I am not sure I was quite prepared for this incredibly epic, dark fantasy. In short, this book is mind-blowing. Perhaps half of the ‘mind blow’ element is due to the fact that books with Arabian-inspired atmosphere have not made their way into my eyes before, so it was fresh and unique to me. Surprisingly, in hindsight, the book starts with being sassy as heck. The dialogue in between Kevah and the Shah was a hoot.

“Kevah the Blacksmith,” the Shah said. “I’ve met eunuchs with better titles.”

And through sass, the story builds up, with introductions made, the characters firmly planted to their places, and boom, things take a really dark turn! And once the dark starts, it does not end… boy, does it not end… *stares into distance…

Gunmetal Gods is rich, gooey-gooey rich in religious theme! I love me my baddies to be morally grey, and hypocrites and fueled by their faith… I don’t know why, I just revel in it. Perhaps because with power comes great responsibility and no matter how holy one thinks they are, once they think they’re above others, a leader, they *will* be tainted by it… It’s the idea of a holy man thinking they have the right to judge others based on their beliefs whilst at the same time not ever practicing what they preach. And that, for some reason, is my guilty pleasure to read about. It’s a bit like pushing a finger into an already sore wound. Weird…

Rely on god and you’ll never know your own strength.

On the other hand, I love people and characters who are driven by the passion that burns within them. Be it fueled by sport, the art of growing potatoes, knitting, or god. If someone is burning with that passion of theirs, it’s bloody hard not to be pulled along by it… you see that spark, you want to have some. Suddenly, you yourself want to know everything there is to know about growing spuds or knitting or curling or god. You’re jealous because it seems like their life has more meaning than yours. It is so in real life as well as in fiction, for me. And so it is, that I love characters who don’t dally around because ‘oh poor me, the prophecy said I have to save the world and I’d rather be shagging maidens in the opposite direction‘. You know? I love plots that are driven by driven people! Screw the prophecy, you are the smith of your own luck and fate! Gunmetal Gods is ALL about driven people… it’s full of magic and a touch of godly fingers, pushing men to act out atrocious things, and all the while men still think they have it under control. Bwahahaha… how ironic, how wonderful!

Micah and Kevah… opponents, both in their religion and their ambitions. And yet, cruelly and by an unexpectedly wonderfully twisty twist, connected. God, this book makes you want to pat the cover and sigh ‘my precious!’… I would say, there are times the lines in between villains blurs… you think, which one is the actual villain here? You will get to know both their stories, and you wonder if you have to choose the bad guy based on how relatable their stories are? It’s great, it makes the reader squirm