The Demon’s Reckoning (The Faceless Chronicles Book 2) by Grant Pierce -review and interview

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 1, 2026

The story continues where Book One ends.

The forces of evil are triumphant.

As Aeryth burns, Kalen and his surviving companions are cast into a strange, deadly realm. Banished far from home, they find refuge with the fae and their legendary king, Elflun Lightbringer, who offers a perilous path back. They must make a bargain with Thezgoron, a greater fiend as ancient as he is cunning. Salvation may cost their souls.

Complicating their path, the ruthless reapers, the murderous shapeshifter, and new horrors trail their every step. The greater fiends Astaroth and Morgaelion plot in the shadows, threatening both the fae and one another.

To save their world, Kalen and his allies must rally the fae army and confront impossible odds.

When blood and courage aren’t enough, heroes turn to the darkness and pray the world survives the price of redemption.

Expect:

Dark epic fantasy with escalating stakes
Demon schemes and individual character agendas
Reaper assassins, a murderous shapeshifter, and new horrors
A perilous otherworld realm and a desperate bargain for redemption
War, dark magic, and brutal consequences for every choice

••••••••••

REVIEW: The second book in this series is a great continuation that ramps up everything I enjoyed from the first book while throwing the characters into even deeper peril.

Picking up directly from the chaos at the end of Book 1, we find Kalen along with his battered companions banished to a strange, deadly otherworld! 😮

Their desperate alliance with the fae and the legendary king Elflun Lightbringer feels both wondrous and fraught with danger, and the high stakes bargain they strike with the ancient greater fiend Thezgoron is one of the most tense sequences I’ve read in a while. That deal carries real weight, the kind where you can feel the characters’ souls hanging in the balance.

Ruthless reapers, the ever dangerous shapeshifter, shadowy plots from greater fiends like Astaroth and Morgaelion, and a host of new horrors keep the tension high throughout.

No one feels safe, and every choice comes with brutal consequences that actually matter. The story builds toward rallying the fae army and confronting overwhelming odds, blending large scale war and dark magic with intimate personal struggles, especially Kalen’s internal journey.

It stays consistently dark and gritty without crossing into pointless grimdark territory. When courage and blood aren’t enough, the turn toward darkness feels earned and carries a heavy price.

As its second book, it does leave some threads open for future installments, which would make sense. That said, thisstory delivers satisfying payoff while expanding the world in exciting ways.

The writing is immersive and effective, carrying you through the otherworldly realms and battles without getting overly flowery.

It’s ambitious indie dark fantasy that delivers on its promises of demon schemes, fae intrigue, shapeshifter betrayal, and high cost redemption.

I’m fully invested now and looking forward to Book 3.

If you like your epic fantasy with teeth, moral gray areas, and relentless stakes, this series is absolutely worth diving into.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Julie B 🦋

TRC: Hi Grant and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of The Faceless Chronicles series.

Grant Pierce: Thank you! It was a labor of love. It is so gratifying to see Book 1, The Shapeshifter’s Gambit, available to the public.

TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

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Grant Pierce:I have two master’s degrees, one in business and one in clinical psychology. Early in my career, I worked in forensic settings, including courts and prisons, and I received extensive training in working with victims of crime, particularly people dealing with PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

That background has deeply influenced the way I write fantasy. I’m fascinated by what people become under pressure, how trauma shapes choices, and how thin the line can be between empathy and cruelty. So while The Faceless Chronicles has demons, prophecy, shapeshifters, and war, I’m always most interested in the human cost beneath the story.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Grant Pierce:My daughter is the biggest reason I became an author.

I first wrote The Shapeshifter’s Gambit when I was a poor college student with more enthusiasm than skill. I showed it to one person, then saved it to a hard drive and carried it from computer to computer for the next twenty-five years.
Decades later, my younger daughter told me she had finished The Lord of the Rings and loved it. I mentioned, almost as a throwaway comment, that her old man had written a fantasy novel when I was only a little older than she was. She asked to read it. I said no at first because the manuscript was unedited, unpolished, and bloated with irrelevant side plots, but she kept asking. Eventually, I gave in.

