Sins of the Mother

The War Eternal #4

by Rob J. Hayes

In her darklight the world will burn.
Eskara Helsene is missing. She left her queendom, her friends, her children, even her own name behind. No one has seen the Corpse Queen for a decade.
Someone is murdering Sourcerers, forcing them to reject their magic and opening scars in reality, and monsters from the Other World are pouring through.
When an old acquaintance turns up out of the blue, Eska has no choice but to investigate the murders and the holes in reality. Can she stop the killer before the entire world is consumed? And will the conflict reveal her true nature?
Sins of the Mother is the 4th book in the best-selling The War Eternal Series. A gripping dark epic fantasy perfect for fans of Patrick Rothfuss and Mark Lawrence.

Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Adult, Epic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Ebooks, Science Fiction Fantasy

452 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2022

About the author

Winner of Mark Lawrence's 3rd Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO) with Where Loyalties Lie

Rob J. Hayes has been a student, a banker, a marine research assistant, a chef, and a keyboard monkey more times than he cares to count. But eventually his love of fantasy and reading drew him to the life of a writer. He’s the author of the Amazon Best Selling The Heresy Within, the SPFBO-winning piratical swashbuckler Where Loyalties Lie, and the critically acclaimed Never Die.

Reviews

[William Gwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

BookTube channel with my awesome brother, Ed - The Brothers Gwynne
My personal BookTube channel - William Gwynne

Glad to be back in this world with the fantastic narration of Eska.

This 4th instalment jumped quite far into the future, so I was very intrigued to see what would ensue. We follow a few timelines, which for me can go either way. It often makes the plot to complex and the payoffs end up not being worth it, but when done well it can be one of my favourite uses of structure. I am glad to say that Rob J. Hayes did a great job!

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

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“You see, there is a problem with turning people into idols. We forget they are people, and people are stupid, greedy, and make mistakes.”

Along the Razor’s Edge ★★★★★
The Lessons Never Learned ★★★★ 1/2
From Cold Ashes Risen ★★★★★
Sins of the Mother ★★★★ 1/4

I read 7 books by Hayes so far and he is one of my highest rated authors overall (Including Traditionally published authors too) so when he offered me an E-ARC of his latest book, I immediately accepted it and was very excited about it. I was a little bit nervous because it has been a while -and a 100+ books- since I last finished the trilogy. Fortunately, Rob has a life-saving summary in his website that includes the most important events and characters from the first trilogy.

The writing is as good as usual, just a few pages in and I was immediately hooked. The story takes place 20 years after the end of the last book and Eska is older now due to her Chronomancy. This can explain the title of the book because it focuses on Eska and her family and I think having an older female protagonist is a really rare thing in fantasy.

“Your age is nothing but a door you hide behind to say it is too hard to try. You were never one to fail before even attempting, Eska.”

Eska was never the most likeable character but 20 years can change a person and we get that from the beginning. Eska is physically weaker now but she is more calm and self-collected. She is living a whole different kind of life with another name and is trying to hide from her past but we know you can really never do that.

I think the book had a great start and great ending but the middle part was a bit slow for me which explains my rating. Hayes writes awesome battle scenes and dialogue and those were the best at the beginning and ending. I think some parts were repeated too often just like how her daughter is good at solving puzzles and I find this kind of repetition a bit tiresome.

I don’t know how Hayes does it, but he succeeded in expanding the world even more and in explaining some complex world-building with easy examples and I loved that. I just love the magic system and the vibrant world-building. The way it ended is so good and makes me want to read the next entry right now!

“Luck is nothing but abban shit. Opportunities are like orgasms. Better to take matters into your own hands, than rely on the competence of others.”

Summary: Hayes remains one of my favorite self-published authors and although I was a bit nervous going into this one. My fears dissipated as soon as I started reading. This particular book was full of bold choices and I think they worked really well. The characters are fleshed out, the world-building is very good and the story line is intriguing. I had small issues with the pacing in the middle but it did not stop me from enjoying this. I will be reading book 5 as soon as it is released!

[Nick Borrelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review posted on my blog Out of This World SFF:
https://outofthisworldrev.blogspot.co...

The War Eternal series is truly an outstanding example of amazing storytelling and brilliantly realized magic and worldbuilding. The first three books completed one story arc and this fourth entry, SINS OF THE MOTHER begins a whole new exciting and intriguing fantasy adventure from the wonderful mind of Rob J. Hayes. We begin this tale with Eskara Helsene considerably older, living under an assumed name, and a far cry from her once volatile existence as the Corpse Queen. And yet as we all have come to know, sometimes you can't run from your past. And sometimes your past seeks you out to pull you back into its clutches even when you are determined to put it behind you.

For Eska, it is unavoidable that her past would come back to call on her. I mean, would someone who was once known as the Corpse Queen really be able to just flee and live a tranquil existence anywhere? Especially considering all that she has been through and endured. Plus, that would make for a pretty boring fantasy book, wouldn't it? Well this is by no means a boring fantasy book I'm happy to say and a big part of that has to do with Eska's own story and those who were and still are a big part of her life.

Book four switches gears a bit from the initial trilogy and that's not a bad thing. Time has passed and Eska as with anyone who has a few more years under their belt, Eska is considerably changed from the weapon of war that she was over a decade ago. But the inner strength and determination is still very much there, and when faced with the task of finding those who are hunting down sourcerers she will need every bit of that. It also doesn't hurt that she possesses some of the most devastating magic anyone has ever seen.

