Read History
2026 | Score: 4
So much nothing happened for the majority of this book. We followed a lot of characters and events that I did not really care about, and only got glimpses of the interesting stuff. But, the last 10% was the best this series has been since the first book. I actually feel excited going into the final book which I did not think I would be at any point until the last chunk. A lot of the politics feel pretty bland but again they did finally start to heat up in the back half and kept getting better. Plus we covered Ashia’s backstory, which felt super pointless, I think he was just trying to stick to the same scheme we have seen in each book up to this point. If this one got edited and trimmed down heavily it actually could have been a solid entry, but we’ll see how the final book closes it out. The overarching plot and story still has interest, just so many smaller things that need to be fixed.
Format: Audible
Days: 12
Date: 9/17/2026 -> 9/29/2026
Summary (Spoilers)
The Skull Throne
Peter V. Brett
The Demon Cycle #4
The Skull Throne Summary
The flashbacks for this one focus on Ashia, who in the modern day is one of Inevera’s Sharum’Ting guards, Niece of Jardir, and married to Asome (The second son of Jardir and Inevera). We see how her and Sikvah were put through brutal training in the Dama’Ting palace, primarily by their master Enkido. He made them masters of Sharusahk, better than almost any other warriors alive. They also had to deal with the disdain of their cousin Amanvah (The first daughter of Inevera and Jardir), but they eventually earned their place. Later, she is forced to leave her sister Sharum’Ting and master Enkido when her brother Asukaji, a Dama, arranges for her to marry his Push’Ting lover, their cousin Asome. This is horrible for Ashia since she is forced to hide her martial prowess and stay with a man who does not love her. In the last book when Jardir decided women Sharum’Ting should be allowed to fight her and Asome fought but she is now able to fight demons.
In the present, in the aftermath of Arlen and Jardir’s duel where Arlen tackled Jardir off a cliff, both sides search for them but find nothing. Leesha interrogates Renna but Renna refuses to tell her anything, so Leesha returns to the Hollow and spends most of the book worrying about her pregnancy (She is pregnant with Jardir’s son). Inevera is forced to scheme and manipulate to try and prevent the united Krasian’s from falling apart and fighting each other with Jardir gone. She makes sure Ashan (Ashia’a father) sits the Skull Throne in Jardir’s absence, and tells people he is fighting powerful demons but will return. Her biggest worry are her two sons Jayan and Asome, both vying for power with their father gone.
Jardir wakes up after Arlen tackled him off the cliff. Arlen brought him to a hidden tower and healed his injuries, but wants to keep him trapped so they can talk. They have a quick fight but eventually Arlen is able to explain to Jardir that he wants to work together to fight the mind demons and take one hostage. Since the mind demons were able to see into Arlen’s head at the last waning (new moon), he knows they plan to go to the ruins of Anoch Sun and defile and destroy the corpse of Kaji (The original Krasian deliverer). Jardir agrees, and they go to meet Renna as well as two Krasian’s Inevera sent to search for Jardir who will help them.
Leesha and Count Thamos continue their relationship in Hollow County, Leesha continues fretting about her pregnancy and whether to tell Thamos. Amanvah learns that Rojer donated blood to his apprentice Kendall after she was wounded by corelings, which by some random Krasian tradition means she is apart of their family, so they make her and Rojer take a bath together and then Rojer sleeps with Kendall (with his current wives approval). This sparks lots of debates among the Hollowers and especially Leesha and Kendall’s mother. People start discovering Leesha is pregnant, and she decides to tell Thamos. At first he is ecstatic but then she tells him the truth, that Jardir is the baby’s father, and he is furious and they take a break from each other.
Jason Goldensong, the royal herald of Duke Rhinebeck of Angiers, (As well as being the nephew of the first minister of Angiers, Janson), arrives to summon the prominent Hollowers to Angiers. This is problematic because he is the one who killed Rojer’s old teacher and beat him nearly to death a couple years ago. Another problem is that they want Rojer’s wives Amanvah and Sikvah to come to Angiers, and Rojer fears they will be kept as hostages. Leesha says there is no choice so the group of Count Thamos, Jason, Rojer, Amanvah, Sikvah, Kendall, Wanda Cutter (Leesha’s bodyguard), Gared, and Leesha leave for Angiers.
