Book Review: Famine (The Four Horsemen #3)

by Laura Thalassa

Rating: ⭐4/5⭐

They came to earth–Pestilence, War, Famine, Death–four horsemen riding their screaming steeds, racing to the corners of the world. Four horsemen with the power to destroy all of humanity. They came to earth, and they came to end us all.

Ana da Silva always assumed she’d die young, she just never expected it to be at the hands of Famine, the haunting immortal who once spared her life so many years ago. But if the horseman remembers her at all, he must not care, for when she comes face to face with him for the second time in her life, she’s stabbed and left for dead.

Only, she doesn’t quite die.

If there’s one thing Famine is good at, it’s cruelty. And how these blighted bastards deserve it. Try as he might, he can’t forget what they once did to him. But when Ana, a ghost from his past, corners him and promises pain for what he so recently did to her, she and her empty threats captivate him, and he decides to keep her around.

In spite of themselves, Ana and Famine are drawn to each other. But at the end of the day, the two are enemies. Nothing changes that. Not one kind act, not two. And definitely not a few steamy nights. But enemies or reluctant lovers, if they don’t stop themselves soon, heaven will.

Review

Oof. It’s been quite a while since my last review, I may be a little rusty. Let’s see…

I like this universe. I like the premise of average women capturing the hearts of all-powerful, deathly, immortal beings, and them giving up their divine task and changing their ways because of love. And I enjoyed Famine WAY more than I did War (honestly, I had such high hopes for War, and it was such a let down).

But, in a way, Famine wasn’t as good as I would have hoped. I feel like I’ll always be left feeling some degree of disappointment because of how much I loved Pestilence. I can’t help but compare all books in this universe to that first one, and there’s simply no way for any of them to live up to it. I was just so thoroughly mindblown and enamoured by it. Reading Pestilence was an experience. An adventure. A rollercoaster of feelings. And, like, how do you surpass that? Is it even possible?

However, gotta say, I really liked Ana. I feel like she’d get along splendidly with Sarah. Both of them were strong, pull-yourself-up-from-your-bootstraps kind of gals, while at the same time being good and compassionate. Miriam was too much of a little, delicate flower. I much rather prefer badass female protagonists. Specifically about Ana, I thoroughly enjoyed her crassness, zestiness and overall how little she cared about being prim and proper. Girl was tough as nails! Her naughtiness and constant references to sex made her charming and endearing. She was fun.

And as twisted and asshole-ish as Famine was, I actually liked him too. I really appreciated that he had motives and a reason for wanting to wipe out humanity. Not that that justified mass murder, but still. He didn’t kill for the sake of killing like War, or out of a sense of duty, like Pestilence. He did it out of grief, rage and vengeance. And, strangely enough, that made him more human and relatable. He was a magnificent antihero.

And, wow, that ending!❌Ana stabbing Death was, honestly, glorious!❌

❌He had it coming. It was well deserved. Also, I wouldn’t have expected anything less from her.❌

❌I’m actually pretty excited for the last installment. The three brothers banding together and working as a team to take down Death? It sounds epic. Also, I’m looking forward to the wives gossiping and comparing notes. That’s bound to be hilarious! I wonder what the first two couples will do with their kids? Will they take them along with them or leave them behind? Also, will Death also meet a woman who’ll bring him to his knees? Seems like a tall order, doesn’t it? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.❌

**I received an e-copy of this book from Bloom Books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you. All thoughts and opinions are my own**