“All creatures can experience pestilence, famine, and death—but war, true war, that is a singularly human experience.”

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★★★★    

I’m so happy that I ended up being approved to read these books through NetGalley because I jumped from Pestilence into War within an hour of completing the first book.

I found this book to be dark than the first one. As a fan of dark romance, that was not something that impacted my view of the book but I can see where some readers might benefit from trigger warnings to make an informed decision of whether or not to continue. Rapes are discussed in the book, and while the MMC does not particpate in those rapes, he does nothing to prevent them.

I enjoyed Miriam’s story more than the FMC in Pestilence because of how hard Miriam fought for what she thought was right. I love FMC’s who advocate and fight for their beliefs.

This is not as good as the 1st book by far. However, I still enjoyed it. The concept of this whole series with the four horsemen and the terror they bring to earth/how can they be stopped is immensely entertaining. I feel like it is hard NOT to feel anything – when there are questions about humanity, mercy, redemption, etc. It can be tough to read at times because there are countless deaths – and obviously, most people don’t deserve it.
Overall, entertaining read with complex emotions. This might be lightyears away from the 1st book, but I still enjoyed reading it. I have cried a few time for Miriam, and cried for humanity in general because the situation everyone is dealing with is so cruel. I like War, but I wanted more from him in various regards. Miriam is cool, not as cool as Sara IMO, but I love learning more about her family in this one. I am excited for the next with Famine

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of War by Laura Thalassa. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for this ARC.

I went into this book knowing that there was a high probability that there would be some toxic behavior between the main couple. And there was a fair amount. Luckily, that didn't detract from the solid storytelling given us. There was also more plot than expected from a book that appeared to focus on the spicier side of romance. The author did a great job mixing the two romantic story aspects, so I didn't leave feeling unsatisfied with what I got. I give this book a solid 3.5/5 (leaning more towards a 4) and recommend it to anyone that can get past the violence contained in the book.

4.5/5 ⭐
3.0/5 🌶️
5.0/5 🎧

I'm absolutely loving this series. While I loved Pestilence more, War is coming in hot on his heels. The possessiveness and protectiveness he exhibited while protecting Miriam was something else for sure. I wasn't sure this angel could be redeemed, but this was a fantastic story from beginning to end.

Once again Susannah Jones does a fantastic job narrating this story. I loved her passion behind Miriam and her male voices too. I'm so happy she's finishing this series and I get to keep listening to her.

Watching War find his humanity and turn his back on his mission was truly beautiful. It felt like a much slower process for him than Pestilence, but when he came around it was just so good. I think I had a little harder time with him simply because War is always manmade and it requires action and thought to go into the unaliving (unlike sickness, starvation and plain ol' death which are all fairly natural). I just wasn't sure how he was going to redeem himself after some of his actions, but Laura wrote him so well and I fell for this man just like I did Pestilence.

Famine is up next and I'm pretty excited to see how this one goes.

Although I think the first book in this series was slightly better, I still enjoyed this one! I absolutely loved Miriam's character and she is definitely one of my favorite female leads in the four horseman universe. She is funny, witty, and very smart, making it impossible to not root for her. I didn't necessarily love her relationship with War, though. I'm not a fan of the unplanned pregnancy trope and I feel like it just didn't work in this book. It wasn't realistic to me and dimmed a large part of the book. Other than that, the book was very entertaining and well-written!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for this free arc in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for this ARC.

War is the second book in The Four Horsemen series by Laura Thalassa. I struggled with the first 40% of this book, but I'm glad that I stuck with it as the second half had me hooked.

A love story about War? I didn't think it could be done but along came Laura Thalassa. I loved the balance created between War, a creature of mass destruction who doesn't spare anyone and Miriam, a mortal who is trying desperately to save herself and everyone she can. The gentleness she brings into his spirit was a wild journey to watch.

This for sure has some intense and brutal moments but given the specific horseman the story is based on, it didn't take me by surprise and I almost expected more? It is based upon the world's destruction after all. The worldbuilding was fabulous and despite being book two in a series, it holds true to the ability to being read as a standalone.

A mix of destined lovers/mates, spice, and enemies to lovers- the tension will leave you flipping each page faster and faster. I devoured this and can't wait to see what Famine and Death have in store for us.

CONTENT WARNING: blood, murder, violence, gore, mention of death of a parent, grief, mention of suicide

Okay, so I didn’t love Pestilence, but I figured I’d come back and see if the other horsemen could redeem their first brother. There were some definite differences that I noticed with this book, and I clearly enjoyed it more than the first, which several people commented and suggested might happen.