On the waning (new moon), there are no major demon / mind demon attacks on anyone, and that leaves people wary of why. Inevera casts the bones and interprets them to mean Jardir is dead, making her get even more involved in managing the Krasian politics. In reality, Jardir, Arlen, and Renna are at Anoch Sun, and by the old deliverer’s corpse. On waning they do manage to kill a few mind demons and mimics and capture one mind demon who seems to be incredibly powerful and old. They take him back to the tower and lock him up and we don’t see this group for the rest of the book until the very end.
Abban and Inevera work together to try to hold the Krasian forces together. Jayan, Jardir and Inevera’s eldest son and Sharum Ka (leader of warriors), takes a force, which the Khaffit Merchant Abban is a part of at Inevera’s request, and capture Docktown, one of the major ports which supplies Fort Lakton on the lake. Abban is furious because Jayan is dumb and lets his men rampage and they lose many of the boats to fire. Abban, with the help of his drillmaster Qeran, begins to organize his soldiers and try to make a profit and learn the secrets of boats. Jayan attempts to force the dockmaster, the female leader of the town, to marry him, but she stabs him in the eye with a quill. The dama’ting save Jayan but he loses his eye. Several ships from Fort Lakton continue to harry and harass the Krasians while they hold Docktown.
After the group from the Hollow reaches Angiers, Rojer continues to antagonize Jason whenever possible. Rojer, Thamos, and Gared go on a hunt with Duke Rhinebeck, and after Thamos brings his brothers out to hunt demons, Rojer believes that the duke intentionally tried to let Thamos be killed by the demons out of jealousy. In Angiers, Leesha grows closer with the mother of the Duke and Count Thamos, the dutchess mother Araine. She holds considerable soft power in the city and manipulates her sons by using minster Janson. She introduces Leesha to Briar, a half krasian child skilled in fighting and killing demons. He will lead Count Thamos and a group of soldiers on a mission to retake Docktown. It seems a lot like a suicide mission and Leesha begs him not to go, but he has been ordered and will do it.
Rojer and Leesha get into a fight about Jessa, the royal herb gatherer, although Leesha considers her a weed gatherer (poisoner). Rojer defends her since she helped raise him as a child after his parents were killed, but she also runs the royal brothel. They go to meet her and she is charming and nice and Leesha begins to like her, Gared also becomes enamored with one of her students, Rosal. Duke Rhinebeck is infertile and Leesha talks with Jessa about what she has tried to cure him, since Araine wants Leesha to fix him. Part of the purpose of bringing this group to Angiers was to find Gared a bride, so they throw a party where many eligible young women are paraded before him, but then Rosal shows up and Gared does not consider anyone else, making it clear who he wants to marry.
After the party Rojer and his wives are returning to his room when they get attacked and held by a group of palace guards. Jason shows up and tells Rojer he is going to kill him, but Sikvah unleashes her training and kills all the guards, but Rojer stabs Jason in the eye, killing him. A bunch more guards show up and Rojer is imprisoned in a tower, Amanvah is put on house arrest, but they could not find Sikvah. Leesha is allowed to go to Rojer and heals his wounds and tells him she will try to free him. Minister Janson is furious about the death of his nephew, but Leesha works with Araine to negotiate his release. With help from Amanvah’s dice, Leesha figures out that Jessa had been poisoning Rhinebeck for years to keep him from having kids, and Araine sees this but Jessa escapes and flees. Gared leaves with Rosal, now his bride to be, and Thamos to get soldiers from the Hollow for his mission. Leesha tells him to gather men and prepare to rescue her and Rojer by force if it is needed.
Duke Euchor of Fort Miln also has sent a small contingent to the city along with one of his daughters, and says he will only come help fight the Krasians if his daughter is made dutchess of Angiers. Sikvah, using her warrior training, scales the tower to Rojer’s prison to help comfort him. Amanvah tells Rojer that both her and Sikvah are pregnant with his children.