After a gradual buildup to set up where Eska is in her life after her hiatus, things really kick in with a vengeance about halfway through the book and really don't let up at all through to the final page. It was then that I was reminded of how amazing Rob J. Hayes is at writing dizzying battle scenes and darkly-conceived monsters that you wouldn't be able to dream up in your worst nightmares. The Other World truly does contain some of the most grotesque and terrifying beasts imaginable. And the real question that soon arises in this one is will Eska's luck finally run out, or can she pull it all together while also battling her own personal demons.

SINS OF THE MOTHER is another entertaining and riveting fantasy book in what has become a must-read fantasy series in my opinion. The deeper we get into Eska's life and backstory, the more tantalizing secrets are revealed and the more obvious it is that she's one of the most delightfully complex and badass characters ever. The Corpse Queen is aptly named and if you like your characters of the non cookie-cutter variety, you'll find much to enjoy here.

I really enjoyed this book and I believe it took this series in a cool new direction. But Rob J. Hayes has a tendency to write books that aren't predictable in any way, and that is why he's always near the top of my list of favorite authors. You really need to pick up this book if you are looking for something a little different from the usual fantasy fare. There's so much going on and so much creativeness when it comes to this world and these characters. My suggestion is preorder this one now, and while you are waiting read the first three books in The War Eternal series.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/05...

This is the fourth book I’ve edited by Rob Hayes, and while I’ve enjoyed all of them, this has to be my favorite so far. Here, we have the same old Eska, but she’s different as well. Time has passed, and Eska is older and wiser. She’s still grumpy, sarcastic, abrasive, but she’s also matured a bit like a finely-aged wine.

The Eska in Sins of the Mother is not the Eska you’ll remember from previous books. I mean, she is, but she’s not at the same time. Hayes took great care developing his character, and this is really where the book shines. Eska’s characterization is nothing short of perfection. She’s older, and time has tempered a lot of her brashness, but she’s also got this edge of emotional vulnerability throughout the novel that really nailed it for me. Here, you see Eska’s brash actions, but Hayes lifts the curtain a bit, and shows us the vulnerable woman haunted by past decisions and deeds, and how that has impacted her over the years.

Eska has turned into a bit of mythology in the decade she’s been away, and the struggle between who people think she is and who she actually is fills a lot of her personal arc and thrusts her into no small amount of emotional turmoil. I loved this aspect of Eska, and Hayes knew just how to lean into it, how to make it sing without hitting it too hard. This is just one example of what he does so well. I was blown away by how complex this new, older Eska is. Her voice remains true to who she is, and who she has always been, but there’s… more to her now. And so much of what she experiences, what she thinks and feels, were things I profoundly related to. It was nothing short of breathtaking, how he took a character I already loved so much and somehow pushed her over the top and made her even better.

I said no few times when editing this book, that Rob Hayes could teach a masterclass on characterization based on Eska in Sins of the Mother, and I stand by that. She was… brilliant.

More, though, you’ll see some familiar faces. Old friends return, and they are all a bit different as well. Time has passed, and it’s left is mark on everyone. The care Hayes took with developing each of his characters, determining how that time would change them, especially after what has happened in previous books, really shows off his capabilities as an author. There’s a lot of substance here, a lot of things to sink your teeth into. Decisions and actions never happen in a vacuum. In Sins of the Mother, Hayes follows a lot of these changes, both personally and politically, and sees where they end up after everything has had a few years to really settle in and stew.

Rob Hayes has always excelled at battles, and it’s no different here. He works tension like a song and uses battles to power the crescendo. The result is this wham-bam gut-punch of action and plot that will certainly keep you rooted to your chair. With attention to detail, and Eska’s missing arm, her age, and the like, the battles aren’t always how you’d expect a battle to be written, and that’s part of the beauty here. Throughout, Hayes remains true to his characters, and throughout, you have moments of emotional and physical tension that pull plot threads together in surprising, unforgettable scenes peppered throughout the book. There’s never a dull moment. After releasing numerous books and a myriad of series, Hayes knows what he’s doing, and it’s easy to let him take the wheel and steer. I always trust him to guide me, and it always pays off.

I cannot even predict what will happen next, but I’m dying to find out.

Sins of the Mother takes the series in a new, unexpected direction. The ending closes some doors (painfully) and then opens another. It’s impossible to predict what is going to happen next, but I cannot wait to find out. Eska has always been a character who has straddled numerous lines, and that doesn’t stop, even to the bitter end. There’s a lot that Hayes hinted at in previous books in the series which will come into play here. In fact, I was nothing short of shocked by how well Hayes wove together plot threads from previous books, and how things I didn’t think were important ended up being pivotal. That ending is where all the magic happens, and the ingredients all come together to make something truly magical.

Sins of the Mother packs an unforgettable punch. Hayes works masterfully on numerous different levels, pushing the plot and characters toward a tension-filled ending that truly left me reeling and wanting more. Eska, however, is where the story shines. She’s still Eska, but she’s also more somehow, and I felt that “more” in my soul. I have always loved Eska, but I didn’t truly feel like I profoundly connected with every aspect of her until this specific book.

There is one more book in this series, and I know I’m going to have a love/hate relationship with it. Eska has taken me places and left a mark. There is no recovering from her, and I’m already dreading the fact that at some point, her story is going to end. But for now…

Sins of the Mother is what happens when an artist has mastered his craft.

I don’t know where Rob Hayes will take me next, but I know as long as his name is on the cover of a book, I will read it and I will love it.

It’s impossible not to.

