Series: The Fall of the Gods #2
Author: Ryan Van Loan
Publisher: Tor Books
Released: July 13, 2021
Received: NetGalley

The Justice in Revenge is the second (and final) novel in Ryan Van Loan’s The Fall of the Gods series. It’s also a novel that I’ve been really looking forward to, as I adored The Sin in the Steel.

Buc and Eld return with more politics, adventures, and dangers than ever before. Yes, they succeeded in their last mission, but that doesn’t mean their story is over, far from it. In fact, thanks to a new entity residing within Buc, there are more complications than ever.

Not to mention Buc’s determination to destroy the Kanados Trading Company from within. That takes careful planning – and work. Something neither Eld nor Buc will shy away from. However, they are unprepared for the challenges that lie ahead.

“Now I swam in a sea of boardroom intrigue and backdoor politics that continually took me by surprise: the drowning waves. I’d no intention of slipping under, but isn’t that what everyone believes?”

It’s no secret that I had been counting down the days to The Justice in Revenge. I enjoyed The Sin in the Steel, and yet I had so many questions about what was going to happen next. Including what was going on within Buc herself.

While I did get those answers (mostly), I’m not going to pretend that I loved this novel as much as I had hoped. Sure, it was entertaining and interesting at times. But there were other times where I sincerely did consider putting the book down, at least for a little while.

The angst between Buc and Eld really got to me at points, making it difficult to read and even harder to want to invest in anything that they were doing. This is unfortunate because I still love the whole ‘take the evil company down from the inside out’ plot. It’s an old one, but it is always fun.

All of those complaints aside, the ending somehow managed to crush me. That’s the reward I get for reading to the end. Conclusions always get me, so I know I’m probably reacting a little stronger than normal. And yet, I didn’t see this finale coming. It somehow feels right and yet very wrong at the same time.

Thanks to Tor Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.