With this one I couldn’t help but think of Khal Drogo and Khaleesi. Miriam was so resistant to having anything to do with War. She wanted no part of him. This was a very slow book for me. I enjoyed how War fell first. And fell hard. I enjoyed how slowly Miriam couldn’t stay away. I enjoyed how much “trouble” Miriam was. Loved seeing how they fell in the end.

Rating: 3,5 stars.

This is the second book in a series, but this review will be spoiler-free for both books. The only thing I will say is that War didn’t quite live up to my expectations after reading and loving Pestilence.

I struggled a little with this story, it didn’t feel as engaging as the first book and I didn’t like War very much. However I have to admit that by the end of the book I was bawling. This is one of those books where the ending makes every earlier struggle so worth it! Seeing War slowly but surely change and gain insight into what humanity should look like and can look like was wonderful. War, similarly to Pestilence, is a book about the human condition and how humanity can still prosper even in the darkest of times. That is what I love most about these books!

I found War’s character very interesting, once I got over my initial dislike for him. He is supposed to have grown from every war there’s ever been, which means that all he knows of humans is how they are during war. This again has had a direct impact on his own personality. He therefore has a very bleak image of humans, which means that our fmc Miriam had her work cut out for her if she wanted to influence War’s campaign at all. Even though the story felt like it dragged a little in the beginning and middle, I still really enjoyed it! I would honestly rather have it drag a little than have a rushed plot, or a rushed romance.

If you haven’t read this series yet, I highly recommend checking it out! With how much I have enjoyed the first two books, I’m really excited to continue the series. I hope it keeps exploring humanity’s quest of self-preservation and our deep capacity for goodness even in the face of all that we fear!

THIS BOOK IS PERFECT!

It's way better than Pestilence, it has a lot of action and you can see that war and death work hand in hand. It's a lot of violence, but again, this is WAR, not Easter Bunny, and everything horrible thing that he does, reaches his name. This is no joke, no game. This is WAR.

You have action, you also have love and spicy scenes, but let's not forget that War [= Ares] requires passion. So even if war and love are exact opposites, in the passion they are equal. For every Scorpio in the world, this is your book. I am one and I love it. I can't wait to read book 4, "Death".

Now, let's get back to the book. War is a passionate creature and you cannot fall in love with him. He knows exactly what he wants and he gets it. He is a master and also a protector. What I love most about War is that he speaks his mind. Everything he feels, he says it in your face. He doesn't fear to speak up his mind and if he doesn't like something, you will also know it. He's ruthless and he will protect what is his at any cost. In battle, you clearly see his passion for fighting, for war. But in love, you can see a whole new passionate creature. He devours Miriam and he is not afraid to show his passion in front of her, and in front of the others. He doesn't care about what the other people think, I mean, if you piss him off, you're dead meat!

Miriam is a fighter and I think she's perfect for War. Yes, she practically is dragged into War's camp and she has to learn his ways and leave by his rules, but she will never give up. Even if you'll think she's giving too much to him after the atrocities he left behind, in a way, it's understandable. The end of the world is coming and you have nothing and no one to lose. So, screw it. She also lived a long time on her own, and loneliness tends to get to you. So when you finally live with somebody else, even a lot of douchebags and a killer for a husband [one who makes you feel all kinds of powerful things and loves with passion], you feel alive and forget about loneliness. So, I understand her. I mean, she did try to kill him with his own sword! So she didn't really give in to him completely :)). I loved that scene.

The reason that I'm saying WAR is much better than PESTILENCE is that this book has a lot of action. PESTILENCE has its own charm and you get to see everything about Pestilence and Sara, 'cause there aren't many people left. WAR on the other hand has his camp, the battlefields, and the people Miriam managed to save from War's wrath and it's a lot more passionate. There is also determination and fighting for what you believe in, or your moral codes. You can see the relationships that are formed in the camp and how easily they can stab you in the back. And also, you can see the nativity of those warriors that didn't choose death, thinking they are saved from War's task. You can see a lot of aspects of human nature, of the heart of a human being.