The guy is that good.

[Dom · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

This was a good book, but one that didn't reach the heights of book one for me. That's probably saying more about how good I found Along the Razor's Edge though, rather than a reflection on this book. With the War Eternal series, the audiobook narration continues to inflate the score and my enjoyment because it is just excellent.

For Sins of the Mother, as book four in the series, you know what you're in for, and so there isn't too much I feel the need to say. I did feel at a couple of points, there was a bit too much time spent on discussing what was happening as it was happening, rather than reacting to what was a frantic scene evolving around the characters, but other than that, it was pretty much business as usual for this series.

[Mihir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: It's hard for a book IV of a pentology/quintology(?) to be absorbing and possibly be the best book of the series (so far). Three books have come before, they have (hopefully) established the main (and other) character(s), the world, the plot, etc. Book 4 is the penultimate book before the saga ends (hopefully with a bang rather than the alternative). So you can see why there would be so many reasons why realistically/statistically this book should not have been a five star read and possibly the best book in the series.

The story begins just over two decades after the events of From Cold Ashes Risen. We meet an older and far more wrinkled Eska who is passing off as a hedge witch in a small village called Wrysom. Going by the name Silva, she seems content. Things however do not stay idyllic as she’s asked to help out a local marshall with a disappearance of an entire village’s population. That investigation sounds ends up with a lot more questions and soon her past comes calling. Thus, Eska is forced to reevaluate many of her past actions and potentially help to stop a catastrophe from happening.

This book follows a similar path of the previous trilogy in the sense that we get a current timeline and a past timeline. The past story is absolutely crucial in finding out why Eska is where she is and what exactly happened after the events of From Cold Ashes Risen. This book is spot on with its title as Eska’s sordid past as a mother is further brought under a harsh spotlight. There’s just so many things going on plot wise and best of all, so many of the future events hinted at, come to fruition. The story is also about a potential mystery that soon expands into a bigger race to stop a cataclysm.

There’s a couple of things that I wish to highlight about this without spoiling much. Primarily this book resolves a crucial mystery about the gods and history of the world. There have been past revelations in books II (The Lessons Never Learned) & III (From Cold Ashes Risen), but there is a major reveal here. This reveal absolutely is mind-blowing and further augments what has been revealed before. Crucially it goes to show how much and well the author has thought out the magic system and world history.

Secondarily this book is all about Eska and her relationships and how crucially broken she has left them. I can’t reveal who specifically it is but it was sheer fun to read about. Eska always has been an act first and maybe think later person. Here we get to see the fruits of her actions and what carnage it has wrought on a personal and wider level. I loved how the author has never shied away from showing the damaging aspects of Eska’s actions rather giving us a hero’s view.

Here's why I think Rob J. Hayes succeeded beyond my (and hopefully his) wildest dreams:
- There's a mystery element to this story that plays out superbly until the end climax. Seriously kudos to the author for keeping the plot tension for over 100-110K words.
- I absolutely LOVED the climax and I cannot say anything about it. Zip, nada for spoiling anything and ruining the read for anyone.
- The book is a lot less darker than its predecessors but has so much more emotional impact.
This book focusses on four female characters and is all about maternal bonds (both by blood and by fate). It focusses on how and why one becomes a mother and who can truly be called a mother. This is one area where Eska fans have an idea about what happened in the past. So you have an inkling about what to expect.

The action is interspersed within the book strongly and it all adds up until the fantastic climax. I really think this was one of the author’s better efforts amidst his recent books and so much so for a penultimate book that sets up the finale perfectly. Seriously, this book has made me so much more invested in the end, that is titled DEATH’S BEATING HEART. Which will hopefully be released on December 26th 2022.

CONCLUSION: Sins Of The Mother is a hard book to describe but not a hard book to love. It’s one of those titles that began on a quiet note but ends spectacularly. Kudos to Rob J. Hayes for writing a fantastic story that is a deeply feministic one but without the unnecessary clamour. Sins Of The Mother is a resplendent sequel that outshines everything that came before it.

[Maed Between the Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars.

Oh my god yesyesyes. This book gave me everything I wanted in a continuation of Eska's story -complete with the haughty irreverent narrative voice. I laughed, I cried, I raged, and I felt seen. One of my favorite elements of this series is that Eska is not a good person, and that is never something that Hayes tries to moralize or explain away. Sometimes she commits atrocities and her mistakes are not able to be retroactively fixed, and it is so damn refreshing. This room for imperfection is also extended to the other characters we meet in this story and it's heartbreaking at the same time that it's empowering. Greatness is often paid for with decisions no one would want to make, but they must be made nonetheless.

The world building/expansion was wonderful...floating cities, pirate port towns, and libraries in a city built in the trees? Sign me up. I was also very pleasantly surprised by the elements of cosmic horror that were really ramped up here. It was always hinted at in previous books, but Hayes very much leaned into it this time and I love the implications that came with those reveals.

Plus that ending??? I actually yelled out loud when the I realized what was happening and highlighted almost all the text on the last few pages. This was the first indie/self-pub series that showed me just how good non-traditionally published books can be so it will always have a special place in my heart. I'm SO HYPE for book #5 now.

NOTE: trigger warning for suicide/suicidal thoughts

[kartik narayanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sins of the Mother is yet another brilliant entry in The War Eternal series.

