Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Clashing Tempest
SERIES: Men of Myth #3
AUTHOR: Brandon Witt
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
RELEASE DATE: October 20, 2020
LENGTH: 712 pages
BLURB:
Finn de Morisco knows he is walking into a trap when he enters the Vampire Cathedral to rescue his sister Cynthia. Aided by Schwint and his other sister, Caitlin, he intends to free Cynthia and avoid enslavement. But when he confronts the master of the Voice that has tortured him, Finn faces a grim choice: compromise his soul or lose his family.
For centuries members of the Chromis tribe have disappeared, and Brett Wright is on a quest to discover the fate of the captive mers and to stop the abductions. Despite the risk of tribal warfare, he embarks on a dangerous ocean journey to find other mer tribes experiencing the same plight. When destiny brings him back to land, Brett encounters new allies and old dangers while coming to grips with the past.
(This is book three of three. It will be most enjoyed if read after Submerging Inferno and Rising Frenzy.)
REVIEW:
In this novel, we see Brett set on a mission to save his species, and Finn summoned to the Vampire Cathedral to save his sister. The two are destined to meet again. But lives are on the line, and the outcome for each character is not known.
Clashing Tempest is the last and longest of the three-novel series at a staggering 712 pages. It is long. But I was looking forward to finally discovering all the secrets that the paranormal world had to offer. The conclusion of the journey Finn and Brett had to travel, and the extent of the powers they’d amassed. In a nutshell – answers to the questions that had bugged me since the beginning of the series.
The story is told in the first and third person, depending on the specific character. There are similarities between the novels. The author’s preference for the word flinched, and some phrases come to the fore. Also, the use of terminology like ‘My brain kept’ and ‘My hands did’ are prevalent, suggesting autonomous body parts, although some instances had qualifiers.
From reading, it is obvious and subsequently confirmed by the author’s endnote that – during the process of writing, this story became a favorite. Love for the world and its characters oozes from every paragraph. It is also a danger for self-published works that there is little to hold an author back from putting into written form every aspect that is magicked within the creative process.
The story contains squabbling siblings, intimate sex, demons, witches, fairy’s, werewolves, memories of learning to drive, heartbreak, battles, fated mates, death, and destruction – I could go on. Indeed, the imagery and world-building throughout the series are among the best I’ve ever read. There’s more of the same in this novel, with the introduction of other merfolk, the vampire cathedral, and new characters. All the above was brilliant, except having already read two long books, I was eager to race to the finish to see if those I’d come to love/hate received the endings they deserved.
Caitlin, I loved – she was at her snarky best. Cynthia, too, comes into her own. Finn, I still wanted to slap and found myself rooting for the bad guys in their encounters with him. It got to a point when I was sure the words Finn and intelligence should not belong in the same sentence because he goes on investigative missions that bear no fruit, facts and magical muscle are generally provided by others, too. For me, at best, he was a distraction leaving everyone else to be the puppet masters. Brett was a badass sweetheart, and the more I read of Therin, the more I liked him.
In some areas, the word count could have been reduced. For example, a statement was made, followed by numerous lines of near-identical sentences for clarification. I get that no one wants to have the wrong interpretation, but the method of execution was a habit, and its effectiveness diminished, the more frequently it was used.
I can see some readers absolutely eating up this series, as it is not one to be read and moved on from; it is the kind to immerse yourself in and embrace. Regarding my personal reading tastes, for the first two novels, I was happy to sink into the characters, story, and world-building. By book three, I wanted answers, action with a smattering of world-building, and most of all, closure.
After three very long books, I got some answers and an ending that I considered to be ‘sort of’ closure. The doorway was left open for spin-offs where the continuance of Brett and Finn’s story could be an option. I get why the author wishes to return to the men of myth world – apparently after a few books of interval. But having immersed myself into this wonderful world of people and places that I loved, hated, and cried for, I craved clean endings that would leave me with warm fuzzies and satisfied. Instead, I was left feeling partially bereft – ready to turn demon.
Stories though are subjective, and my personal reading preferences can’t detract from the facts that, the world-building is first class and my emotions had one hell of a ride. So, if you are the kind of reader that loves to sink into a paranormal existence where the characters are far from perfect, the world all-encompassing, and at the end, hate to leave it, then this will take center stage on your shelf with the label more to come.
RATING: 
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