Hello everyone!
Or at least, the current conclusion, as I'm reasonably sure there MIGHT still be follow-ups, since there's been a bunch of stuff set up for the kids that may or may not happen in future.
But for the purposes of this particular blog post, we'll be focusing solely on the concluding novel.
Because, it does in fact tie off pretty much ALL the loose ends, more or less.
It's also the one that made me wonder what's wrong with me when I usually don't like the heroines LOL, but that aside, it's actually entertaining and if you're a fan of romance, fighting, and a happily ever after, then I'm pretty sure you're going to enjoy this.
Throw in some Greek mythology? You've got yourself a winner!
Without more babbling for me, here are the Wages of War.
Now if you recall, the first two books focused on Draven and Travion, Zryan's brothers, but this one is about Zryan himself, the king that rules the middle kingdom and the youngest of the three brothers who, conveniently, didn't get tossed into a dungeon when they lived with their father.
He was, however, mentally abused and manipulated otherwise, forced to witness the murder of their mother, and just generally had an unpleasant enough upbringing overall.
The brothers overthrew their father (as you do) and Zryan married Alessia, another one of his prisoners, eschewing the betrothed that his father set up for him for his own purposes, which of course means Phaedora's now back and wanting ZRYAN back because ... well, hell hath no fury, and all that.
See, we're now at a full-on war between Phaedora and the brothers, but this book focuses on two aspects: one's that, and the other just so happens to be Zryan and Alessia themselves, modeled after Zeus and Hera, and therefore as dysfunctional as they can possibly get.
However, we get a rather unique glimpse into their POVs, and it turns out that, unlike with traditional Zeus and Hera stories, this Zeus is a little closer to readers, because we see in him a flawed man, an insecure man, who puts on a brave show, and for some reason gets his ass handed to him by his wife for no particular point other than drama, as we witness after an accident to their youngest son, when Alessia practically kicks Zryan out and forbids him from coming close to his own child during the healing process.
Then she just ... withdraws, and while that isn't an excuse, the point I'm making is that it takes two to tango, and Zryan lashes out in response with dalliances because the thing he craves most is acceptance and love, two things he never got during his childhood, and two things Alessia withholds, which means he's searching for them wherever he can get them.
This pisses her off, but she doesn't even understand it's HER actions that started the circle, and doesn't get it at all, not really.
But anyway, while these two are having it out and Zryan is practically crawling in front of her begging her to take him back (I'd have thrown something at her head instead, but that's me), Phaedora's using some heavy-duty magic with that book that the brothers managed to lose in previous installments.
And she keeps taunting Zryan while she's at it, because why not?
But the worst is yet to come, because despite a failed assassination attempt on Alessia, that's nothing compared to Phaedora RAISING LUDARI BACK FROM THE DEAD, aka, the dad that the brothers chopped up and dispersed with.
Now her random trolling of the seas in the previous book makes sense, and also, Zryan and Alessia get stuck in the dungeons they themselves created in the process of rescuing their daughter from her grandfather, so at least their kids are safe and sound out there, while they await their supposed execution.
They manage to patch things up between them, at the very least, or they somewhat do, because while Zryan apologizes, I'm unsatisfied with Alessia, who doesn't so much as blink, just keeps going on with 'but but but' for some sort of excuses while he's baring his heart to her.
I don't like her, end of, LOL, but let's move along.
After they get sprung from the prison cells, outright war begins to end all wars, and they take the fight to Draven's realm so he and his forces can participate (since they're kinda sensitive to sunlight, natch), and it boils down to Zryan against his dad, who he literally chucks off a cliff into the depths of a pit no one ever escapes or comes back from.
He nearly dies in the process, of course, and the girls take care of Phaedora in the meantime, but the witch stabs Alessia, which is complicated since she's kinda-sorta pregnant, but Eden, the heroine who got us hooked onto this story, is there to try and help.
In the end, she and the baby both survive, and she eventually gives birth to a little baby girl, which she and Zryan take as a new chapter and fresh start for the both of them; the kingdoms are free of the tyrant forever, the brothers are more united than they've ever been, and we know there's an impending wedding with the youngest son (the one who got hurt) and the greatest beauty in the land to look forward to, among other things.
Which is where we leave them all!
Hooo boy.
I stuck around with this because I love me a good Greek mythology retelling - and 4 stars is for Zryan and the conclusion of the story. One star knocked is for Alessia and painful inconsistencies along the way. Allons-y!
The MCs: I love Zryan and feel for him. The authors made him a believable Zeus with trauma that fuels his actions. Unfortunately, Alessia is just a bitch who for some reason turns on her husband completely and then makes Pikachu face when he goes to find what he needs elsewhere. Sure what he does isn't laudable but ... she only has herself to blame. Seriously. I mean, she withholds information about being PREGNANT from him because she selfishly doesn't want to share Zryan.
The SCs: I still love Draven and Eden, and am a fan of Travion but Sereia is an eh. The kids are amazing however and I HOPE we someday get their stories too!
The trilogy conclusion: worth the wait and I thoroughly enjoy reading about battles fought and such. So for me it was immensely wonderful.
Inconsistencies: a fair amount. In the first half of the book, Alessia makes sure we all know Zryan will rush headlong into action, blundering and stomping without a thought for consequences. In the second half, emphasis is placed on him being a tactician first, thinking before doing, a direct contradiction. And smaller ones, like her seeing him in some clothes making her think dirty thoughts, and a page later she supposedly hasn't seen him in those clothes before. Things like that imply tighter editing should have happened but, the read itself is enjoyable enough.
Overall, I like the style these ladies have, and I plan on returning for more in future if there is any!
I stuck around with this because I love me a good Greek mythology retelling - and 4 stars is for Zryan and the conclusion of the story. One star knocked is for Alessia and painful inconsistencies along the way. Allons-y!
The MCs: I love Zryan and feel for him. The authors made him a believable Zeus with trauma that fuels his actions. Unfortunately, Alessia is just a bitch who for some reason turns on her husband completely and then makes Pikachu face when he goes to find what he needs elsewhere. Sure what he does isn't laudable but ... she only has herself to blame. Seriously. I mean, she withholds information about being PREGNANT from him because she selfishly doesn't want to share Zryan.
The SCs: I still love Draven and Eden, and am a fan of Travion but Sereia is an eh. The kids are amazing however and I HOPE we someday get their stories too!
The trilogy conclusion: worth the wait and I thoroughly enjoy reading about battles fought and such. So for me it was immensely wonderful.
Inconsistencies: a fair amount. In the first half of the book, Alessia makes sure we all know Zryan will rush headlong into action, blundering and stomping without a thought for consequences. In the second half, emphasis is placed on him being a tactician first, thinking before doing, a direct contradiction. And smaller ones, like her seeing him in some clothes making her think dirty thoughts, and a page later she supposedly hasn't seen him in those clothes before. Things like that imply tighter editing should have happened but, the read itself is enjoyable enough.
Overall, I like the style these ladies have, and I plan on returning for more in future if there is any!
xx
*image not mine
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