It came as a pleasant surprise to me on social media when I found out Rob J. Hayes was writing the fourth book in this series. I had assumed that with 'From Cold Ashes Risen', Eskara's story was said and done. I had even tried to draw the moment where she confronts the emperor (the drawing was banta poodoo). Regardless, I loved the character and I love Rob's writing style as well. (Check out his 'Mortal Techniques' series if you like to see grimdark with a lot of Kurosawa flair in it)

'Sins of the Mother' takes place about twenty years after the events in 'From Cold Ashes Risen'. It opens like so many classic westerns have, with Eskara 'retired' and pretending to be a non-entity in some village. But, as expected, circumstances out her identity (conveniently) in time for her to join Imiko in the search for Eskara's younger daughter. The rest of the story is the chase and the motivation behind her daughter's disappearance.

Of course, since this is a Rob J. Hayes work, there is plenty of action and gore. At no point, does the pacing feel slow and there is a feeling of movement towards something momentous. The dialogues are sharp and witty. The characters do tend to involve in quite a bit of soul-searching, which is usually shown in the form of a flashback. Hey, its Eskara. What do you expect?

I am a bit surprised to find that there were a couple of places that felt too much like in your face level tropes. And I did find a couple of typos too in the KU version. In any case, these rough patches didn't detract from the overall sense of satisfaction from reading the book.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eskara Helsene—along with Ruka and Tomas Piety--is one of my favorite narrative voices in fantasy fiction. She’s unafraid to be completely vulnerable to the reader, volunteering all the times she has failed and for the catastrophes that lie square on her shoulders. Yet she balances her shortcomings by sharing wisdom that is hilarious, insightful, and always brutally honest. Her complexity and unpredictability have pulled the reader through wildly exciting adventures through the first three books. Book four is no different – in fact, it raises the bar for a finale of which I cannot begin to think of what it could contain. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait long to find out.

Twenty years have passed between books three and four, and due to Eska’s accelerated aging process, this means our protagonist is now a one-armed woman who is approaching senior citizenship. Not your typical fantasy lead, and it was refreshing to read about the different challenges she faced on her journey. Other major themes addressed include found family versus blood relations, managing depression, redemption, racism, and faith. 

One of the best things going for this series its engaging narrative structure. Throughout the entire The War Eternal series, Hayes has written Eska as the omnipotent storyteller, relaying her life’s history to the reader. Throughout the series, Eska dropped bombs like, “… it was the second biggest mistake of my life,” or “if I had only known I’d never seen them again, I would have done that differently.” Tantalizing clues of the future were dropped, and hints of major plotlines were casually, maddeningly inserted, which made me want to race through the pages to understand it all. Well, now that we’re at book 4, all the little things she had been alluding to have finally come to fruition, and they are paying healthy dividends.

There is a structure to many of the chapters where the first section focuses on what happened during the time jump, and the rest of the chapter takes place in present day. So, we’re really catching up on three separate timelines: early, hinted-at plotlines from the first few books, plus the missing twenty years, and finally the events of the present day. When they all finally converge, it’s a truly momentous occasion. Emotional, powerful, magical stuff, with huge repercussions. Can’t get much huger. Trust in this.

I’m left with a giant ‘what now?’ at the end of this volume, and it’s a great feeling, because it feels like both a cliffhanger and also a massive resolution to many storylines all at once. Hayes has crafted a triumphant return to The War Eternal series with Sins of the Mother. I’ve been reading Hayes’ work for several years: Best Laid Plans, First Earth, Mortal Techniques – and Sins reinforces The War Eternal as my favorite of the bunch.

4.5 / 5

[Cassidy Chivers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads like the start of a new series following Eska 20 years later. In my opinion books 1-3 are a trilogy and 4-5 are a new series. This isn't to say that what we cover in these later books aren't set up in the other ones. But the story divulges into new territory in these.

About 1/3 of this novel is recapping past moments, memories and deeds of the prior books. Hayes repetitive style of narration has been a complaint of mine since book one. But it bothered me more in this one then ever before.

I'm not sure if it's because the focus of this book is very much on Eskas family drama and that's not my favourite topic in fantasy often. Or if it's the new characters we follow just weren't as compelling as the found family of the first. Also this book is lacking an important dynamic that I loved in the first couple.

I still enjoyed this one but it defiantly was a let down after the emotional connection I had to book 3! I also do think the middle dragged in pacing

The ending does have me excited for book five! I'm predicting to love it as much as I did book three.

[Joseph Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on SFF Insiders.

The War Eternal series by Rob J. Hayes has been a series for me that defies expectations. It’s a dark fantasy told in first-person by an absolute power-mad edgelord of a main character. First impressions of a series with that kind of description are usually going to be negative…but not in the hands of someone like Rob J. Hayes. The first three books of the series were a wild thrill ride detailing the rise of the Corpse Queen, Eskara Helsene, but the fourth book, Sins of the Mother, only continues to defy expectations. In showing a more grounded and remorseful Eska, Hayes’ dark fantasy epic has never been stronger, and only further cements Eska as one of modern fantasy’s most memorable characters.

At the end of the previous book, From Cold Ashes Risen, Eskara Helsene has her own queendom, but now, it’s been over a decade since anyone has seen her. The Corpse Queen has left her seat of power, and abandoned everything from her friends and children to even her own title behind. But as rifts to the Other World begin to break open across the land, Eska must emerge from her life of quiet and solitude to investigate the cause…and confront the consequences of everything she has committed, and everything she has left behind.

