The fourth and final book of Peter McLean’s phenomenal War for the Rose Throne series, Priest of Crowns concludes the story of Tomas Piety – gangster, army priest, Queen’s Man, politician, heartless killer, caring father – in bleak, brutal but satisfying style. After the events of Priest of Gallows, Dannsburg is boiling over with civil unrest as religious fervour vies with xenophobia and nationalistic fury, and the prospect of war with Skania looms over everything. Increasingly uncomfortable with the machinations of the Provost Marshal Dieter Vogel, Tomas (now Councillor Sir Thomas) finds himself torn between pride at his lofty position and loathing of what he’s become. With suspicion tainting his every move, and unsure of who he can truly trust, Tomas plans a careful opposition of Lord Vogel, knowing full well that any wrong move will see him and everyone he cares about dead.
If you’ve got this far with the War for the Rose Throne series then chances are you’ll have a good idea of the direction Priest of Crowns takes, but let’s be clear right away: this is not a happy book. There are no heroics here, no glory or honour or happy ending. It’s a grim, powerful story that’s full of tension, as befits what’s gone before and the journey that Tomas has been on since Priest of Bones. It’s very much the powerful, explosive conclusion to the series, following Tomas as he pushes against Vogel’s authority in both subtle and spectacularly unsubtle fashion, and in many respects it’s a book about the price he pays – is willing to pay – for power. In Tomas’ world everything has a cost, often tailored to the act or the person, and at times reading this book feels almost painfully tense with so much at stake, not least a host of characters who, over the course of the series, it’s been impossible not to get attached to.
More than most series, the War for the Rose Throne really feels like one cohesive story told across four volumes, and charting Tomas’ arc from Priest of Bones onwards has been a highlight of the series. For all his protestations that he’s not suited to politics or to life as a Queen’s Man, Priest of Crowns shows him finally accepting who he’s become and how much he’s changed (while it’s left up to each reader to make their own moral judgement on his actions). He might not always like how he’s developing, but he gradually recognises the changes and their necessity, even as his battle shock continues to worsen the deeper he gets into the Queen’s Men and his own plans. As those plans progress the stakes – for Tomas, his friends and family, and arguably the country as a whole – rapidly ramp up and the resulting carnage proves shocking and satisfying, heartbreaking and entirely appropriate.
Thinking back over the series up to this point there’s a certain inevitability to the conclusion that Priest of Crowns provides, but McLean carefully and cleverly avoids making the obvious choices so that the shocks land powerfully and the catastrophic action – even by the standards of the series – feels suitably epic without ever losing its darkness. Because this really has been a dark series, and this really is a grim, dark finale; unlike many fantasy series it ends as much in sadness and loneliness as anything else…but then how could it do anything else? It’s an elegant, satisfying ending that feels just right for both the series and Tomas as a character, and if you’ve followed this story from the beginning with your eyes wide open then you probably won’t be too surprised by it. It’s certainly not a happy ending, but it feels like the right ending to a series that has consistently impressed at every turn.
Many thanks to Jo Fletcher books and Peter McLean for sending me an advance copy of Priest of Crowns in exchange for my honest review.
See also: all of my reviews and interviews for The War for the Rose Throne.
Priest of Crowns is out now in paperback, ebook and audiobook – check out the links below to order your copy*:
*If you buy anything using one of these links, I will receive a small affiliate commission – see here for more details.
If you enjoyed this review and would like to support Track of Words, you can leave a tip on my Ko-Fi page.