I liked Miriam’s character right off the bat. Whoever she was before the horsemen came, it’s clear that she’s become a very different person now. But she’s still retained a great sense of sarcastic humor, and she’s adopted five simple rules for staying alive which have worked pretty well so far. Until she encounters War and her entire life changes, but not in the way she thinks—instead of killing her, War seems to think she’s meant to be his wife.

As Miriam tags along with War on his journey of death and destruction across the Middle East, she starts to see a different side of him. (Although if I see the phrase “violent, violent eyes” one more time, I may puke.) War may be a ruthless killer of entire cities, but he’s also super sweet and kind to Miriam. Much like in book 1, Miriam is torn between her desire for War and her disgust for what he does to humankind. Basically all of their fights are about this: Miriam wants War to compromise, and War refuses to.

One of the major changes in this book is the addition of some other things going on in the background, so that it isn’t just Miriam and War and his loyal steed traipsing around the desert. There’s some other subplots going on, and it made it a lot more enjoyable to read, keeping the tension and action relatively steady throughout the story. This was the kind of book that I enjoyed reading so much that I found it hard to put down. I was always curious about what would happen next, and I have to admit that I’m hoping the books just keep getting better!

So far, I've really enjoyed this series. It's definetly different than other fantasy/sci-fi romance that I've read before, which is one reason I like it. It's also a little thought provoking at times, which I enjoy. I will finish this series and probably buy these books, as it's something quick and fun to read.

Inevitably, this book will be compared to Pestilence, and I've got to say right off the bat, Pestilence is slightly better. I thought that the MC in that book was a bit more likable, and there's something about War that just made me not love him as much as I loved Pestilence. Don't get me wrong, this is still a great book that sucked me in easily and was unendingly fascinating, it just wasn't my favorite.
War and Miriam were very well-written, complex characters with a lot of emotional depth. That being said, War was such a traditionalist and they were both so incredibly hard-headed, it got frustrating that they both kept expecting the other person to change. The fight scenes were amazing! The descriptions were so vivid, I actually felt queasy reading some of it!
Speaking of queasy... I despise the unplanned pregnancy trope. It's only ever an excuse to force character development, and it was used exactly for that reason in War too. Let's face it, War and Miriam were at an impasse, nothing was going to change, and their lover's war was going to end them. So, Miriam ended up pregnant. This fact made it really difficult for me to finish the book because I just cannot stand the unplanned pregnancy trope; it just makes me mad. And in this economy?? (I mean the economy in the book). The fact that the pregnancy was viable, and the baby is living.. unrealistic, no matter whose baby it is.
I wanted to love this book, and in the beginning, I definitely did. It just didn't end in a way that was satisfying to me, unfortunately.

2.5. I enjoyed the first 1/3 of this book it was giving me khal Drogo and Daenerys vibes and I enjoyed it. Then the the narrative starts to shift and I really began to dislike Miriam. Her constant flip flopping over her feelings for War was annoying. She lied and manipulated War so much it got repetitive and exhausting. And that wasn’t the only thing bothering me about this book. We never find out why Miriam was supposedly “gifted” to War or why she was marked. A whole ass plot line just left unexplored; even though it is the catalyst for them getting together and mentioned several times throughout the story. Also, the sex scenes in the book while written steamily enough did not feel sexy because Miriam trades sex with War in exchange for him not killing people. It made the smutty scenes between them feel icky because it frames the narrative like she doesn’t really want to engage with him that way and is only doing it to save people.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Réédition de ce second tome dans la version Bloom Books et je suis toujours sous le charme de cette série! Quand j’ai lu ce livre pour la première fois, je l’ai lu pendant que je faisais mon tatouage qui a duré plus de 7h, j’avais dévoré ce livre pour anesthésier la douleur ^^ au final, lors de ma relecture, pas de tatouage ni rien mais je l’ai quand même dévoré ^^

Cette fois-ci, on a l’histoire de War qui arrive à Jérusalem et qui va déclencher des raids sanglants dans beaucoup de villes et obliger les gens soit à se soumettre à lui soit à mourir. Miriam est une jeune femme qui a tout perdu mais veut quand même se battre et cela attire l’attention de War qui décide de faire d’elle sa femme… Alors va-t-elle accepter ou va-t-elle se battre?

L’intrigue reprend globalement la même trame que le premier mais cela ne m’a pas gêné. Il y a beaucoup d’actions et de rebondissements ainsi que des sentiments. J’ai adoré Miriam qui est forte, indépendante, battante et avec beaucoup d’humour. J’ai eu un peu plus de mal avec War au début que j’ai trouvé froid et vindicatif mais au fil des pages cela s’atténue. J’ai beaucoup apprécié aussi les personnages secondaires qui permettent de faire avancer l’intrigue mais aussi le fait que l’on parle des frères de War! J’ai vraiment hâte de découvrir l’histoire de Famine!

