Until The Malevolent Eight by Sebastien de Castell popped up on NetGalley, I had not realised that this was going to be a series. I loved the previous book and was excited to find that the story continued! The hijinks and chaos continue, somehow managing to surpass the events in the first book. At the end of The Malevolent Seven, the ragtag group of wonderists had been duped. Believed to be saving the world by defeating the Seven Brothers and therefore, stopping the Pandoral realm invasion, they found out that they had instead opened the way for the Aurorals and Infernals to enter the mortal plane. They were now free to start their long-foretold Grand Crusade, an epic battle where mortals are the cannon fodder.

There has to be something wrong with anyone who wants to get in the middle of that battle. Cade and his group more than fit that bill, especially when they’ve got a bone to pick after being set up. Taking on both sides of the war, they aim to do anything, kill anyone, to protect the mortal realm from an apocalypse they had no choice in. With an ex-Glorian Justiciar, tempestuous thunderer, vengeful angelic, traumatised blood mage, skilful Rat mage, zealous infernal and bloodthirsty kangaroo (yes, you read that correctly), they might stand a chance… or at least die trying.

They’re ready and willing to do just that, picking battles on either side one by one. It seems like a pretty solid plan until a mysterious figure appears and warns them off their plan. Promising dire consequences, they give a show of power that shows they can deliver. What puzzles Cade is that the stranger claims a history with him, one he has no recollection of.

As their simple plan to cause chaos and die trying becomes more complicated, Cade keeps a dangerous secret from his companions, one that will change everything between them.

The Malevolent Eight had me screaming – in all the right ways. More outlandish, more drama, and more chaos. This is one of those books that is hard to put into words. De Castell pushes the boundaries even further with every moment of chaos carefully constructed and connected. There are some huge surprises in this book, including a massive easter egg for de Castell fans. Then, of course, there is the bloodthirsty kangaroo who is, in a word, magnificent.

As with the previous book, this is a dark, bloody book with plenty of cursing and will not be everyone’s cup of tea. If that sounds like it is right up your alley, then pick up book one, The Malevolent Seven, ASAP!

Enjoyed this continuation of the adventures of Cade and his merry band of idiots. Was a great romp. A little too much digression for me at times but overall very enjoyable.

Thank you to Quercus books and Netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 3.5 stars.

Book 1 will always be my favourite and although I like book 2, it wasn’t as good as book 1. It still had the truly chaotic and outrageous nature of book 1, and it still definitely had me mentally saying WTF often (in a good way), it just fell a little flatter for me than book 1.

I will still recommend these books to anyone who enjoys a dark anti-hero style fantasy with dark humour and even darker turns. The characters are truly some of the most unique & concerning characters I’ve read on a page and I really do love that.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. The characters are brilliant and I love the friendship between them all, especially Cade and Corrigan. There was a section where our unlikely heroes all reply to Cade, and no names are given, yet you know exactly who's speaking because their personalities are so distinctive. I would love to learn more about the other characters, even though I enjoyed how much time we got to spend with Cade. He might be one of my favourite characters to read. If you like the first book you will love this one. It lived up to all of my expectations. Books that make make me laugh are my favourite, so I really hope this isn't the end of the series. I think there will at least be another with how it ended. Great introduction for the 'spellslinger' too. I actually have the spellslinger series, not knowing it was by the same author. Now it will have to be my next read.

De Castell is an absolute genius. I love his books. I have read loads of them, although I missed The Malevolent Seven somehow, and I actually thought this one was part of a different series. I quickly realised this was book two of a series I hadn't yet read, so I bought book one, and fell in love immediately.

The worldbuilding and magic system are out of this world. Literally. I love that the magic system has well-defined rules and follows them. Each wonderist can only perform one type of magic, unless you're Cade Ombra, of course.

Cade is a brilliant character, quick to tell you he's not the good guy and not the hero of the story. There's definitely some morality issues, but overall, he is good, and you can't help but like him and his ragtag crew.

And I adore Temper! Again, de Castell... Genius!

The humour is brilliant. It's so different from the Greatcoats books. It was a really refreshing read. Loved it.

This greedily unhinged second outing for the Malevolent Seven is no less action-packed, spell-slinging, or oddly philosophical than the first. In a world beset by angels and demons hell bent on (or heaven-sent to) destroy each other, with the mortal realm pitched as naught but collateral, Cade, Corrigan, Galass, Alice, Shame, Aradeus and a secret seventh "friend" 🦘 have taken it upon themselves to stop the apocalypse, much to their own annoyance. Cade, however, is still full of secrets (not all of which are intentionally hidden) and his often-crass, irreverent drawl hides a paradoxical figure - is he smart and strong enough to lead his band of magical misfits through the mess they've got themselves into, or does he have no courage or common sense whatsoever, and us in fact careening towards his doom? Truly, that's the trick. Usually, it's both. This book also takes the first steps into a Castell- built multiverse,an act so exciting for me that I did squeal out loud on a packed train. Regardless of whether you've read Castell's other series, this sequel is still a high-octane good time!

