Read my reviews of previous books in the Immortals Descending series:
Storm Front (#1) | Shadowfall (#2) | Daybreak (#3) | Tempest (#4)
One of the (many) things I love about this series is how the authors take risks with their storytelling. Sticking with stand-alone books might be a safer way to entice readers, but even this series of relatively disconnected love stories between gods and their chosen mortal companions all solidly exist in a detailed, intertwined world. Not only is this particular book the culmination of events put into play in a previous series, but it also puts details in motion that will launch the next series. On top of that, while many of the tales in this world are M/M romances, I also appreciate that Foxglove fits the characters to the story, not the other way around. Kataida and Ares have been on a collision course for many lifetimes, and I was just as excited for their happily ever after as I was for Kataida’s father and Ares’ siblings before them.
The other gods of this series have been scary in their own way, but Ares feels like the first truly dangerous one. Like Greed/Desire, they are a wholly human creation rather than one born from nature. I’d argue that War is not even their full provenance, but rather the seeds of strife and conflict. War is simply what allows them to go to the extremes at which they seem most comfortable, which became an interesting counterpoint to Kataida becoming comfortable over the course of this story with her own extremes. Each of these stories has been about a transition of some sort, but the unexpected (and initially unwanted, on Kataida’s part) romance of this book is swept up in the greater transition of a country thrust from peacetime into war by the greatest enemy of all—one from within.
Though I may have come to this series for the kink, I’ve said more than once that I’ve stayed for the truly amazing character work and worldbuilding. Thus, I was on the verge of tears in nearly every chapter of this story, because seeing so many familiar characters under threat, after growing to love them over so many stories, was so painful. Even Ares wormed their way into my heart quickly, despite how much I wanted to roll my eyes at their initial brashness, once I realized how much the truth of their past would hurt them.
Everything all works out in the end, obviously…that’s the bonus of reading a fantasy story that is also a romance. Foxglove makes us work for that happily ever after this time, though. After problem-solving without war for the earlier books in this series, this author team doesn’t hesitate to show us that they can put their world through the wringer when the story calls for it (with bonus points for even incorporating the biological kink aspect of these books into combat tactics). Though I figured out one plot element early, I found it one of those secrets that I enjoyed watching the characters discover rather than a disappointment in storytelling. On the whole, plenty of facets of this story continued to surprise and delight (and torture) me at every other turn, making this a truly worthwhile finale to a series dedicated to godhood—and the characters strong enough to love them.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the authors.