Priest of Crowns by Peter McLean

'Praise be to Our Lady of Eternal Sorrows, and blessed be the Ascended Martyr.' Those were the words on lips of the faithful: Blessed be the Ascended Martyr, and woe betide you if you thought otherwise. The word Unbeliever had become a death sentence on the streets in those days. Gangster, soldier, priest. Governor, knight, and above all, Queen's Man. Once, Tomas Piety looked after his men, body and soul, as best he could. Then those who ran his country decided his dark talents would better serve in the corridors of power. Crushed by the power of the Queen's Men and with the Skanian menace rising once more on the streets of Ellinburg, Tomas Piety is forced to turn to old friends, old debts and untrustworthy alliances. Meanwhile in the capital city of Dannsburg, Dieter Vogel is beginning to wonder if the horror he has unleashed in the Martyr's Disciples might be getting out of control. With revolution brewing and tragedy and terrorism running rife in the cities, Piety and Vogel must each weigh the cost of a crown.

What an ending! Peter McLean has given the resolution that everyone deserved here, bittersweet and uncomfortable as it is. I have read few series that have managed the landing as well as this one!

The War for the Rose Throne is not praised any where near enough - easily one of the top series I have had the pleasure of reading in the last couple of years. The insidiousness of power and allusions to real life corruption saturate story. And whilst the characters are frequently morally bankrupt you cannot help but cheer them on. Gritty, dark and visceral, this story needs to be read by all lovers of the darker end of fantasy. Tomas Piety is an antihero for the ages, his moral compass definitely a bit screwed up but entirely understandable and relatable.

I do not want to give away anything from the story here, all I can say is YOU SHOULD READ THESE BOOKS!

Thank you to Netgally for the arc.

Who would have thought that I would be crying over this book?
Not me

This story holds such a strong voice that I can't help but be sucked in.

It starts off much the same as the other books and I did expect it to be a little more than gang fighting but I also enjoy the gang fights.

The characters and their relationships are well crafted for people who have suffered and aren't the best of people. It's the characters that drive this story, on the decisions however bad they make. I love the messy relationships and the connection Tomas Piety has with his adoptive son Billy.

It's nice to see on page how veterans deal with the war and PTSD or as it's said in this book Battle Shock.
I have never suffered with anything of the sort but it came across off page as real and I feel for Tomas for suffering with it. The understanding of others and also the shame around it too.

The ending held a suspense for me and I almost saw it coming. I knew someone was going to betray someone and things were going to go tits up and I was right. It was still fun to read.

But oh how I cried at the end. A bittersweet ending for Tomas Piety