The Ruin of Kings

A Chorus of Dragons #1

by Jenn Lyons

What if you weren't the hero?

Kihrin grew up on tales of long-lost princes and grand quests - despite being raised in a brothel, making money as a musician and street thief. One day he overreaches by targeting an absent noble's mansion, hunting for jewels. There he witnesses a prince performing a terrifying dark-magic ritual. Kihrin flees but he's marked by a demon and his life will never be the same again.

That night also leads to him being claimed as a lost son of that prince's royal house. But far from living the dream, Kihrin finds himself practically a prisoner, at the mercy of his new family's power plays and ambitions. He must also discover why his murderous father finds Kihrin more valuable alive than dead. Soon Kihrin attempts to escape his relative's dangerous schemes, but finds himself in far deeper waters.

He becomes tangled in a plot to kill the Emperor, rob the Imperial Vaults, claim a god-slaying sword and free bound demons to wreak havoc across the land. Kihrin also discovers the old tales lied about many things: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, true love - and the hero always winning. But maybe Kihrin isn't fated to save the empire. He's destined to destroy it.

The Ruin of Kings is the first book in Jenn Lyons's epic new series.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Fiction, Adult, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Audiobook

560 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2019

About the author

Jenn Lyons lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, three cats, and a lot of opinions on anything from the Sumerian creation myths to the correct way to make a martini. At various points in her life, she has wanted to be an archaeologist, anthropologist, architect, diamond cutter, fashion illustrator, graphic designer, or Batman. Turning from such obvious trades, she is now a video game producer by day, and spends her evenings writing science fiction and fantasy. When not writing, she can be founding debating the Oxford comma and Joss Whedon’s oeuvre at various local coffee shops.

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher—Tor Books—in exchange for an honest review.

Convoluted and complex are probably understatements, but I don’t have any other words to describe the main attributes of this debut.

For those of you who don’t know, The Ruin of Kings have been the fantasy debut that Tor has been promoting heavily for several months now. This novel has been advertised as the debut of the year that’s targeted “For fans of George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb, Joe Abercrombie, Brent Weeks, Brandon Sanderson, and Patrick Rothfuss”. I’ll be completely honest here, if any publisher or author decides to put all of these giant, super high profile fantasy authors’ references into a debut work by an unknown author, it seriously better be a masterpiece. I’m one of those readers who had their interest for this book sparked by that bold claim, and I jumped at the chance of reading and reviewing it early; expecting it to be a debut that will go down into my ‘best of all time’ lists. Unfortunately, it didn’t.

“A hero who has never had a bad thing happen to him isn’t a hero—he’s just spoiled.”

The Ruin of Kings is Jenn Lyon’s debut and it’s the first out of five books in A Chorus of Dragons series. The main story revolves around Kihrin, who in the present timeline is in jail retelling all the events that have happened to him which eventually led to his capture. Now, here’s where it immediately started to get complicated. Kihrin’s narration doesn’t begin from his actual beginning but halfway through his journey; the first half of Kihrin’s story is instead being narrated by his jailor—Talon. This means there are three main timeframes to follow. First is the present timeline in which Kihrin is in jail telling his story to Talon. Then, the second and third timelines—where the majority of the book takes place in—deal with Kihrin’s past. These chapters are told in a see-saw method, consecutively switching back and forth with each chapter progression in the first person (Kihrin’s narration) and third person (Talon’s narration) perspectives. There are also a lot of footnotes added by another character, because everything you read about Kihrin—in both timelines—was actually done in written format by this character. Not only the unconventional storytelling makes it very easy to lose focus on who’s who or what, many of the characters—and believe me, there are a lot of names to remember—have multiple nicknames, and also similar-sounding names. For example: Teraeth, Terindel, Therin, Tyentso, Kelindel, and Kelinos, just to name a few. To add even more confusion, there were also elements of body swapping, which meant some of the characters you encounter may not be who you think they are.