It's interesting how, in the end, the horsemen or their women stay face-to-face with Death. I think Death's book is going to be very complex in knowing the horseman because of the crumbs that Laura left for us in the endings of these first two books about Death's actions, it's hard not to make you think: "What is Death up to? Why is he doing that or why is he thinking this is interesting? I need the fourth book!" I have a feeling I'll see him in FAMINE too. Something big is coming!

I rate this book 3 stars as I felt like Pestilence and Sarah pulled me more than Miriam & War. Again, it's one of those stories that for me could've just been a lot shorter than how lengthly it really is. But that's probably just me. I did like their banter a little bit but I just didn't feel that drawn to them both. There was a huge chunk of the book where I felt like I was just reading it just for the sake of finishing it. I am looking forward to FAMINE and DEATH though. Just want to see how Laura is going to spin it this time around. How will the last 2 horsemen meet their partners? Or like what will their story be? I did like how War started, how they met and all that. For all those who don't like descriptiveness when it comes to the war, gore and murdering each other - stay away from this book. It can be very descriptive at times when it comes to battles and such. I mean, it is titled WAR.

“I have let you enjoy your own space because it pleased you, and I enjoy pleasing you and your ridiculous human whims.”
My ridicu—? “You want to please me?” I say, now officially peeved. “How about you stop killing people?”
War gives me a piercing look. “There’s another I seek to please too, Miriam. And unfortunately for you, He wishes differently.”

After being disappointed by book 1, I didn’t have high hopes going into this one, but I enjoyed it so much more than I expected! I liked War and Miriam, both separately and together (which I can’t really say about the first book MCs). Miriam was just as ruthless at times as War, pretty sure she killed someone within the first few pages.

"I rub my forehead and then my mouth. Death is getting easier for me to dole out. That’s…worrisome."

I loved their initial meeting, the “You are my wife” gets me every time. Also, he almost always calls her “wife,” and I didn’t think I’d like it…but I did?

War, like Pestilence, was focused on his task, but he was also bloodthirsty and enjoyed the hunt, which was a little gross, but I guess they are mythical beings in human-ish bodies, so what did you really expect?

“You cannot understand His will, but you will understand my vengeance.”

Miriam (and War to a lesser extent) were funny, and I love dark books that have funny in them, so I appreciated that.

"Pretty sure [his horse] senses my inadequacy as a human being." Dead 😂

Anyway, this book is full of violence, of Miriam trying to kill War, and War trying to kill everyone else that exists.

“Fight all you want, wife. Battle is what I’m best at – and I assure you, you won’t win this one.”

I have a ton of quotes highlighted but as you can probably tell from reading this review, I took too long to write it and I’ve forgotten everything, so I’ll just say there was a part near the end that shook me. My spoilers are on Goodreads though! Below might be spoilery, but it's not the end, just something else I had to mention!

"The ground is moving. Not just opening but moving. It looks alive, and I can’t make sense of what I’m seeing—until, that is, a desiccated hand erupts from the ground.
“Dear God,” I breathe.
From the earth, the dead rise."

Also, zombies. War can raise the damn dead. So get ready for that.

"The dead are killing the last of the living. This is why I heard nothing but rumors about those cities gone to the grave. War left no survivors, and without survivors there was no way to warn the rest of the world that the horseman was coming."

Is that a spoiler? I dunno, hopefully, you haven't read this far if you haven't read the book yet🙃

I really need to write reviews right after I read the book. It needs to happen.

War is on of the horsemen set upon the earth to make war and that's what he does. This book was an interesting perspective of the brutality of war as we follow Miriam who is War's intended. There is a lot of cycling of war destroying cities and Miriam's outrage at what War does. But his is WAR. I felt this book was a bit long as most of the middle was really repetitive. I did like the outcome of what love can change and lead to redemption. This also has a very eye catching cover. 3.5 stars from me and I am moving right into Famine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this republished book in exchange for an honest review.

first off, thank you to netgalley, bloom, and laura thalassa for the opportunity to read the arc for the re-release with bloom! out august 15!

onto the review!

while pestilence had me wondering what the hell i was reading at times, war did the same but better. it’s hard not to compare the two but i find some of the comparisons important because if you weren’t a fan of pestilence, this might be what get you to give war a shot!

