The Antithesis: Bellum Alpha
Summary:
A storm has swept across The Atrium, fueled by famine, fear and the desperation for survival. Hell has declared war on Heaven, and Argent Commander Yahweh Telei is left without any time to prepare.
Leid and her guardians face exile from The Atrium, as the end of the Contest means the end of their contract. With expiration quickly eating away at her, it won't be long before Calenus Karim and the Court of Enigmus come to drag Leid back to Exo'daius. But she won't go without a fight.
As everything unravels at the seams, Qaira Eltruan is forced to face his crimes and all the consequences they have brought. The Atrium isn't his home anymore, yet something calls him back. His thirst is unclear. Vengeance or forgiveness?
One thing is certain: with Qaira comes all the secrets the celestials have long since buried. Scars are torn wide open, and he is forced to make a decision between helping Calenus bring Leid back to Enigmus, or fighting to protect her. But protecting Leid means seeking help from his enemies. It'll take a lot more than blood-tinged love to bend his knee this time.
The war is finally here, and no one is safe. (Summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Review:
I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much in the series. Practically, I understand why, but there was a lot of plot movement packed into a short period of time. We start with seeing how Qaira proceeds now that his memories are returned. At the same time, Lucifer forces Yahweh into a situation he hadn’t expected: commander in a war. As Heaven and Hell battle unfolds, the Judges find themselves freed from their contract and choose to invest in the fight. And in case that wasn’t chaos enough, Qaira now decides to follow up his past by seeing the war himself.
Though having a slower start for me, I was not disappointed by the end. By the halfway point, I was reinvested in the book and the last third has plenty of the twists that I should now expect from Whiteman. I will definitely be looking forward to seeing how the series ends! If only the last book was released as an eBook so I could indulge my hope for instant gratification.
Warning: Repeated explicit violence
Rating: 4 stars!
Who should read it? Science fiction fans with a G.R.R. Martin twist, but I’d highly recommend the starting with the first in the series.
Want to read the whole series?
The Antithesis: Book 3β (Antithesis #5)
Want more? See my review with the author here!