Horsemen's War

this was a great third book in the series, it had what I enjoyed from the first two and kept it going. I enjoyed the characters and getting through this book.

A fantastic end to a series of stories full of drama and tension filled action. All the main characters had their moment to shine and the villains all got the ending they deserved.

Let me first say that this is not a book that you should pick up and read if you are not already invested in this series. Will you be able to figure things out? Probably. But, it will make a whole heck of a lot more sense if you have a little more history. This book states that it is book 3 in the Rebellion Chronicles, but what you might not know is there are 3 total series that chronicle the life of Nathanial Garrett and the fight with Avalon. There are 6 books in the Hellequin Chronicles and I think 3 books in the Avalon Chronicles. So, this is the 13th book and I think the FINAL book in the fight of Nate and his gang against Arthur and the evil Avalon. 13 books. And there is lots and lots of history that get us to this point.

Okay, about this book. This book is done with a couple of different POV's. We have Nate, of course, and Layla Cassidy (who was kind of the main focus of The Avalon Chronicles) and Mordred - or should I say King Mordred? The only way I can think of to describe this book is that this is it. The big fight, the finale. There are a LOT of characters in this book. Since it is the finale, Steve McHugh has brought everyone to the fight. There is a glossary in the front of the book and I took one look at that and thought, "wow, that's a lot of people". But, it is nice to see everyone come together to try to defeat the Big Bad. And what a fight it was.

Without giving away any spoilers, 95% of this book is a battle. Granted, not the same battle, but there is fighting on different realms - some at the same times, some not. To me, I could have done with a little less fighting. What I enjoyed was seeing the relationships - some that have been through the fire - that have developed over the many years. I mean, look at Nate and Mordred - the bitterest of enemies for so long (and another example of not being able to fully understand everything that is going on without the history of the previous books), and now, the closest of friends. Relationships I think, to me were the cornerstone of what kept readers coming back for more, especially when it looked like there was no hope.

So, if you have been a reader of this series, this is a must read. This is what everything has been leading up to. Was it everything I could have hoped for? Yes and no. It is the end of an era, which is good, but if I could have one wish, it would have been a little less battle. But, I signed up for this in the beginning and I kept reading knowing that eventually there was going to be a battle between Merlin, Mordred, Arthur and Nate (along with everyone else). And it lived up to the hype.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. My opinions are entirely my own.

The end of the story arc was an intense adrenalin dump. Non stop action in the war with Arthur. Very satisfying end with all storylines tied up. I really enjoyed it, and now I can catch my breath. A stellar series. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC from Netgalley.

Every saga must end. I started reading Steve McHugh with the <i>Crimes Against Magic
The Hellequin Chronicles, Book 1</i> back in 2016. I've been an admitted fan ever since. When I read the afterward from Steve in the book where talks about how hard it was to truly close this chapter in his writing life, I agreed with him as a reader. Four years after I started the first book, I've gone through all three of the interrelated series. I start this review by acknowledging that I'm a fan and have been for a number of years. When given the opportunity to read the <i>Horsemen's War</i> as an advanced reading copy, I jumped at the opportunity because I have been such a huge fan of the series.

Thankfully, the final book in this series doesn't let you down. Whether you're wanting to find out what's going on with Nate, Layla, Modred, or Tommy, this book is going to do a good job wrapping up all of the open questions from the previous books in the series.

I don't want to give anything away in my review, but there are definitely a few twists and turns that you won't be ready for, but thankfully Remy will always be there with a quick quip to make you laugh out loud while ready.

I can't encourage people who are fans of Urban Fantasy enough to read this series. This last book puts a great ending on an amazing series. I definitely will miss reading about this specific set of characters, but I think it ends the way it should end.

This book is nothing short of a masterpiece.

The book starts off at a rapid pace and I'm shocked and pleased to say, that there were no points where it slowed down and felt like filler.

This book brings to an end a really long and twisting series, that I stumbled across so many years ago.

You can tell Steve's writing and editing have really developed along the series and with so many elements in this book (it switches POV from chapter to chapter, which can be tricky to pull off well).

I don't want to even risk one tiny bit of spoilers, but you will cheer every bad guys death and weep with every allies passing.

This is one of a few times where the author got the ending right and didn't leave me feeling angry at the ending!

another great book in Nate's series. Crimes against Magic was the first book i bought on kindle, it begin my journey in the Hellequin/Sorecey Reborn world, i have recommended the series to multiple people. This last novel was action packed and very enjoyable, This story ties of many loose ends, but allows enough of opening for future novels (which i am very optimistic about).

So, we’ve reached the end of the line for this truly epic series with Horsemen’s War. I’ve been equal parts excited beyond measure, and gutted because I know it’s the end. I am desperately clinging on to hope that we’ll get more from Nate and this universe in the future...well, that and I’m already onto to book 5 of The Hellequin Chronicles (which will be closely followed by The Avalon Chronicles and the rest of The Rebellion Chronicles), Lies Ripped Open, in my umpteenth re-read. It’s a world that has truly become somewhere I can retreat to and happily forget everything else. Steve McHugh has cemented his place as my favourite author with this book. To be able to handle such a big universe, with a huge cast of characters, and to end a thirteen book series so well shows how talented he is. I recommend his books whenever I get the opportunity, and have helped a number of people fall in love with his writing.