if you weren’t a fan of pestilence essentially being a big baby man….. war has been on earth for what seems to be at least a year. he seems pretty familiar with human customs (no virgin mmc this time!) and speaks with a more “human” cadence about him.

he does like to pretty much exclusively refer to miriam, our fmc, as “wife” and sometimes his dialogue can get slightly old/biblical timey, but it is MUCH easier to digest than i found with pestilence.

if you weren’t a fan of the fmc in pestilence…. me neither. she was insanely quirky and sometimes caused me to eye-roll and think, “come on man, you’re living in a biblical plague now is not the time.” miriam is a much stronger fmc in lots of ways, and other than her consistent useage of “holy balls” she was MUCH easier to read, and as a character i found her much more interesting. her back story gave her a reason to be there. she was put on earth FOR war.

my least favorite trait about miriam is that she REALLY likes to get spicy. even when she was fuming angry with war she would basically be like, “well i’m lonely and when he looks at me like that i just can’t help myself!” she has her rules to survival and the last one is to “be brave” her basically falling to her knees at a single kiss isn’t very brave of her.

in the sake of keeping this much shorter than i’d like to, bc there’s a LOT to say about this one, war was a much more compelling and interesting story than pestilence, and if it were some sort of standalone i think i may have found myself enjoying it without all the comparisons.

it’s nothing earth shattering that will change your life, but it’s a really fun, enjoyable read built to cater to the “i can change him!” girls. war is more than just morally questionable, he’s just morally wrong, but you can see his journey to changing to be better for miriam, even if it goes against everything he believes in.

my largest criticism for this one is easily the length. 50-100 pages could’ve been cut. there were multiple raids that could’ve been condensed into one. that being said, i still managed to read it over 2 days and i would recommend this book to someone who wants a morally “gray” anti-hero and something a little different from the normal dark romance books that has a little bit of fantasy in there, but not enough to consider it full on romantasy.

3.5/5 ⭐️

It's time to talk about book 2 in Laura Thalassa's Four Horsemen series. Enter War. War is doing just as his name says, destroying humanity through war. When he meets Miriam, instead of killing her alongside everyone else, he brings her back to his camp. He calls her his heaven-sent wife. Miriam struggles to reconcile his violent and destructive self, killing everyone in his path versus the loving and gentle man she sees trying to win her love. Will Miriam be able to get War to give up on his mission?

I really enjoyed the romance between War and Miriam. As a hero, War was far more likeable than book 1's hero, Pestilence. In my head, War was played by Jason Momoa! I highly recommend this novel to paranormal romance lovers. 5/5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks.

Did you read War? If you did, did you picture Jason Momoa too?

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for giving me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I do not know what is in these books, but I have been throughly enjoying them. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

I would surrender my soul to read this book for the first time again.

Picking up a few years after “Pestilence” left off, “War” tells the story of Miriam Elmahdy, a weaponsmith who catches the eye of War, one of the horsemen of the apocalypse. Instead of killing her, War takes her with him as he raids town after town, claiming that she is his wife. And despite her better instincts and initial feelings of hatred, his gentle side begins to win her over.

I really like how Thalassa’s second book takes place in a different region of the world from “Pestilence”! She does a great job describing the tense environment Miriam calls home and how Jerusalem was hit harder than most cities after the arrival of the horsemen.

Miriam as a character is very admirable. As a weaponsmith, Miriam knows her way around a bow and was fearless when she first crossed paths with War on the battlefield. I also love how she does not back down from a fight and let anyone, including war personified, push her around.

“War”’s plot structure is very similar to “Pestilence”’s, meaning that everything I adored about the development of the romantic relationships in book 1 is mirrored in book 2. And like “Pestilence,” as soon as I started reading “War,” I could not put it down. Moments where Miriam and War shared the same pallet under the stars, rode on the same horse together, traded weapons, and took care of each other tugged on my heartstrings. Watching War and Miriam slowly surrender to each other was everything.

