Reviewed by PizzyGirl
TITLE: Ummana
SERIES: Gods of War: Book 3
AUTHOR: Xenia Melzer
PUBLISHER: DSP Publications
LENGTH: 294 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 4, 2017
BLURB:
In war, loss is the price of victory, and the cost of love is sometimes pain.
After Renaldo and Casto finally celebrate their marriage, the time has come for revenge against the followers of the Good Mother who tried to kill Casto—though this time, the gods of war won’t use bloodshed to take Medelina.
As a member of the Confederation of the Plains, Medelina answers to Ummana, the head of the alliance… and Casto is heir to the throne of Ummana. Accompanied by their most capable mercenaries, Canubis and Renaldo travel to Ummana to make Casto king.
They’ll face the Council of Elders; Lord Aran, Casto’s father; and Princess Anesha, Casto’s sister—none of whom are happy about the king’s return. For Casto, the city is a reminder of a terrible childhood, and Renaldo can only helplessly watch his beloved fight a seemingly hopeless battle.
Through trickery and political scheming, vengeance against the Good Mother is finally within their grasp—but their success might be bittersweet. Not everyone will return to the Valley with Casto and Renaldo.
REVIEW:
Book 3 in this series is very different from the previous two. Yet it is also very similar. What I mean by that is that the world and the characters and motivations are still present and so very like before. The relationships are still as tense and sexual as ever. But the structure and the plot was not nearly the same.
In book 3, the story felt very episodic, more like a tv series rather than the epic tale I have compared it to in the past(which by the way I would totally support this being made into a tv series). The story felt as if it were comprised of a bunch of smaller scenes, each giving a bit of history or explaining politics, or setting up the future. This book is that middle section that is very very slow to progress but is necessary to really bring together a lot of the missing elements from the previous 2 books and to set the reader up well for the next story which promises to be much more action packed.
I have to admit I struggled more that I would have liked getting through this story. The structure and the bouncing around often made things confusing and after a while, I was a bit annoyed with always feeling like I was two steps behind everyone and every action. The politics were at the forefront and made for a game I didn’t know the rules to and personally struggled to grasp, even after they were explained, well kind of explained. I got so tired of all the bowing and scraping and trying to get people to see your view without giving their view any consideration.
However, I am still so enamored of this series because the world is just so fantastic and the characters are in my blood, especially Casto and Sic. Can I just tell you that I cried big ugly tears more than once on behalf of these men and if I could, I would take Sic home with me and never let anyone or anything cause him pain ever again! These two men could easily become my world and I was ECSTATIC when Noran got his what for and is in pain. I know I sound vengeful but I hope is heart withers and rots for everything he ever did to Sic. I am a bit worried about the path the story seems to be taking with the Sic and Noran storyline, but I am reserving judgement until book 4 is out. I personally hope Sic rules the world and tortures everyone who ever let him down!
I loved that Ummana was such a different place from the valley. The new cast of characters was a breath of fresh air and a break from the harsh reality that is the Valley. I loved that there was more than just lust and sex and power games. It was a much welcomed changed and only served to highlight the differences in this huge world the author has created.
And I want to finish this by giving mad props to the author. This is a HUGE series with TONS of intricacies and details and so much imagination and heart. That each story is consistent while also bringing things to the next level shows a wealth of talent and imagination and I am in love and so eager for the next book. Kudos to Ms. Melzer for this FABULOUS series.
RATING: 
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