There are series, and then there are epics. K.F. Breene’s DDVN World series enters into that second category, in more ways than one! Be it for the action, for the laughs, and for the greatness of the main characters, everything is there to make DDVN (short for Devil Days, Vampire Nights) an epic of gigantic proportions. And because the first eight books are comprised of two trilogies and one duology, it is better to review them sub-series by sub-series.
DDVN World, books 7-8: Charity, Devon, and a surprising shift
I will start with the truth: of the DDVN World sub-series, Charity’s is my least favourite. This does not mean that it isn’t good, only that, compared to Reagan’s and Penny’s parts, this one, though full of action, did not get to me as much as the other two, except when some characters of the first two sub-series came to play, which includes the shifters (and how do mermaids procreate? – for the record, we still don’t know after eight books).
The first part of my review: Reagan’s story
The second part of my review: Penny’s story
I know, this is doing little justice to Charity, who is a great heroine in her own way, especially when, like the other two magicals, her quest involves finding out who and what she really is and building on her immense capacities. Considering how difficult her life had been up to that point, this should’ve made for some amazing things. However, she comes after everything is done with Reagan and Penny, which can be seen as a downside.
Hence my advice: wait a few days after ending Penny’s trilogy before starting on this last duology. You will only love Charity more, as she deserves.
There is also a huge difference between this duology and the first two trilogies: the narration. Contrary to Reagan’s and Penny’s stories, Charity’s is completely written in third person, a nice difference, which K.F. Breene explained to me when I mentioned it in her readers’ platform, and which she expanded on, recently, in a Facebook live: Charity’s story is the first thing that she wrote in the DDVN World. Then, having other projects, she shelved it for a time, getting back to her idea after a trip to New Orleans, which gave her the inspiration for Reagan’s story. From there, she wrote Reagan’s, then Penny’s parts, and expanded on Charity’s.
Who is Charity? If you would’ve asked her at the start of the story, she would’ve told you that she is a plain, extremely poor student, whose beloved mother up and left her and her abusive, alcoholic husband. However, this is far from what she is, as she realises one fateful night, when she went to an invite-only party with her roommate, only to find out, when her life was threatened, that she not only had power, but that she had a lot of it.
Between the Realm and the Brink, we follow Charity’s journey toward her fate, that of a warrior fae in search of herself as a powerful magical person, alongside Devon, the California’s alpha we had met during the battle against the Mages’ Guild, who is just as powerful in his own species. We also see that there are many injustices to fight in the magical world, the first of which being the shameful treatment the fae give to the shifters when they bring Charity back to her family in order to cure her of her magical sickness. That part really raised my ire on the shifters’ behalf and made me hate the First deeply (I still hate her).
And there is Vlad, the vampire Elder who does play a big part in Charity’s journey, obviously for his own interests. It does make me wonder if, has he not met Reagan, Darius would’ve been such an opportunistic douche canoe.
We also see Karen Bristol (Penny’s mum) again and, as is her habit, she serves many a truth and prediction to the protagonists.
Seriously, it is a great sub-series, when you look at it on its own. Plus, it sets the table nicely for what’s coming in the last (and upcoming) trilogy.
Caro's Reads 
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