I dropped the thousand-page manuscript on her desk, expecting her to get bored after a few pages. Three days later, she burst into my room and asked the question that changed everything: “What happened next?”
That question launched the rest of The Faceless Chronicles. If she hadn’t asked, I probably would not be a published author today.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties did you encounter writing and publishing this story and series?

Grant Pierce:The biggest challenge was imposter syndrome.

I wrote The Shapeshifter’s Gambit when I was young, but I didn’t believe I was ready to publish it. So the book sat on my computer for years. Part of me loved the story. Another part of me was afraid that if I put it into the world, I would discover I wasn’t good enough.

Finishing the series taught me that doubt does not mean you are a fraud. Often, it means you care. The only way through it was to keep revising, keep learning, and finally let the story have its chance.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of THE DEMON’S RECKONING (Book 2) and THE FACELESS CHRONICLES series?

Grant Pierce:The Demon’s Reckoning asks a simple but brutal question: what would you sacrifice to acquire the power to save the people you love?

In Book 2, the characters are forced to confront a terrible bargain. The power they need exists, but taking it means surrendering something sacred. The tagline captures the heart of the book: “They can save their souls, or they can save the world. They can’t do both.”

That dilemma sits at the center of The Faceless Chronicles. The series is built around morality and power: what people will do to gain power, what lines they will cross to protect those they love, and what corruption follows even the most well-intentioned choices. As the series continues, the stakes grow larger, the power grows darker, and the question becomes whether anyone can wield that much power without being changed by it.

TRC: What kind of research/plotting did you do, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning THE FACELESS CHRONICLES series?

Grant Pierce:I began writing The Faceless Chronicles after taking a number of psychology courses, and later, after gaining experience in forensic settings. What fascinated me was the gap between morality as an idea and morality as people actually live it.

When I was younger, I thought in simpler terms: good versus evil. But the more I studied human behavior, the more I realized people are rarely that simple. Even people who do terrible things often justify their choices. They do not wake up thinking they are the villain. They usually believe they are protecting something, correcting something, avenging something, or doing what the world has forced them to do.

That became central to how I created the villains in this series. I didn’t want them to be evil simply because the plot needed evil people. I wanted them to have motives, wounds, ambitions, and moral blind spots. They may do monstrous things, but in their own minds, they often believe they are necessary.

Once I understood that, the plotting became a matter of building the major pillars: where each book began, where it ended, what the midpoint reversal would be, and how each choice would push the characters closer to consequences they could not escape.

TRC: How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing believability or content?

Grant Pierce:I don’t think unpredictability comes from asking, “What is the most likely thing to happen?” and then writing the opposite. Readers are smart, and they can see through that.

For me, the best surprises are rooted in character, not gimmicks. A twist should feel shocking in the moment but inevitable in hindsight. The reader should be able to look back and think, “Of course that happened. I just didn’t see it coming.”

That means the groundwork has to be there. There have to be enough breadcrumbs for the reader to notice on a second read, even if they missed them the first time. Without those clues, an unpredictable plot stops feeling clever and starts feeling unbelievable. Once that happens, you lose the reader.

TRC: Believability is an important factor in writing story lines especially stories of paranormal and fantasy, such that the reader can place themselves into the story. How do you keep the story line believable? Where do you think some author’s fail?

Grant Pierce:I keep fantasy believable by grounding the impossible in human emotion and consistent consequences. Readers do not need to believe shapeshifters, demons, reapers, or mythical monsters could exist. They need to believe there would be a cost to facing them.

Where some stories lose me is when the rules bend too easily to protect the heroes. Characters survive because they are beloved. Major mistakes pass without lasting consequences. The danger is described as world-ending, but somehow everyone important walks away untouched. That makes the story feel dishonest.

