After our experience with Pestilence, Brandee and I couldn’t wait to dive into War, the second book in the Four Horsemen series. We had a great time and our journey with War proved to be more exciting than the one we had with Pestilence. Read on and learn the reasons we believed War ticked all the boxes. You can find Brandee’s review at Unconventional Bookworms
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. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: War
Author(s): Laura Thalassa
Series: The Four Horsemen #2
Also in this series: Pestilence , Famine
Narrator(s): Susannah Jones
Published by Lavabrook Publishing on July 10, 2019
Pages: 502
Length: 15hrs 1min
Genre(s): Dystopian Romance
Source: Kindle Unlimited, Purchase
Format: Audiobook, eBook 
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
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The day Jerusalem falls, Miriam Elmahdy knows her life is over. Houses are burning, the streets run red with blood, and a traitorous army is massacring every last resident. 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 wife, and instead of killing her, he takes her back to his camp.
Now Miriam faces a terrifying future, one where she watches her world burn town by town, and the one man responsible for it all is her seemingly indestructible “husband”. But there’s another side to him, one that’s gentle and loving and dead 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. And so she must make the ultimate choice: surrender to War and watch humankind fall, or sacrifice everything and stop him.
Brandee: Okay, before I even cracked open my kindle to start War, I know it had BIG shoes to fill. We both loved Pestilence and were more than eager to continue the series but I was nervous. What if I didn’t like it as well? It turns out I needn’t have worried. 😉 What about you? Any pre-reading jitters?
Nadene: Yes! I had pre-reading jitters. I figured War would be hardcore and I expected the scenes to violent. The thing foremost on my mind was how Thalassa would portray the second horseman of the Apocalypse whose main purpose was to incite violence. Also, if he is anything like his brother Pestilence only a strong woman could have him reconsidering his mission. Well like you, my worries were for naught as Thalassa did an excellent job with War’s story.
Brandee: I mentioned this as we were reading but I appreciated Miriam as a heroine over Sara because she seemed to have experienced more strife in her life. Living in war-torn Jerusalem (New Palestine) as the daughter of a Jew and a Muslim couldn’t have been easy even if the apocalypse and civil war weren’t happening. She’d see and lost so much. Of course, this made her the perfect match for War in many ways. How did you feel about Miriam? On her own and as compared with Sara?
Nadene: Well, if I were to compare Miriam and Sara, then Miriam wins hands down. Despite losing everything, her family, her home she’s a survivor. Her determination to survive the apocalypse said it all and I just love the rules of survival she set for herself.
- Bend the rules—but don’t break them.
- Stick to the truth.
- Avoid notice.
- Listen to your instincts.
- Be brave.
Brandee: I don’t know how I forgot about her rules! Be brave. Be brave. That was a common refrain and I loved that she was brave, especially when she challenged War.
Brandee: The thing about War and the reason he won my heart was that War was gritty. He wasn’t simply riding through cities and towns, enduring whatever fresh hell humanity might throw at him. No, he’s bringing violence, pain, and death from the back of his blood red steed. Therefore, he was harder to like. He proved a bigger challenge when it came to convincing him of his humanity. Honestly, I was won over very early on. What were your feelings about War? When did he win you over?
Nadene: It took a while to warm up to War. He was so serious and his arrogance didn’t win him any brownie points. However, as his layers were slowly peeled away, I saw a man who stood firmly for what he believed. There were no grey areas for him. It was either right or wrong with no in between. I liked the fact he possessed human emotions unlike his brother, Pestilence. He understood the reasons war were raged and he thrived on the adrenaline of surviving a fight. He’s also aware of the pain of losing a loved one. Because of this he could relate to Miriam’s pain and sorrow over the loss of her loved ones.
Brandee: I’m very impressed with Thalassa’s ability to so far deliver such diverse and detailed stories. In Pestilence, we traveled through western Canada, the PNW of the US, and finally California. The description of these locales was spot on. And the characters were well fleshed out. In War, we were in Israel and Egypt. I don’t know about you but I could feel the heat, smell those awful smells, and feel the grit from the sandy deserts. Well done, indeed. I’m even more eager to start Famine than I was to begin War although I wonder if Famine will be as viscerally affecting. What do you think of the stories overall so far? And when can we dive into Famine? 🙂
Nadene: Thalassa sure knows how to transport her readers into the world she creates. Never once did I feel like a spectator but instead, I felt as If I was a part of the story. I can’t wait to wait to read Famine, I am curious to see what creative license Thalassa will take with the third horseman.
Nadene: I loved many aspects of War; however, my favourite scene involved Miriam’s attempt to rescue War. Her display of sacrifice tugged on my heart. Do you have a favourite scene?
Brandee: I have so many favorite parts but I’ll say my favorite scene is where War is talking about redemption, for him and all humanity and Miriam realizes the true meaning of her scar.
Susannah Jones continues to narrate the series. She kept me right in the moment and brought the scenes and situations to life. She did a wonderful job with the full cast of male and female characters. With her pacing and tone she enhanced the key scenes bringing the story to life.
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About Laura Thalassa
Found in the forest when she was young, Laura Thalassa was raised by fairies, kidnapped by werewolves, and given over to vampires as repayment for a hundred year debt. She’s been brought back to life twice, and, with a single kiss, she woke her true love from eternal sleep. She now lives happily ever after with her undead prince in a castle in the woods .… or something like that anyway. When not writing, Laura can be found scarfing down guacamole, hoarding chocolate for the apocalypse, or curled up on the couch with a good book.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
I’ve enjoyed this author but not this series. Great review!
This series introduced me to her work. I haven’t read any of her other books.
I’m excited to check this series out…as soon as my library gets the books in. They are on order, and I am hopeful. 😀
I hope you get the chance to read them and enjoy them too.
I love reading your duo thoughts on War and so glad you’re enjoying the series. So glad that each rider is portrayed to match what they are. I had a cover love moment when Pestilence came out and I’m glad it and War are as exciting as the covers. 🙂
The covers are awesome.
Wow, sounds like an intense story/romance. Definitely an original concept. I’ll check it out. Glad to hear you enjoyed your read-along!
I think that I have only heard good things about this series. I do want to give it a try at some point.
Oh that really sounds good. Oh and that cover…Dang, I love that cover. I love a romance book with the horsemen of the apocalypse.
This series sounds intense. You’ve got me wanting to try it. I love the buddy review.
Kim, I do believe you would enjoy the series.
These buddy reviews are fun to read. 🙂
They are also fun to write. 😊
I love this buddy read review. It’s nice to see different perspectives on the book.
I am glad you enjoyed reading our thoughts.