Review by Booklist Review
The second in the epic Age of Ire series picks up the story right where the first book (Rise of the Mages, 2022) ended. Warrior Emreal and his friends and loved ones may have won a battle against the Lord Governors, but the war continues. The ensuing battles, both political and actual, continue to drive Emreal toward his goal of overthrowing the real, devious power holders in this world, the priests of the Fallen God of Glory. The group finds that trust can be hard for any group of friends as Emreal is beginning to suspect that a traitor might be in their midst. The balancing act of character development versus large-scale plotting is handled deftly as Drakeford weaves together various story threads. The complexity of the story is on the scale of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Readers drawn to interesting political epic fantasy with lots of violent battles will find it all in this story.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Drakeford takes the grimdark tone of 2022's Rise of the Mages to a new level in this grisly sequel. Emrael Ire, the heir to the lost kingdom of Iraea, continues his rebellion against the United Provinces and their creepy tattooed allies, the Malithii mage-priests. Drawing on his mother's status as a councilor of the Ordenan Empire, Emrael negotiates for trade and troop support even as the United Provincial Legion rally to take back his conquests. Worse, the Malithii's Fallen God, now free, is manifesting in Emrael's dreams and in person, offering him an alliance for world conquest. Even the subplots are rife with scheming: Emrael's close friend, Elle, plots to replace her father as governor of a province, and not necessarily for Emrael's benefit. Drakeford exerts remarkable effort on worldbuilding, delineating full hierarchies of landholders and military units while also keeping key secrets close to the vest. Readers may wish for a scorecard to follow the events and to sort out the teams, and the frequent violence is not for the faint of heart. Still, series fans will find this a worthy continuation. (Nov.)
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