The second horseman!!! And ok, I loved this book, we follow the story after Pestilence, and this time we have War invading towns, wiping them out, and Miriam trying to survive. This FMC is literally a fighter she is the best!!!! And for once I will say that I was in LOVE WITH WAR! This has the “He falls first” trope and I needed that so bad in a book. The things he did to prove his love because of her “soft heart.” Ugh! He’s perfection!
I overlooked the religious terms this time, and didn’t find it as cringy as the first book, but I was all for the humor in here with Miriam…. The slow burn was totally worth it and yes the ending made me tear…..

I have read this book before, in May 2020, and again recently when I was offered the opportunity to read an updated version being re-released by SourceBooks/Bloom Books; thank you to NetGalley, SourceBooks/Bloom Books and Ms. Thalassa.

I am happy to report that the editing errors from the original work have been corrected. The plot wasn't entirely different from Pestilence in overall themes, but I devoured it nonetheless. A pringles book for sure. I got some strong Khal Drogo vibes from War, which I enjoyed very much (because: KHAL DROGO) and a few low-level Dany vibes from Miriam. Unfortunately, for all her combativeness, Miriam wasn't as smart or wily as Dany, but that's a pretty high bar. (And of course, on the flip slide, she didn't go crazy like Dany did, either).

I really enjoyed this book more on re-read (or perhaps I should say, in its new iteration). Miriam's mixed heritage struck me more profoundly this time, with all its implications in overcoming prejudice and decades of violence. I also appreciated the war camp and the way violence brings out the worst in humanity (and just how "human" violence and war is) more upon re-read. Deimos wasn't as heartwarming as Trixie (from Pestilence) nor was War as insidiously charming as Pestilence himself, but that's ok: War is not charming.

I would be interested to see if Ms. Thalassa tries a new plot device in Famine but frankly, it doesn't matter, because I will buy it and inhale it nonetheless. 4 stars.

Yep, definitely more crying.

Miriam runs from War invading Jerusalem, but when she finds herself pitted against him he takes a clear look at her and declares her his wife. Right from the start we get big "my wife" energy on so many levels, and it's clear he takes that title very seriously. I like that immediate change in him, because it shows War's level of commitment, which also shows what a challenge it's going to be to show him that humanity is worth it. One of the things War says it that he was sent to judge mankind's hearts - but it's clear that since he's never been human before he doesn't even understand what that means.

Miriam is going to fix that. Their dynamic is so hard because you understand her complex feelings of both attraction, and her fury that leads her to try and manipulate him. They are constantly at war with each other, and both win and lose battles. It's only Miriam who can defeat him, and it's not hard to sympathize with her using any method at her disposal.

One of the most powerful things about this book is the war camp. Some humans agree to join War and slaughter their own kind, or join the camp and help keep it going. Even if it sometimes might feel like a betrayal of humankind, the camp itself is an example of human resilience. Of the way we continue to make connections and form bonds even in the worst situations.

Overall, a brutal but beautiful book, and a much more straightforward love story than the first. It takes War longer to figure out how to shape his purpose, and the end was so much pain and tension, but another fantastic read.

that chapter 45 makes my skin crawl.

I am still team Pestilence, so far the both of them are totally different from each other. But nevertheless, I am still excited to read Famine.

also the new cover is so pretty?!

Thank you NetGalley & publisher for this eARC.

War is truly fantastic. He claimed his wife from the go, calling her wife all along. I felt like he cared for her deeply. And Miriam?? Talk about a brave badass. Honestly, with this being just book 2 of 4, Laura nailed it!

War follows on from the first book but with a slight time jump since the plague. War’s approach to the end of the world is as his namesake states. His mission is to continue Pestilence’s failed mission of wiping humanity but his actions differ. He takes prisoners who are given an ultimatum: die or swear allegiance to War. He holds an entire camp that functions through the work of humans.

Miriam is a survivor. She survived a crash when she was younger and still survives now. She learnt weapon making as a way of living. At the beginning of the book she is scavenging and doesn’t think twice before doing what’s necessary to survive. After hearing awful rumours about what was happening in the East, she remains on edge but sceptical. She’s in the mountains when a blood red horse and a giant warrior sat atop it.