This was my first book by Sebastien de Castell and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the characters, the story and I’m excited to read on.

The Malevolent Eight by Sebastien de Castell is the sequel to the amazing The Malevolent Seven which I read when it was released and fell in love with immediately. It is always difficult to review the second book in the series without spoiling book one, and this is not a book that I think would work well as a stand alone, you really need to be familiar with the characters and events of that book before heading into this one. What I can say is that if you enjoyed the tone of that book you will find more of the same here, with lots of rude, crude and very very funny banter between characters, running jokes that crop up at the most unexpected moments and characters that you somehow find yourself caring about despite their not seeming to have a single redeeming quality between them. Readers who are familiar with the author's other series will find some interesting crossovers and I loved how this was incorporated into the story. There were some minor pacing issues, especially in the first half of the book but that really did not deter me, I was having too much fun with this band of misfits to mind very much, and when the story starts to come together it does so beautifully with an ending that surprised me with its emotional impact and left me intrigued as to where the author intends to go next.
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This was another amazing book by Sebastien De Castell. I didn’t want to put the book down as soon as I started reading it. I enjoyed the characters in which we followed throughout the book, especially with the whole storyline in which it had. I loved the development this story had and I didn’t want to put the book down. And with the ending of the book, I am excited to see what the next book will have install, and what else this characters will have to go through.

This is a wildly hilarious and enjoyable sequel to The Malevolent Seven. It kind of reads like an awesome game of Dungeons and Dragons. The action in this story was to die for (pun intended). Can't wait to see what is next for this series.

The Malevolent Eight continues following our ragtag bunch of definitely not heroes who are trying to save their world, in their own violent way. The Aurorals and the Infernals are finally getting their big apocalyptic battle on the mortal realm, and our crew are trying to stop it, one gruesome death at a time.

It is full of the humour you expect from Sebastien de Castell, just darker and more irreverent than ever. There is so much action, plenty of blood and gore, and perhaps more references to genitalia than I needed! The crude humour won't be for everyone, but if you enjoyed the previous book in the series you'll be fine with this one.

There was a really surprising crossover with another series of the author that I enjoyed, and I definitely benefitted from my background knowledge, but it's not necessary.

If you enjoyed The Malevolent Seven, you will enjoy this. It's very similar, just turned up a notch - more dark humour, more torture, more intensity.

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! <3

’Nobody’s suffering gives them a license to take away someone else’s freedom’

The Malevolent Eight is the equally hilarious, very well-written sequel to The Malevolent Seven, and one that brings even more explosive action, gore and violence.

Following on from the previous entry, Cade Ombra and Co are working to stop the so-called ‘Great Crusade’, the large-scale conflict the Aurorals and Infernals have been dreaming of for thousands of years. Alas, demons and zealots are not the only obstacles in their path - they also have to contend with the enigmatic Spellslinger, who seems to know everything about them….

It’s hard to talk about this book in terms different from how I spoke about its predecessor. The characters are the same, and very little development can be found in their overarching personalities, the setting is the same, i.e., it is still pretty neglected in favour of dialogue and plot progression, and the antagonists are the same, aka the Aurorals and Infernals. In a sense, The Malevolent Eight does suffer from middle-book syndrome even though the third book is yet to be written. It’s hard to describe, but reading this book I just could sense its position as a place-holder, I could tell by the way very few meaningful events occurred until the last 100 pages. And this isn’t a criticism necessarily, SDC has such brilliant and engaging writing that I never felt bored or frustrated with the lack of, to be blunt, stuff happening. But I think when looking back at this series after its conclusion, it’ll be plain to see.

I think my main gripe with this book is that I don’t particularly feel the bond between its characters, I don’t see how they are all so close. Cade constantly comments on how he ‘loves them’ more than he’s ever loved anyone, and while I can see that with regards to Corrigan and Galass, I’m not sure that I believe it in reference to Alice or Aradeus. And this is where the lack of development comes into play. I can see that Cade goes through some changes, as the pov and main-character, but not anyone else, and I don’t see any reason why Cade should feel so much love and adoration for most of his group. I see the bond between Cade and Corrigan, Cade and Galass, Shame and Aradeus, but not between, let’s say, Aradeus and Alice, who hardly seem to interact at all. They don’t feel like a group of inseparable friends, they feel like work colleagues. It’s just not believable, and I’m not sold on their friendships. SDC’s dialogue may be witty and hilarious, but it doesn’t mask the fact that these people don’t seem all that enamoured with each other.

