Rat & Demon

I’ll be honest: I went into *Rat & Demon* expecting another ‘disgraced warrior seeks redemption’ slog, but Fox subverts that trope so hard it left me wincing. The Praetor’s daughter, Liana, isn’t a damsel—she’s a pressure cooker of rage and cunning, and Burke’s narration makes her every whispered threat feel like a blade at your throat. The demonic bargains here aren’t your typical ‘power for a price’ deals; they’re *negotiations*, with entities that sound like they’re slithering out of Burke’s vocal cords. His performance is particularly stellar in the dialogue-heavy scenes, where he gives each character a distinct rhythmic cadence—especially the demon Rat, whose voice drips with amusement and something far darker. That said, the pacing stumbles in the middle. Fox spends a *lot* of time on political maneuvering in the capital, and while the intrigue is sharp, there are moments where the plot feels like it’s circling the same drain. The action sequences, though, are worth the wait—visceral, chaotic, and narrated with a kinetic energy that had me rewinding to catch details. My only real critique is the sound mixing in a few chapters where Burke’s voice gets slightly swallowed during quieter moments (a minor but noticeable hiccup). Still, this is one of the few audiobooks where the narration doesn’t just *deliver* the story—it *weapons* it. If you love antiheroes who make Logen Ninefingers look like a choirboy and magic that costs more than blood, this is your next obsession.