Unholy war - David Hair

The Moontide has arrived, the Leviathan Bridge has arisen from the wave and the armies of East and West are clashing as the Third Crusade seeks to conquer the continent of Antopia once and for all. But things are not going well in this epic fantasy 'similar in scope to George R.R. Martin's Ice and Fire and Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time novels (Library Journal)

Emperor Constant's Crusade is teetering on the edge of disaster: Shaliyah, birthplace of the Prophet, now has a new name: Mother of Victories. Suddenly the East is rising, and the unprecedented success of the Shihad is bearing fruit in the unlikeliest of quarters.
Honestly, [this series] just keeps getting better and better. It is filled with action, adventure, magic, love, danger and hope. This is a series I cannot recommend enough C.E. Tracy
To Elena Anborn and Kazim Makani it is a call to arms, to finally take up arms against the renegade spymaster Gurvon Gyle.
'Here is a book (not the only book but a great example) that proves that fantasy can have a basis in mediaeval ideas and still remember to give a role to women and non-white cultures. And yes it still has cultural oppression, racial biases, and hellish situations for the downtrodden. But it also has signs of growth, diversity, and people of all walks carrying their own agency' (Fantasy Review Barn)
For Queen Cera Nesti of Javon, it is a beacon as she seeks new ways to overthrow her husband and usurper king and reclaim Javon for her brother.
And Ramon Sensini, trapped behind enemy lines with the shattered remnants of the Southern Army, sees it as one more obstacle in his desperate attempt to get him men safely home.
'Sweeping conflicts, clashes of cultures, political and personal entanglements, rich and in-depth magic, and mighty warriors dot the landscape' (A Dribble of Ink)
But concealed amidst the storm and fire of the war, emperors, Inquisitors, Souldrinkers and assassins alike are engaged in a desperate, deadly and secret struggle to find the Scytale of Corineus, the key to ultimate power. Its unlikely guardians are the failed mage Alaron Mercer and market-girl Ramita Ankesharan, pregnant widow of the world's greatest mage - and what they choose to do with the Scytale could change the world for ever.
'Recommended for fans of George R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss'
Monster Librarian