The world is broken.

The new civil war has cracked the empire apart as Turi and Rio race to gather allies against Clan Ishima’s brutality. The enemy is ten steps ahead, and Turi is pushed to his limit to stop the evil a corrupted paladin order has unleashed.

Demari, finally fulfilling a lifelong dream at sea with his brother, finds himself recruited into the designs of a goddess and soul-bound to a man he barely knows. In the fight for supremacy in the empire’s waters, Demari’s newfound power and connection will alter the course of the war and change his life forever.

Meanwhile, back on Trosika the new empress, Sarina Marias, faces betrayal, ancient magic, and intrigue as Ishima agents make their next move to control the island. When fate brings her face to face with the God of War, can she match her will to his?

Will of Dragons is the second book in the Bel’s War series, an exciting LGBTQ+ epic fantasy with gay, trans, and non-binary protagonists!

How was it?

When I started Will of Dragons I thought I could jump back into this series. I remembered the first one fondly but after reading the first couple of chapters of this one, it was clear, I had to re-read A Descent of Ravens. Once I did, it was easier to dive into this second book.

However, Bel’s War continues to be an enjoyable queer fantasy series with an array of interesting LGBTQ+ characters. I’m not sure that I appreciated how trans and non-binary identities are infused into the cultures of this world when I read the first entry. It’s not a picture-perfect Kumbaya type of integration because I guess even in fantasy worlds there are bigots. Anyway, it reads like these characters – the kinji – seem somewhat close to how some Native American cultures view(ed) non-binary and trans people.

The story itself is quite entertaining and has developed well since book one. The world-building has expanded, more gods have been introduced, and the political and religious machinations are great and intricate enough to keep you guessing. The action is spread out, impressive, and varied. There are different kinds of magic that are cleverly put into use. My main issue with the series is the amount of information that is presented in a not-so-easy way to retain. There is a large cast of characters – most with their own P.O.V.’s, – lots of places they travel to, historical and/or contextual snippets throughout the novel, and a few original honorific titles, so it’s easy to get lost and/or forget who’s who, what, and where. Yet, it’s nothing that a little concentration can’t fix.

As for the narration in the audiobook, it’s serviceable but not on par with the story and genre for me. Sometimes it comes across as bland but overall it’s ok.