For three books, Hayes depicted Eska’s brutal rise to power, all in the name of the revenge she sought on the Terrelan Empire. She commanded an army of the dead, played host to a shadow that fed on fear, controlled the very storms themselves. But, in Sins of the Mother, we see a very different side to Eska. She’s old and broken, the Chronomancy that has been accelerating her aging since the end of the first book leaving her with the body of a woman decades older than her true age. She’s coming to terms with all the atrocities she committed in the name of vengeance, and the past is continuing to haunt her. We’ve seen her at her lowest and climb to her highest over a mountain of corpses, and now we see a descent from that peak.

It's thanks to this that Eska has become a much more powerful character from a narrative perspective. We have long been acquainted with Eska the Sourcerer and warrior queen, but this book finally gives us perspective on Eska the mother. And damn, what a terrible mother she is. Framing the story around her failings as a mother allowed Hayes to display a much more humane side to a power-hungry monster like Eska, and the flashbacks to the circumstances which led to her abandoning everything were an absolute joy to read. After three books of Eska’s ascent, there was only so much more that could be done before she became a one-note character. I view the characterization similarly to Kratos from the God of War series, whose character arc after the original game was just “I got so angry I killed all the gods,” and then the 2018 reboot gave him a much more grounded journey against the backdrop of fatherhood and confronting his past. Sins of the Mother follows that almost to a tee, and it’s all the better for it.

Everything from the plot, to the use of magic, to the expansion of the world of the War Eternal, is the best it’s ever been in the series, thanks to the narrower scope. Frankly, it all comes back to Eska; prior books had many moving parts that worked well together in sequence, but all Sins of the Mother needed to reach the heights it does was Eska’s characterization, her attempts to right the wrongs she committed, even when stripped of so much that made her physically powerful, and, in trying to repair her relationship with her children, confronting the titular sins of the mother.

Emotionally powerful with plenty of heavy twists and turns, the penultimate entry to the War Eternal series is an absolute tour de force. Sins of the Mother hits all the right notes to allow Eska to ascend to loftier heights than ever before. I can’t wait to see where the Corpse Queen’s final battle takes her.

[Craig Bookwyrm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. The best in the series so far for me. Phenomenal.

Eskara is older. Wiser? Possibly. Parental issues and and other monsters challenge Eska in this brilliant dark fantasy sequel.

Rob Hayes inhabits the head of his main character as well as any author, allowing Eskara to tell her story in her usual unique way. I wonder if Rob inhabits his character or does the character write the story through the author? Either way, the narrative is visceral, reactive and reflective, brutal and honest in its delivery. Eskara is one the most compelling characters.

Reflections on pain, fear, nurture vs nature, childhood, parenting are all explored superbly. I related to so much in this book. Superb character work.

Imiko's development is particularly well done, especially her mental health.

This book, like the series, is brutal, honest, and powerful. The prose is as razor sharp as usual, with some of the most super creative world building I've encountered.

I recommend this series to any fans of dark fantasy. If you haven't discovered Rob J. Hayes yet, then The War Eternal is a great place to start.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review.

[Chris Haught · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review now live at Grimdark Magazine

Two years ago, when I’d finished reading From Cold Ashes Risen, I thought I had finished a brilliant trilogy that would rank among the greats in the Grimdark pantheon. I still hold to that belief, but I was pleasantly surprised early this year when Rob J. Hayes released a continuation of Eska’s story in Sins of the Mother. It seems she wasn’t finished with the world just yet.

Ten years retired from ruling her kingdom, Eskara Helsene is enjoying her life away from it all. She lives in a village called Wrysom where everyone believes her to be an eccentric old wise woman. Only one little girl calls her “The Corpse Queen” these days, and she’s doing so in jest. The poor thing doesn’t realize how close to the mark she hit with her casual insult.

”Still, I was old now, and all my life I was reliably informed that age brings wisdom and patience and a bunch of other useless things we tend to ignore in the fires of our youth.”

All is peaceful, until it isn’t. A Sourcerer from a large city comes to announce that trouble is brewing, that all the people in another village have disappeared. She is asked to help learn the reason. Before long, she is found by her adopted sister Imiko, who Eska had left to run her kingdom in her absence. Imiko tells Eska that her daughter Sirileth has left on her own mysterious adventure.

”Drink the amount Imiko had, and your tongue becomes unstuck, and truths you’ve been guarding with good purpose come tumbling out like flies from a bloated corpse.”

Of course, these events are connected, and soon Eska is drawn back in, forced into active status as her identity is eventually revealed to her villagers and she is banished. As Eska accompanies Imiko to find her wayward daughter and discover what strange forces are at work, she is brought full circle back to being the thing that she’d been hiding from all these years.

”Sorry isn’t an apology, it’s just begging to be forgiven without doing the work to warrant it.”

This was a great read, and fit like a comfortable glove after so much time both in the publishing world and in the story itself. What began in and continued in The Lessons Never Learned found a return to the narrative decades after From Cold Ashes Risen and despite the gap in time, it’s like we never left Eska’s world. But now the focus isn’t as much on her rise to power as it is those of her heirs to the kingdom, and Eska’s challenge now is to prevent them from becoming the monster that was Eskara Helsene.

”It was still dark all the time, there were no windows anywhere and so everything was lit with lanterns and torches. No matter how many of those you light, the shadows always find corners to dwell in.”

There is another (and final?) entry in The War Eternal series coming out near the end of this year, and it’s safe to say that this reader will be anxious to see what comes next for our Corpse Queen and those close to her.

