The Age of Ire saga continues with The Fate of Silent Gods, continuing the gripping, personal vengeance with compelling characters in a struggle for power.
Emrael Ire has won the first round of war against the dark god, but at a terrible cost to himself.
Unsure of who he can trust, even among his own people, Emrael must find a way to score a major victory against both the forces of the dark lord and the corrupt lords of the provinces.
He thought he already paid his price. The gods will exact another.
The second book in the Ire Trilogy did not disappoint! I was looking forward to seeing more of Jaina (my favorite!) and was happy to see that we get more of her backstory in this book. Emrael continues to be tested and pushed which causes his character to continue to evolve. Drakeford writes some intense fight scenes and I love the science combined with the magic of the infusori craftings that Ban and his team invent. I was surprised by one of book one’s villains in this one and look forward to seeing how that plays out in the third. A very well written story!
The Ire brothers are at it again! Kicking ass and taking names in this action packed tale of bravery, comradeship and escaping oppression! I love Scott Drakeford’s ability to bring characters to life and tell a hilarious, sometimes painful, yet somehow relatable story! I’ll be looking forward to what comes next in this trail that is a whirlwind of emotions.
I loved book one, but I found this sequel somehow even better! The author digs deeper in the lives and motivations and struggles of Emrael and his companions. There are deeply realistic struggles here, as Emrael wrestles with what it means to be the leader in a war that kills so many and destroys so much.
The mystery of the Fallen continues to deepen and loyalties are tried and tested. I've always enjoyed fantasy, it was my first love as a reader, growing up on The Lord of the Rings like so many in my generation. But it's been a while since I really enjoyed a new fantasy series. I've found these two books by Drakeford have reignited my love of fantasy. Here is a world you can get lost in and characters you can root for.
The only negative I had was that there was an absurd amount of proximate repetitions. Much more than I'd expect in a traditionally published book that war, presumably, read by an experienced editor.
Overall though, I love this, lots of battles, lots of a war strategy and political conflicts, lots of character development, and a climax that made me breathless.
If you're looking for some good, old fashioned fantasy fun, look no further than Scott Drakeford's Age of Ire series. Can't wait to see what happens next, and whatever else this wonderful author churns out in his career.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I am so happy to be back in this world. Book 1 was one of my favorites from 2023. I enjoyed how Drakeford dove deeper into Emrael's struggles and stresses. I loved that the author focused more on the important relationships of Emrael's, such as his relationship with his brother and his mentor. Jaina, Emrael's mentor reminded my favorite character!
Great action-packed scenes, fantastic political drama, and the clever magic system that combines science and crafting is also great. Can't wait for book 3.
I thoroughly enjoyed this continuation to the story we were introduced to in The Rise of the Mages.
The escalation of war and death weighs heavy on those engaged in battle and you can feel the true cost of leadership and doing what you believe to be right in the face of a perceived evil. I enjoyed the growth in the characters and the intrigue on what might be coming.
Brimming with action-packed adventure, high stakes, and ride-or-die characters you simply can’t get enough of, Drakeford delivers a sensational sequel that is nothing short of epic!
If you love shield walls, this is the book for you! The groundwork in The Rise of Mages pays off as the story surges. Drakeford’s deft hand with large-scale combat, political intrigue, and the economic weight of a massive military campaign truly shines. As the Ire brothers continue their quest to liberate their people, the scope of events expands, and the stakes rise with every bloody chapter, culminating in a harrowing end that leaves you eager for what comes next. I’m ready for book three.
Glory! Fantastic military fantasy following in the footsteps of masters like Gemmell, Eddings, and Kay. The strategy with punches of magic and punctuated by difficult and meaningful character choice are excellent. The narrator is also excellent. Drakeford delivers!
Emrael's journey continues in Fate of Silent Gods, and everything that made the first book so enjoyable continues right along with it. We get plenty more epic battles (which Drakeford is particularly skilled at writing, I think) as Emrael's predicament and responsibilities deepen. Yet, refreshingly, just as much attention is paid to the rendering of Emrael's personal relationships, from his brother Ban to his mentor Jaina (my forever fave!). Add in some political maneuvering, a rapidly maturing hero, and some delightfully evil priests, and this was an incredibly solid sophomore installment to the trilogy. I'm eagerly awaiting the final book!
I really liked book 1, but the sequel was a little disappointing. Part of it was that I liked the supporting characters in book 1 so much more than the main character, and they got little space in this one. Another thing is that the author excels at writing battle scenes, but the whole book felt like one battle scene after another and it got old. An ok book, but not quite what I was hoping to read.
I really, really like it when a second book is better than the first.
The fact that the soulbounds' bite can spread desease should perhaps been established earlier (sounds like something people fighting them should know) and some other things left me wondering but all in all, a solid 4, maybe even a little over.
DNF - the previously was too dense and confusing, and didn't help clarify what happened in the first 20% (what helped even less was the fact that it was difficult to care about any of the main characters).
As some other readers have stated, this book is better than book 1. All of the set up from book 1 is starting to pay off. I am interested to see how the final confrontation between Emrael and other forces plays out. Unfortunately, I broke my rule of never reading a fantasy series until all of the books are out, so I will be waiting probably another year to see this all resolved.