Read my reviews of the previous books in the Immortals Descending series:
Storm Front (#1) | Shadowfall (#2) | Daybreak (#3)
Part of me feels like I’ve already gushed about this series as much as I possibly can, but then the authors give me another twist that adds layers to this excellent epic fantasy world. Good fantasy makes rules and then breaks them in creative ways. This book does that for both the established concepts of godhood and biological alignment in this series in fascinating ways. To start, the previous gods (Death, Desire, and Dream) are wholly human constructs. Leviathan, on the other hand, predates humanity and even played a part in the initial creation of the world. Foxglove doesn’t burden us with heavy explanation, but instead launches this novel with a brilliant prologue that quickly asserts the embodiment of the Tempest is Not Human in the slightest, whatever form he may take.
Compared to other books in this world, the romance arc was relatively low-angst. The focus was much more on the character development, which is initiated thanks to the intense connection that is forged between Levi and Iason long before emotions get involved. There’s a bit of a forced proximity element, but as both characters learn what it means to truly live, the slightly antagonistic sparks between them quickly shift to something much more epic (and sexy).
Along the way, we get another lovely redemption story that Foxglove also does so well. This redemption and much of the localized conflict of this book is a direct result of important and heroic actions taken during a previous series set in this world. Knowing that full context does flesh out some aspects of this book, along with explaining some offhand references, but it had been so long since I read that book that I honestly didn’t have much problem grasping the full scope of this story either way.
One thing I definitely want after enjoying this novel is more of Sophie, a girl who is an integral part of Iason and Levi’s story and has more ahead of her than a standard human life. But first, I’m even more excited for the final book of this series, featuring Ares, the god of War who has been asleep for so long. Even the Mislian rebellion skirted the true definition of war, which means I’m starting to dread what will wake them. Foxglove creates a brilliant peak to this intense series arc as Iason and Levi remake the world as part of their love story, just in time for Ares to wake and possibly destroy it.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the authors.
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