Blood of Empire wraps up what was really an enjoyable, entertaining, and compelling trilogy. Even though the novel was quite long, there wasn’t much fluff to it. There was a strong buildup, both in this third entry and the series as a whole. For the first time, the trilogy goes to Dynize, which I thought was an interesting change, since the reader was able to see not just the Dynize invaders but also their homeland. It gave these invaders a more human aspect.
This novel and series has a little bit of everything. There was lots of fighting, magic, spycraft, treachery, and the threat of a formation of a new god. I think one are where this story suffers is that there is a very large cast of characters, and although most of the main characters are well done, some of the secondary characters are far less well developed. The novel builds well to a climax, but the finish and the actions described were a bit confusing. I didn’t really quite follow what happened toward the end. The last part could have been improved, but overall I was pleased with not just this novel, but the trilogy as a whole. I especially liked the setting and the whole powder mage thing, which was quite different. I would recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoys fantasy. You can purchase a copy on Amazon.