Way back in the first book of the Cradle series, Unsouled, Lindon's death was reversed by one of the Abidan and he was shown an event from his future - the destruction of his home, Sacred Valley, by a Dreadgod. Now here in the 9th book of the series, it is finally time for that foretelling to come to fruition. Advanced knowledge that this event was going to happen has been motivation for Lindon to advance through the Sacred Arts as fast as possible, but now he is out of time. He must return to his childhood home and stand against a Dreadgod if he wants to save his family, and his abilities are woefully inadequate for that task. Lucky for him he is not alone, but even the combined might and resources of all the main characters and the Akura clan are not enough to stop a Dreadgod, so their only choice is to evacuate as many as possible. Many will still die, so in a circumstance like this, what does victory even look like?

This is a dilemma that Lindon wrestles with throughout this book as he tries to save as many as possible, and to make matters worse, many of them do not want to be saved. Sacred Valley exists under a suppression field, which is why there are no Sacred Artists there higher than Jade, and it quickly becomes obvious that Lindon's people are more concerned with their petty squabbles and meager holdings than they are about saving their own lives. It is a race against time as Lindon and friends try to save lives while also unraveling the mysteries of Sacred Valley itself. Why is there a suppression field here? Why is a Dreadgod even attacking Sacred Valley in the first place? While it all feels like some much needed retconning, it does make for an entertaining book, and it actually a setup for the next book in this excellent series. 

Travis Baldree continues to deliver the same high quality of narration as usual in the audiobook version.