E. Ardell's The Second Endgame features four brothers with special abilities and stones that are "gifts" from the goddess, Order. The war against Pandemonium has caused several losses for the brothers. Maiden Nialiah leads Lyle into a meeting where he learns that his twin, Devon, is "lost in action." He makes a deal with Order to plant a seed in Evan, his brother with fire abilities, in exchange for finding Devon. Lyle uses his psychic ability to place a stone in Evan's life tree. Meanwhile, Lawrie has traveled to Bruhje. His uncle Aeric and best friend, Chasyn, take him to a clinic to see if his eyesight can be restored. The Bruhje healer claims they can restore his eyesight; however, he could lose all his other senses. Devon, accompanied by two close friends, is a prisoner of Pandemonium, but the deity offers them a deal. Can they rely on the wild deity to free them?

E. Ardell gives exceptional detail in the physical attributes of the characters. Evan was one of my favorite characters, with his loyal and playful nature. I didn’t understand why he kept refusing Maiden Imari’s obvious advances, especially since he liked spending time with her. Devon’s work to help the people affected by the war was admirable. The vivid detail of how he looked and smelled made it easy to envision his appearance. I felt suspicious of Nialiah when Lyle spent all his time with her despite having a girlfriend. The two warring gods caused the suspense to build in intensity. The action scenes were perfect. The emotions of the characters give a realistic view of the war. The transitions between the brothers were easy to follow and provided a timeline of events. The cliffhanger ending left me eager to read more. Despite not being the first book in the series, I felt The Second Endgame could easily be a standalone book. This will appeal to readers who enjoy science fiction, fantasy, and slow-burn romance stories.

The Second Endgame is the third book in the Order’s Last Play series by E. Ardell. The journey of brothers Lyle, Devon, Lawrence, and Evan continues as they face their biggest challenge yet. While Devon was a prisoner of war, Lyle, Evan, and Lawrence had to face their demons. Devon was working hard to find a way back to his brothers, but it wasn’t that easy. Before he knew it, Devon had to make decisions that went against everything he believed in but were necessary to protect his loved ones. Lyle, on the other hand, was slowly losing his mind and was desperate enough to do something incredibly stupid to get Devon back. Things also weren’t going well for Lawrence and Evan. Lawrance was looking for a cure for his blindness, whereas Evan was at the center of the war with a single goal in mind. If he succeeded, he and his brothers would be free forever, but the price could be Evan’s death. What will the brothers do?

This book was fascinating, to say the least. The Second Endgame was perfection in every way. The descriptions were powerful enough to transport me right next to the characters as they faced one challenge after the other. I felt bad for Devon. He was in a tough spot, but I thought he handled the situation well. Lyle’s journey was terrifying. I was shocked at what he did in his desperation and was hoping for a solution that would make things easier for him. Lawrence took a big risk in the hopes of it all paying off, but I could understand his desperation and his willingness to find a solution. However, it was Evan who stole the show for me. Evan was smart and understood how to find solutions for the brothers' troubles. The narrative was excellent, and the execution of the world-building was phenomenal. Author E. Ardell weaved magic with words and made the characters come to life. I loved the attention to detail and the sheer genius of the story. The execution of the suspense, adventure, and action elements was perfect. I highly, highly recommend this series.