It's the end of the series and there are complicated threads to unravel, while interesting I regularly put it down for the first about half and read other things but once I got past the first half things started to pick up pace and I was reluctant to put it down. There are a lot of characters to juggle and it's a bit of a mess sometimes with where everyone is and what is going to affect what later, still it's an interesting read and I found it a good end to the series. There is room for stories set in the world but the big story is done. ( )

A great book and a good continuation of the story. The ending was predictable but that did not detract from the experience. I was expecting the story to go somewhere else, but I had a lot of fun reading this set of three books.

I hope McClellan chooses to continue the universe with (Adro?) as there is a lot left that can be utilized. ( )

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Title: Blood of Empire
Series: Gods of Blood and Powder #3
Author: Brian McClellan
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Flintlock Fantasy
Pages: 549
Words: 190.5K

Synopsis:

From the Publisher

The Dynize have unlocked the Landfall Godstone, and Michel Bravis is tasked with returning to Greenfire Depths to do whatever he can to prevent them from using its power; from sewing dissension among the enemy ranks to rallying the Palo population.

Ben Styke's invasion of Dynize is curtailed when a storm scatters his fleet. Coming ashore with just twenty lancers, he is forced to rely on brains rather than brawn - gaining new allies in a strange land on the cusp of its own internal violence.

Bereft of her sorcery and physically and emotionally broken, Lady Vlora Flint now marches on Landfall at the head of an Adran army seeking vengeance against those who have conspired against her. While allied politicians seek to undo her from within, she faces insurmountable odds and Dynize's greatest general.

My Thoughts:

This was a good wrapup to the trilogy. Overall, I was satisfied with how the story proceeded and how it ended each storyline of Michael, Vlora, Ben Stykes and Ka-Poel.

I'd like to talk about Vlora first, as I focused on her in the previous review and kind of ruined the whole review even though I enjoyed the book tremendously. Vlora is a bitch, plain and simple. I'm sorry to use such language, but once she lost her powder mage powers and had to rely on others, it became very evident that she was a bully and one of those people who had to do everything themselves. When neither of those things was possible anymore, my annoyance with her as a character went down to almost zero. But she is everything that I still dislike about main characters in a book. If McClellan writes any more in the Powder Mage universe and she's featured, I'll probably skip it.

Ben Stykes was a character and I mean that in the best way possible. He's a jerk sometimes but he has some moments of personal growth that allows him to grow as a person. Having to take care of an adopted daughter made him grow up psychologically and emotionally. Becoming the defacto dad of a 10year old girl was probably the best thing that could have happened to him. I identified with his struggle of getting older, as near the end of the book he realizes he just can't do what he used to be able to. With my job and my diabetes, I don't recover nearly as quickly from falls as I use to, and muscles and stuff get hurt a LOT easier than they used to. I'm not an invalid by any means, but seeing Ben struggle just made me grin, because I'm experiencing it myself.

I would have enjoyed seeing a bit more of Ka-Poel and Taniel together. Taniel is almost absent from this except for a bare couple of scenes and while Ka-Poel does play a part, she's more of an ancillary to Styke's whole storyline.

While I haven't talked about him, I liked Michel Bravis' storyline the best. From the first book until the end, he's an ordinary person (he's not a powdermage like Vlora, not a blood sorceress like Ka-Poel, not a ultra-badass like Stykes) who is doing his best and doing it well. He can't snap his fingers and make things happen, so just like you or me, he has to figure out alternatives. He was the most relatable and I enjoyed my time reading about him.

Overall, this trilogy was a great sequel to the original Powder Mage trilogy and I enjoyed my time spent on it. I saw that McClellan is starting another Epic Fantasy series but that it doesn't appear to be in the Powder Mage universe. I hope he sticks to a trilogy with it and once it is complete, I'll be reading it unless I hear abysmal reviews.

★★★★☆ ( )

This right here is how sequels are done. McClellan has improved his craft between the original Powder Mage trilogy and Gods of Blood and Powder, leaving out the unanswered plot threads and relying the "rule of cool" to get characters out of jam (ex: The time Tamas killed a charging Warden by focusing an explosion on its head.) It's a shame Taniel only appeared briefly, but considering he could steamroll most opposition, this was for the best. The ending tied everything up, though it felt a little short. This was likely due to focusing on the characters' objectives rather than the battles taking place around them. I'll definitely take this type of ending over a drawn out one.

The protagonists all come out changed by their experiences for the better. Styke's ending was the most satisfying for me. A man who became a monster for his country, and was thrown aside when the fighting was over and a monster was a liability. His bravery and loyalty still shone through during his attack on the Dynize capitol, even with those who should have been his enemy. Styke learns to control his anger, showing that he can put it aside for the sake of his men and Celine. His reward: a giant plot of land where he can retire.

Vlora got to show her mettle and abilities without her powers to bail her out. Though she made dumb choices, it gave her some perspective on the nature of war. Most notably charging into the melee during a night battle. Without her powers she was panicking like fresh recruit and got her body guards killed. Vlora's ending was the most ambiguous, but it suited the direction her character went.

Michel is caught in a situation where his considerable skill as a spy just isn't enough to win the day. Though he finds everything he needs to turn the tide against the Dynize, the resources at his disposal aren't enough. Michel finds the proof he needs to get the Palo to rise up against the Dynize, but only gets them slaughtered. The result is Michel is finally able to cast aside the fake personalities and disguises to develop actual friendships and be his true self.

McClellan has stated that he is done with the Powder Mage universe, and this concludes the adventures here with a bang. I'm looking forward to Glass Immortals. ( )

An amazing ending to a really cool and fun trilogy. I don't give out 5-star ratings often, but this really had it all. Characters I've come to love and understand over the course of the 3 books, cool magic, lots of action, lots of tension, lots of intrigue, a believable fantasy world and the books didn't have be 800 pages each. The only thing this series was missing was monsters and demi-humans. There are only humans in this world, though there are different nationalities.

Highly recommended for fans of gritty, realistic fantasy. ( )