Perfect for fans of Mark Lawrence and Brian McCellan, Prist of Bones is a gritty beginning to a new fantasy series! Life after war isnt turning out how Thomas thought. He has to reclaim whats his with the help of his men. They thought they left the war behind, but now its just beginning!

Harsh (but not to the point of off=putting readers), grimdark, full of bloody moments and battle shock. Perhaps a bit too fond of overdone and unnecessary tropes but I am intrigued by characters, setting, and plot. ★★★½

Wow! Talk about a dark and satisfying read!

McLean has pressed all the right buttons. A cynic, a soldier, a gang leader, a spy for the Queen's Men and a priest. That's Tomas Piety, returned from the body and mind breaking horrors of the recent war to reclaim his territory in the city of Ellinburg.
Along with those who fought by his side and survived, like Bloody Anne his sergeant, and now his "second in the Pious Men and his most loyal friend", and Billy the Boy, a young child survivor found amongst the horrors of Messia. Billy though has 'cunning' (something akin to a hedge witch skills) but becoming more powerful.
Of course the Pious Men survivors are a tight knit, experienced group who know how to fight, and have every reason to.
The Queen's Men have not finished however with Tomas. It seems his homecoming has strings, or maybe that's fishhooks attached and securely embedded. Tomas discovers that once a Queen's Man, it's a life sentence.
Tomas knew taking back and extending his holdings was always going to be bloody but it seems that there will be more than even he bargained for. I am reminded of Steven Erikson's Malazan works and some of David Gemmell's Drenai tales, not in storyline but with the oppressive atmosphere lightened by moments of understanding and benevolence, even as violence becomes the byword.
I must admit I'm asking myself how did this first in the series slip through my net? However I was able to read this and the next in the series, Priest of Lies, back to back. That's a win!
I loved every word! Thank you Peter McLean!

A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley

This is another book that I desperately want to read, but have had a hard time starting it. Just from the first 20 pages, which are the only pages I have read, I can see that this book has a strong first-person narrator. I adore the tone and the beginning of the description. However, I just couldn't get into it even though it has all the characteristics for a dark fantasy book, which I love. I 100% plan on giving this book another try in the next 6 months.

Tomas Piety brings his troop home from the wars. None of them survived intact, anyone who went through the battle Abingdon went through hell on earth. But Tomas is intent on regaining his businesses on the streets of Ellinburg, known as The Stink. His protection racket, his prostitution racket, his liquor racket., his gambling racket..but no drugs. Except Tomas has also been conscripted by a Queen's Man to sell drugs at his exclusive Golden Chains gambling den. Things go from bad to worse as Tomas and his Pious Men battle other street gangs for supremacy in Ellinburg. Turns out, once you are a Queen's Man, you can never go back. This was one of the best dark fantasy sword and sorcery books I have read in a long time. Fantastic place setting; excellent character development and I am quite excited to read the next in the series. Highly recommended.

Priest of Bones is the first installment in author Peter McLean's War for The Rose Throne series. If you like books in the grimdark genre, you will love this story. The publisher has compared this series to The Godfather with swords by way of peaky blinders which combines fantasy, gangster movies, and a pseudo-Tudor British industrial setting. Told in the first person narrative by Tomas Piety, it features a cast that includes a 12-year old wunderkind, a damaged brother, a spy for the crown who puts Tomas in an untenable position, and a woman who earned her way into becoming Tomas's second-in-command.

For Tomas Piety, and his Pious Men, including his brother Jochan, his second-in-command Bloody Anne, and 12-year old Billy the Boy, the long war is over but the battle for the town of Ellinburg is just beginning. 3 days after the war ended, Tomas and his group return home to discover that someone has moved in and stolen away every single one of his businesses. Everything from a tavern, to a whore house, to a gambling house are now in the hands of a mysterious force that appears to be moving towards complete capitulation by those living in Ellinburg. Not Tomas.

