Enjoyed what I read but to fully enjoy it I will need to go back to start of the series . Which I'm planning on doing do .

This is such an interesting world but I’ve run out of time to fully immerse myself in the series and I feel like I’d need to read the first book to do this justice. Thank you for the chance to review!

**4.5-stars rounded up**

This second installment to the War for the Rose Throne series picks up just months after the events of the first book, Priest of Bones.
We have our main man, Tomas Piety, leader of the Pious men, back in The Stink ruling the streets with an iron fist and some harsh justice.
I was so excited to get to this book, one of my most anticipated sequels of 2019, and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT! This grimdark adult fantasy series is so gritty and dirty, you can smell it, you can feel it. It's immersive.
Less barroom brawls and more political strategy, I love the direction this series is heading in. As Tomas gains more power than ever before, he sees his position in society change to one he could have never imagined.
Once a champion of the people, does that stand true any more?
Traveling to Dannsburg, Tomas quickly discovers that while the nobility may battle with different weapons, it is no less dangerous. As with the first novel, this is action-packed from start to finish with a smooth writing style that is highly addictive.
One of my favorite aspects of this one was how our knowledge of the magic system is continuing to grow. The reader is getting more insight into the cunning as more characters with the gift are introduced. We also get to go inside the House of Magicians which was terrifying in the best possible way.
Additionally, the world building is continuing to grow and it is bloody fantastic!
I have no idea how long this series is projected to be but it left off in a great spot! I cannot wait to get my hands on Book 3. I will keep reading these as long as Mclean keeps writing them, I can tell you that right now!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. Love this series, love this author. Yes, please. Keep them coming!!!

I really wish I could give this book a great review. It has an original story, great characters a believable world and was well edited. I would have said a 4-5 star for this effort of not for one flaw. The continuous vulgar language was totally unnecessary. I am not against a startled outcry or a wound that brings out bad language but there simply was no reason for most of it here. If the claim is an uneducated gangster or a drunken brother must talk that way, I totally disagree. Bad language should be used sparingly if at all. There are plenty of other ways to get your point across. I almost quit this book several times , the language was so irritating.
That being so, I read the entire book because it contained a good story. Survivors of a war come home to reclaim their territory. Just common people who turn into gangsters, running protection rackets, drugs and form gangs. The Pious Men have somewhat more of a moral code than most and deliver justice to the people in their streets. Their leader is singled out by the crown for extra attention and so the betrayals start. Really wish I could rate this higher!

I can't say anything about this book that would give it its worth or express how it affected me, the rating and putting the book on my favorites shelf tells you how much I loved this book and loved everything in it.

Priest of Lies is the sequel to Priest of Bones. This story in the hands of any other writer would've been a disaster show. I am amazed at Peter Mclean's ability to use the exact amount of words that can deliver the most effect needed - no more , no less. In this book no words are wasted. The writing made for an interesting experience for me. It had a sort of distance to it, and normally that would make me feel detached and disconnected from the characters but that was not the case here. Rather, it lent an air of mystery to them - you never quite knew anyone's true motivations. Sure, you suspect things, but nothing feels cut and dry, not until actual revelations are made. I LIKE it.

The world building has expanded more, which made it more compelling for me to read. The characters had improved in-depth characterization and development. Script and banter among characters’ were charming. There had been a time where I may have been screeching weirdly. I couldn’t contain myself to publicly burst due to the goodness of these scripts. All in all, a fantastic gritty sequel.

McLean's writings! A strong voice in gritty military fantasy!

Tomas Piety had thought the war was over. He'd returned to Ellinburg to rebuild his gang holdings and his soldiers on the streets, The Pious Men.
He'd returned, along with his cohort of survivors who'd seen more atrocities than one could contain. Some didn't. Always the words Messia and Abingdon drew memories and fellow feelings that need never be explained. Much is forgiven the survivors. It's a byword that survivors don't talk about, they just nod and get on with things. Tomas is also a priest. A somewhat different priesthood with a very different way of operating. The trappings of his priesthood may seem strange but in the darkness that has been his and his fellow soldiers' lives, this is all the more appropriate.
At one stage Tomas describes his people to the Governor of Ellinburg in a throwing down of the gauntlet action, "We survived Messia, and we survived Abingon while you sat here on your arse and drank wine. You can hurt us, you can even make us bleed, but you can never make us fear.”
Tomas had been a spy for the Queen's Men and they do not let people go. Along the way Tomas has acquired a wife. His wife Ailsa is a Queen's Man. Of course this relationship is not simple.
Ailsa and Tomas go to Dannsburg, the royal city, where Tomas is introduced into the ways of high society. Dannsburg is a city of undercurrents where all is not as it seems. Here Tomas learns to "play the game of society manners. It was a vicious, deadly game where barbed insults took the place of daggers, but the damage done could be every bit as bloody."
And then there's the Magicians who have asked Tomas via the Queen's Men conduit to send people of 'cunning' to them for studying. Tomas did not send Billy. There are many things Tomas comes to understand. Billy is family and is growing in his cunning abilities daily.
A complex and intriguing novel that still has me thinking of the atmosphere so present in Steven Erikson's works--dark, gritty and without pretence, alleviated by pure moments of humanness and understanding.