[Rowena Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

At some point, I had apparently got it into my head that The War Eternal was just a trilogy (although the first three do have an arc of their own), and I have never been so delighted to be proved wrong. I fell in love with this series from the moment I picked up Along the Razor’s Edge, to the point where I wait up until midnight for the next book to be released on kindle so I can read it right away regardless of whatever else I am reading at the time. So the chance to read Sins of the Mother early was the best thing in the world (and I will still be there at midnight on the 3rd of May to read it again).

Sins of the Mother is everything I wanted and more as a return to this series, and a return to one of the most memorable main characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

I had just finished a reread of the series in preparation for book four coming out next month, but I believe without a doubt that even without the world and Eska’s voice being close to the surface, I would have immediately been pulled back into the series from the start of book four – especially with the prologue. It utilizes one of the aspects of this series that I’ve always enjoyed, and that is Eska as the narrator looking back over her life, referencing things that have happened or events that we have yet to read about, and Sins of the Mother immediately draws us back into that. However, this is also where we get to see some of that unfolding in ‘real-time’ as it were, and you could feel the various threads coming together – but don’t be fooled – even if you think you know what is going on, and how things will unfold, this book will surprise you. I know my jaw dropped on more than one occasion while reading this one, and I loved it.

Eska has always been a character I’ve loved, even when she’s driven me almost to distraction with her attitude and decisions – she is a divisive character even amongst her own people, but for me at least Hayes has balanced that divisiveness with a compelling voice that makes her a truly standout character. Sins of the Mother sees us return to Eska, but two decades after the events of the last book – and that changes things because this is an Eska softened and hardened by motherhood, by managing to live in peace (of sorts) for a time, and who arguably is the most settled in her own skin and concept of who and what she is that she has been throughout the series. It doesn’t mean that she has lost all the sharp edges. The stubbornness and impulsiveness and rage that has always been a part of her character are still there, as is the brutal honesty about her own actions and emotions. You have to respect her for the fact that she does not shy away from confronting the blame that rests either solely or partially at her feet.

There’s one scene, in particular, that had me smiling and going ‘ah yes, this is Eska’. Eska has grown so much throughout the series, and it has been fascinating to watch, but here in this book, the shift has added a fresh richness to her character and her voice, especially with the balance between the life she has lived, and the physical age that has been forced on her body through magic and how that impacts on her life now. The War Eternal has always been a series that confronts the consequences of the characters actions, whether small and personal, or grand and potentially world ending, and I can think of no finer example of that than how Eska is in this book.

It’s a shift in gears that works spectacularly well.

We also get to see some other familiar faces – and some surprising ones – and that feeling of growth and time passing is there as well (and it will be a while before I recover from what happened to one of them). We also got a cast of new characters, both in the present and in the flashbacks, each one adding to the world and to Eska’s story. I particularly enjoyed getting to meet Eska’s children and seeing how her journey was reflected in them and their actions – although there was one thread relating to this that I desperately want to know more about, especially as it is one that I can imagine coming back to bite Eska in the ass (even more than the ones in this book). Hayes’ character work has been fantastic in every book of his that I’ve read, his use of character voice is stunning, as his ability to explore so many emotional aspects and varying dynamics, from friends to enemies and family, and everything in between.

The characters and Eska in particular do steal the show to a certain extent, but the worldbuilding has always been one of my favourite elements of The War Eternal, and I am endlessly fascinated by the magic system. What Sourcery is capable of, and how it has been used – and developed – has grown over the series, and has been equal parts fascinating and horrifying and that was true here in Sins of the Mother too, and there was an interesting element of history repeating itself as Eska passed on her knowledge. I’ve always liked that there was a cost to the magic in this world – and we see that poignantly in this book, through Eska’s premature ageing, to the impact her magic had on her children, to the damage inflicted on the world itself through forced rejection.

As with Eska’s story, we get to see threads of the worldbuilding coming together in Sins of the Mother, even as we got to see and learn more about this world, as well as revisiting familiar locations sometimes with fresh eyes, sometimes with old baggage. Karataan was a favourite location, it was just such a rich city – in terms of setting and the story elements that were tied to it, and it was just such a vivid, colourful place that I would have happily spent longer there. Again, we have the interplay of past and present, as we got to learn more about how this world developed and the relationship between the Djinn and Rand, and how that has influenced what is happening in the present, and what might happen in the future.

Even as we see threads coming together, and elements that have been hinted at before coming into clarity, there was a real sense of mystery and rising tension throughout Sins of the Mother. As I said above, I sat there open-mouthed on more than one occasion, but each revelation in many ways only added to that tension, because it highlighted the need to expect the unexpected. There was a skillful balance of past and present, not just through Eska’s narration, but through parts that were set in the past – especially during the timeskip that has occured between From Cold Ashes Risen. Sometimes that bouncing between timelines can reduce the tension, but not here because Hayes wove details and clues throughout both that are integral to the unfolding events. Honestly, to keep that tension right up towards the end is a work of art in and of itself, and the climax – which I will not spoil because oh boy do you need to experience that moment for yourself – not only brought that to an edge of the seat, jaw-dropping crescendo but left tantalising hints for what is to come.

Sins of the Mother has taken The War Eternal in a new direction, and has done so in spectacular fashion and has left me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how things will play out in the final book. This series and Hayes’ writing are constantly going from strength to strength, and I honestly cannot recommend The War Eternal strongly enough. All I can say is that now is the perfect time to get into this series, and there’s enough time to devour the first three before the Sins of the Mother comes out – and why not preorder that one while you’re at it?

