Deosil (Whyborne & Griffin Book 11)
On the return voyage from Balefire Manor, Whyborne receives the worst news possible: Widdershins has fallen before the onslaught of the Fideles and their servants. There’s still time to stop the return of the Masters, but that window grows shorter by the hour.
Together with Christine and Iskander, Whyborne and Griffin must reach Widdershins to face the ultimate test—and decide the fate of the world, once and for all.
Reviews (71)
A series recommended to all
This series closes out in a maelstrom (pun intended) of heroism, madness, horror, love, triumph, and just a few tentacles. Everything comes full-circle (pun also intended) as Whyborne and Griffin join with new and old allies to defend their home of Widdershins from the extra-dimensional Masters who have returned to reclaim what is theirs. Because the final book of a series should encapsulate the best of everything that has come before, often the review becomes a review of the collection as a whole. I unreservedly give top marks to both Deosil and the full series of 11 novels. I quipped in an earlier review that this Lovecraftian-inspired saga would have Lovecraft himself rolling in his grave for it’s portrayal of characters the original author would have despised, for everything from their gender, to their race, to who they chose to love. For most of all, these books embrace love the way ol’ H.P. only summoned fear. Overall, this is a series I will be recommending to readers for years to come. Fans of fantasy, horror, historical, and romantic fiction will find a home in these pages, because we should all be so lucky to be collected by Widdershins.
Amazing ending to one of the best MM PNR series! Absolutely loved it!
The last chapter of Whyborne and Griffin exceeded my expectations! Wow, what a rush! I must admit that I got really emotional at times! This was the last adventure of a wonderful quartet of friends! The close bond between Griffin, Whyborne, Christine and Iskander held them through some of the roughest times of their lives. Jordan L. Hawk went to town with magic, gore and fascinating horror creatures that boggled my mind in the best way possible! I loved it! This book starts right where the last left off. From the first page emotions run high and the circumstances conspire against them. It takes all their combined efforts to achieve the impossible and survive! Fighting for their lives and the place they call home they encounter unimaginable abominations, use combination of cunning and magic to protect their future. It was an incredible journey! I loved how their story ended. It was what I wanted for my favorite characters and Widdershins themselves. So many things finally made sense, and I know that this will be one of my favorite reread series of all times! So long Percival Whyborne and Griffin Flaherty.
The stakes have never been higher, and nothing is guaranteed
How can the 11th book be a contender for the best in a series as spectacular as this? I don't know, either, but it is! Emotional and thrilling, this final adventure in Widdershins is full of twists, loss, redemption, and a tightrope of a walk along the razor's edge of "omigosh... what if they don't make it?". The forces of dastardly nastiness are the worst so far, with numbers and options often in their favor as they try to take over the town and the supernatural forces in the universe. How dare they threaten to annihilate our beloveds! As human beings, we experience growth - if we're lucky - while maintaining many of our personality traits throughout life. The same is true with mighty powerful and publicly prudish Whyborne, foolishly brave and quietly sweet Griffin, badass and loyal to the bone Christine, jack of all trades and huge hearted Iskander, blunt and entertainingly mischievous Persephone, prim-turned-spunky Maggie aka Miss Parkhurst, Saul the cat, and everyone else. Being on this journey with all of them is a privilege I'll forever treasure. Thank you, Jordan Hawk, for sharing all of this with me, with all of us. For the countless shared moments, the exclamations of joy and heart-in-your-throat near misses, and the connections we'll all share for the rest of our lives. Thank you!!!
And so the series ends...
...but ultimately in our imaginations, the community of Widdershins continues. The final book does not disappoint. Action-packed, suspenseful, and wonderful/surprising twists. The characters are rich as always. The author's inventiveness doesn't dwindle to a whimper or rehash old material to put a project to rest. No, that won't be found here within. What is found is a proper sending off
An exciting, emotional conclusion to a favorite series.
When this pre-ordered book popped up in my Kindle library, I was eager, but also a little wary, lest the series finale fall flat (or worse, go too dark/sad, though I didn't think JLH would do that to us, however much grim there might be along the way). Happily, I was not disappointed. There is one desperate twist after another in their plans, facing a creepy, appalling weapon/doom, and even what looks like a bitter defeat. Nevertheless, "humanity" (in the sense of self-determination and connections between people lending strength and motivation, whether the people involved are human, ketoi, hybrid, or even umbrae) wins out in the end. There are touches of humor in all but the very darkest moments (such as Widdershins-raised Whyborne's ideas of suitable childhood activities), and a sweet epilogue where it's clear that the survivors who are carrying on the best spirit of Widdershins have decided to, as we'd say now, "let their freak flags fly." I can agree with the author that an ending gives a certain weight and worth to a series, but I hope that Mx. Hawk will decide to occasionally revisit these well-loved characters in a bonus short or three.
Big and baroque and emotionally fulfilling. Great way to end a series.