A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley

Book 2 in the series, it picks up shortly after book 1. Tomas Piety is straddling the line between gangster boss and a Queen’s Man through his wife. Both are called to the capital and Piety realizes the nobility are not much different than the “normal” folk he is used to. He and his crew continues to fight against the embedded threat from another country. By the end, Piety has to make a choice between gangster and politician, even if there isn’t much of a difference. I really enjoy this series, even if it is dark. There is a little magic, but a lot of scheming and fighting. So it certainly isn’t light reading.

Rating: ★★★★☆+

Synopsis

Tomas Piety has been many things: soldier, priest, gangster…and spy. As Tomas’s power grows, the nobility better watch their backs, in this dark and gritty epic fantasy series.

People are weak, and the poorer and more oppressed they are, the weaker they become–until they can’t take it anymore. And when they rise up…may the gods help their oppressors.

When Tomas Piety returned from the war, he just wanted to rebuild his empire of crime with his gang of Pious Men. But his past as a spy for the Queen’s Men drew him back in and brought him more power than he ever imagined.

Now, with half of his city in ashes and the Queen’s Men at his back, the webs of political intrigue stretch out from the capital to pull Tomas in. Dannsburg is calling.

In Dannsburg the nobility fight with words, not blades, but the results are every bit as bloody. In this pit of beasts, Tomas must decide once and for all whether he is truly the people’s champion…or just a priest of lies.

Review

Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of Priest of Lies (War for the Rose Throne #2) in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this ARC did not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novel.

A stunning sequel to one of my favorite books of 2018, McLean delivers exactly what I have been waiting for a year on and then some. Part Mark Lawrence’s Road Brothers, part Godfather, part Peaky Blinders, maybe a stab of Joe Abercrombie, Priest of Lies continues the push of the Low Fantasy bar up to new heights and it’s about damn time people started paying attention.

Having been introduced to Thomas Piety and his Pious Men already in Book 1 (which was less than a year ago for those who complain about having to wait on sequels…), settling back into the swing of things with PoL is like getting back with your old mates from high school: comfortability, lack of timidity, and with the knowledge that you are about to get in the middle of some sh*t. We’ve all been there.

While Book 1 was focused on the return from war and reclamation of Piety’s empire, Book 2 expands the vision into retaining and expanding, but also exploring new territory. The world-building that felt so claustrophobic now allows for room to breath and gives us a glimpse outside of The Stink; a view at how the other half lives. Though more politically steered than fighty-fighty, stabby-stabby, there is still plenty of blood, guts, and brandy to go round. On top of that, we continue to grow accustomed to some of the secondary characters like Bloody Anne and Billy the Boy, though maybe not as much as we would like seeing as Piety ventures off with his wife for an extended time.

McLean writes with a very unique voice, and while that isn’t the only thing he does well, it is a very important one. It stands out amongst the crowd and is a piece to the puzzle I always look for in a novel or series. On top of that, he writes every scene like the next moment could be a battle, a war, or an explosion. You are just waiting for the powder to ignite, creating chaos for the motley crew and ever increasing the avenues with which the novel can traverse.

All in all, Priest of Lies is bloody-brilliant and does a fantastic turning the series up a notch. If you enjoyed Book 1, you probably already have a copy; but if you haven’t given these books a shot yet and you are a fan or low, or even grimdark, fantasy, I suggest you correct your course. You won’t regret it.

This second installment in Peter McLean's "War for the Rose Throne" saga is just as grim, gritty and dark as its first. But "Priest of Lies" takes the story of Tomas Piety, military priest and ganglord of Ellinburg and elevates the stakes in a whole new way. Now married to a secret spy and forced to live the life of a high-society businessman, Tomas must not only manage his professional obligations, but his relationships with his friends and fellow gang members at the same time. How much is he willing to sacrifice for his kingdom? And does he have any choice in the matter?

