Priest of Gallows

There is an intrinsic cleverness to the way the War for the Rose Throne has evolved over its 3 books so far. Whilst Priest of Bones was fantasy Mafia on a gang level, now with Priest of Gallows we have evolved into a full on Mafia state and it is fascinating and horrifying to watch at the same time. The structures which have been set up have a horrifying believability to them - you can kind of see examples of how they have been used by people seeking power in real life at times. And the sheer Machiavellian mastery of it all is brilliant.

Tearing back the levers of state we see how much is controlled by the Queen's Men. Tomas may be a Queen's Man but he has not been fully initiated into the organization. When the Queen dies and the succession begins the Queen's Men are called into action to leverage their influence. Succession as a gang war ensues. But are the Queen's Men really what they seem?

The War for the Rose Throne is one of those gems that has flown a bit under the radar. This is such a clever twist on fantasy and it truly deserves more recognition!