Tomas has other ideas. Unfortunately for Tomas, there are others called the Queen's Men who know exactly what he is planning and manage to throw in a bit of a twist to the plot. This book is dark, bloody, action packed, and shocking to the amount of blood and violence that will be had in order to take back what Tomas lost when he was away at war. I appreciate that the author addresses an issue that has long affected those who went to war, but returned with PTSD or other health related issues. In this story, the author calls it battle sickness, but if you are a veteran, you know what he implies. It is fair to say that there are no real good, or real bad people in this book. They clearly reside in the gray area. In a world where survival is often dependent on wits, cunning and weapons, truth, decency and morality often are shoved aside in favor of survival instinct.

Original and unpredictable, with an interesting cast of characters making this grimdark stand out from others of the subgenre.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

This sucks. I never leave books unfinished. And I'm sure I will eventually get back to this novel, but I've been trying for months to read it and it's going at a snail's pace.

I loved the concept. Army priest Tomas Piety returns from war to reclaim his old territory. But in order to do so, he must use the help of the Queen's Men, which complicates matters.

I heard that this novel was essentially gonna be a book very similar to Peaky Blinders. Having never seen the show but hearing very good things, I was intrigued. But this book was just flawed from the beginning.

Don't get me wrong, the writing is beautiful. Peter McLean knows how to paint a picture with his words and certainly captures his characters nicely. But dude.... I don't need a repetitive narrative about the characters for a quarter of the novel. Seriously, first we have a description of them in a character list. Then Tomas describes them in the context of the novel. I think I read that Sir Eland was a "false knight" about twenty times in the span of fifty-ish pages.

Plus the plot just seems to drag on. It seemed to take forever for them to even take back the first business. And more things are just getting added to the plot almost three quarters of the way through. I'm not sure why so much and yet so little seems to be happening.

I wanted to like this novel. But I just didn't.

I was unable to provide feedback due to the arc being archived before downloading. I left the country for about a month to visit family in an area where internet is limited.

The premise of this book interested me so much though, that I do plan on purchasing it.

Priest of Bones by Peter McLean promised old-school gangster activity in an adult fantasy setting, and it absolutely delivered. This story was gritty in all the right ways, politically intricate in terms of characters, and a complete romp all around.

Thomas Piety, an army priest, and his band of soldiers have just returned home from the war, only for Thomas to discover that his former businesses have been stolen out from under him. With his lieutenant, Bloody Anne, and his unpredictable younger brother, Jochan, Thomas is determined to reclaim his streets and bring back the prosperity his people lost in the course of the war.

Before he can, his past as an informer to the Queen's Men catches up to him. This time, Ailsa, a female Queen's Man, blackmails Thomas into helping her uncover a scheme by a foreign power that's determined to plunge the land back into full-scale war and destruction again. Thomas has to walk a narrow line to lead his Pious Men through the gang war that will inevitably occur, all while keeping his true alliance with Ailsa to protect the country a secret. In the process, Thomas finds that it's easier to lose oneself and one's goals than he ever believed possible.

One of my absolute favorite things about this book was Thomas and how the story was written exclusively in his point of view. But it wasn't just another bland, sounds-like-every-other-first-person-POV story. McLean gave Thomas an incredibly distinctive voice and world view that colored the narrative at all times, and that made Priest of Bones all the more richer for it. I could hear Thomas' accent and education-level in his speech patterns and words without McLean having to resort to actually writing out his dialect. I became so used to Thomas Piety's voice that I would find myself thinking in it even if I wasn't reading the book.

I also enjoyed the other characters, but none near so much as Thomas. It took me a moment to warm up to Bloody Anne, who was incredibly snappish and defensive at everything in the beginning, but I loved that she never took any shit from the men or Thomas. Her budding relationship with Rosie was sweet, but I wish I could have actually seen more of their romance happen on-page. But Anne's status as a lesbian is never understated, swept under the rug, or sneered at, so I thank my blessings for that.

Other characters that stood out to me from the Pious Men are, of course, Jochan, who is just a whirlwind of a character; Billy the Boy, who is either blessed by the Goddess or possessed by a demon for the eerie way he knows the future and the strong magic he possess (really looking forward to see where his journey is going); Fat Luka; and of course, Ailsa. I love how McLean handled her complexity as both a woman and a spy for the crown, how not even Thomas could figure her out or ever bring himself to trust her despite his growing attraction to her, and then that ending! Let's just say, I'm itching to know how the next book is going to go.

