Review :: The Gods of War & Darkness by Nattie Kate Mason

This week I had the pleasure of reading an early copy of Nattie Kate Mason’s brand new dark fantasy novel The Gods of War & Darkness, which is officially out this weekend. The Gods of War & Darkness is the sequel to The Goddess of Blood & Bone, providing an epic ending to Mason’s The Immortal Deities series. I’ve popped the synopsis for The Goddess of Blood & Bone below (I don’t want to give spoilers if you haven’t read that first book yet, but you can check out the synopsis for The God of War & Darkness over on Mason’s website here).

What is Nattie Kate Mason’s Immortal Deities series about?

With a heart as black as night, Nushka was born different to her kin. 

Banished by the Gods to rule over a realm of the Afterlife rife with eternal pain, she bides her time… and makes the Pitts of Moor her very own. 

In this dark place, free of morals and constraints, Agnes, a former princess, is delegated to Nushka’s harem of handmaidens. Faced with the choice of fulfilling the Queen of Moor’s every sinful desire, or enduring an eternity of pain, she does what she must to survive. 

Yearning for freedom, both wicked souls refuse to accept their dark fates… Together, they strike a bargain. Unlikely allies, with a deadly army of monsters at their backs. Should they succeed in their mission, unimaginable power will be theirs.

Should they fail, a fate worse than death awaits.

My review of The Gods of War & Darkness by Nattie Kate Mason

When I read The Goddess of Blood and Bone, back in January, I was surprised when I enjoyed it even more than I expected, and I’m happy to say that I thought The Gods of War & Darkness was a fantastic continuation of the story as well as a very satisfying ending to the duology. The book was action-packed and high stakes, with more than a few spicy scenes. I think it had a bit of a different vibe to the first book – while The Goddess of Blood & Bone was quite dark and maybe desperate (in a good way!), I felt like The Gods of War & Darkness felt more hopeful throughout, despite the protagonists facing some really difficult challenges.

I enjoyed the alternating perspectives, which give the reader an excellent view of how things are unfolding from several characters but without making the story feel disjointed at all. I found the character voices and situations different enough that there was no issue with keeping track of who was the focus at any time, and I especially liked the character art at the start of each chapter. I thought it was fun to have Agnes’ family as part of this final book in her story – they didn’t appear in The Goddess of Blood & Bone but are the central characters in Mason’s first series, The Crowning trilogy.

One of the things I really like about the characters in The Immortal Deities series was how no one is really completely “good” – the characters flaws, and their own acknowledgment of these issues, helped me connect and ‘side with’ different characters at different times. I also appreciated the variety of relationship types explored throughout both books – of course there is some romance, but the sibling bonds (and challenges) were also fun to read.

I really enjoyed this series and recommend it for fans of dark fantasy fiction, particularly if you are looking something with a healthy serve of spicy romance too!

Big congrats to Nattie Kate Mason on the release of this one!

xo Bron
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The Gods of War & Darkness by Nattie Kate Mason
Out now
Souce: I received a free ecopy for review, but have also pre-ordered a paperback copy which I paid for myself.
Category: Dark fantasy romance with some spicy scenes

The Gods of War & Darkness on Goodreads
Keep up with the latest from Nattie Kate Mason on her website here or Instagram account here.