Once again this book has multiple narrators, but still manages to be coherent and not overwhelming. Nate is still the primary narrator, with Mordred and Layla narrating smaller sections as McHugh juggles battles across different realms, on multiple fronts. Most of our favourite characters get a look in, but because McHugh, and Nate, have such a massive job in this book we may not get as much as we’d love. Worry not though, the same humour and relationships are here, and we are swept along at a rip roaring pace to a great finale.

What stood out to me in this book, and I suspect I may notice this in my current re-read as I get later through the books, is a growing anger towards the world we have been living in. Many times throughout the book I felt myself cheering at the confrontation of misogyny and privilege, power and cruelty. I happened to be reading this while the US Presidential Election was rumbling on and I felt that many of my feelings towards the process, and my feelings about this awful year in general, were echoed here. It honestly pulled me in even deeper than usual, and I loved how real it felt in consequence. Other readers may take different things away, as is the way with all books and their readers, but this truly resonated with me, and impressed me greatly.

I’ve said in previous reviews that one of the reasons I love to read McHugh’s books is the lack of objectification, of anyone. Nobody, male, female or fox (oh how I love that fox-man), is described or boiled down to their sexual attributes and it is still so refreshing to read. McHugh doesn’t over describe either, so while we may get a short description to refresh our memories, we aren’t regaled with paragraphs of useless fluff. It means that he is able to pack in so much more plot and character development, while still being able to paint the picture he wishes.

I won’t get into the plot. I don’t want to spoil anything, because it is worth going into the book blind and truly enjoying the conclusion McHugh has created for his world. Suffice to say that the only complaint I have is that it’s over.

A fast-paced rollercoaster ride that grabbed me from the beginning, I enjoyed every minute of it. A fantastic way to end this highly entertaining series.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley*

Horseman's War is the third and final installment in author Steve McHugh's The Rebellion Chronicles. This book also wraps up the authors long string of series going back to the Hellequin Chronicles and the Avalon Chronicles. Let me just reiterate that for readers who haven't started these series. This is not a standalone. This is book 3 in the Rebellion Chronicles. There are 7 books in the Hellequin Chronicles and 3 books in the Avalon Chronicles which is mostly Layla’s series. So, this is the 13th and FINAL book in the fight of Nate and his gang against Arthur and the evil Avalon who is close to claiming all the known worlds.

The book starts with a heartfelt moment between Nate and Tommy, in 1798 Virginia, USA 16 years after Nate’s wife was murdered. You can tell why Tommy and Nate have been friends for so long. Same goes later for Nate and Mordred who were once sworn enemies and now brothers in arms. This book revolves around three characters Nate Garrett, Mordred, Layla Cassidy, along with a plethora of secondary characters. Nate Garrett is a sorcerer and necromancer once called the Hellequin. He was created to be the Horseman of Death. He’s in a relationship with Selene and has a newborn daughter who is being protected by his mother Brynhildr.

Mordred is a sorcerer created to be Horseman of Conquest. He’s a video game enthusiast who is often heard humming theme songs from popular games. He’s now reluctant King Mordred, holder of Excalibur, in a relationship with Hel. Layla Cassidy is an Umber able to manipulate metal. She’s team leader of a group that includes Chloe, Piper, Tego, Jinayca, and others as they are needed. She’s the youngest of the primary characters at 26 and has no idea what she will do once the war is won, which she is hoping is soon. Layla has a robotic arm thanks to losing her real arm to her own mother.

Nate is still the primary narrator, with Mordred and Layla narrating smaller sections as McHugh juggles battles across different realms, on multiple fronts including Earth, Olympus, Avalon, Camelot, Atlantis, and Shadow Falls Realm. The story is full blown action from the start to finish. Mordred and his team end up encountering Poseidon, they later arrive in Olympus where they beg for an army to help defeat Arthur and his allies. Nate and his team try to find Tommy and will eventually end up in Atlantis as well as and Camelot. In between, Nate and Mordred have established a base in the City of Solomon, Shadow Falls Realm. A large part of this story takes place in what’s called the Human realm mostly around Washington, D.C.

Arthur has very nearly established himself as the sovereign ruler of all realms and anyone who shows even slightest bit of resistance is ruthlessly executed. In D.C alone, his Knights of Avalon are murdering people by the thousands. Tommy Carpenter was kidnapped by Merlin at the end of the last installment and hasn’t been seen or heard from in a year. The author combines characters straight out of Arthurian legend with Greek mythology and even a bit of Sumerian god's for good measure.

I think the ending of this book was well thought out. As I said before, Layla needs some time away from everyone to decide what she wants to do with her life. She’s got no romantic possibilities. She’s got a Saber tooth tiger as a companion. She could literally backpack across all know realms and still have time to decide what’s within her possibilities. Some really didn’t like Layla and I can understand that. She’s not a legend like Nate or Mordred. She’s a young woman who was thrust into an impossible situation thanks to her own parents. I haven’t read the first 7 installments in the Hellequin Chronicles. I am thinking that one day in the near future I will try to add them into my reading schedule. Since I met my reading challenge for 2020, I might return to switching between older releases and newer releases to keep things fresh.

I really enjoyed this book and am sad to see it as the end of Nate's story, or at least for now (let's hope there is more sometime).

The book is the final installment in this series and whilst I would recommend this book, if you are new to the series, I would recommend that you start with the first, book rather than here. Throughout the series, Steve McHugh has created a fantastic world, with some great characters. Given the longevity of many of them, there would be some really fun side stories to be had with them...

The book itself is as usual an easy ready and moves on at a decent pace.

It will be interesting to see what Steve McHugh publishes in the future and how it stands up against the stories of Nate Garrett and his friends