Book two of a duet almost never earns the word legend, but Horns of Wicked Ebony spends twenty-four hours and thirty-five minutes convincing Rokath and Assyria they have become exactly that, and this audiobook mostly justifies the swagger. Assyria emerges from the brutal war camp of the first book not just as Rokath's mate but as a living symbol, 'the Imposter' turned into proof that Demon society's oldest stories can be rewritten. Veiled priestesses take up swords, forgotten daughters seize real power, and the army that once scorned Assyria has to learn, however reluctantly, to kneel. Lacey Lehotzky closes out her Deathcaller Duet here, the second half of a much larger series called An Age of War and Prophecy, with Angels massing for another attack and the Demons' own alliance cracking from the inside.
Cousins Who Once Ran an Obedient Realm
Reviewer Mary Blavat credits Lehotzky with melding 'an intricate magic system with the political dealings of Angels and Demons' in a way that keeps the expected outcome genuinely uncertain, and calls the result 'full of gruesome scenery, spicy romance, and plenty of twists and turns along the way,' and that combination, brutal war content sitting directly alongside enemies-to-lovers heat, is the book's whole identity, and it commits to both halves fully rather than softening either one to protect the other. The three cousins who once ran an obedient demon realm turning against each other gives the political plot real teeth too, this is not just a romance with war as backdrop, the power struggle inside Demon leadership carries its own genuine stakes independent of Rokath and Assyria's relationship.
Daphne Fields Keeps a Dense Ensemble Distinct
Reviewer Nyasia, who went 'straight from Eyes of Devious Burgundy into this' book, the duet's first installment, reports being 'extremely satisfied' with how the story closes out the central couple's arc even while acknowledging it 'hangs on a huge cliff hanger' tied to the larger Age of War and Prophecy series. That is a useful signal for anyone deciding whether to start here or with the first book: go in order, since this volume assumes the emotional and political groundwork the first book laid. Narrator Daphne Fields takes on a dense ensemble, a vicious, dangerous male lead, a fiery female lead, priestesses, generals, and warring cousins, across a runtime that rivals a full season of television, and dark romantasy at this scale lives or dies on a narrator's ability to keep that many distinct voices from blurring together.
The synopsis itself points listeners toward Carissa Broadbent and LJ Andrews as comparison points, alongside A Choice of Light and Dark, and that comp-title placement is fair: this sits squarely in the enemies-to-lovers, dark high fantasy romance lane those authors also occupy, banter-filled even in its bleakest stretches. What sets this entry apart within that crowded genre is how directly the political plot ties to Assyria's own symbolic status; she is not just navigating danger alongside Rokath, she is actively reshaping what her entire society believes is possible, which gives the romance a weight beyond the usual will-they-won't-they tension most genre romance leans on.
The book's title itself signals its stakes plainly: wicked ebony evokes both Rokath's demonic nature and the dark, almost gothic visual register Lehotzky sustains throughout, gruesome scenery, veiled priestesses, a whole society reckoning with its own founding myths. That specificity in imagery is part of what separates this from more generic enemies-to-lovers fare; Lehotzky commits to a distinct visual and tonal identity for her demon society rather than borrowing generic fantasy trappings, and the audiobook format, with Daphne Fields voicing that world aloud, gives the invented terminology, Demon ranks, priestess titles, cousin factions, a chance to actually sound lived-in rather than merely spelled out on a page.
GurlyGrl4 Calls This a Sharp Nose Dive
Not every reader who finished the duet came away as satisfied as Nyasia. Reviewer GurlyGrl4 describes this sequel taking 'a sharp nose dive compared to the first book,' citing plot holes and an ending that felt rushed enough she had to go back and reread it to follow what happened. That is a real, specific critique worth weighing against Mary Blavat's more enthusiastic five-star read, since both reactions come from readers who clearly know the genre well. The book's own content note is worth taking seriously too: it contains mature, dark themes some listeners might find disturbing, with a full trigger warning list posted separately on the author's website rather than included in the listing itself, so anyone sensitive to specific content should check that source before starting.
At twenty-four and a half hours, this is a genuinely long listen for a genre where individual entries often run under half that, and the density shows: multiple POV threads, a large named cast across Angels, Demons, and three separate cousin factions, and a political plot running in parallel with the central romance the whole way through. Listeners who prefer a tighter, single-thread romance will likely find the scope here overwhelming rather than immersive. And because this closes out a duet within a much larger interconnected series, the ending resolves Rokath and Assyria's story specifically while leaving the wider Age of War and Prophecy conflict clearly unfinished.
Only one rating and a handful of reviews are attached to this specific listing so far, a modest sample for judging a twenty-four-hour investment against, though the four-star average across those reviews leans positive. The genre tags, erotica alongside literature and fiction, are both accurate, but neither alone signals just how much political plot runs alongside the romance; listeners coming purely for the spice should know the war and succession plot gets real, sustained attention too, not just a backdrop for the central relationship.
Start With Eyes of Devious Burgundy First
Fans of Carissa Broadbent and LJ Andrews, readers who want their enemies-to-lovers romance paired with genuine political stakes rather than romance alone, and anyone who already finished Eyes of Devious Burgundy and wants the payoff are the clear audience here. The banter-filled tone keeps even the bleakest war content from feeling relentlessly grim, which suits readers who want dark fantasy without losing all the genre's usual charm and humor along the way. Listeners drawn to found-power arcs, a scorned outsider becoming the very symbol her enemies feared, will find Assyria's arc across this volume especially satisfying.
New readers should absolutely start with Eyes of Devious Burgundy rather than here, since this volume leans entirely on the emotional and political setup the first book establishes. Anyone sensitive to graphic violence, war content, or the specific mature themes flagged on the author's own website should check that list before committing to twenty-four and a half hours of material built around exactly those elements. And readers who prefer a fully self-contained story with no cliffhanger energy, even inside a duet, should know the larger Age of War and Prophecy series stays open at the end, whatever closure Rokath and Assyria's specific arc reaches.
A Few Questions About Horns of Wicked Ebony
Do I need to listen to Eyes of Devious Burgundy before this audiobook?
Yes. This is book two of the Deathcaller Duet, and the story assumes the emotional and political setup the first book establishes.
How long is the Horns of Wicked Ebony audiobook?
Twenty-four hours and thirty-five minutes, a substantial listen even by dark romantasy standards, reflecting the large ensemble cast and parallel political plot.
Does this audiobook wrap up the whole Age of War and Prophecy series?
No. It closes out Rokath and Assyria's specific duet, but the wider interconnected series stays open at the end.
Is the Horns of Wicked Ebony audiobook very explicit?
Yes, it's tagged erotica with real heat alongside its war content, and the author's website hosts a full content warning list for the mature themes involved.