As far as the narrative itself, I overall enjoyed the gang politics, both internally and externally. "The right man for the right job" is a phrase you'll read often here, and I love it because of how expertly Thomas figures people out and does just that. He's an incredibly shrewd character, but not all-knowing, and it's interesting to see how he reacts when things don't go according to plan.

While I enjoyed how McLean didn't shy away from the horrors of war and gang disputes from territory, there were parts of the novel that dragged a bit, which is why I didn't award the novel a full five stars. But again, Thomas' POV and the character interactions made up for this, so that even the duller parts held some enjoyment.

The ending was also explosive in a The Godfather, Part I way, and who doesn't love that? I am deeply looking forward to where McLean is planning to take us for the next novel, Priest of Lies, as well as the direction the series will take as a whole. And if the tension in this novel was so palpable, then I shudder (with anticipation) to imagine how much it's going to continue to build. I just really hope that Bloody Anne, Jochan, and a few others figure out what's going on between Thomas and Ailsa and that the narrative doesn't leave Thomas' crew behind.

4.5/5 stars

I want to thank the publisher and author for an advanced reading copy of Priest of Bones (War for the Rose Throne #1) in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this ARC does not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novel.

Tomas Piety and his gang of Pious Men return home from war to find their beloved town barren and war-torn. In his absence, other ne’er-do-wells and rival gangs have moved in and taken over what was once his.
So Piety does what any crime lord would do in this situation: he uses his gang to take back the streets and businesses, cracking any skull required to get it done, and re-establishes his dominance over the Stink.
Unfortunately for Tomas, gaining back control won’t be so easy. The Queen’s Men have orders to bring him into the fold and work for the Queen’s gain, weaving a web of political intrigue that complicates Piety’s takeover.

The war out there may be over, but there is still one to be fought at home. In the end, no-one is safe.

Let’s go ahead and get this out there: Priest of Bones isn’t unlike anything you have seen before if you are a fan of Grimdark or Low Fantasy. Having said that, it does check the boxes that these genres hold accountable, and does so with gusto. It is dark and grimy, filled to brim with violence, blood, death and dismemberment; it oozes charisma and sets up for what looks to be a dynamite trilogy.

What I think truly sets this book apart from others in the genre is the character of Piety. While there is a laundry list of characters to sink your teeth into in PoB, only Piety is put under the microscope and fully fleshed out. Though he does rule with an iron fist, he does have some priestly tendencies that cause some in his gang to view him in a different light. He doesn’t appreciate the poor being ill-treated, abhors rape and violence against women, and detests child abuse (with very good reason).

There is a claustrophobic amount of world-building going on as we become acclimated to the Stink and don’t venture too far into its outskirts, but what we are introduced to fits the story like a glove. McLean also injects a little bit of magic into the story, which not only adds a shroud of mystery to its beginnings and uses, but teases the reader with what can hopefully be expected to be expanded upon in later volumes.

Overall, this was a very entertaining read and is the beginning of a series that I look forward to finishing.

Thank you Ace Books for the ARC because I think we found our next young adult series to follow. Priest of Bones is like Hunger Games for the gangster mafia. Tomas Piety goes away to war and then comes back to his home and finds it destroyed to the point of no return. The character of Tomas could easily connect to the audience in a way that the book will pull you in on the edge of your seat and will not want you to stop reading. We could not put this down and our young adult readers are bound to love it.

Thank you Netgalley and Ace Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. We will definitely be considering adding this title to our young adult collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars!

This title really grew on me. The beginning was a little slow, but it picked up in the last third of the book and I'm interested in the sequel. The characterization is pretty good, but the focus is really on just a couple of main characters. I didn't necessarily feel anything when there were losses. I'd maybe have enjoyed a little more fleshed out background to get more of an emotional connection and a little more world building. Things felt a little detached, so despite the fact that it's dark fantasy I felt almost as if it was light reading because there wasn't that much to keep track of. The other thing that I found distracting was the amount of swearing in the initial dialogue. Not because swearing bothers me at all, but there was so much it detracted from what was actually being said. It felt slightly unnecessary. Yes, I get these are soldiers and thugs who swear a lot, but now can I focus on the actual interactions?
Once the stage is set, there is a good amount of action, lots of build up for the second book, so overall, I'd recommend if you want some gritty fantasy without too much investment.