Basically, this universe is "Peaky Blinders But Make It Magic," and there's a lot to like here - appealing secondary characters and a (anti)hero who you may find yourself rooting for and disliking in equal measure. There are more female characters of consequence than ever before, and the twisty plot is fairly exhilarating from start to finish. Looking forward to Book 3!

(Full review coming on Culturess!)

This book was amazing. I loved the first book in this series, Priest of Bones, so I was really looking forward to reading this installment. I had incredibly high expectations for this book and it not only met but exceeded those expectations. I actually spent a little more time reading this one than I usually would but I really enjoyed being able to savor this story and make it last just a little bit longer. I haven't been this excited about a new series in a long time.

This is a very dark fantasy. The story is often brutal and some of the situations feel almost hopeless. I really appreciate the fact that this series has proven to be a little more violent than your average fantasy. Despite the title, this is not a religious tale. Not at all. Yes, the main character, Tomas, is a priest but he is not a particularly religious one. He may listen to your confession but he is also just as likely to use his daggers when an example needs to be made. I think his role serves to make his character just a bit more interesting.

This book picks up shortly after the events of the first installment. This is a series that really needs to be read in order. Tomas and his gang have taken back their part of town. Not only are they trying to hold their area, but they are also following the orders being handed down by the Queen's Men. Things are never easy and there always seems to be a fight to tackle.

This story is told from Tomas's point of view. He is a natural leader that isn't afraid to make the difficult choices. He doesn't explain himself and demands complete obedience. One of Tomas's biggest strengths is his ability to pick the right people to support him and lead by example. He knows what to share and what to keep to himself to achieve the results he needs.

This story was really exciting. I thought that there was a really good balance of action and political maneuvers. There were times when I had no idea how things would work out and I found myself worrying about Tomas and his crew. There were some pretty surprising moments and some interesting character developments that kept everything really interesting.

I would highly recommend this series to fans of dark fantasy. I really would like to see this series in the hands of more readers because it is simply amazing. I cannot wait to read more of this fantastic series!

I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.

Review by 2shay..........🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟..........

Peter McLean knocks my socks off. I read and reviewed the first book in this series, Priest Of Bones...my review is posted on this site. I praised the author’s writing profusely, and that opinion stands for book two. Mr. McLean has a unique way of telling a story that is both brutal and heart breaking.

This story is told from Tomas’s point of view. He’s cynical, to put it mildly. He doesn’t really trust anyone except Bloody Anne, his second in the Pious Men. After the horrible attack on The Wheels, orchestrated by his wife in the previous book, his trust issues are even worse. He’s not a happily married man.

Tomas gets a bigger view of politics in this story. His wife, Ailsa, being a Queen’s Man, is summoned to the capital, Dannsburg, where Tomas learns that politics can be as brutal as a blade. I missed the characters left back in Ellinburg, but it worked out okay.

I wish I was more capable of explaining the appeal of this series. Peter McLean is clever. He makes you and me feel like we’re part of the story. Tomas, being a priest, has no one to confess to but us. He hears the confessions of all the Pious Men, things worrisome to them. He talks to Anne a little, to his wife a little. He tells us everything. He wonders if he and his men will ever be free of the war. A deeply satisfying read.

Enjoy! ARC graciously provided by Berkeley Publishing and NetGalley for an honest and voluntary review.

Priest of Lies is every bit as sharp and lean as its predecessor, but with a deeper emotional depth and harder consequences. I had the benefit of receiving an advanced review copy (Thanks Ace) and so I read Bones and Lies back to back. Now, I have to wait for the next book like everyone else. But wait I will with eager anticipation. Peter McLean knows his craft as well as Tomas Piety knows his blades.

Priest of Lies, by author Peter McLean, is the second installment in the authors War for the Rose Throne series. The story in Priest of Lies continues 6 months from where Priest of Bones left off. When Tomas and his Pious Men took a stand against the Wheel, little did he know that hundreds of people would be caught in the crossfire. All of Eastern Ellinburg now belongs to the Tomas and his men because of the choice made by Ailsa.

Tomas is still "married" to Ailsa, an aristocrat from Dannsburg who has used her powers as a Queen's Man to push Tomas into doing some brutal things in order to send a loud and clear message to the Skanians who are looking for a way to overthrow the Rose Throne. Tomas and his people have new adversaries to deal with as well. They are the Northern Sons and they not only have the Governor at their beck and call, but Klaus Vhent, who may be as ruthless and cunning as Tomas.