I love Percival Whyborne and Griffin Flaherty. I love their improbable romance and impossible friends who support them against all odds. I love the farfetched (and sometime, frankly, confusing) plot arcs and alien creatures and slightly unbelievable American geography. And I love that the word “deosil” is the opposite of widdershins, in magical terms. I had to google it because it never is brought up in the book itself. The reason I have loved this series for all its mind-bending weirdness is the fact that Jordan Hawk, bless her crazy romantic heart, has given gay folk a fantasy world that other (i.e. straight, mainstream) fantasy writers have not – for reasons personal and commercial. Percival is the ultimate nerd genius, part Bruce Wayne and part Harry Potter, but completely bent in every way. A young Wally Cox should have been cast to play him in the movie that will never be. There is a bright light of purity in heart and mind that burns in Percival, undergirded and strengthened by the unwavering love of Griffin Flaherty, onetime Pinkerton, lonely soul who has found his completion in the unlikely person of the undervalued son of the worst kind of Gilded Age robber baron. As you see, my prose is consciously following the kind of path that Hawk uses in her plot-building. Everything about these books is baroque, especially this last one, in which our heroes (we know who they are) take a last desperate stand to save the world from horrors about which only they know. It is absurd and bombastic and moving. It is splendid. In a world of “go big or go home,” Ms. Hawk went big. I hope she enjoys her rest. And so to you all.
Hate to see the series end but Deosil is the the perfect fit ending
HOLY HANNAH BATMAN! I hated to see the end of Whyborne & Griffin so I prolonged opening Deosil as long as I could until finally I just could not put off the experience any longer. WOWWWWWWW!!!!! OHMYGOD!OHMYGOD!OHMYGOD!OHMYGOD!OHMYGOD!OHMYGOD!OHMYGOD! And once again: HOLY HANNAH BATMAN!!!!! Okay, I got that out of the way so on to the review😉. I will flat out say it right away: I will not touch on the specifics of the story. Even though the book has been out there in the reading universe for nearly a year I know there are others like me that haven't wanted to see the end yet so they're holding off even longer than I did and there are those who have yet to discover this amazing series. So, NO SPOILERS! What I will say is the emotional gauntlet I ran while experiencing Deosil(and it is an experience not just a read) was mindboggling, heartwrenching, breathtaking, and truthfully just good old fashioned plain edge-of-your-seat mayhem. Just when I thought I knew what Whyborne, Griffin, Christine, Iskander, and so many characters that we've come to know, love, and well not-so-love, were going to face around the next corner, Jordan L Hawk in all the author's storytelling glory sent me spiraling into unknown levels of "Holy Crap!" . . . just between you and me: I LOVED IT! Warring between needing to know and savoring the moment is the top box I look to ticking when sitting down to write a review, to me that is the ultimate natural high when it comes to experiencing art. And boy did I tick that box a hundred times. Were there elements I saw coming? A few. Were there elements that completely gobsmacked me? Many. Frankly, the author could have written our characters doing anything and it would have been wonderful and entertaining, that's how incredible the world building and character creations are. Having finished Deosil, the course the author took is brilliant and fitting. As it's so often said throughout the series, "Widdershins knows its own" well I think Widdershins knew one more and that was Jordan L Hawk. If you are new to the world of Whyborne and Griffin and are wondering about reading order, it is most certainly a read in order journey. You won't be sorry. True storytelling genius is at work here. I can't think of a better way to sum up my thoughts other than how I started: HOLY HANNAH BATMAN!
A perfect ending
Don’t mind me, just sitting here crying because of a book. It’s still so strange to think there will be no more Whyborne & Griffin books coming, but this ending suited the series perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Now to lay here with my cats and somehow try to pull myself back out of Widdershins. Though...as the last lines of the afterword say: “Widdershins lives within us now, and it knows its own. So instead of saying “farewell”, let us instead say “welcome home”.”
Welcome Home to Widdershins! You are loved!
With much anticipation and sadness for a wonderful series coming to an end, the audiobook was so wonderful and lovely much like the book. Picking up where Balefire ended as Ival, Griffin, Kander, and Christine are back on the Melusine headed back to Widdershins. A ketoi intercepts them mid-voyage to bring them horrible news. Widdershins has fallen! OH NO! The faithful gang makes their way to Boston to sneak into Widdershins since the harbours are blocked by magic. The rest of the Endicotts head to Baltimore to Cousin Ruth and misadventures and mishaps follow the faithful gang. It was horrible when they encountered the woman in the country who had been Perfected and then discovering what happened to Fenton and the household staff inside Whybourne Manor. I almost cried when Christine was Perfected and Whybourne cried when he thought she and the baby were lost. Of course, there is a happy ending after all and wow what a surprise with the birth of twins! Alexandria and Nathaniel Putnam-Barnett join the gang as the newest generation. I was so happy to see Persephone and Maggie got married at the end :) WELCOME HOME TO WIDDERSHINS - PERFECT ENDING TO A WONDERFUL SERIES
Perfect ending for an amazing series
I started this story with a heavy heart knowing that this was the last book in this wonderful series. But the story picks right where [book:Balefire|40281878] left off. They do not get to take a breath & they are thrust right back into battle. Widdershins has fallen. Our MC's and crew are faced with the biggest battle yet, the return of the Masters. It was not an easy battle by any means and there were times that I was sure everyone was going to make it. But in the end, good defeats evil and our motley crew finds their happily ever afters. I would love a spin-off with Nathaniel and Alexandria. Thank you Jordan Hawk for creating this amazing world and taking us on this wild ride.
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