Briar brings Thamos and his soldiers to a church near Docktown, where they can prepare for the attack. He is an odd child but very skilled at woodcraft and such, we don’t know much about him besides that his father is Krasian. They plan a joint attack with some of the forces of Lakton, and plan to attack at night on the first night of waning, something the Krasians would never expect since they consider that a holy time. However, Abban and the dama’ting, with the help of her dice, predict this maneuver and are prepared. Abban uses the forces he has been training to attack the Laktonians boats and keep them from landing, while Jayan leads a surprise attack and fights Thamos’s forces. Jayan and Thamos get in a duel where Jayan kills Thamos. Briar sees this and flees back to Angiers.
Asome, the second son of Inevera and Jardir, leads the dama to attack demons on waning. Traditionally dama have not been allowed to fight demons, but he wants to seize more power and thinks this is the best way. He had wards scarred onto his skin in secret to match his father, and him and his wife Ashia kill a mimic together. This gains Asome a ton of favor and support at court, but Inevera is furious.
When Jayan hears about what his brother did, he also wants to do something to gain power. Abban convinces him to attack and burn Fort Angiers, thinking it would be an easy victory for the Krasians.
When Leesha and Araine receive the news of Thamos’ death from Briar they are very sad, and Leesha plans to return to Hollow, with Rojer. Duke Rhinebeck’s young wife, Melny, recently got pregnant now that he is not being poisoned by Jessa, and Araine wants Leesha to bring Melny to the Hollow to keep her safe. A dama shows up bearing a coffin and condemns Rhinebeck for having his men attack on waning. In the coffin is the severed head of Thamos in a jar of urine. When Rhinebeck sees this he orders the dama messenger killed, but the dama attacks and kills Rhinebeck and several others, before Leesha uses her demon bone wand to kill him. She worries for the effect the use of magic has on her growing baby however. Leesha plans to return to the hollow the next day but then the Krasian army led by Jayan shows up.
Duke Euchor’s daughter marries the only remaining one of Rhinebeck’s brothers, so her fathers soldiers agree to help defend the city, although it still probably won’t be enough. Amanvah asks to go speak to Jayan but they will not let her. The Krasians attack at dawn and quickly begin to overwhelm the defenses. In the midst of the battle, guards show up at Rojer’s tower cell and say Janson sent them to kill him, but Sikvah appears and kills them all, however one manages to throw a knife in Rojer’s chest. Amanvah and Sikvah try to save him but are unable to, and Rojer dies. Sikvah goes and kills Janson in revenge.
Meanwhile, the Krasian force breaks through the gates and seems to have victory in hand, but Duke Euchor’s men begin shooting them with “flamework weapons” (guns) and drive them back. Leesha is horrified but it works and they repel the invading army. In the command tent, Jayan is confused and angry at Abban for how this plan could wrong, since it was partly his idea. Hasik (the kid from Jardir and Abban’s warrior training who bullied them, a sadistic killer who raped many of Abban’s wives and daughters, and in revenge Abban had castrated I think in the last book), freaks out and kills all the guards and then Jayan, promising Abban pain in revenge and taking him somewhere.
Leesha is devastated when she learns Rojer is dead and yells at Araine to let her, Amanvah, and Sikvah leave in peace despite Janson being dead.
In Everam’s Bounty (Krasian stronghold), Asome stages a coup where he kills Ashia’s father Ashan to take the skull throne. Ashia is attacked by her brother Asukaji who almost kills her but in the chaos she kills him and escapes. Other sons of Jardir kill the dama leaders of each tribe and take control, giving Asome basically total control of Krasia, especially with the news of Jayan’s death now spreading. Inevera is attacked by Melan, the girl she used to fight with when training to be a dama’ting, but is able to kill her. Ashia arrives with her son Kaji, as well as Jardir’s mother Kajivah. Inevera hides them and returns to court the next day like nothing happened, trying to keep some control and power for herself.
We see from the captured mind demons perspective as Arlen and others come to interrogate it. It takes control of one of the Krasian’s mind and speaks to them, saying it will take them to the core like Arlen wants. When asked why it says because it knows it can escape but it is lying. THE END.