False Covenant: A Widdershins Adventure (Widdershins Adventures, #2)

by Ari Marmell

It's been over half a year, now, since the brutal murder of Archbishop William de Laurent during his pilgrimage to the Galicien city of Davillon. During that time, the Church of the Hallowed Pact has assigned a new bishop to the city - but it has also made its displeasure at the death of its clergyman quite clear. Davillon's economy has suffered beneath the weight of the Church's displeasure. Much of the populace - angry at the clergy - has turned away from the Church hierarchy, choosing private worship or small, independent shrines. And the bishop, concerned for his new position and angry at the people of Davillon, plans to do something about it. But a supernatural threat is stalking the nighttime streets - a creature of the other world has come to infiltrate the seedier streets of Davillon, to intertwine its tendrils through the lower echelons of society. Faced with both political upheaval and a supernatural threat to its citizenry, the local representatives of the Church are paral

• ISBN10: 1616146214
• ISBN13: 9781616146214
• Publish Date: 26 June 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Pyr
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 281
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

After really enjoying the way gods were presented in Thief's Covenant, I was excited to continue learning about them in False Covenant. Based on the blurb it seemed like the focus would be even more on the occult side of the the world, and I certainly wasn't disappointed on that front! A dark, shadowy figure is terrorizing the people of Davillon, but oddly no one is killed or even injured. That's because it's just a ruse set up by the new bishop in order to turn the people back to the Church. However, an actual dark, shadowy figure appears and that one has no qualms about killing anyone and everyone, including young children. Of course, Widdershins has a run in with this creature and is soon falsely linked to it. Now she has to prove her innocence while also trying to stop this horrific being before it strikes again.

So I thought that the demon in the first book was disturbing, but really, that one has nothing on the monster stalking the citizens of Davillon in False Covenant. No one knows exactly what he/it is, so they call him/it Iruoch, after a common children's tale. Iruoch is manlike but with gaunt features and fingers like spider legs. It also sucks people dry. The monster also seems to be followed by a chorus of invisible children. I don't know about you all, but anytime children are involved in a horror story, I'm immediately terrified. If this were a movie, I'd have to change the channel. The author really outdid himself with this villain. Not only is Iruoch absolutely terrifying, but he's an extremely tough opponent that Widdershins' can't handle on her own, even with the help of her personal god. That final battle scene was a nailbiter (if I bit my nails)!

While I quite enjoyed this demonic plot along with the accompanying religious intrigue (if you want to call it that), I was less impressed with the other, smaller plotline happening. After the events of Thief's Covenant, Widdershins has inherited the tavern, The Flippant Witch. It's not doing so well, since Shins it certainly not a business woman. Then a mysterious male appears and is not only trying to take the tavern from her, but challenge her to a duel hoping to remove her from the picture permanently! This story isn't in the forefront for very long, which I was glad, since it added very little to the overall story. It just seemed like one more worry for Widdershins to deal with on top of being accused of murder...again, while also avoiding being murdered herself.

I'm definitely enjoying this series! Widdershins seems to get herself into trouble a lot, since she's always in the wrong place at the wrong time. She's also made quite a few enemies in her years as a thief, who want nothing more than to bring her down a notch or two. The ending of False Covenant is a little open ended, but not in a cliffhanger sort of way. It's clear that Widdershins has some stuff she needs to deal with, but there are certainly more adventures awaiting her outside of Davillon.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.