Description: One battle is over, but the war has just begun. They escaped the Five Realms and have found a home, but peace is much harder to find. The aftermath of the Battle of Sarikar should have been a time to mourn those lost in the slaughter. The enemies of Armania are many, however, and when one steps back to regroup, another surges forward in attack.
While the remnant must take responsibility for the evil they brought to Er'Rets, it would seem that something just as dark already existed in this new world. The growing struggle between Armania and Barthel Rogedoth is but a pale reflection of a far more dangerous battle for the souls of humanity.
And so begins this awe-inspiring conclusion to Jill Williamson's Kinsman Chronicles. The Hadar family and their allies prepare to make one final stand in the name of Arman. There shall be war--in Er'Rets and in the Veil--to vanquish evil or be ruled by darkness.
My Thoughts: One thing I always wondered after reading From Darkness Won was how well Achan' people responded to his rule after his coronation, due to his youth and his not having been raised as a prince. King's War goes into this with Trevn, though this young Sâr has a greater uphill battle to wage for his people's loyalty, especially since so few trust and serve the will of Arman. But he also has to overcome his own unpreparedness and the newness of blood voicing magic, something Achan's people had a lot of experience with by the time his story came about.
The number of POV characters this time around was a little bit of an issue for me. Some of my favorite characters, like Sir Kalenek and Hinck, did not appear as often as I would have liked them too, while characters like Qoatch had more page time than I would have liked. But, that seems to be the way of epic fantasy, and I don't begrudge the depth of narrative achieved through some of my least favorite characters.
I am so happy that Jill dove into the history of Armania and the origin of its magic system. Though I'm not fully convinced that every connection between the two series was made as well as I had hoped, I am still pleased with the depth of history and world building (And kind of hoping now for a trilogy that would even predate this one, going into the history of how Armania fell away from worship of Arman alone and how the five realms came to be). This series will never trump that of the Blood of Kings, but it is a good read of its own and one that I am glad to have added to my shelves.
I have provided an honest review after having received a copy of the book from the author.
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