I found the premise of this book intriguing but in actuality I found it difficult to get on with. The characters were interesting but not as well developed as I would have liked them to be, due to the necessity of only getting to know them through flashback. I also found the demon character lacked menace for me. There were a couple of interesting twists but I wouldn't go out of my way to read another book.

i liked this book it is fantasy and crime and murder and the devil. thank you for approving my request to view it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The End of the Line by Gray Williams is a fantasy thriller, with a small group of people trapped by doing a job, transporting a demon to Siberia in the hopes of sending it back to where it came from.

The story jumps between present day and the past, telling the story of how they got into this situation, and some background for the characters.

This was one of those books where I found I didn't actually like some of the characters, and you're not meant to, but I was still rooting for them.

To me, The End of the Line is an original spin on thriller concept.  I haven't read a book that looks at the same topics, and to have the countdown happening at the top of every chapter in the present does give it that edge of the seat feeling.

If you enjoy thrillers, then give this a go!  

The End of the Line was published on 8th July 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones (audio CD only for Waterstones!).  I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Gray Williams on Twitter, or through his website.

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Canelo (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

As a fan of the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch, I was eagerly looking forward to reading another magical fantasy based in London. The book was very different to my expectations as it was a much darker, demonic story, with no redeeming characters and much of the story took place in Russia, not London, as anticipated from reading the description of the book. 

Maybe I found the book disappointing because of my aforementioned expectations, but it was too dark and depressing for me. I feel if the description had been more accurate, it would find a fanbase amongst those who enjoy demonic thrillers rather than the magical book it was made out to be. 

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A gritty and fast-paced thriller set on a perilous journey through darkest Siberia with a demon, captured on the streets of a London rife with undercover magic.
Abras, as they are known, can harness these illegal powers, but for con-artist Amanda Coleman – whose father was a powerful and abusive practitioner – magic is anathema.
When her criminal crew decide to hire an Abra to help with their heists, they don’t expect to raise a demon, or to quickly lose control of it. Now Coleman and her crew must travel across Siberia to a remote stone circle in order to kill this murderous creature, who has destroyed everything they hold dear.
But as the demon’s power grows, a battle of wills commences. Coleman must fight to survive, facing demons both in chains and within herself.

This was a great little thriller to me.
I really enjoyed the concept and execution of the writing.
Enjoyd the world building in this one as well. Fast paced with twists and turns.
The suspense keeps you gripped to the end.
Characters are intersting and written well.
Great story and plot line.
Recommend giving this one a go.

Thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for the ARC.  I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This was an interesting book, different to the genre that I normally read. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed, although it was fascinating throughout, it didn't live up to all it's promises but I enjoyed delving into the world of magic.

Though not normally a reader of ‘Magic’ books I found this one gripping. The time lapse style of writing makes it sometimes difficult to endure at times but it is worth it, honestly. The ending with its twist and believable finish is worth all the wait, though the book doesn’t flag at all. Maybe I would read another ‘Magic’ book if it was as good as this one

This book didn't deliver what I expected - the description led me to think we were dealing with a Ben Aaronovitch or Paul Cornell style tale in modern london with an underpinning magical world - albeit at the darker end of the fantasy spectrum. The novel, which arguably never intended to be read as this, is a very different beast, and not one that I particularly bought into. The world building is solid, but i think a more agreeable character (just one!) might have helped it come alive for me. I’m all up for reading about flawed anti-heroes but this was just a bit grim!
In all honesty i don’t think the marketing did this any favours - there’s an audience for this book if it is guided in the right direction.

The End of the Line by Gray WIlliams.  

I read the description and thought it would be a fantastic book. Loved the idea and the themes of magic and demons with the heist thrown in too. 

Sadly I didnt enjoy this book. I didnt gel with any of the characters and found it very difficult to even like the main protagonists in it.  

Thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for the ARc. (Review is my own opinion)

An unlikely team is working together to rid the world of a dangerous demon, each with their own hidden motives for being there. Will they succeed, and if so, at what cost? This book is fairly  dark and violent for something marketed as a YA. The story is told through multiple viewpoints and skips from past to present and back again. Amanda, our main protagonist, is a broken character in many ways, and her connection to the demon unravels slowly over the course of the novel.  I see how this book will appeal to a certain audience but the violence was a bit much for me, even if some of the underlying moral questions are interesting ones. How far will you go to save a loved one before you become a monster yourself? If forced to choose between one loved one vs the other what will you decide? 2.5 stars from me.

This was an interesting book and I am torn over which rating I should give – it was really fast paced from the very beginning and unlike anything I have read before and I loved the premise of the novel but the execution left a lot to be desired. Most of the action takes place on a train where a group of criminals are trying to dispose of a demon which they inadvertently raised to help them with a heist! 

The bones of a good story are here and I liked the mix of fantasy and gritty thriller, however I didn’t really connect with any of the characters perhaps because they were criminals and I didn’t really feel any empathy for them. I also felt that some aspects of the plot were confusing or not explained and there was a lot of info dumping and too many characters as well to keep track of. The writing was just OK but as this is the author’s first book it will hopefully improve and they have some amazing ideas.

Undercover magic, with a depth of horror. This thrilling tale opens as fast as the crash happens. Exciting demonic thriller.

This is certainly a unique setting; a present-day London where magic is outlawed, crime is violent and magicians are useful for criminal gangs. One gang tries to raise a demon, thinking that they can control and bind it, only to quickly find that no one has that ability and that they now need to destroy what they've made. Enter Amanda Coleman, Abra (magic-user) murderer, magic hater and damaged woman, alongside her band of mis-fit criminals.

The whole novel is dark, gritty and blood-thirsty. It opens with a grisly death and more evidence of how focused and determined Amanda is to reach her goal, no matter the cost.

The majority of the story is told on a long (and very traumatic) train journey to Siberia (not the present and magic London, as promised) as, just because the demon is in chains, doesn't mean that it can't exert a terrifying and psychological control. And, trapped in a carriage, a confined space, with an unspeakable terror watching your every move - that's a strongly chilling setting.

The narrative is told through different characters' POVs, when it suits the story, and through a series of disjointed flashbacks that, although they add to the thriller component, do make it harder to follow the main story (which is both psychological and slow).

The horror was strong in this one, (and there are more trigger warnings than I can list) but so was the repetition. It almost felt as though some of the flashbacks had been included for the sake of completionism, rather than because they added anything new to the story or the characters. And I know that every character is hurting, in so many different, bloody and cringing ways, but I didn't need reminding of that every sentence.

The story, however was clever, and I genuinely didn't know which way this one was going to fall - and I really did appreciate that.

3.5 stars rounded down to 3.

This was a good book, well written with a great plot 

But this wasn't my cup of tea, and so I would suggest it to people who enjoy this genre of book.

But it wasn't for me

A fast paced action book, which takes you on an apocalypse roller coaster. Nothing can prepare you for this epic story.

If you like magic, this might be the book for you, but I could not read past chapter 2, it was so odd.

I’m afraid to say this book really wasn’t for me, I struggled to get into it and found that it just didn’t hold my interest. 

I want to congratulate the author for trying something different and I liked the idea but for me it just didn’t work.

There's a lot of potential but it somehow fails to deliver and I found the plot confusing and hard to follow.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I decided to pick this up because I always respect an author who is gutsy enough to try something a little different to what readers are used to and The End of the Line certainly fits the bill. It's a mix of crime, fantasy and action with the paranormal and in particular magic playing a substantial role. Unfortunately, though, the execution was lacking for the most part. I don't wish to harp on about the issues as I understand the time taken to craft a book and hate to come across as cruel. 

Some of the biggest problems were: too many unnecessary characters leading to shallow characterisation, difficult to get into as the writing was disjointed, a plethora of strange and glaringly obvious plot holes and the author partakes in the age-old literary sin of telling rather than showing. On a positive note, however, Williams shows promise and a superb novel may be bubbling just below the surface. I also enjoyed the parts set in Russia which were vivid and alluring. Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.

I really struggled with this book.  I found it hard to read, and quite unpleasant.  Not one I would recommend.