"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n."

-John Milton, Paradise Lost

I start with that quote because it best describes the overall theme of this installment of the Elementas Series. As the title implies, War of the Gods is all about war, but Haley Anna Marie shows a good understanding of how wars are won not on the battlefield, but in the mind. The psychological powerplays that are part and parcel of this book are more dramatic than the battlefield confrontations, which are more of a backdrop for the story as opposed to its focal point.

Additionally, despite the fact that there are six distinct kingdoms at war, Marie does a great job of portraying the whole scenario with grace and economy and not bogging us down in extraneous worldbuilding. This would have been easy to do given that this book is set centuries after the first, and assiduous worldbuilding is also arguably expected due to the Game of Thrones-esque set up. Some might argue that she leans too hard into elemental tropes with her naming conventions, but I don't find it worth lowering my review over because she doesn't take herself too seriously in that aspect. The fact that the Terrari military is named the Seismic Forces had me chuckling and was a sure sign of this. Finally, it must not be forgotten that some of the seminal authors of grimdark, such as Michael Moorcock and Robert E. Howard, did not actually go that deep into the workings of their fictional kingdoms. They instead let their imagery spur the reader's imagination. That is what Marie does here.

As with her previous book, Marie provides excellent characterization by capitalizing on the beloved trope from Greek (and also Norse) mythology that the gods are mortals wrought large; they are emotional and flawed beings. As such, the events in the book are interpreted differently by the individual points of view we see in the book, and all are valid within the context of each particular character's mind. This also provides ample space to show how events could have turned out better, which is a major part of putting the "grim" in grimdark.

The last thing I have to say about this book is that Marie organically works in the final plot twist from book one. (If you know, you know; if you don't, go read it right now.) This is particularly worth noting because it would have been easy to make it the focal point of the book while still fitting the title. Instead, its elegantly layered in beneath the main plot, and it is humanized and harmonized well.

And that's it! I'm looking forward to book three.

I will be honest I didn't like this story as much as I did Yamay. It is still wonderful storytelling and kept me engaged until the end. The characters are realistic and relatable. Even though I was irritated with Garan I understood where he was coming from. I still think he's an idiot. Isn't that the mark of an excellent writer? To craft a character that annoys you even as you totally understand why they are being idiots?

I am definitely interested in reading the rest of the series. Highly recommend but don't go into this thinking you'll get a cozy happy ending.

One of my favorite qualities of good fiction is when, without being derivative or contrived, it carries subtle implications and commentary on matters of philosophy, politics, social theory, and the human condition in general. Elementas: War Of The Gods is such a book, as many aspects of the war scenario are very reminiscent of certain current events, and the relations between the elemental races can be seen in terms of geopolitical and ideological concerns.

Whereas the prior book in this series, Elementas: Yamay, was more of a textual biopic (or dare I say case study) of the main character in a personal and intimately visceral view, this sequel paints a much broader picture of the realm (and its uniquely varied inhabitants) Yamay created after achieving immortality, setting the stage for future installments in the series.

I will resist the urge to speculate too much about the main villain in this story, but suffice it to say he is a truly loathsome character and the whole time reading I kept thinking “just kill him off already, that would solve everything!” It was hard for me to find sympathy for him at all, and this too betrays my own biases. But just like in real life the lesson is learned by taking the long and difficult path, and in this case it seems that an object-lesson was created for future generations in the Elementas realm, albeit with some extreme pendulum-swing counter-reactions as hinted in the very last chapter.

The juxtaposed perspectives of the Lihtari and Dharkeri offer an interesting view into the nature of ideology - despite the tendency to view light and darkness (or more generally, “us” and “them”) and their respective qualities as polar opposites, they are absolutely not symmetrical, and it is this asymmetry of difference which the author explores via the main character interactions. This is not a simplistic thing to either weave or unravel, and I enjoyed the more subtle nuances between the characters which showed how they are unconsciously beholden to their species’ identity as well as compelled in certain ways to transgress it. This is an all-too-human characteristic, as each of us is similarly beholden to the various structures which contain us, and we not infrequently seek to step outside of these self-made categories.

All in all, War Of The Gods was a very engaging page-turner, and I’m greatly looking forward to the upcoming volume.

’Til death do us part…it’s a landing we mortals can rarely stick, so what are the chances for immortal gods? Hmmm…it’s getting pretty grimdark in here…

Odious Prince Mortyn, Keeper of Light and king-who-is-barely-in-waiting of the Lihtari, engages in a series of scurrilous acts borne of impatience, ambition, and greed, enraging Goddess Yamay and prompting her to decisive action to protect the Dharkeri, the race to which she belonged in her former mortal life, despite hers and Garan’s vows to remain neutral in such matters. Mortyn can barely disguise his contempt for the Dharkeri, and Yamay won’t allow the race to fall victim to genocide. God Garan, on the hand, remains committed to his promise of neutrality, and Yamay quickly tires of his maddening complacency, perceiving it as a personal betrayal, and in no time at all, the battle lines are drawn.