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Difficult to write a review for a 4th book in a series. I personally loved it bc I am this far invested in Eska and her story. Others might not see a growth or action if expecting.

This one focuses on Eska and her children more than anything.
Her mistakes in the past and where they led all of them.
Also its more often than not that myths are created and they grow and grow to sth they are not and the pple the myths are about have no way to stop what they started.
we see more of the world and its different races as well.

Overall another great book in the series. The END OMG!!
Cannot wait for the next one to continue.

Narration, again, was outstanding. I read the physical and listened to the audio as well .. Moira Quirk is absolutely amazing in her character voices and general narration.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The War Eternal is epic fantasy candy. It's all the epic fantasy goodness you want without pretending to be artsy, literary, or genre-redefining, but it's solid, well plotted, and not Young Adult despite Eskara beginning the series as a teenager.

Throughout the series, Eskara has been narrating her life's story in hindsight, from the perspective of her older, more jaded self. Now we have finally reached that older, jaded person. Eskara is in her 40s, but looks and feels even older thanks to chronomancy. Physically, she's an old woman. She's been imprisoned in an underground pit, come back from the dead, been possessed by a supernatural incarnation of fear, spent months being tortured in a dungeon, given birth twice, fought gods, and ruled a little empire of her own as queen.

When Sins of the Mother opens, she's living under an assumed name as a village wise woman. She's run away from her throne, and none of her neighbors know she is the legendary "Corpse Queen." Of course this doesn't last; her friends come looking for her, because her daughter has gone missing and apparently has started a doomsday cult.

Two stories run in parallel here; Eskara narrating her current quest, in which she tracks down her errant daughter, and narrating the past ten years and how she went from renegade to queen to living incognito as a hermit.

The current quest has the feeling of one last hurrah, as Eska allies with old friends and new frenemies. We know it's going to end epically and in tragedy. We also see Eska becoming more vulnerable, more wise, as all her past mistakes and terrible deeds come back to haunt her. Her body and soul are both scarred, she has learned to love as fiercely as she ever learned to hate, and yet she's still the hot-tempered, brash, bad-ass she's always been. She is still capable of wrecking shit just because someone looked at her funny.

I have been impressed throughout the series with Rob Hayes's worldbuilding, as he continues to build up his cosmology and magic system in a methodical, logical way, and he keeps scaling this up. He also ties a lot of threads together, some of which were begun the first book. There is a lot of impressive long-term plotting. Sins of the Mother does not disappoint; this isn't just another boss-fight with Eskara showing off her sorcery. The ending is a truly epic climax, and unlike the previous book, it ends on something of a cliffhanger, like the first two books.

Fifth book and final book remaining!

[A Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are moments throughout this series where I have wanted to shake a character–mostly just Eska–and lecture them about thinking before they act. The delicious frustration of knowing things are going to get worse before they get better is a constant, as is trusting Eska to do the wrong thing for the right reasons.

Time and distance haven't changed our favourite sourcerer, but they have mellowed her a little and I found that I could finally, and properly, connect with Eska. She's extremely passionate and throws herself completely into everything she does–particularly when it comes to protecting loved ones–but now she at least makes an effort to understand the situation and begins to trust the opinions/knowledge of others to help guide and influence her decisions. I love this about her, and love the maturity that has come with motherhood – or should I say mothering.

Although she doesn't readily and outwardly admit her faults, we get to know Eska well enough to know that she has many regrets, and she carries the guilt of being responsible for many wasted lives. I felt her pain and her joy more in this book than in the previous three, she's no less tough, but she is a little less callous and impetuous. And that, for me, is possibly the highlight of this book, well that, and, all the grimfunny moments Hayes manages to give us.

An awesome book, thoroughly enjoyed it.

[David Biondi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man so glad I did a reread of the first 3 books. It’s nice to be back! This book was just as good as the others and I can’t wait to see how this all turns out!

[Miriam Michalak · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Blimey - some mother's do have 'em" was my thought when reading this latest instalment of the The War Eternal. Mind you with a mother like Eska you sure as shit aren't gonna be an accountant with 2.5 & a mortgage.

We find Eska, who has left her queendom to it, changed her name, living/hiding in a remote village. She's as snarky & irritated by the world as ever and it was a joy (and a teeny bit of a struggle to start with - she's not the easiest of protagonists :) ) to become reacquainted with her. But the legacy of the Corpse Queen isn't going to lie down and die. When an old acquaintance turns up, Eska is dragged back into the world to find out what is causing scars in reality to open letting in other world creatures.

So once again she's off battling demons both outside & in.

Rob J Hayes, whilst giving us an absolutely storming "Save the World" story full of tension, betrayals, death, gods & monsters and those who make them, also manages to explore subjects such as depression, anxiety, nature v nurture & family relationships. Highly recommended!

[K.D. Marchesi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good heavens it was good to be back in Eskara Helesene's head .. I don't know what that says about me as a person.

The Corpse Queen has been in hiding for years. Fleeing everything she has ever known, her power, her friends and her own daughter for some semblance of a normal and peaceful life. She should have known it was too good to be true.

When rifts open letting in monsters from the otherworld a little too close to home, Eska starts to question who could possibly have enough power to do so. She it left with one answer. Her own flesh and blood, Siri. The daughter, who has now gone missing.

Teaming up with old friends, the hunt is on to stop her child before it is too late and the second cataclysm takes them all.

My favourite things about this series is the way Hayes can make me chuckle in some awful circumstances. The brutal humour is so well placed and had me shaking my head at Eska's antics. She has got to be one of the most likeable/unlikable anti heroes I have ever come across and this book was true to form.