Tomas has tried to stay above the fray, and let others handle what needs to be done. Including his brother Jochan, his second-in-command Bloody Anne, Fat Luka, Billy the Boy, and Sir Eiland. Tomas is often thought of a sort of anti-hero, and that's perfectly fine. He knows that he is an intruder among the rich men of Ellinburg, but when he is told that he has to travel to Dannesburg, things are even more eye opening once he meets the people who are supposed to be his betters.

One of the best parts of this series for me is the incredible world building. You, as the reader, can actually put yourself in the characters shoes and feel what they do. The secondary characters are more pronounced in this book as well. From Jochan, to Cutter who has always been an enigma, and an unknown, to Billy the Boy who is more powerful than you would think from someone 12-14 years old. Bloody Anne often times is put in the spotlight and has to do things that are bloody and hard. But, that's because she is Tomas's most dependable friend and colleague.

I must say that I am finished with Ailsa. I think her actions throughout this book, especially towards the ending, has left Tomas struggling to find out who he can really trust, and who will betray him for the enemies that would do anything to completely destroy Ellinburg. Being politically ensnared by the Queen's Men and Ailsa has come at a great cost for Tomas and his men. I do think that readers miss a lot when the story moves to Dannesburg and the story is still told in the first POV. I would love it had Bloody Anne had a chance to narrate what was going on back home as Tomas and Ailsa were playing politics.

Overall: Pretty good second installment. Just the right amount of blood, political intrigue, and betrayal. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Ohhh man, the Pious Men are back at it, trying to keep their streets from the Skanians that have infiltrated the city of Ellinburg. I got exactly what I expected from Priest of Lies and that was a bloody, edge of your seat adventure. It was brutal, with scenes that made me cringe, or alternately, pump my fist in the air.

Tomas Piety, head of the Pious Men and husband to the lovely and cunning Ailsa (of the Queen’s Men) enters new territory in this book – that of high society. It’s just as dangerous as running his business on the streets but requires far more in the way of social graces and he’s an outsider. Tomas’s time in Dannsburg is well spent, meeting some new players in the great game in which he’s merely another piece and getting a feel for what’s at stake.

I think the characters in this series are extremely well-written and none of them are portrayed as “just another tough guy/gal”, they’re many faceted and have weaknesses, dreams, and loves. I was glad to learn more of certain characters, particularly Cutter, in this installment and I also enjoyed seeing how Tomas handled working for the Queen’s Men – ended up watching him squirm a few times as he tried to explain reasonings for certains actions.

Priest of Lies is a story with a lot of heart and if you’re in the market for a new grimdark series, I won’t hesitate to recommend this one. It’s got magic, gangs, war, and spycraft so basically everything cool one could ever want in a book except dragons. No dragons here, but I guess that would have been just a little extra, you know?

Like in Priest of Bones, the narrative is a mix of oral storytelling and confession. Tomas Piety deals in absolutes. He’s a simple man, some things he can let pass, and other things he can’t. In Priest of Lies, Tomas has new enemies who are trying to topple him including the Governor. Tomas has to hobnob with the nobles, and he never attempts to hide his working-class status. He likes shoving it in the faces of the entitled idiots.

The Hell of Abingon is a trauma still hanging over the men and it becomes clear that some people are losing themselves to it. How are these former soldiers going to fight in the war for Ellinburg most of them are barely hanging on to their sanity. There is lots of blood, head splitting, guts spewing but not enough of Bloody Anne.

Another great book in the War for the Rose Thorn Series. I can’t wait to find out what happens next with the Piety Boys.

This book was received as an ARC from Berkey Publishing Group - Ace in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

From beginning to end this book had me hooked. Although, it did take me quite a while into the book to understand fully the concept and plot of this story compared to Priest of Bones. Priest of Lies follows Tomas as he arrives back from war with more power than he ever imagined but his past as a spy for the Queen's Men comes back to haunt him and Tomas will stop at nothing to bring peace to his kingdom and find out what he is truly meant to do in this life. I really think our young adult readers especially if they read and liked Priest of Bones, they are sure to enjoy Priest of Lies...the adventure continues.

We will consider adding this title to our Sci-Fi/Fantasy collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Oof. That's my resounding feeling about this second entry with Tomas Piety and his Pious Men. Things have gotten even more violent and bloody as the intrigue deepens. And as Tomas loses himself in the process.

