actions seem so terribly mercenary but there are these flashes of loneliness that come through that just slay me.

Nash, the werewolves, the divide between Rylie and Abel... *flails*. I'm SO looking forward to the next book. THINGS ARE HAPPENING! I like things!