Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing Engines of War by R.S. Ford, the final novel in The Age of Uprising trilogy. Be sure to check out my reviews for book one and two if you haven’t already. Then read on to see if I thought it was a fitting conclusion to this story!

From an unmissable voice in epic fantasy comes the final novel in a trilogy where guilds clash, magic fuels machines, and an all-out war has consumed an empire.

War has come to Torwyn.

Though the Guilds have scored a decisive victory against the Ministry, Sanctan Egelrath still holds Torwyn’s capital in his iron grip. Each day the Guild army marches closer, ready to unleash its fury. But the Archlegate has no intention of losing, and even if the Guilds take the Anvil, Sanctan intends to call upon greater powers to secure his final victory.

Beset on all sides, Rosomon Hawkspur is presented with a dark bargain to secure victory – one that carries a heavy price. Faced with the prospect of defeat, she must ask herself: is winning the war worth such sacrifice?

With her children ready to fight alongside her, there is at least some light to dispel the shadow of war. But each of them is much changed, and the path to victory may be more treacherous than any of the Hawkspurs can possibly imagine…

***Thank you to Orbit Books for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

Engines of War was exactly the thrilling and epic conclusion that I’d expect for such a great series. The plot managed to strike a perfect balance of action-packed content and character-driven storytelling. The story had a lot of ground to cover and so many moving pieces that I’m honestly surprised it all came together into such a cohesive ending.

That being said, Engines of War could have benefited from a refresher at the start. It took me a minute to remember all the characters and plot points from previous books. The story did a great job of organically jogging my memory as it progressed, but even a brief blurb explaining where everyone is starting out would have been appreciated. There were just so many POVs that it took a bit to get oriented.

I cannot praise the character work in Engines of War enough. They’ve all been through so much and changed tremendously over the course of the series. The resolution of each character arc felt appropriate and, more importantly, felt earned. Anselm, in particular, experienced a lot of growth in this story as he fought for redemption after throwing off the yoke of religious fundamentalism. The Hawkspur children all had to reckon with what they’d become, while their mother was trying to hold the guilds together and overthrow the theocracy. Keara’s determination to gain power and restore her guild to prominence also made her a favorite of mine. There was plenty of scheming, treachery, and backstabbing as the characters’ plans came to fruition, which was a lot of fun to read.

I also appreciated how Engines of War confronted the fact that the war between the theocrats and the oligarchy of the guild did little to help the common person. Things stayed largely the same for the citizens regardless of who was in charge. The war just meant needless death and destruction for them for little to no reward. I wish the story had leaned even harder into exploring this theme, though. For most of the book, it did feel a bit like an afterthought.

I can’t end this review without remarking on the main battle in Engines of War. The whole trilogy built up to the final battle for the Anvil between the guilds and Sanctan’s ministry. Overall, it didn’t disappoint. The narrative choices really worked for me, and I liked how they made the battle feel more grounded. Things did seem to wrap up a bit quickly, though, and I was expecting it to be a much larger and prolonged conflict than it turned out to be. I liked that it ended up giving more breathing room to the aftermath of the war and the politics of the restructuring of the government. It was yet another example of how the author did a good job of balancing the action and character-driven political aspects of the book.

All in all, Engines of War was a satisfying conclusion that wrapped up the main conflicts of the trilogy well while also laying the groundwork for potential future installments set in this world. The character work was phenomenal, and the author did a fantastic job of weaving so many story threads into an intricate web of action, intrigue, and captivating world-building. I rarely wanted to put it down. Therefore, I rate this book 4.25 out of 5 stars.

There you have it! My thoughts on Engines of War by R.S. Ford. Have you been reading this series? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!