My main problem with all these is that even after finishing the whole story, it all feels like it was unnecessarily convoluted. I truly believe The Ruin of Kings would’ve been an amazing debut if it was told in a linear and chronological structure. Talon’s narration which began from Kihrin’s true beginning was so much more engaging than Kihrin’s narration due to its natural sense of story progression and characters’ development. Kihrin’s narration began halfway throughout his flashback. Think of it like this. When you’re reading a book, you start reading from the first page and flip through it one at a time. In The Ruin of Kings, not only do you start from the first page, but at the same time you also have to start from the 50% mark; then you continue your progress from each starting point by switching back and forth between two different time frames. I thought there would be a good reason for using this unconventional storytelling style that will result in a huge impact, but there was none. There was no epic convergence or anything like that at all. In the end, it all seems like this unconventional style was included for the sake of making things more complex than necessary. Every chapter became a constant battle of readjusting information gathered in your head due to the different timeframes. Plus, Kihrin in all timeframes sounded like totally different characters due to this storytelling method - the main character’s development became disjointed and abstract rather than natural. When a chapter was great and I was interested to find out what happened next, the narrative forced me to read another chapter from a different timeframe first. And this happened regularly.

This doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy complex epic fantasy, I’ve read and utterly loved Malazan Book of the Fallen and other massive fantasy series. However, The Ruin of Kings didn’t really work out for me, as I felt it was deliberately more complex than it needed to be. I strongly advise readers to check out the preview chapters kindly provided by Tor on their website, or NetGalley before getting this book. For the reasons I mentioned above, I truly believe that you have to truly know what kind of storytelling style you’re getting into here; you can’t rely only on the blurbs and advertisements. I’m saying this so that the book will attract the right audience too. I always try my best to read a book that has my interest with as little information as possible. Most of the time it worked absolutely well, but sadly this was one of those rare cases where it didn’t; I should’ve read at least a few chapters before requesting for the ARC.

I know I have sounded really negative and critical so far but believe me that it wasn’t all bad. The world-building, in particular, was spectacular. Lyons implemented her world-building gradually and there wasn't any info-dump. The world that Lyons has built in The Ruin of Kings was huge in scope, full of rich history, brimming with dangers, politics, gods, demons, and massive dragon. Lyons also has a superbly engaging prose that even when the story became too convoluted, I was never bored with it and was still intrigued to continue. Finally, the side characters were incredibly well-written. I didn't find myself invested with Kihrin, but his interaction and banter with the side characters were humorous and entertaining to read. Every side character have their personality well fleshed-out and their own distinct voices. Galen and Doc were two of my favorite characters from the book. I do want to say though, that this book is not for YA. It deals with a lot of heavy and dark topics like rape, incest, slavery, and prejudice that I think is not suitable for a younger audience.

“Real evil is an empire like Quur, a society that feeds on its poor and its oppressed like a mother eating her own children. Demons and monsters are obvious; we’ll always band together to fight them off. But real evil, insidious evil, is what lets us just walk away from another person’s pain and say, well, that’s none of my business.”

My rating speaks for itself; that I liked The Ruin of Kings and I think this was a good debut. Overall, I just didn’t find the book to reach the level of grandeur promised by the very high claims. In my opinion, The Ruin of Kings was a good debut that could've been amazing if it follows a more linear and chronological storytelling style. Although in the end this didn't really work out as much as I hoped, I recommend The Ruin of Kings to readers who are looking for complex epic fantasy with an unconventional storytelling method.

Sidenote:
The e-ARC I got was so awfully formatted that it might've affect my reading enjoyment and immersion. There's a chance that I'm going to enjoy the book more on a reread with a finished and well-polished copy. When will that happen, I can't say for sure yet.

Official release date: February 5th, 2019 (US), February 7th, 2019 (UK)

You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread

I don’t like the sprayed edges on this one. It looks like they might have been trying to do a grey color from the grey book (which I like better and am going to get) or maybe a light blue.





Holy shit balls! This book was so confusing and so good, I don’t even know what all I just read!! My mind!!!


*photo: David Ho & George Redhawk

Im looking forward to the next book and a reread of this crazy book!

