Posted on  21/08/2024 12:42:08

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

ARC received from the author for a buddy read with Castle Dracula group
Thank you Graeme Rodaughan. This was a hell of a ride.

Fan Art by The Magic Book Corner

The fifth installment in the Metaframe War series is hot action from beginning to the very end. As usual, the story picks up right after the end of the previous book and kicks off from the very first page.

The Order of Thoth is on the verge of destruction. Arthur Slayne has returned from exile. The foremost foe of the Vampire Dominion seeks the aid of the Mirovar force team. Together, they must defeat the might of the Vampire Dominion and attempt the impossible. Steal the Panopticon from Crane's practically impenetrable fortress.

“Sneak into an impenetrable fortress. Defeat the super-soldiers and militarized vampires guarding it. Destroy the Artificial Intelligence at its heart. What could possibly go wrong?”

Well, as it turns out.... everything!

Anton’s grandfather does seem to have a dark agenda that could possibly prove to be even more dangerous than that of Anton's arch-nemesis, general Chloe Armitage. But will he go though with it, despite the casualties it would cause? Blood or revenge? What path he will choose remains for you to find out while reading. I for one loved every minute of it.

Fan Art by The Magic Book Corner

Arthur Slayne is one character I have waited to meet from the very beginning of the series and now that the moment has come, he doesn't disappoint. He was my favorite within this installment. Complex and well drawn, he is one to root for.

The harbinger of bad news and impossible to get out of situations, Arthur takes the already hot action in this installment one notch higher.
And this is exactly what The Crane War is all about. Action. Non-stop edge of the seat nail-biting action in Graeme's typical cinematic style.

And exactly because of that, it fell a little short for me. While the action is great, I wanted more!
The plot seems very straightforward here, despite the usual intricate subplots that Graeme has gotten his readers used to. We do get Chloe Armitage's intrigues, Cornelius Crane's secrets and Arthur Slayne's dark hidden agenda and yet they were overshadowed by the action. At heart, the The Crane War is a big full out war between the remnants of the Order of Toth and Crane's forces.
We get a lot of planning and a hell lot of action, but not so many revelations and twists to take the reader by surprise. Now I'm not saying these aren't there. But they seem very few compared to the rest of the MF books. Until the epilogue that is. Because that is a fabulous end, foreshadowing a kickass sequel that I am looking forward to.

I am not a very big fan of full blown out action without equally great character development and interaction to go with it. And this is the place where The Crane War didn't quite do it for me.

The characters grow and evolve, especially Chiara, Li and Anton. And yet, I would have liked more show than tell in both their growth and interaction. Their feelings, emotions and motivations felt a little bit unnatural to me at times and that cut a little down from the enticement of the story in general.

The action is brilliant, as always. And the blood and gore are deliciously morbid and badass:

"Bone shattered and blood sprayed in red ribbons of gore. The walls and ceiling were painted with splats of blood and gobbets of flesh. The concrete ran with rivulets of blood as the corpses piled one upon another."

Graeme is a master at writing bloody kickass action scenes! Even while there are several of them going on at the same time. He pulls it off like a charm and makes the reader feel he's smack down in the middle of it all. Brilliantly done!
That is one thing I loved in all his books and The Crane War in particular.

And then there are the chameleons!! Bad and dangerous to the bone and I absolutely loved them! Especially when they used that endearing term for the human they answered to! "Meat-that-talks' is bound to stick with you! :D And I'm looking forward to their future interaction with Chloe and her henchman.

Fan Art by The Magic Book Corner

All in all, The Crane War is a wonderful addition to the Metaframe War Series and if you crave hot action, it will be a guaranteed five star read for you.
It does feel like a turning point that sets a different base for the future books, one with higher stakes and a much larger scope. And I am looking forward to discovering where it will all lead.

I highly recommend this series to all dark Urban Fantasy fans out there!
It's one hell of a ride so give it a try!
I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Check out this book and more of Graeme Rodaughan here