Quick Take
- Narration: Daphne Fields handles 24+ hours of high dark fantasy romance across a world at war, with multiple POVs and the emotional demands of a second-book escalation.
- Themes: enemies-to-lovers continuation, female political agency in demon society, war and fracturing alliances
- Mood: Sweeping and dark, with romantic intensity running underneath political upheaval
- Verdict: An ambitious second book in the Deathcaller Duet that expands its world considerably but draws divided response on whether the expansion serves the central relationship.
Horns of Wicked Ebony is the second and final book in the Deathcaller Duet, part of the larger An Age of War and Prophecy series by Lacey Lehotzky. I came to it having absorbed the reviewer note that the duet involves a vicious, dangerous male main character and a fiery female main character, which is a description of an enemies-to-lovers pairing calibrated to deliver what readers of Carissa Broadbent, LJ Andrews, and similar authors expect: a romance that earns its heat by making the emotional stakes feel genuinely dangerous rather than performative.
The scale of this second book is considerably larger than what a duet conclusion typically requires. The Great War between Angels and Demons is not backdrop here but active structural pressure. Assyria, having emerged from the war camp and unraveled the truths at the heart of Demon society, is now positioned as a symbol of change and hope within that society. Veiled priestesses are taking up swords. Forgotten daughters are wielding power. The male main character Rokath is holding a crumbling alliance together while the three cousins who once shaped the realm fracture toward internal war. The personal romance is nested inside several layers of political and magical crisis.
The Ambition of a Duet That Became Something Larger
At 24 hours and 35 minutes, this is a substantial audio commitment for a duet conclusion. The runtime is explained by the world-building density: the three-cousin fracture, the Angels preparing for another attack, and the political reversal that Assyria’s status represents all require significant page space. The reviewer who praised the intricate magic system and “political dealings of Angels and Demons” found that the payoff justified the complexity. The reviewer who criticized the sequel as a “sharp nose dive” with plot holes and a rushed ending was describing the same ambition from the position of someone who felt the execution did not match the scale.
This divided response is common for second books in duets that expand their worldbuilding significantly. When the world grows faster than the central relationship can anchor it, some readers follow the world and others follow the couple. Reviewers who came for the Assyria-Rokath relationship specifically note that it “closes out” satisfactorily even if the larger plot raised more questions than it answered. The cliffhanger that leaves the An Age of War and Prophecy arc open for the interconnected series is a deliberate structural choice that rewards readers who continue into the other duets and standalones but frustrates those hoping for a more complete conclusion.
What the Enemies-to-Lovers Progression Delivers
The banter-filled high dark fantasy romance designation is not marketing language here. The dynamic between Assyria and Rokath is described across the reviews as a continuing character arc rather than a resolved romantic conclusion, which suits a story that positions them as needing to become more than lovers and more than leaders, needing to become legends. That framing asks the romance to carry political weight as well as emotional weight, and based on one reviewer’s “captivated imagination” response, the ambition lands when the execution holds.
Daphne Fields has considerable material to work with at this runtime: political speeches, battle sequences, intimate scenes, and the dual register of a story about public symbol-making and private emotional survival. The full trigger warning list on the author’s website indicates this is mature dark fantasy content with disturbing material beyond the erotic.
Who Should Listen / Who Should Skip
Do not start here. The Deathcaller Duet begins with Eyes of Devious Burgundy, and the reviewer who went straight from book one into this one described being “extremely satisfied” with the duet’s closure. New listeners to the An Age of War and Prophecy world should start at the series entry point and treat this as what it is: a second-book resolution with deliberate hooks into an ongoing interconnected universe. The divided critical response suggests this rewards readers who are committed to the larger series more than those looking for a self-contained conclusion. Check the trigger warnings on the author’s website before starting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this accessible as an entry point to the An Age of War and Prophecy series?
No. This is the second and final book of the Deathcaller Duet, which is itself part of a larger interconnected series. Start with Eyes of Devious Burgundy and follow series order from there.
Why are reader responses so divided between five stars and three stars for this volume?
The split reflects the book’s scope. Readers who came primarily for the Assyria-Rokath relationship found it satisfying. Readers who expected the larger political plot to be resolved cleanly found plot holes and a rushed ending. The book expands its world significantly, and not all of that expansion is fully executed.
Does the duet have a conclusive ending or does it leave the overarching arc open?
The central relationship closes out, according to reviewers, but the larger An Age of War and Prophecy arc remains open. There is a significant cliffhanger that points toward the interconnected series.
What trigger warnings should listeners consult before starting?
The author provides a full trigger warning list on her website. The synopsis notes mature and dark themes that some listeners might find disturbing. Reviewer descriptions include gruesome scenery, psychological weight, and content appropriate for a high dark fantasy with adult content.