En bref, un excellent second tome dans la même veine que le premier!

Whoooo this was another steamy and dark romance that I couldn’t help but devour. War was such a beautiful soul to unravel and I loved Miriam’s strength in fighting for her belief and faith in life. Every single time we saw War’s humanity had me crying out with joy. Absolutely incredible story!

The world building is hands down one of the best I’ve read in a while!

This book is definitely a little more gory than the first one, but it feels so true to the nature of War.

This is definitely a he falls first story line, but War has to go through the true journey of learning what love really is.

This series is so binge-able, and so hard to put down. These moral grey (black) characters just fall for their heroines in the best way.

This one was action packed from start to finish. I love how Miriam tried to stand her ground for what she believed in, gaining more ground as she fell in love with him.

This series has me in a chokehold. From chapter one I was drawn in and hooked to the storyline and the characters. I love that the FMCs aren’t just damsel ls in distress and are bada** in their own unique ways. Watching the characters grow throughout the story is my favorite part of these books.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥

It is hard to find someone who is tasked with ending humanity to be so relatable, but yet Laura Thalassa has done it twice in a row with two of the four bringers of the apocalypse.

War has landed near Jerusalem. The region has already been ravaged by humanity's war, and now the second Horseman has made the region the starting point of his dystopian campaign. Also in this region is Miriam Elmahdy, a fearless weapons maker who is trying to survive the streets filled with violence and suffering.

When War's army comes to invade her town, Miriam gets trapped by the Horseman. Expecting herself to be on the receiving end of his sword, she is shocked when he puts it aside, declares her to be his wife, and whisks her away to his camp.

Now she must deal with her destiny to be the wife of someone who brings destruction in his wake, but aside from the chaos he causes outside their tent, he is surprisingly a doting husband. Who knew? Her current dilemma proves to be more difficult than she expected: Should she surrender to him or save the human race by destroying him?

There are common themes between the first two books in the series: strong FMCs, epic backdrops, roller coaster journeys. Yet Laura Thalassa manages to serve us two unique tales about the harbingers of the world's end falling in love.

First of all, I did not expect War to be a reformed playboy, he-falls-first romance (two tropes I would have NEVER expected from a post-apocalyptic read) but yet here we are. I love that the bringer of chaos and violence is such a cinnamon roll when it comes to his lady love, and it made the tension and chemistry of their connection all the more enjoyable. There was a whole lot more of the emotional tug-of-war, especially on Miriam's part, and I think that made the read more engaging to me. There was a more palpable dilemma between choosing someone who has become the love of your life vs. humanity, and I liked that Thalassa dove deeper into that with Miriam's conundrums about and rebellions against War.

The spice has definitely leveled up from the first book. The chemistry is more raw and visceral, and War and Miriam's moments in the "bedroom" match that vibe to a T.

I also appreciated Thalassa's organic insertion of lighter moments to balance against the emotionally taxing parts of the read. I had to laugh at War's solution for Miriam's private guards when his own army proved insufficient. #IYKYK

I am absolutely loving this series so far. This can be read as a standalone, though it is so much more fun to read it together and there are some allusions to Pestilence and his story. Famine is next. Should I eat a big snack before I read that, or will I regret it?

** I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of this book. Thank you to Laura Thalassa, Bloom Books, Sourcebooks, and NetGalley for providing a copy. **

I love the strong female characters in this book. “War” is so repulsive in what he plans to do to humans. At least he does show some what of minimal kindness for Miriam, since he sees her as his wife. The turmoil Miriam deals with though when it comes to “War”. She hates what he’s doing but can’t help but be drawn to him.

This one has great character growth and world building, I actually prefer War to Pestilence, but they both are unique in their own way. The entire plot/series is unique and engaging and I thoroughly enjoy this author's take on it!

I really liked this. It had some stuff that I wasn't expecting. The character development was really good.
Seeing War go against his nature to prove to Miriam she was what he wanted was really nice. It did get a bit repetitive though but with that it felt the relationship was a bit more natural so there was a pro and a con.
Miriam was really fantastic. The ferocity in which she protects others really aids in the tension in her relationship. How can she love War when he destroys?
I definitely wasn't expecting the ending but in a really great way. The biggest issue I have with the book is its length and the tendency to be repetitive. The rest was fantastic.

✨️ forced proximity
✨️ touch her and pass
✨️ fated lovers

This new discreet cover is stunning! This is the second book of the Four Horsemen series. It takes place in a post apocalyptic Middle East. Laura's character and world building is second to none. The battles, both physical and mental between the characters is so realistic, it's like you're there riding horseback in the desert too. Miriam is a fantastic main character who is well matched with War. War's overall growth in this book is amazing considering it's essentially a standalone book. The whole series is excellent.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for sending this electronic book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.