Editorial Review: Beyond The Mist: Dark Messiah (The Baku Trilogy Book 3) by Reed Logan Westgate
Not even the forces of Heaven and Hell could prevent Xlina Dar’Karrow from freeing the soul of her friend Amber from an eternity of suffering. However, the price for Amber’s resurrection is far greater than Xlina ever expected.
Beyond The Mist is the third and final title in the Baku Trilogy and as such all bets are off regarding who will make it to the final pages and who won’t. Reed Logan Westgate set a very high bar with The Infernal Games and Dirge of the Dead, but Beyond The Mist does not disappoint. As with the previous book in the series, Beyond The Mist wastes no time in raising the stakes and putting all the characters through the wringer, both physically and mentally.
Beyond The Mist quickly makes it very clear why both heaven and hell tried to prevent Xlina from stealing back Amber’s soul in the previous novel. Amber’s resurrection is the first since Christ and causes chaos as a looming apocalypse plunges Portland into chaos. Meanwhile Amber struggles to cope with the fact that her previous life is gone for good and that her resurrection has made her the primary target of a few very unsavory individuals.
Xlina, on the other hand, had to overcome almost insurmountable odds to save Amber’s soul from the fires of hell, only to find that the demon mark she carries casts doubt over her love and devotion. Instead of the happy reunion that she was expecting, Xlina is heartbroken when Amber questions her love and believes that her actions and feelings might just be due to the influence of the mark. When all hell breaks loose Xlina also comes face to face with an enemy that is more dangerous than anything she has ever faced before.
Over the course of The Baku Trilogy, Reed Logan Westgate has built up an incredible cast of characters, and Beyond The Mist is a farewell to many of them in more ways than one. Readers who think that they know everything about their favorite characters after reading the previous two books might also be surprised by some of the revelations that Westgate has kept hidden up his sleeve. Some characters reveal a new side to them that readers have never seen before and readers might even find themselves cheering for a few unexpected ones over the course of the adventure.
Overall, Beyond The Mist is a bittersweet book to read as it draws The Baku Trilogy to a close. However, Westgate closes out the story in a very satisfying manner while delivering all the expected thrills, chills, and unexpected twists along the way. Readers who have been along for the ride since the first book certainly won’t be disappointed and it is great to see the trilogy close out as strong as it started.