Sometimes, you read a synopsis, and it’s like you just can’t get your hands on that book fast enough, right? That was Priest of Bones for me. I initially heard it marketed as “Peaky Blinders with swords”, and given how badly I’ve been meaning to find the time to watch Peaky Blinders, that felt like a sign that I should snatch this one right up! Antiheroes, gangsters, crime lords, and a general moral greyness on top of it all? It should’ve been a recipe for perfection!

Unfortunately, I vastly oversold this one for myself. I hadn’t reached the end of the first few chapters before I realized that the narrative was going to be a struggle for me, and it was to the very end. It’s not that the writing is bad by any means—in fact, I think Peter McLean is talented, and this book is going to find many readers who will love his style—but I couldn’t connect with Tomas to save my life.

Not only was Tomas impossible to attach myself to, each character in this story was wholly unlikable for me. I usually love morally grey characters and antiheroes, so that wasn’t the problem—this massive cast of characters was mostly just simplified and uninteresting. The closest I ever came to caring about anyone was Tomas’ right-hand woman, Bloody Anne, a violent, angry lesbian with a scarred face and a terrible fear of magic. She’s likable enough at times, but even she just fell flat for me much of the time. On the flip side, the worst character for me by far was Ailsa, the potential love interest, whom I wanted to throttle every single step of the way.

The world-building is another thing I want to comment on here, because I think it is going to be polarizing for a lot of readers. On one hand, the setting is really enjoyable; I love grimy city settings for stories, especially when crime lords and gangs are involved, and McLean’s writing is just atmospheric enough that you can feel the smog and filth of the surroundings. On the other hand, nothing feels built up enough. There’s a magic system that we learn very little about, and for there to be so much history in the city of Ellinburg, most of it seems to have been casually tossed away or swept under the rug. This is something that I suspect will be further fleshed out in the second book, but I still felt that it was worth mentioning for anyone who—like me—enjoys a lot of world-building in their fantasy series starters.

On a more complimentary note, something I enjoyed was the fact that McLean doesn’t shy away from brutal topics (as you’ll see by the long list of content warnings I’ll insert at the end of this review), but all the same, most of those issues are challenged by Tomas’ narrative. He opens the book by murdering one of his own men right off the bat for attempted rape, and that absolutely sets the tone for what an honorable man Tomas is at heart. Everything he does is for the sake of the citizens of Ellinburg and his loved ones, and it lends an interesting side of nobility to him.

My only complaint regarding the content warnings below is the endless fat-shaming regarding one of his men. It doesn’t carry any real venom, and it’s casual enough that most readers will miss it, but it is so constant; the man’s nickname is literally ‘Fat Luka’, and we can’t spend a single scene with him without a comment being made on his appearance, despite the fact that what should be the focal point is what an incredibly valuable asset he becomes to Tomas. Instead, it often felt like Luka’s triumphs were constantly overshadowed by his size.

At the end of the day, Priest of Bones is not a bad story. McLean has some really enjoyable storytelling qualities, I loved the setting, and the plot itself is fine, if a bit unremarkable. Given the lack of attachment to the narrative, the fact that I couldn’t connect to the characters, and the gradual realization I had that I simply did not care about how the story will end, I can’t recommend it for anyone whose reading tastes match mine. That said, this is the kind of story that will have its intended audience, and if you think there’s even a slim chance you may be in that group, I strongly suggest picking up a copy and trying it for yourself.

Content warnings for sexual assault, pedophilia, fat-shaming, abuse (physical, sexual, verbal, emotional), homophobia, genital mutilation, frequent violence/death, torture, blackmail, child prostitution, alcoholism, substance abuse.

