So, here's the thing about wars in fiction. They mean little to nothing if the stakes don't matter. Guts can spill, heads can roll, and fortresses can topple, but everything rings hollow against poor build up. And that's pretty much how this book made me feel. Great writing, strong action sequences, and vivid imagery were stacked against lackluster characters, bland dialogues, nearly absent motivations, hazy world building, and violence/sex that went from graphic (which I'm okay with) to needlessly gratitutious. The build up to the battles was very little, so the only thing that kept me reading was the author voice.

The premise also makes the story out to be far more than what it is. We get what we sign up for, but only in tiny portions, which left a sour taste in my mouth. I'd have liked this book to focus on the events and alliances leading up to the war as it would've given me someone to root for and something to hope for, but well, it fell short in almost all aspects.