Okay, so… where to begin?

This is the first fantasy work by Angela Watts I’ve read. I wasn’t sure what to expect, having only read her (pretty epic) post-apoc/dystopian novels before, but I did know there would be a lot of fight scenes.

There were a lot of fight scenes.

Golgotha takes you to a world of monsters. Right from the beginning, there is a grim atmosphere surrounding the story even before we’re actually introduced to Golgotha itself. The main characters’ homeworld, Mazzabah (did I spell that right…?), isn’t described in too much detail, since the bulk of the tale takes place in Golgotha, which is described in plenty detail.

So this book is kinda dark. It’s bloody. Main character Prince Moray dabbles in dark magic. That’s not something you see often in Christian fantasy, and to be honest, I’m still curious as to how dark magic differs from the Gifts in this storyworld other than one being evil and one being good, as neither were explained very much. Moray was pretty unlikable to me throughout most of the book, but he did become a lot more sympathetic after a certain event, even though I wanted to smack him upside the head while reading. A lot.

Finnigan was probably my second-favorite character. His POV chapters were my favorite, partly because he’s an adorable busy cinnamon roll and partly because he makes awful puns. Ama was… okay? I didn’t hate her, but I didn’t love her either? I feel like she was not as nuanced as she could have been. But Courage is the best. Courage is amazing. I want a Courage.

My favorite character was Gunnar, I think xD His banter with… well, everyone, to be exact is probably one of my highlights from the book. I’m sorry, but smart-mouthed mercenary dudes are just great. The best part is that I was expecting a suave roguish bloke who was going to sweep Ama off her feet or something, but noooooooope Gunnar is better than that xDxDxD Tanka was a big plus too!

The plot is, as Angela Watts’s plots are, quick-moving and unforgiving from the start. I read it through in no time (there’s just something about her books that makes them hard for me to put down!). While suspicious li’l me expected every other character to end up dead and every little plan to be disastrously overturned, I still enjoyed the ride. The journey through Golgotha was like watching battles and scary things happen on a screen before me. And did I mention there are a lot of fight scenes?

Now… this is the part of this review that’s gonna be hardest for me to write… because getting depressed while reviewing themes in a book is what I do. But anyway. Golgotha has strong good-vs-evil messages about hope (I mean like, these guys need a lot of it–they’re trapped in a some demon world and everything), redemption (because do you think I would be reading dark fantasy if it didn’t have any redemption?), and spiritual warfare (I confess I do not often read fantasy books focusing on spiritual warfare). The themes came across a little too strong for my tastes. I always enjoy a good light-vs-darkness story, but I was surprised by how much of it kept appearing in the story? In the Infidel Books by this author, the characters talk about, well, God and prayer and redemption and stuff so differently from the characters in this book. Don’t get me wrong–I am a huge fan of God and prayer and redemption and stuff; I’m all for it and everything, and I understand that the sheer darkness of some of the things in this book warrant a great need for light, but could it have been done more subtly? Probably. Or maybe it’s not so much the written portrayal of the themes as the way the characters’ portrayal. All I know is, that’s my biggest issue with this.

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait for book two! (Especially after that epilogue… Come on.) I’m intrigued/terrified by what we’ll learn about the villain(s?) in the sequel, and I’m eager to see how these main characters will come into play in the future storyline. But until then… I guess we’ll all have to wait. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a YA dark Christian fantasy with characters who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty but struggle with the consequences afterwards set in a grim, foreboding world home to some really interesting creatures.

*I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. A positive review was not required; all views and opinions and expressed are my own.*