[Julia Sarene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 4 in the series, a little bit less (though still plenty) dark with Eska little bit more mature, Sins of the Mother is still full of action, fights and monsters!

I loved hearing more about her life after becoming the Corpse Queen, and boy could I relate to her starting to feel her age. I loved seeing her still decidedly being a hot headed menace, but with more knowledge and experiences also comes more control - until there's people you love involved....

I really enjoyed this version of Eska, and again breezed through the book, despite it being a bit slower.

There's some deep emotional sucker punches here - I highly recommend having comfort food at hand.

The end left me ever craving more, especially as we get to meet some recurring characters throughout the story!

[BoiledJellyfish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great installment to the War Eternal series! I was not imagining the direction this story went and it felt a little post main plot from the ending of book 3 but I really appreciate the character work and just how diverse Eska is as a main character compared to everyone else I've ever read about. The ending to this installment is probably the best in the series and I'm now going straight to book 5

[༶ Laura ༶ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolut crazy. Ich war die ganze Zeit gefesselt und hab mitgerätselt, was denn passieren wird. Und das Ende war sowas von geil.

[Ruben Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really is great. Best of the series so far. More coherent review to follow once I calm down from the ending.

More coherent review: If it wasn't clear from the 5 stars, I really liked this book. It picks up a long time after the previous book ends, which at first I was unsure about, but it quickly got rid of my doubts. The story is fast paced, interesting and the characters (mainly Eska for obvious PoV reasons) are great. The ending was mental and truly epic, in every sense of the word.

For anyone looking to read a good dark series written in first person PoV I would suggest picking this up. Also if you like your main characters angry... Eska's the PoV you want.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Probably my least favorite book out of the series. I missed some of the characters from the first 3 books and just didn't really care too much about the arcing plotline...but I love Eska and will follow her on any journey.

[Mel Lenore · Rating 3 out of 5]

High 3 star. I still love Eska, the world, and the magic system Hayes created. However, I found myself a bit bored with this one. There is a long time jump and a sharp turn from the focus of the previous 3 books. This one is much more focused on Eska as a mother and her family. I'm not a huge fan of mother focused stories in general, but this one really beat that horse. Every other page seemed to be talking about the same regrets Eska had and how she handled or didn't handle things as a mom. The plot, which I quite liked, felt secondary. Things really did pick up at the end, and I'm very curious to see how everything plays out with Eska and her daughter after the events at the end of the story. Still very enjoyable, but the focus just wasn't in a place that appealed to me here.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

As my year of The Rob continues I queued up The Sins of the Mother by Rob J. Hayes for the month of July. This series continues to be great. Not only the story that Rob has put together but I simply love the narration by Moira Quirk. Eska continues to exude so much emotion in this books. I don't know if I'm so connected to this character and story because I'm the complete opposite or not. However, I'm enjoying this journey so much!

The pacing continues to flow well for me. The beginning of this one did seem a bit slower as we get to know the current situation with Eska and her children. Once that was out of the way though, the suspense and action really ramps up throughout the rest of this one. Still no issues with names or Rob's writing style, which seems to fit my reading preferences very well.

The world building continues to expand in details along with a bit of scope in this title. The way this story comes back around from earlier books in the series just really worked well for me in seeing how this world continues to evolve, yet remain with some of the same struggles as we first witnessed.

The character development in The Sins of the Mother is probably it's strongest aspect. With the introduction of Eska's children, their relationships with her and each other is one thing. Then you toss into the mix Imiko and the various gods and we see some true growth not just in this book but in the series overall at this point. The ending of book four was just amazing to see unfold. The emotions once again are tremendous. We get a feeling of triumph but then heartbreaking moments as well.

I still have one more book left in this series and it's currently slated for August of this year. I'm looking forward to see how this series wraps up.

This deep into the series, it's hard to recommend beyond someone who is also this far along. I'll just say if you liked the first couple of books, then just keep working through these as they are just as good if not better.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eska is 20 years older but feels much older than that since the Chronomancy source aged her. But she’s been living fairly contentedly and in obscurity.
The chapters alternate between now and the past so we see how she settled in Wrysom. Also we learn about her second daughter, Sirileth, and how she is an a child and now as a young woman. And will we learn more about the “death” of her first born, Kento?
The journey that leads to the Second Cataclysm seems to be the fault of Sirileth. How can this be? She seems to have even more strength and superior powers to Eska. How will this event be averted?
As per usual you can trust **no one!**
Betrayals are all around.
An enormous life changing battle happens at the end and what will come next?

[Frank Dorrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable, I've been waiting for more Eska since I finished reading the War Eternal trilogy in 2020.

Eska's back, but with a few more wrinkles, and a younger version of herself scurrying about. A natural progression of the series, I love how Rob has expanded upon the lore with this tome, something I was a big fan of from the first 3.

The character progression from the end of the initial trilogy felt also natural, like we're picking off at the exact point where Eska’s moody rambling’s left off in book 3 and several times through reading I found myself snorting and thinking 'makes sense'.

Overall, I would argue this is the best entry to the series so far. Very much looking forward to book 5 dropping and wrapping it up!

[Darren McGowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars

Huge fan of Mr Hayes, his creative concepts and characterization are spot on and always interesting. This book turned out to be very good, the beginning was boring. The first half was set up for a new reader to the series. There was Alot of retelling of backstory and rehashing of feelings. Once we got through that and into the plot, terrific. Looking forward to the next installment.