Fantasy can be impossible, but it cannot feel dishonest. If a group of characters marches deep into enemy territory, there should be real risk. That does not mean killing characters for shock value. It means consequences should have narrative value. But readers need to feel that choices matter, wounds last, and no one is completely safe just because the author loves them.

That is something I wanted at the heart of The Faceless Chronicles. Power has a price. Mercy has a price. Survival has a price. The price can be paid physically, emotionally, existentially, and in other ways. The world may be filled with demons and prophecy, but the consequences have to feel real.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Grant Pierce:Yes. For many readers, the cover is the first test a book has to pass. Sometimes it is the only reason they pause long enough to read the blurb.

A strong cover should stand out, but it also needs to tell the truth about the book. In a split second, it should signal the genre, the mood, and the kind of experience the reader is being promised. A dark epic fantasy cover should feel different from a cozy fantasy cover, just as horror should feel different from romance or science fiction.

I think one misconception is that a cover should appeal to everyone. It shouldn’t. A cover should appeal to the right readers. Its job is partly to invite people in, but also to help readers recognize whether this is the kind of story they actually want. That matters because the best reader for a book is not every reader. It is the reader who already loves what that book is trying to be.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Grant Pierce:It has to be both. As the author, I direct the story in the sense that I know the larger shape of where things are going, what the stakes are, and what consequences need to unfold. But once the characters are fully alive on the page, they have to act according to who they are.

I can’t make a character do something simply because it is convenient for the plot. Readers see through that. If I let a character’s fears, loyalties, flaws, and desires drive the decision, the story usually becomes stronger.

In The Faceless Chronicles, Kalen’s refusal to hurt Logan is a good example. From a purely strategic standpoint, killing Logan might seem like the cleanest answer. But from a character standpoint, Kalen could never make that choice easily. His loyalty, mercy, and love for his best friend push the story into darker and more dangerous territory. That is where the best conflict comes from.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Grant Pierce:I think readers feel emotion when the characters on the page earn that emotion. You cannot simply tell the reader that a moment is heartbreaking, terrifying, or triumphant. You have to build the relationship, the fear, the hope, or the wound long before that moment arrives. Then, when a character loses something or makes a painful choice, the reader understands exactly what it costs.

For me, that starts with giving characters deeply human desires. Everyone wants forgiveness, loyalty, belonging, purpose, love, redemption, or some version of peace. When readers recognize those emotions in themselves, they can step into the story, even if the world is filled with demons, shapeshifters, prophecy, and magic.

Where writers sometimes fail, in my opinion, is when they ask for emotion they have not earned. They kill a character the reader barely knows and expect grief. They rush a romance without building trust. They create trauma but skip the aftermath. Or they make every scene so intense that nothing has room to breathe.

Readers need contrast. They need quiet moments, bonds, humor, doubt, and hope, so that when the darkness comes, it actually hurts.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Grant Pierce:I usually do not listen to music while drafting, mostly because I write in a slightly unusual way. A lot of my first drafts are dictated while I’m walking my dog, doing chores, or handling some other repetitive task. I put on a Bluetooth headset, dictate chapters into my iPhone, and later use voice-to-text software to transcribe the notes.

Because of that, music does not really shape the storyline or the characters for me. By the time I’m sitting down to edit the manuscript, the major beats, character choices, and emotional turns are already on the page. The real magic happens in the rewrites, when I’m tightening the scenes, sharpening the dialogue, and making sure the story earns its emotional moments.

That process allows me to move quickly through a first draft. I can sometimes get 10,000 words down in a day and finish a rough draft in two or three weeks, but the draft is only the beginning. The real book is made in revision.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Grant Pierce:The biggest misconception is that authors are just dreamers.

People often think writing a book is mostly about inspiration. They imagine an author sitting down when the mood strikes, getting swept away by the story, and somehow pouring out a finished novel. Hollywood probably plays a role in that stereotype. There are moments when writing feels magical, but that is not the job.

The job is discipline. It is rewriting when the excitement is gone, cutting scenes you loved, fixing problems you created three drafts ago, and showing up even when you would rather chase a new idea. A writer writes. An author finishes the story.

