Book Review: Wrath of Empire

Wrath of Empire is a fiction book by the author Brian McClellan. It is the second book in the Gods of Blood and Powder trilogy. This trilogy is also a sequel trilogy to the amazing trilogy The Powder Mage. I chose this book in particular because of how much I loved both the first trilogy and because the previous book Sins of Empire left an amazing cliffhanger in preventing the rise of another god. I chose to read the first book of the first trilogy because the author, Brian McClellan, was strongly recommended for fans of Branden Sanderson's work (another fantastic author). The book largely follows 3 main characters: Lady Flint, a minor character from the previous trilogy who leads a mercenary group known as the Riflejacks, Michel Bravis, a spy that double-crosses the group he double-crosses for, and Mad Ben Styke, a cavalry leader focused on escorting and protecting a magical savant (the savant, Ka-Sadiel is trying to prevent the creation of another god). Each character was exceptional in their own way; personally, I enjoyed Michel's sections the most because of the consistent location (both Lady Flint and Colonel Styke are travelling to prevent a creation of another god, but Michel stays in the same location for the majority of the book). This book was full of surprises as amazing characters died and lied while striving to bide their time. None of the characters are wholly relatable because I am a child that could not survive a war. At moments, however, nerves would build and sympathy would be drawn from the reader (e.g. when Michel didn't know if he could ever find an important character in a massive city). This is definitely one of the best books I have read this year.
Reviewer Grade: 10