Thank you so much to Ace Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Did you love Blackwing by Ed McDonald? Did you love The Holver Alley books by Marshall Ryan Maresca? Or are you just a fan of grimdark fantasy and rough characters? If any of those things are true, you are going to want to check out the fantastic new novel Priest of Bones, the first in the War For the Rose Throne series, by Peter McLean.

This book and I got off to a rough start. The dramatis personae in the beginning of the book lists one 'Will the Woman.'

"We called him that because every time Will kills a man he weeps afterward, but he's killed so many men it ain't funny no more."

This immediately rubbed me the wrong way. Given many things happening in the world today, we need to stop making general categorizations and attributing emotion and empathy as things only woman should express. Then, the first pages of the book open with a sexual assault and an attempted rape. The main perpetrator is almost immediately met with a grisly death as 'justice' for his actions but all this made me question why I was reading the book. But I kept going. And I'm glad I did. 

The book ends up twisting my initial expectations into much more positive representations. The women in the novel are varied and extremely powerful and valued. And the men are nuanced and shown to have their own skills not associated with their violent soldiering beginnings. Peter McLean even address "battleshock" more commonly known for us as post-traumatic stress disorder. And even the name 'Will the Woman' is addressed at one point. 

I'm glad I stuck with it because it became a more localized story of a neighborhood and its people, but with larger implications that I look forward to discovering in later books. Thomas Piety, a former crime boss and current priest, and his (usually) loyal band of women and men, “The Pious Men,” who must take back control of his city from a terrifying new boss.

That said, there are still very uncomfortable and triggering events related to sexual child abuse. I've struggled with whether the events are necessary or not, but the presentation does acknowledge the shame, confusion, and blame young victims often experience. And eventually allows a former victim to become a savior of others who suffer. The gritty, uncomfortable events are dealt with respectfully and thoughtfully making this more than just grim-dark ploy.  

Priest of Bones is a fast-paced, gritty read with an intrigue-filled plot and I recommend it even if, especially if, you are not normally a 'grimdark' fan.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"The war is over, and army priest Tomas Piety heads home with Sergeant Bloody Anne at his side. But things have changed while he was away: his crime empire has been stolen and the people of Ellinburg - his people - have run out of food and hope and places to hide. Tomas sets out to reclaim what was his with help from Anne, his brother, Jochan, and his new gang: the Pious Men. But when he finds himself dragged into a web of political intrigue once again, everything gets more complicated.

As the Pious Men fight shadowy foreign infiltrators in the back-street taverns, brothels, and gambling dens of Tomas's old life, it becomes clear:

The war is only just beginning."

While there's a pleathora of new books out this week, I mean, seriously, look at this list of ones I just want to get, there's something about Priest of Bones that makes me NEED to read it.

"Ellinburg is corrupt to the core," she said. "From Governor Hauer on down, the city all but stands on the shoulders of its underworld."

Priest of Bones is the first installment of the new grimdark fantasy series War for the Rose Throne. If you are like me and love morally grey characters and anti-heroes, then you will love Priest of Bones!

Tomas Piety is an army priest who prior to being conscripted to fight in the war was the boss of the Pious Men, a gang that ruled the streets of Ellinburg known as the Stink. When he and what's left of his men return home, he finds that he's been dethroned by some opportunistic outsiders as the Prince of the Stink.

In true grimdark fashion, the world of Ellinburg is bleak. There's disease, people are hungry, and work is hard to come by. While Tomas "cared" for those in his streets that pay taxes for protection, in turn providing them with work and food if needed, the people who stole his crime empire while he was at war did nothing for the people of the Stink. The war may have ended, but the world is a violent place.

Priest of Bones is told in Tomas' first person perspective as he is writing down the story, writing directly to the reader. Tomas has a characteristic wit and an ego to boot, and I found the narrative full of his boasting about how he knows to lead men and how smart he is which I found a little tiresome at times, but at least his strategic mind backed up his ego. With his Pious Men, he fights to reclaim his businesses and right the wrongs of the streets. His protection may not come for free, but he takes care of his people.

