Hey, writers and readers!
It’s not a good month without an indie novel or two. Today I’ll be reviewing Blood of Empire by Christina Ochs. This is the last book in her series and HOLY OH MY DAYS. Check out the review below and make sure to give your two cents in the comments section if you’ve already read the book, too!
Rating: 5 stars
Synopsis:
The final battle approaches—but the champion of light is dead. Though weakened by madness and imprisonment, Teodora is learning to control her demons. It’s time to gather the forces of darkness, and destroy those who stand in her way. Including her own daughter.
Caught between her mother and the brutal general Mattila, Elektra feels powerless to stop the evil forces surrounding her. Love makes her vulnerable and stronger than ever. Shaken by King Lennart’s death, the allies struggle to regroup. Will they be able to stop Teodora before she destroys everything? You’re in for a real trip as you open this conclusion to the epic Desolate Empire series.
What I Enjoyed:
As you could see from the introduction, I couldn’t believe that I finally finished this series. I mean, these are monolithic books and this book is #6. Och’s main strength is building up tension in each novel on different levels: the overall tension is “When is the evil Teodora gonna die?” Because she would rather die before surrendering, let’s just say that. But, in each book, there was a few smaller conflicts that had you guessing the whole time. For me, I was wondering this whole time if a) Elektra was going to survive long enough to be a hero, and b) if Maryna will get her wish and marry Anton.
Even though the war itself is so long, she steadily had me wondering and guessing what would happen throughout the novel. There were loose ends to wrap up even up until the final chapter. Some might call that torture, but Och is totally a Sheherazade in the way she paces her plot.
My Final Thoughts
If you’re a major fan of a full cast of well-developed characters, historical fiction, and Game of Thrones without as much violence or nudity, then you have to read this book. Likely, you’ll need to start from the very beginning, though. It’s worth the ride!
I hope I shared enough to still pique your curiosity without giving too much away. If you’d like to learn more about Christina Ochs and her work, you can catch up with her via social media:
Have you read this novel? Share with me in the comments! You can also see all of my other book reviews by checking our the Book Reviews tab.