Priest of Lies is a wonderful look at how people are guided by certain levers and how others justify their actions, even at great costs like denying your own codes. Even when the spiral is so slow one doesn't even realize what is happening.

The hidden war with the Skanians is rising to a boiling point and Tomas and his family are right in the thick of it. Who will walk away when it is all said and done? The deaths are more gruesome but the story and intrigue are compelling. You can't help but wonder who is actually in the right and whether anyone will realizes the depths of the horror before it is too late.

I recommend reading this, but only if you've read the first entry, Priest of Bones. And I can't wait to see how the sage continues in the next one.

Priest of Lies is well-written, with a cast of interesting characters and convincing, well-realized details of the world in which they find themselves. With a main plot that features Tomas, a gritty gangster/rogue who wants to protect his people, and a nobility who may have less than noble intentions, the book promises intrigue, derring-do, and a number of other things I typically enjoy in fiction. (I now notice it's classified as grimdark, which perhaps explains why I wasn't so into it. Grimdark is not really my thing.)

It is also the second book in a series I haven't read the first one of. I didn't think that would be a huge problem, because the cover copy sounded right up my alley.

Alas! In this case, I found it a real struggle to engage with the book because of its second-book nature, and ultimately didn't finish reading it.

The opening did a good job of introducing me to the protagonist, world, and stakes without having to have read the first book, which is hard to do. Additionally, there was a palpable sense of tension that definitely made me keep reading.

For me, though, that tension fizzled out quickly, drowned in introduction to character after character after character--often with almost stream-of-consciousness reminiscences of how the protagonist met them, or some key event in their shared past.

Think Marcel Proust meets Game of Thrones and you won't be far off. I haven't read anything by Peter McLean in the past, so it's possible this is just his standard writing style. There is of course nothing *wrong* with the writing, or with the style--it's just not one that appeals to me personally.

While this book will no doubt satisfy readers of the first as it further develops Tomas's story, its reminiscence-filled narration and continual reference to events that I assume happened in the first book left me personally unsatisfied.

I called Priest of Bones ‘Peaky Blinders but fantasy’ and this one very much runs with that vibe as well, and that is not at all a criticism. Tomas Piety is such an interesting and fun character to read about, and I love that his exploits are in the first person so we get his snarky opinion on everything as the story progresses.

In this volume, Tomas and the Pious Men nearly rule the streets of Ellinburg, but he gets called to Dannburg, the capital of the realm and the home of the Queen and headquarters to her Queen’s Men. Dannsburg is quite a different animal to Ellinsburg, and nothing happens on its streets without the queen knowing about it. Even the local gangs are really working for the queen.

But shenanigans are happening in Ellinburg while he is gone, and soon enough it is time to head back to his home and find out who is causing them to get worse and worse.

This was once again a really well written and well paced book! We do see the story in first person, as I’ve written, and as such we see things exactly as he sees them. He seems like a reliable narrator, but he also doesn’t always have all the information. In this volume, he is not much different than he was in the first, aside from that his territory in Ellinburg is much, much bigger. He still has rivals though, and he meets them with the same cold, business-like demeanor as he always has.

Side characters are really awesome in this one as they were in the first. I especially like Billy the Boy. He has always been a rather mysterious character, with his ‘cunning’ powers. He is extraordinarily powerful, even compared to other high ranking magicians. It’s made me quite curious about his backstory. We also got some info on Ailsa’s past, including meeting her parents (and her dad is awesome). But, I think my favorite ‘side character backstory’ moment was getting the skinny on Cutter. Oh, Cutter. He is an enigma, wrapped in a mystery with a whole bunch of knives.

The ending wrapped everything up while still leaving me wanting book 3 right now! Twists and turns, and the unexpected feels that I’m never really expecting from a book more gory in parts than many Game of Thrones episodes.

All told, I thought this was a great addition to the War for the Rose Throne series, and I am very excited to see what else is in store for Tomas, Billy, Jochan, Bloody Anne and the rest of the Pious Men.

Thanks to the author as well as Berkley via NetGalley for the review copy!~

I loved the first book in this series so very much, but the second book is even better! The characters grow and act in ways that make sense. No one can be trusted at any time, even the main character. The world-setting is gritty and real, the characters are gritty and real, and the plot abounds with betrayal. This series is perfect in every way, down to the writing which carries the reader along swiftly from point to twist to point. I can wait for the next in these really fun reads!