There is a large cast of characters and thankfully there is a Dramatis Personae at the beginning of the book that lists all of the characters - I referred to it quite often because I found that most characters were a bit two-dimensional and difficult to keep track of. The main characters of Tomas, Anne, Billy the Boy, and Jochan were a bit more fleshed out but I look forward to seeing some character growth in the continuation of the series as I think some interesting arcs have been set up for them.

I do wish that more time had been spent to worldbuilding in this book; however, there is a good amount of explanation about the religious systems and a taste of the political intrigue that begins to play a role in this book and will be front and center in the next one. I would have liked to learn more about the overall world itself, its history, the magic system/cunning (I honestly have no idea, but I think that is the point as the characters don't either), and a bit more about the Queens Men. That being said, I really enjoy worldbuilding a lot and for a lot of readers what is provided will be enough!

This is a gritty, dark, and violent book. I have an extensive list of content warnings at the end of the review, but I do want to say that all of it is addressed in the text through Tomas' character. He is about as morally grey as you can get... an anti-hero with strict rules. It took me awhile to settle into the narrative, but even then I was drawn in immediately with the wit and humor of the narrator. Overall I enjoyed this plot-driven book and will definitely continue with the series!

CONTENT WARNINGS (all addressed in the text): abuse, religious homophobia, genital mutilation, war, murder, death, sexual abuse, prostitution, patricide, killing of innocents, child prostitution

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me an electronic advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Quotations taken from an uncorrected proof and may change upon final publication. Priest of Bones will be released on October 2, 2018.

Priest of Bones by Peter McLean is the start to a new adult grimdark fantasy series. Gritty, violent and highly addictive this book kept me glued to the pages until the very end. The story begins with our badass MC, Tomas Piety, returning to his hometown after fighting in a long, brutal war. He brings with him a hodgepodge group of men, including his righthand 'man' Bloody Anne, and the mysterious child, Billy the Boy. Not far behind comes his younger brother, Jochan, with some of his men, returning as well. The two groups band together and set out to reclaim the territory and businesses previously owned by Piety that have been pirated during his absence.

This story has everything I am looking for when I open a grimdark fantasy. I want dirt. Lots of it. Dirt, grime, blood, stink, cussing, fighting and no mercy. Just me?

This book had all of those things in spades but it also had a lot more. It deals with some heavier topics that I think were handled really well; rather impressively in fact. For example, a lot of the men returning from war struggle with PTSD - I believe they call it battle sickness in the book - and it didn't gloss over that fact; it discussed it, showed what that meant amongst the men and how they helped one another. It also examined the aftermath of childhood sexual abuse - the effects that has as an individual is growing into an adult. There are issues with grief, with guilt, and sexual identity. This is by no means an exhaustive list, just a few that I noticed and appreciated. That is pretty much all I want to say on the plot, as I don't want to reveal anything else that may spoil the paced reveal of the story to anyone.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes grimdark fantasy; particularly people who may like stories like, The Song of Ice and Fire series, that have a lot of political intrigue in them and complex relationships. This story left off in the perfect place for the second book to start and trust me, I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Well done, Peter McLean, well done!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkeley Publishing Group, for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to hearing what other readers think of this incredibly dark and delicious story!

It’s grim, it’s dark, and it had me from page one! Adult fantasy with a charismatic anti-hero with-a-heart, PRIEST OF BONES by Peter McLean is an action-packed tale of a crime lord taking back his town, one villain at a time.

Meet bad guys with a heart, a keen sense of loyalty and a very unique sense of justice as Tomas Piety and his gang finally head home when the war is over. All is not well in the streets he once “owned” and he is determined to take it back, one inch at a time, but he had not expected to be caught up in the dark political intrigue poisoning his home.

Thugs, miscreants and gangsters make up an unlikely band of anti-heroes as they slash and stab their way through their own brand of justice. Razor-taut writing, raw and unadorned, this tale and these characters have forged their way into one of my top reads for this year! Magic and mayhem abound as Peter McLean unleashes his imagination with bold characters and gritty scenes. Fantasy for grown-ups at its finest! I can guarantee I'll be back for more!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Berkley Publishing Group!