Genre: Gaslamp fantasy
Length: 769 pages
Release Date: 1 May 2024
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Blurb
When the saints fall, the sinners rise.
Calamity has befallen the steam-powered city of Chime as the gods declare war on each other, choosing Chime’s streets as their battleground. Kayl has the means to end their reign for good and create a new world free from their whims. But recruiting an army against divine beings is no easy task, and as her allies fall one by one, Kayl is left to shoulder her burden alone.
Finally free from his own god’s shackles, Quen is bound in service to Chaos, who only wants revenge against Quen’s former master. Torn between his desire for vengeance and justice, Quen is no stranger to the gods’ cruelty and will do whatever it takes to see Kayl’s vision through—even if it destroys his soul.
To ensure a better future, Kayl and Quen must unite mortals against their makers and decide the gods’ fate before time itself comes to an end.
For the era of gods is over.
Review
Disclaimer: I beta read this book because I couldn’t wait to read it, even in its imperfect form. I will re-read the final version but for now, these are my thoughts on the book as I read it. I got Trudie’s okay to post this and the review doesn’t contain any incorrect information about the content. My thoughts are my own, although there certainly is bias. I guess that’s what you get when you’re reading the last book in a series you love.
The End of Time is the final book in The Cruel Gods trilogy. With the short story collection, Tales From Across the Domains, we have four books set in and around Chime, but rumour has it these won’t be last. I’m already looking forward to what’s coming next, even though it’ll take a few years to be released. For now, Quen still has the lead role. And Kayl is there too.
The set up for the climax of the story started in first book, maybe even the first half. I already had a strong feeling about how it would end even before Trudie started writing it. If you’ve read the second book, Children of Chaos, you’ll know. It’s so obvious. But even if it’s predictable how it ends, there’s no way anyone could’ve guessed it would happen like this.
The End of Time is a chonker of a book and it needs the space. There’s so much to tell, to do. Kayl and Quen have to deal with Jinx’s chaos in addition to whatever nefarious plans Dor comes up with. They both have their own struggles but together, they find a way out. Kayl and Quen are the power couple of the century. Jinx herself has the biggest transformation. All three PoV characters have their own trauma to heal from (which they all do, we love coddling our trauma babies) and they need to, if they want to defeat Dor.
We meet all the gods again and see them in their full glory. If you like overpowered battles, this is the book for you. There’s so many of them and many of them have a unique battlefield because of the domains. How do you fight a god who lives in the depths of the ocean when you breath air? Or a god without a face, who can take anyone identity and regenerates? Seriously, go check it out.
All in all, The End of Time is the perfect ending for the trilogy. I cried several times but the ending was the worst. Because those final pages were the signal Quen and Kayl’s story is over.
The Cruel Gods is an exciting fantasy series with unique worldbuilding and incredible characters. The author’s ambition seeps through the pages. There’s hardly anything like this out there.
