From the start of the series, there have been flashbacks to unexplained visits from dark forces in Gen's childhood that have never been fully explained. These events have never appeared to have much impact on Gen, because after each visit an unknown individual always arrives to erase the memory. Gen has often been the only person capable of keeping the Chalaine safe from the dark forces trying to disrupt the holy prophecy, but now that she is pregnant with the Holy Child, Gen protects her no more. The significance of those visits in Gen's past have come into light, so now the Padra Athan and the church want him dead, and so does the Chalaine's new husband. However, the Chalaine's mother, Mirelle, still believes in Gen and she works to keep him from Athan's forces, convinced he is the only one who can protect her daughter. It's a mess of a situation, but one thing is clear - whichever side of the prophecy Gen's loyalties are on is likely to come out on top.

The tangled relationships between Gen, Mirelle, and the Chalaine are still the main story here, while the battle between good and evil gods on both sides of the prophecy comes in a close second. If you enjoyed the first two books then you get more of the same here, my main gripe being the time jumps that occur every so often. They feel rather abrupt and I don't think it would have taken much more than a paragraph or two to provide a much smoother transition. This is book three of four and it sets up a complicated hairball of a situation that will need to be unraveled in the final installment of the series. I now agree with other reviews that I have read complaining that this entire series should have just been one large book as there are no sub-arcs to justify each individual volume. Breaking it into four books is just a money grab even if the story itself is decent.

Simon Vance continues to do a great job on the narration and his performances are always entertaining.