I had a really hard time getting through this book, and I can’t figure out why. Our story starts with Field Marshall Tamas having just headed a coup to remove the royal family of Adro, and their cabal of magicians. Tamas is a different kind of mage – powder mage in this case, and the different kinds of magic introduce all kinds of prejudice and intrigue.
It’s a really interesting story – we have a cast of characters in Tamas’ orbit that have helped him with the coup and now with the aftermath of trying to rule. And they are all flawed as hell. There is no right or wrong, or truly a good side to be on. Everyone has an agenda. And where things get interesting is when the gods that most people had pretty much stopped believing in suddenly come back into play.
It’s great world building. I finished the book because I genuinely wanted to see what happened next. I just wish I could figure out why this felt like such a slog to get through.