Bitten by Books
Sinner’s Heart, the terrific third and final installment in the exciting Hellraisers series, begins a few weeks after the events of book two. Bram Stirling, one of the two original Hellraisers remaining in service to the Dark One, finds himself seriously questioning his activities and the ultimate goals of the evil he has bound himself to. With former members Whit and Leo, along with Zora and Anne, fighting against Mr. Holliday (as the Devil likes to be called) and Edmund dead at John’s hand, Bram realizes that circumstances are indeed more dire than he first supposed. Unfortunately, given that he feels as though he is damned already, Bram does not have the energy or the desire to make a change.
However, when Livia, the ghost of the Roman sorceress, after “haunting” Bram for a bit, urging him to join in the fight against the Devil, somehow becomes merged with his consciousness, she becomes privy to his memories and consequently understands more about him. Livia, responsible for raising the Devil a thousand years earlier, though she also managed to imprison him, knows that much of the blame for the current situation rests or her shoulders, ghostly or not. If only she can convince Bram of the severity of the condition of mayhem infesting the streets of London, and that they can indeed be part of the cure, Livia may succeed in her goal.
One of the most striking characteristics of this excellent series remains Archer’s skill at portraying how seemingly intelligent and civilized people can be misled by the allure of power and the promise of getting whatever one desires. The author demonstrates clearly, albeit through the use of paranormal/supernatural means, how horribly wrong such intentions and their resultant actions can go. In Sinner’s Heart, the two not-so-perfect protagonists, Bram and Livia, become transformed through their desire to right wrongs that they feel responsible for, and in doing so, achieve rewards and satisfaction far greater than any received through their initial intentions.
As before, the author provides a smoothly-flowing narrative with intriguing characters, fast-paced action, and absorbing world-building, bringing the excellent Hellraisers trilogy to a very satisfying end. This reviewer eagerly awaits whatever Archer publishes next.
Book Stats:
Mass Market Paperback: 370 pages
Publisher: Zebra; Original edition (April 2, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1420122290
ISBN-13: 978-1420122299
Purchase a print copy of Sinner’s Heart from Amazon
Purchase a Kindle copy of Sinner’s Heart from Amazon
Books in the Hellraisers series in the order they should be read:
Devil’s Kiss
Demon’s Bride
Sinner’s Heart
