Gates of the Dead | James A. Moore

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

In this final installation of The Tides of War series, Brogan McTyre is ready to take on the gods. He has been granted the ability to physically touch them, meaning he can harm and kill them. Unfortunately, the journey to the land of the gods is long and treacherous. With what few allies he has, he must find his way there and face off against the many, many opponents in the way. The undying He-Kisshi, the army of Torema (or what's left of it), and so much more. 

Review:

When I finally get the time to sit down and reread this trilogy I am going to put on headphones and listen to heavy metal the whole time because I feel like that's the only thing that was missing. This book was a wonderful ending to the violent, no-holds-barred, sometimes stomach-churning trilogy that is The Tides of War. 

Moore has done a delightful job of keeping us informed about the fates of each character. Even some of the ones that I thought were more minor in the beginning ended up playing their role in the finale. Even the dead played their part! I was so happy about all of these story lines being completed, even if I wasn't always happy with how. 

I was also very intrigued by Myridia's story. Watching her relationship to her gods change throughout the trilogy has been an interesting read. The personal struggle she goes through between her faith and her will to survive as her gods prove themselves to be going crazy is delicately handled. The reactions her sisters have to her shakiness and her own realization of her doubts are well written. 

There are some "prerequisites" to reading this. You will need to have read the first two books. Additionally, it's not for anyone who gets squeamish easily. That being said, I don't know if I've been desensitized a bit or if Moore reduced the amount of blood and gruesomeness, but this last book didn't seem so bad. A lot of characters went through a lot of very descriptive pain, no question. But there just didn't seem to be quite as much in the torture aspect as the previous two books.

Of course, Moore's depiction of war is a very good read. He doesn't have the characters battle one enemy at a time. There's a swarm of enemies and the characters fight a swarm. It never feels like those scenes in a movie where a main character fights one enemy at a time. Stanna especially discusses the tactics involved in taking on a horde versus a single opponent. The fact that she's able to do both with her greatsword without having to sacrifice on dexterity is just incredible. 

This has been quite the trilogy. Gates of the Dead is a most fitting way to end it. I'm looking forward to rereading the trilogy with the appropriate background music and getting the full effect. I happily give 4.5 hoots!

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoo