Rising Gale by Z. B. Steele
Blurb:
My execution draws near...
The noose beckons. My days dwindle. And still, my story is unfinished.
Tears are left to be shed. Blood has yet to be spilled. Lend me your ear once more to hear of sins and failures. Of swords and shadows. Of violet lightning and black blood.
For it was I who began the war of the gods.
A moody, banter-laced, violent, and poetic framed story - Z.B. Steele presents Rising Gale, book two of Song of the Damned.
Review:
If I could describe the Song of the Damned series in a single sentence, it would be something like; Z. B. Steele tortures his readers as much as he does his characters, and, somehow, he makes us all love every second of it. Now, I’m not sure who that reflects more poorly on (actually I’m well aware it's probably I, the reader, but lets just say I truly have no idea, for old time’s sake and my dignity both).
Rising Gale is the much awaited sequel to Whispers of the Storm, Book 1 in the Song of the Damned. And when I say much awaited, I truly need to emphasize that. If you were to look at my goodreads, I finished 0 books for about three months (excluding manga) before the ARC of Rising Gale fell into my hands. And boy did I devour it.
Our journey alongside Redlin continues, reeling from the losses and sorrows of book 1. Quickly, relations with the Seraph devolve, veering towards war between church, crown, and Vanguards. At the center of it all is Redlin, renowned amongst the Vanguard, now friend to the prince, and hated by the Seraph (can’t really blame the guy, to be honest, I’d hate Redlin too). The story kicks off with a funeral, an emotional, heartbreaking one, that steadily turns into Redlin’s services being pulled every which way. Along it, he finds around him friends, lovers, redemption, and absolute, utter defeat.
The atmosphere is everything we had and more from Book 1, as are the characters. Namely, I was deeply moved by the evolution of Redlin’s relationship with Asher, and how it affected them both. The other relationships, which I won’t name because of spoilers, make me absolutely furious with Z. B. But I guess that means he did his job, right? The emotions are certainly high, Redlin’s own wallowing notwithstanding, and they pull on our heartstrings from the get go. The supporting characters get fleshed out in ways we didn’t see as much in Whispers that I particularly appreciated, bringing all sorts of new perspectives, connections, and favorites that Z. B. always does a great job at establishing.
I’m sure you’ve heard of this book (or at the very least the series) but if you haven’t started it yet, what are you waiting for? Perfect for fans of dark, gritty, irredeemably wonderful characters in a world just as twisted, Rising Gale by Z. B. Steele was a massive highlight of 2026.
