Ben Styke’s invasion of Dynize is curtailed when a storm scatters his fleet. Coming ashore with just twenty lancers, he is forced to rely on brains rather than brawn – gaining new allies in a strange land on the cusp of its own internal violence.

Bereft of her sorcery and physically and emotionally broken, Lady Vlora Flint now marches on Landfall at the head of an Adran army seeking vengeance against those who have conspired against her. While allied politicians seek to undo her from within, she faces insurmountable odds and Dynize’s greatest general.

Well, shit.

Here we are. Finishing a trilogy is always such a complex feeling, especially when it’s one you’ve enjoyed completely. And as I’ve mentioned in my reviews for the first two books in Brian McClellan’s Gods of Blood and Powder trilogy, I’ve still got all the Powder Mage novellas waiting for me, which is great. But Blood of Empire is (so far as I’m aware) the last novel set in this world, which is a bummer.

But anyhow…this is the part where if you haven’t read the Powder Mage trilogy and the first two books in Gods of Blood and Powder, you should show yourself out.

BEWARE THE SPOILERS!!!

Because of the scope of the story that McClellan is telling over the course of the three books, and because each book is limited to three POVs (Lady Vlora Flint, Mad Ben Styke, and Michel Bravis), it was inevitable that some beloved secondary characters were going to be sort of…side-questing in the finale. And it’s this weird feeling because, like…McClellan uses this to greatly affect the story & the main characters, but you can’t help but miss some of the secondary ones.

All that said, this trilogy features three incredibly strong POV characters, and I just love them all.

I made no secret of how Ben Styke had really stolen the show for me (especially with Wrath of Empire), and he continued to do so here. Ben & his Mad Lancers find themselves in enemy territory, with a mere fraction of their number available. This forces out a side of his character that we really haven’t seen…one that has to put his safety in the hands of others, instead of just charging into battle in a blind rage. It’s a really interesting arc for Ben in this one!

And Vlora…oof. She’s in bad shape after the events of Wrath of Empire…like, really fucking bad shape. You really get the sense that there is absolutely no quit in this woman, as she just keeps grinding & pushing forward, when most people would collapse. She also stages one of the most thrilling attacks I’ve ever read in a fantasy novel…just a harrowing & nightmarish sequence that really stays with you.

And Michel continues to do whatever needs doing to bring some sense of peace & order to Landfall, with Ka-Sedial seemingly hellbent on securing the godstones for his nefarious purposes. Michel & Ichtracia make such a great pair…and oh god, we get a much greater sense of the INSANE (and horrifying) power that Ichtracia has as a Privileged.

Truly, some of the character arcs over the course of the six Powder Mage novels are just staggering, Ka-Poel’s and Taniel’s especially. It’s just wild to think about where these two characters started out, and where they ended up. And Ka-Poel will always be a favorite of mine…there’s just something about her…she’s totally enigmatic & terrifying, but she also has this kind of mischievous side to her personality that’s so endearing. And the dynamics between Ben, Celine, and Ka-Poel really wound up being one of my favorite aspects of these last two books.

Blood of Empire is an incredibly strong & satisfying end to a truly epic trilogy. This world that Brian McClellan created always felt so vast to me, and we really get to explore so much of it in the Gods of Blood and Powder trilogy. If Blood of Empire is really the last we see of this world, then McClellan definitely stuck the landing. Me, I’m over here crossing my fingers & toes for a Powder Mage adaptation of some kind, because I think that would kick all kinds of ass, and this vivid world really deserves that kind of audience.

Huge thanks to Orbit for sending me a copy for review!!