Miriam meets War in Jerusalem as his army moves through and destroys everything in its path. Their meeting is baffling. Instead of kidnapping or killing her immediately, he calls her Wife and brings her back to camp. She doesn’t take this lightly but stubbornly agrees to life in his camp as a way of staying alive. Somehow Miriam can understand War’s native language and the two have great chemistry although she fights the attraction wholeheartedly. I found the story repetitive and similar to Pestilence at points but I guess it’s hard to avoid when there’s four horsemen, all destined to fall for a woman who’s mission is to stop the end of the world.
I found Miriam was more proactive in stopping the events. For example escaping the camp to warn nearby towns and cities that War is on his way but boy these Horsemen are possessive and want their women right next to them at all times.
Once again this book was very dark so I wanted to include some trigger warnings which were missing from Book 2 as well.

- Attempted, graphic rape
- Physical violence
- Prolonged suffering
- Deceased
- Execution

I didn’t enjoy this as much as Pestilence but once again it was a compelling read and kept me wanting more. Thank you!

2.5/5 stars

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

I don't know if I was supposed to be picturing Khal Drogo the entire time I was reading this, but that is 1000% what I did.

(And it was probably the best thing to come out of this book tbh. 😬 War was nowhere near as good as Pestilence. Both the book itself and the characters.)

War was first published in July of 2019, and is now being republished as of August 15, 2023 with a brand new cover! Thank you to Sourcebooks Bloom Books, NetGalley and the author for the digital advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Miriam is NOT the wife of War, the second Horseman of the Apocalypse. She's never been married, much less to the supernatural entity that has been terrorizing her country and killing thousands of people with his armies of followers and the undead. And she's certainly not in love with him. Curse her soft heart.

I'd give this one a 3/5, or a five out of ten. It was too similar to the first in a lot of ways, but where Pestilence broke my heart multiple times over and left me sobbing half a dozen times, this book had me groaning and checking the page count. It was about 150-200 pages too long (e-book count) and retreaded too much of the same ground as the first novel. I'm especially not a fan of the reason that War surrenders and the constant usage of the term "wife." People told me to picture Jason Mamoa as War and that did not help me one bit and might have been detrimental to Jason's character.

Miriam felt like a flatter character than Sara, and War felt like way more of a douchebag even though Pestilence did far more horrendous and brutal things. I feel like the lack of other characters in this story hindered it a lot. Zara and Hussain were fine, I suppose. I just wasn't rooting for anyone in this story. Sure as shit wasn't rooting for humanity. This book boasts SEVERAL rape scenes, even if they are brief. The violence felt half as graphic as Pestilence, maybe because fighting and battle wounds just aren't as easy to make horrifying as death by disease.

There wasn't really plot. It was very character driven. I couldn't tell you the name of a specific city that was sacked/burned because they were all just scenes to break up the breakup moments. Could use more plot!!

Finally, Deimos the horse. No where near as iconic as Trixie Skillz, 4/10 for being a good boy all the same.

Overall, too similar to Pestilence but lacking the punch that that book delivered many times over. I am biased against War of the Horsemen coming in to this series because I think it's the most boring of the four, but I look forward to the next two installments.

The Facts: book 2, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, end of the world, morally grey MMC, dark romance, slow burn, undead army.

It's been a few years since Pestilence stopped his duties, and now War has arrived bringing battle and death where he goes. Miriam tries to stop him and takes down as much as his army as she can until he notices her and states that she is his wife.

This one is my fav so far out of this series! Their slow burn was so delicious, and my mind was going crazy for them to finally surrender to their love. This book was really easy to devour. A lot of the book was definitely brutal with the war and people constantly dying, and we do again have the same "is humanity worth saving?" conversation throughout the book that I love. War and Miriam were just perfect for one another, both bloodthirsty and fiery in their own right.

I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

War is the second instalment in this series and it delivered. This man can call me wife anytime - 💯 new book boyfriend.
Aside from the slow-burn romance, I enjoyed the FMC’s journey far better in this book. She was allowed to be more independent, therefore, there was more side plot to enjoy compared to Pestilence. If you liked book one then I think you will love book two. Bring on Famine next!
Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.