For indie authors in particular, I also think people underestimate how many hats we wear. You are not only the writer. You are also managing editors, cover design, formatting, ads, social media, newsletters, ARCs, reviews, launch strategy, and the constant stream of people trying to sell questionable services to new authors.

The creative part is still the heart of it, but publishing a book also requires patience, judgment, discipline, and a willingness to learn the business side.

TRC: What is something that few, if anyone, know about you?

Grant Pierce:One thing few people know about me is that when I kill off a character, I do not take pleasure in shocking the reader. I know it can look that way from the outside, especially in dark fantasy, but that is not how it feels when I’m writing it.

These characters have lived in my head for years. In many cases, I have known their fates long before I ever put the scene on the page, but knowing it is coming does not make it easy. When I finally write a death scene, especially for a character I care about, it hurts. That is true for heroes and villains alike. There have been times when I had to step away from the manuscript afterward because it felt like losing someone who had been with me for a long time.

If I do not feel anything, then I cannot expect the reader to feel anything either. For me, character death is not about shock value or being edgy. It has to mean something. It has to change the people left behind. If a death does not cost the story something, then it probably does not belong there.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Grant Pierce:I have two projects in the works.

First, my daughter and I are developing a monthly fantasy book box focused on indie authors. Each box will include a fantasy book curated by us, along with exclusive items for subscribers. We are tentatively planning to launch late this year or early next year.

I am also working on my next fantasy series. I have not settled on the series title yet, but the individual book titles are A Monk’s Vengeance, A Thief’s Gauntlet, and A Paladin’s Redemption. The story follows a monk, a thief, and a fallen paladin who are drawn into a conflict against an enemy the world does not even realize exists. While kingdoms fight the threats they can see, something far more dangerous is quietly stirring.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Grant Pierce:I would add that The Faceless Chronicles is a complete six-book epic fantasy series, and all six books are launching this year. The Shapeshifter’s Gambit releases May 1st, The Demon’s Reckoning follows on June 1st, and each remaining book will release roughly every 30 to 45 days until the final book arrives on November 15th.

That was very intentional. As a fantasy reader myself, I know how frustrating it can be to fall in love with a series and wonder whether the ending will ever come. I did not want readers to take that risk with me. Before I published the first book, I wanted to know that the full story was written, the major arcs were complete, and the ending was already waiting for them.

It was a risk, of course. Writing six full-length epic fantasy novels before publishing the first one meant committing years of my life before knowing how readers would respond. But my daughter believed in the story, and eventually I did too. I wanted to give readers the kind of series I love most: big, dark, emotional, full of consequences, and complete.
So if readers are wondering whether The Faceless Chronicles will finish its journey, the answer is yes. The story has an ending, and it is coming this Fall.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – A burger, medium well, cooked on a grill. Somewhere, my Indian ancestors are shaking their heads because I didn’t choose something spicy.

Favorite Dessert – Chocolate lava cake. It feels like dessert with a built-in plot twist.

Favorite TV Show – Seinfeld. A show about nothing is somehow a show about everything.

Favorite Sport – Taekwondo. I earned a black belt in high school.

Last Movie You Saw – Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. I think Thanos is one of the most fascinating villains in cinema next to Darth Vader.

Dark or Milk Chocolate – Milk Chocolate. Dark Chocolate tastes weird in my cereal.

Secret Celebrity Crush – Scarlett Johansson – only because she looks like my wife.

Last Vacation Destination – Hawaii. The only place where “doing nothing” feels like a fully scheduled activity.

Do you have any pets? – Three dogs, two cats, a bearded dragon, and a chinchilla. I’m one animal away from needing a zoo permit.

Last book you read – Liberation by R.M. Krogman. Excellent book. I’d recommend it without hesitation.

TRC: Thank you, Grant, for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of THE FACELESS CHRONICLES series.

Grant Pierce:Thank you for taking the time to chat with me!