Review: Child of War- Lisa Beth Darling

Child of War

By Lisa Beth Darling

Publisher: Moon Mistress Publishing

My Rating (4.5 of 5 stars): 

Blurb from Goodreads:

Do you know ‘Damien’? Raven makes that kid look like an angel.The “Of War”-series picks up in part I of this II-part sequel when Ares and Alena try to settle down on Olympus and await the birth of their son, Raven.Haunted by prophetic visions along with a body and mind that are starting to betray her, Alena struggles to enjoy what should be a happy and blessed occasion. The relentless hostility from the other Olympians make her yearn to be back on their cozy island home, far away from all the bickering and backstabbing that makes up Life on mighty Mount Olympus.Knowing of Zeus’ unabashed hatred for Alena and the Celts, Ares becomes convinced Zeus is causing these visions and the breakdown of Alena’s mind. To appease his Father, the God of Gods, Ares enters into a wicked blood pact ensuring the safety of his wife and unborn son. A pact that could cost the God of War everything he holds dear.However, once the boy arrives, it quickly becomes clear Raven may be the most powerful and cunning Olympian ever born. Outwardly despised by Zeus for his Fey blood and his filthy Celtic mother the seeds of rage and doubt are planted in the Raven’s mind by a very willing Apollo.As Zeus, Apollo, and Aphrodite plot against the new family, bit by bit the true pasts of the Olympians and Celts comes to light, the battle begins for Raven’s mind and soul and for the ultimate control of Olympus.

My Review:

Lisa Beth Darling skillfully continues to create emotional depth and enthrall readers in Child of War, a saga filled with action,  powerful gods, and shocking surprises.

Child of War is book 2 in Lisa Beth Darling’s epic series, Of War.  In Book 1, The Heart of War, Alena and Ares meet and eventually fall in love.  There is darkness and tough times, but in the end, Alena and Ares are in love.  Their story continues in Child Of War, Alena is pregnant, and Ares and Alena are stuck on Olympus, in his cold fortress and all the Olympians hate Alena because she is a half-blood fay.  Zeus, Apollo, and Aphrodite do all they can to kill the unborn child, Alena has a very difficult pregnancy, the child is out of control, and Ares and Alena face major marital problems.

Child of War is a very different story from The Heart of War.  In book 1, the focus was on Ares and Alena, and their budding relationship.  In Child of War, the story revolves around all the Olympian Gods, and their deceptions, selfishness, and betrayals.  While Ares and Alena love each other, they face  so much opposition and they come from completely different worlds.  Ares, being the God of War, is not easily able to change his ways.  Alena, coming from the human world has a hard time understanding how the gods behave and live very different from humans.  Basically, when the gods get involved, situations completely dissolve.

Child of War is not an easy story to read, it is not a happy romance, or cute story of bringing up a child.  This story, and this series, are dark, the range of emotions is huge with everything from lust, deep love, betrayal, depression, jealousy, violence.  It’s all there, and written in a manner that captures the reader and continues to draw them into the story and the lives of these very messed-up characters.  I will say that this book is not the best fit for every reader, it is dark, there is betrayal, very erotic sexual content, violence, and much cruelty.

With that warning, I have to say that I really love this book.  I was completely taken in with the drama and the suspense, and trying to unravel the story along with the characters.  Each of the gods have their own agenda and secrets.  The prologue of the story lets the reader know that the story is building up to something, and the whole saga slowly unravels.  The pace is quick, even with plenty of detail, and shocking events take place around every corner.  At times I wanted to smack characters, yell at them, and even cry with them.

There were a few minor editing issues, and sometimes transitions were a bit confusing.  However, these issues did not take away from the story.  The way the story unfolds is unique, there are many different character point of views expressed, and it took me a little bit to understand it.  The bottom line here is that the story is very complex and there are many different sub-plots and circumstances that all unfold making the story continually intriguing.

This sequel is not anything that I expected, it far surpassed anything I could have imagined.  When I finished reading the last page, I didn’t even know what to think.  Child of War is a powerful, roller-coaster ride of highs, lows, and unexpected events.  Child of War is only part one of what comes next for Ares and Alena, and their child (be prepared for cliff-hangers).  This installment sets up so many questions, and it seems that so few questions are answered.  Ms. Darling, you have done your job, I am hooked on this series.  I am now very eagerly awaiting the release of book 3 in the series.  Even now, several days after finishing the book, I can’t stop thinking about the story and what might come next for all the characters.

As I said, these books are not light and happy romances, they are dark, erotic, and contain quite a bit of violence.  However, the characters and the story are utterly gripping.  Paranormal and Fantasy readers, if you like books a bit more on the darker side, I highly recommend reading this series.  I rate Child of War 4.5 of 5 stars, an excellent read.

Book 1 is The Heart of War (read my review) and Child of War is book 2.  Here are buy links:

Heart of War: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Child of War: Amazon

Also, Lisa Beth Darling stopped by Book Savvy Babe with a guest post “Forbidden Love- Ares & Aphrodite”  Be sure to check it out!