War of the Realms: Promises & Prophecies
by Lee Watts, Th. D.
3.5 stars
SYNOPSIS: Alexander is fighting a massive war against the Ramillie. With enemies on every side, he is desperate to make some allies. He gambles everything on one last surprise attack that could mean the end of the war.
Sosimo Larouche, the pirate captain, is closer than ever to finding the lost treasure of the famed Vault Keeper. With his first mate, Mei, he makes a daring plan to steal the final clue, a massive gem.
The angelic guardian, Merrick, tries to undo his mistakes from centuries before. He races against time to stop demonic forces from entering the world.

All the characters and their story lines from the first two books come together in this final epic book in the trilogy. The entire fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance, and each soul must decide whether they will accept the forgiveness and grace of God, or side with the evil forces.

PLOT/ACTION:
I was fascinated with the intricate plot! There are so many story lines as we follow different characters, all working in different ways towards similar goals. The plot takes a lot of twists and turns as their plans fall through and they are scrambling to regroup.

I don’t usually enjoy battles scenes, but I loved the action in this book! The battles are like puzzles to be solved, and there are so many great emotional moments. There were several touching death scenes as characters sacrificed themselves in a blaze of glory to save their friends in battle.

THEMES:
I really loved the spiritual themes in this trilogy! There is so much depth as characters have to face spiritual decisions. It was interesting to see them struggling in this internal battle between good and evil. The themes include faith, courage, forgiveness, and having a sense of purpose. It brought so much meaning to the story, with compelling messages about God’s love and mercy.

CHARACTERS:
I adore so many of the characters, and seeing their stories come to this suspenseful conclusion was incredible. I wish that some of them had had more development though. I feel like there was a little lost potential there with character development. I really wanted to see them grow and change and become more. Mei, Sosimo, Caedmon, General Balin and so many others all have wonderful personalities, but after three books they felt static. Some characters like Jaiden, Aulani, Salazar, and Alexander did have some growth, but I wanted to see more.

Many of the characters have a couple of main personality traits, and that’s all they are about. Aulani is good at languages. That’s her thing, and there’s not much else that we ever learn about her. She does get a little development when she gains some confidence in the royal court. She learns court manners and gets a new dress, but the true transformation is internal and she learns to trust herself and her social skills in her new environment. She begins to feel that she is worthy, and she finds her place among her peers. I loved seeing her internal journey.

Jaiden is another character with only one trait. He’s a pilot, and…. that’s it. Can he cook? Does he like opera? Is he dyslexic? Does he have a hobby? Does he hate pickles? I don’t know. He has one thing. He’s a pilot.
I wanted more complex and well-rounded characters. They have a lot of big emotions, and they deal with some deep themes, but it’s these little details that are missing.

PACING:
There is so much action and intrigue and something wild always happening! It really kept my attention and kept me reading, wondering what was going to happen next.
But I think this last book needed more slow-paced scenes where the characters could rest and recoup from the action scenes, and then we could see more emotional growth and personality in these quieter moments as they reflect and connect with their loved ones. The pacing could have been a little more balanced.

WRITING STYLE:
The writing style is really powerful and exciting! It grabs your attention and tugs at your heart!
But this book has multiple POVs in most scenes, and that is one of my pet peeves. I also started to notice a pattern in the writing, where about 70% of the sentences begin with a gerund clause. This got on my nerves after awhile, because I would have to slog through this long clause before I could find the subject and verb that it was modifying. It feels like sloppy writing, and it got kind of exhausting after awhile.

The book also needs a copy editor, since there are little grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors all over the place. There is also some “telling” instead of “showing” that diminished the power of the writing.

ENDING:
NO Spoilers! I was a little distressed at the way that some of the villains met their end. It seemed a little too harsh to me. I mean, no doubt they deserved their fate, but still… I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. It just sort of rubbed me the wrong way.

Overall, I loved this book so much! Despite the flaws in the writing, I really connected with the characters, I was fascinated by the plot, and I enjoyed reading this trilogy!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.