Despite my issues with The Malevolent Eight, I’m still giving it 4/5 stars, simply because it’s so incredibly entertaining. I may have issues with it, but I also had a really fun time reading it. It’s a bit of an oxymoron, I know, but that’s just how it is. I’m looking forward to the sequel!

There were some pacing issues and a few predictable moments, but overall, the strengths outweighed the weaknesses.

Raucous, magic filled battles with death, Gore, maiming, and Gods and Demons being shown their place, and of course the Malevolent Seven back for more with an extra One - who would have thought - always only a breath away from disaster and death. I love the humour and overall plot. Maybe Sebastien de Castell lost me in some of the thicker parts of the narrative. But I’m willing to forgive because he finds themselves perfect way to keep you involved, and the ending is superb. Thank you to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

This is the second instalment in this highly entertaining series. Cade is exactly the sort of protagonist I adore; morally grey, sarcastic, the absolute epitome of the anti-hero. I adore the boldness of the characters in this series, from Corrigan and his lewd jokes to a rat mage and a few new, rather unique characters. You're certainly not going to find a character like Temper in any other book.
This is more darker and grimmer series from Castell, but I absolutely love it. It's a huge amount of fun and had me laughing out loud at many points.
I'm really looking forward to seeing where this series goes.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an arc in return for an honest review.

Picking up where the first book left off, this is a worthy sequel, brimming with crazy energy, de Castell’s brand of humour and adventure and unforgettable characters. Utterly brilliant.

I did not realize this was a sequel so I was very confused and ended up not finishing. What I did read, I felt like the vibe was a little too "angsty teen" for my personal taste.

The Malevolent Eight picks up where the first left off and immediately throws you back into the mess. If you loved the vibe of book one, buckle up—this one is even more unhinged. The humor is sharp, the stakes are somehow even higher, and the cast? Still gloriously dysfunctional.

Cade is the kind of narrator you love even when he’s being a bit of a disaster (which is often). He’s snarky, brooding, clever, and just the right amount of jaded. The book leans into the chaos HARD, but it never feels messy.

Every one of the “Eight” brings something wild to the table, from existential crises to lightning-powered vengeance. There are actual gods gunning for war and somehow it’s these emotionally unstable, barely-functional magic users who are trying to stop it. With… mixed results. And explosions.

There’s action, betrayal, friendship, banter, and yeah—I got unexpectedly emotional toward the end. So yes. Read it and dive into this absolute rollercoaster of found-family chaos, deadly spells, and the kind of gallows humor that makes you laugh when you probably shouldn’t.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves their fantasy dark, their dialogue sharp, and their characters delightfully unhinged.

Sebastien de Castell delivers another genre-defying triumph in The Malevolent Eight, a blisteringly sharp follow-up to The Malevolent Seven that ups the stakes, the chaos, and somehow, the charm. Set in a world teetering between celestial collapse and infernal takeover, the novel takes a classic fantasy apocalypse and filters it through the wickedly sarcastic voice of Cade Ombra—mercenary wonderist, reluctant leader, and certified agent of mayhem.

De Castell is a master at crafting ensemble casts, and here he lets his rogues run riot. Each member of the so-called Malevolent Eight is distinct, volatile, and compelling, creating a chaotic symphony of personalities that shouldn’t work together—but somehow do. There’s a gritty elegance in how this book handles moral ambiguity: no one is noble, but everyone is trying in their own gloriously twisted way.

The worldbuilding is lush, full of madcap details, while the magic system remains complex without ever dragging the pace. Dialogue crackles with razor-edged wit, battles are brutal and cinematic, and the pacing never falters. Yet within all the madness, de Castell still finds time for surprisingly moving moments—shards of vulnerability among the fireballs and insults.

This series continues to be a rare beast: high-concept fantasy that refuses to take itself too seriously, yet still manages to deliver both narrative substance and emotional heft. The Malevolent Eight is a darkly delightful ride through the end of the world, led by characters you absolutely shouldn’t trust—but somehow can’t stop rooting for.

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
I’ve read every book that de Castell has published so far, and I hope to continue to do so as each one is fun, unusual and off the beaten track. This one is no different, expanding further the events that were introduced in The Malevolent Seven. I can’t help but admire de Castell’s imagination, as he builds worlds that are so different and complex, yet utterly believable. One of the things I like most about his books is that he’s often working against the grain; people who should have power but don’t, and how they get around that to achieve what they need to achieve. It’s clever and it’s fully present in this book, too. That and a bloodthirsty kangaroo. Yes, you read that correctly. No, I will not explain further. Go read the book and find out for yourself.