War

• Author: Laura Thalassa 
• Genre: Romance
• Publication Date: August 15, 2023
• Publisher: Bloom Books
• Series: The Four Horsemen #2

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: blood, murder, violence, gore, mention of death of a parent, grief, mention of suicide

They came to earth―Pestilence, War, Famine, Death―four horsemen riding their screaming steeds, racing to the corners of the world. Four horsemen with the power to destroy all of humanity. They came to earth, and they came to end us all. The day Jerusalem falls to the horsemen, Miriam Elmahdy knows her life is over. Houses are burning, the streets run red with blood, and a traitorous army is massacring her people. There is no surviving this, especially not once Miriam catches the eye of War himself. But when the massive and terrifying horseman corners Miriam, he calls her his heaven-sent wife, and instead of killing her, he takes her back to his camp. Now Miriam faces a terrifying future, helplessly watching her world burn town by town, and the one responsible for it is her seemingly indestructible “husband,” who refuses to let her go. But there’s another side to him, one that’s gentle and loving and set on winning her over, and she might not be strong enough to resist. However, if there’s one thing Miriam has learned, it’s that love and war cannot coexist. She must make the ultimate surrender to War and watch humankind fall, or sacrifice everything to stop him.

Okay, so I didn’t love Pestilence, but I figured I’d come back and see if the other horsemen could redeem their first brother. There were some definite differences that I noticed with this book, and I clearly enjoyed it more than the first, which several people commented and suggested might happen. 

I liked Miriam’s character right off the bat. Whoever she was before the horsemen came, it’s clear that she’s become a very different person now. But she’s still retained a great sense of sarcastic humor, and she’s adopted five simple rules for staying alive which have worked pretty well so far. Until she encounters War and her entire life changes, but not in the way she thinks—instead of killing her, War seems to think she’s meant to be his wife.

As Miriam tags along with War on his journey of death and destruction across the Middle East, she starts to see a different side of him. (Although if I see the phrase “violent, violent eyes” one more time, I may puke.) War may be a ruthless killer of entire cities, but he’s also super sweet and kind to Miriam. Much like in book 1, Miriam is torn between her desire for War and her disgust for what he does to humankind. Basically all of their fights are about this: Miriam wants War to compromise, and War refuses to.

One of the major changes in this book is the addition of some other things going on in the background, so that it isn’t just Miriam and War and his loyal steed traipsing around the desert. There’s some other subplots going on, and it made it a lot more enjoyable to read, keeping the tension and action relatively steady throughout the story. This was the kind of book that I enjoyed reading so much that I found it hard to put down. I was always curious about what would happen next, and I have to admit that I’m hoping the books just keep getting better!

People who have sat around with me while I’m reading, especially when there’s a surprising reveal, a shocking plot twist, or an unexpected event often look up in alarm when I gasp audibly. The gasp factor is directly related to the number of times I audibly gasp during a reading, and there isn’t an upper limit.

Gasp Factor: 8