The War of the Gods is ON…

Exceedingly grim tale is nonetheless captivating as Haley Anna Marie keeps the action fast and furious—emphasis on furious. NO ONE makes an entrance like an enraged Yamay, something you would think Mortyn would learn, but his entire M.O. is bluster and braggadocio, barking orders and bullying Garan into being his unwitting accomplice and generally making things worse in every conceivable way. I found myself extraordinarily frustrated with ALL of the main characters in one way or another. Yamay’s quest for vengeance deafens her ears to reason while Garan’s spine seems to have entirely disappeared somewhere between the first book and this one, and all the while, hateful, loathsome Mortyn keeps right on stirring the pot—and still, it was all so compelling, I couldn’t take my eyes off the trainwreck unfolding in slow motion before me. It was sort of like the Real House Goddesses and Gods of Elementas…

I’ll be the first to confess that grimdark ain’t my thang, but this unhappily ever after was told with a conviction you can’t help but appreciate, and my only real issue was a carryover (and expansion) of what I noted in my review of the first book: the overuse of not one but two simple words (in this book) that would lead to alcohol poisoning if their utterance were to become a drinking game. I won’t say what they are because, hey, maybe it’s just me, and maybe I’m just looking for extra opportunities to drink…who can say? But I WILL say that if you’re not against a little darkness and despair—or perhaps a lot of it—this is definitely a series worth checking out.

Two down, four to go…

Elementas: War of the Gods by Haley Anna Marie is the continuation of Yamay’s story. I thoroughly enjoyed Yamay and was looking forward to reading the sequel.

The story starts off introducing a new character and bringing the reader immediately into HAM’s grimdark world of the Elementas. HAM then jumps into the immortal world of Yamay and Garan and their involvement with their mortals. This sets the tone for the war that is about to ensue.

War of the Gods starts off strong, bringing the reader into the realm of the Elementas and how Yamay and Garan interact with their creations. Conflict and suspense hold the spotlight in the beginning. As the story continues, things settle down a bit and it becomes more of a slow burn. It does eventually pick back up in the latter part of the book. The story and the pace pull the reader into this dark world. HAM throws some twists into it that may upset some readers, but that’s what good writing is about.

Although I think Yamay was a better story which kept me not wanting to put the book down from beginning to end, War of Gods did hold its own, even during the slower parts. And the ending keeps the reader wanting more. Looking forward to HAM’s next book in the series.

💜⚡️⚔️🦉 Book 2 - Grimdark Fantasy - Slow burn - The Realm of Elementas consists of humanoid races based on the elements - Tale of war, heartbreak, and strength - Captivating, complex characters - Many twists & turns - Will definitely be reading Book 3

🐉❄️🔥🐦‍⬛ - 5⭐️

It’s hard to know where to begin with this book. I guess we can start with addressing the author’s penchant for the darkness and the grit. It’s there in this book—BIG TIME and so is her gripping and unpredictable story telling. Of course, if you’ve read book 1, you know what happened with Yamay and Garan at the end and you know all of the horror and atrocity Yamay endured. We get a different kind of trauma in this book. We get the trauma associated with war and genocide and we see—I’ll try to be as cryptic and non-spoilery as I can—everything we thought we achieved and strove for in book 1 completely annihilated and out the window in this book. It was an ever-plunging emotional rollercoaster of hope, sadness, and hurt. The characters are very polarizing. You’ll either love or hate several of the focal characters of this book you’ll take sides. We also step into the egotistical theater of empathy and love corrupted by hate and anger. As I read, I kept hoping something would give and things would be mended, but the further you go, the further from that we stray. And even in the epilogue, we aren’t spared from suffering and abuse. This book leaves you guessing at every chapter just like the first. I thought it was better than the first. The scope and scale increases drastically and if book 1 was a climb to the top of a mountain, this book is the falling off of that mountain. I can’t wait for 3 to be done.

War of the Gods was as tragic as I expected. When you read beyond the first book of a grimdark series, you should expect no less. While it could be debated whether or not the first book, Yamay, ended in tragedy, expect it to be undisputed here.

From the beginning we see the seeds of retribution and war taking their place when innocent lives are taken in the cruelest of ways. You will immediately find yourself calling for wrathful violence that only a goddess like Yamay will be quick to deliver.

But war is always a twisted monster, and the ways it consumes and contorts the characters soon becomes apparent. Lines are crossed that you might plead to leave unbroken, but the strings of choices let us know that those outcomes are inevitable.

Regardless of how characters made me swear at them, (a good sign, by the way) the Elementas Series continues to be highly engaging and emotionally gripping. Reading more than the last half in a single day should speak the worthy grimdark fantasy volumes for readers. I lost track of most of my day, and it was worth it. Keep it coming, Marie. I’ll be looking forward to it!

I finished this today, a solid 4 stars, which I class as very good.

I must admit that I found it a little difficult to get into at first, but once I did, I read the majority in a few sittings. There is a lot packed in with introducing the new races, and the new world. Nonetheless, it soon beds in and is all very engaging.

It is pretty grim and unrelentingly so, but then it is Grimdark in terms of genre, so no surprises there! 😉 I found myself increasingly disliking Garan, but that's the sign of a well written character! The character development with Yamay is really well done, complex and multi-faceted.

The story and plot isn't overly complicated in overall terms, but is nonetheless engaging with plenty of twists. The character development is where the book shines, believable and well fleshed out. The editing is great, which can otherwise be distracting with some indie authors.

My personal preference would have been for a shorter book, nothing was superfluous as such, but there were times I found myself skimming it a bit, but I went back to re-read. That's probably more though my preference for action as opposed to dialogue.

I preferred the first book in some ways, which was excellent. I wouldn't say book two was a let down by any means.

All in all, really well done and I look forward to the next book!