I never would have guessed, back when Balthazar made his first enigmatic appearance in The Midnight Sea, that he would become one of my favourite protagonists out of all these series, but Ross did such an amazing job developing his character that spending a whole book with him here was an absolute treat. This book has all the action, adventure and humour one would expect from Kat, and fans won’t be disappointed. I also think those who are new to her books could enjoy this without having read previous instalments in the series. ( )

Balthazar's Bane by Kat Ross is sixth in the delightfully dark Gaslamp Gothic series. This book, as the title suggests, focuses on Balthazar and his ward Lucas. When Balthazar kills a necromancer with a debt, and gets tangled up with said necromancer’s daughter, he ends up kidnapped by jinn and taken to a mythical city to work off the necromancer’s debt still owed to the master of the city. In an attempt to win his freedom without turning tricks, Balthazar agrees to enter a contest to retrieve a mystical sword. Can he survive the arena and claim the Emerald-Studded Sword from the demoness Fulad-zereh?

I greatly enjoyed journeying with Balthazar this go-round! He’s certainly a complex and complicated character. The most exciting part of this story, though, was seeing all the other unusual people. From Taj the daeva, and the jinn who serve him, to Fulad-zereh the demoness, and the archangel who ‘guards’ the hidden city, there’s a great deal of variety here. I always enjoy the daevas when they appear. Taj is a great counter to Bathazar, and certainly lives up to the arrogance that the daevas can fall prey to. It’s great that each learns a measure of forgiveness for one another. To be fair, Taj has a very good reason to loathe necromancers, even as he uses them to gather talismans. The humour is wonderful! The interactions between Taj and Balthazar and between Balthazar and Lucas are priceless. Highly recommended; a great addition to the series!

***Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed via XPresso Blog Tours ( )

Balthazar, an ageless former necromancer is on a quest to rid the world of the evil necromancers that remain. His latest bounty brings him to Egypt where he quickly dispatches John Mortlake. However, the easy kill comes with strings attached. John Mortlake has debts with the djinn and a daughter who absolutely refuses to pay the debts for a father she equally despised. Balthazar gets waylaid after Mortlakes death by a beautiful woman and ends up on a Nile cruise. Balthazar's wiles get the best of him though, as the woman he is chasing steals the talisman that has kept him alive for over 2000 years. In trying to retrieve his talisman, Balthazar gets tied up in the woman's troubles and finds himself imprisoned by the djinn in a magical desert kingdom and now must retrieve a sword from a demon in order to escape with his life and his talisman.

Enchanting, fun and action packed, Balthazar's Bane continues the world of the Gaslamp Gothic series. I really enjoyed getting to know Bathazar and Lucas better. The writing dives into some of Balthazar's lengthy past and his history with Lucas without slowing things down. I was in a love/hate relationship with Zarifa's character based on her changing actions. She was strong, independent and free thinking, mostly one step ahead of the guys. Most of all, I loved being transported to the magical city of Al Miraj and exploring the many inhabitants of the city along with their dwellings and items. The trails that the demon led had me enthralled as Balthazar deftly fought his way through. Thoughtfully weaving in themes of growth, good vs. evil and respect for all living things, Balthazar's Bane entertained from beginning to end and I can't wait to see what these characters get into next.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )