I received an eARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Initial Reaction:



The Damned by Laura Thalassa is the perfect conclusion to the The Unearthly, picking up right where The Forsaken left off. Please note that if you have not read the prior books in the series there are minor, unavoidable spoilers in this review. Gabrielle wakes up in the home of Hades. She’s dead now and his consort. She can no longer feel her soulmate Andre in the living world. That connection is gone and she is now tethered to the one man that has haunted her since she was a kid. Can she somehow return to the world of the living and stop the coming apocalypse?

Gabrielle is in hell…literally. She’s the devil’s consort, tied to him as she once was to Andre. She can feel him in her heart and she’s angry. Oh boy is she angry! She wants out and she just wants her life back. Instead she is learning more about Hades, or Pluto, or the devil…whatever you want to call him. I’ve always loved Gabrielle. She never gives up, despite all that is against her. BUT this book, she’s lost, confused, hurt, angry…you name it and she’s probably that at some point during the book. She was betrayed by her friend, she’s lost her soulmate, and she’s tied to the devil. Seriously, how much can one girl take?!

Hades…Pluto…the man in the suit. What is it about the bad boys that makes me love them?! I know I’m supposed to despise his character. He’s torn Gabrielle away from Andre, he’s deceived her at every turn, he hurts her every time he interferes YET there’s another side to him. He can be kind, gentle, caring, all the things he shouldn’t be. Be prepared because you see him a lot more in this book and I can honestly say I was torn between him and Andre.

And Andre…poor Andre. He is not the same vampire king we met in The Unearthly. He’s vulnerable and broken, ready to meet his maker. In his eyes, Gabrielle is dead and there is no getting her back. My heart hurt reading his POV. BUT, argh! His determination and love for Gabrielle is the stuff you dream about. She is his heart and his only reason for living and he will stop at nothing to get her back.

The plot centers around the series arch of Gabrielle becoming Hades consort, his soulmate instead of Andre’s, and what that means. Why is Hades so consumed with her and what is going to do with her? If you’re like me, you may have brushed up on your Persephone mythology going into the book and remember that she lived 6 months in Hell and 6 months on Earth. Yeah our Gabrielle gets a similar treatment, except it is days in Hell and nights with the living. (No spoiler, this happens in the first chapter).

Overall I LOVED this book! I couldn’t set it down. I read it from start to finish, forgoing sleep to do so and it was SO worth it. I’ve loved and rooted for Gabrielle since the beginning and was ecstatic to read the end. Laura Thalassa has done a fabulous job tying up all the loose ends and giving Gabby, the devil, Andre, really all the characters a fitting conclusion. I couldn’t imagine a better one! If you’re a fan of the series, don’t miss out. Read it ASAP because I need someone to share the feels with!