Happy Reading!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Becca & The Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who loves a hard, defined magic system and concrete worldbuilding, I shouldn't have really liked this. We have two unreliable narrators throughout the bulk giving conflicting information on the magic and history and the characters are a mess of reincarnations, Gods, God Kings, people who swapped bodies, living legends and people who should be dead but aren't dead, making for a confusing read.
Despite all of that, I actually really loved this one. The majority of the book is a transcript of 2 people telling the story of our main character, Kihrin, starting at different points in time. The narrative alternates between them, one in first person, one in third, with footnotes being provided by a third party whose relevance to the story is unknown for a large part of the book.
The writing style is moderately light, pairing humour and levity with dark topics like slavery, abuse and forced prostitution, providing a very contrasting tone - something else I don't typically like.
But for some reason this book just worked for me. I spent a lot of time reading confused about the specifics, timeline and everyone's connection to each other, but I couldn't deny that I was hooked until the very last page.

[Holly Hearts Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever been to denial town? Currently visiting and it sucks....

The Ruin of Kings has been on my radar ever since it was announced in 2018 being compared to Joe Abercrombie (one of my favorite authors), Patrick Rothfuss, and Brandon Sanderson. It sounded so good - a heavy dose of epic fantasy with all the usual nastiness and morally-grey characters. But I could not connect with a single character or event in this book no matter what I did. The convoluted storytelling DID NOT HELP. In Fact I skimmed the last half of this as fast as I could....

I'm sure the right sort of reader will eat this up and add it to their favorites list. It does seem to be garnering a lot of positive attention. At least the publisher is making it seem like that with those heavy words "Prepare to meet the genre's next star."

Page 1 begins with an ominous scene. We’re introduced to a boy named Kirian as he is in a jail cell with a “demon” named Talon who is leaning on the outside bars begging for a story to be told on how he got there.

And so he begins.

And so does she.

That’s right. We are forced to follow not one but two different perspectives of the same story being told. We have two narrations here! There’s Kihrins 1st person perspective talking about his recent events and then there’s Talons 3rd person perspective talking about what happened before the events he’s telling.. uhhhh. So yes, Talons chapters aren't about her. They're also about Kihrin.. in 3rd person.. but his name is Rook..

Which would have been incredibly unique and interesting but I found it to be confusing and hard to follow. OH YEAH! There’s also footnotes throughout the whole book...

Not like I don’t enjoy a complex story, I freaking do! Like give me all the complexity! But with the writing style, body swapping (where characters are actually not the characters you think they are) and the 10 page glossary in the back of the book of smash-your-face-on-keyboard names (including multiple nicknames for multiple characters) made up slangs for gangs, and kingdoms and faraway lands. This quickly became a chore. Adding insult to injury, I found the the main character Kihrin very unlikeable and did not enjoy reading the story he wanted to tell.

I think if we had a linear plot line, it would have been much more enjoyable. It's so frustrating that its convoluted because there is a wonderful story and world that's sort of obstructed by the time and perspective jumps. The world building is beautiful and the rich history/cultures were *insert grabby hands*

But all in all, I am left in a puddle of disappointment. Like I said, I skimmed the fork out of the last half of this book. I was over it but I feel like I have a good mindset on my rating.

[James Tivendale · Rating 4 out of 5]

We did this (myself and Emma) as a combined review for Fantasy Book Review which can be seen here. http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/Je...

These were my thoughts following on from what Emma had already written.

I received a limited edition proof copy of The Ruin of Kings in exchange for an honest review

Additional notes by James Tivendale - I think Emma summed up most of the points perfectly.

I agree with what Emma said about the point of views switching between 1st and 3rd person sometimes being confusing and the reader having to readjust. The beginning and middle I rated 10/10. The ending occasionally felt forceful and rushed until the final 30-40 pages which I found absolutely stunning. There are a lot of characters and many of which have very similar names and there are very complex family trees. Lyons kindly includes a Dramatis Personae as well as explaining difficult or uneasy context to help us understand the deepness and complexities in her amazingly crafted world.

Following on from there being many characters it does get confusing with the two timelines. One being Kihrin's 1st person perspective which is his recent antics and the other being his jailor Talon's descriptions of what happened before his sections. Many of the cast are in both timelines and with short, sharp and often very thrilling chapters and I believe only 4-years difference between the action of both segments it does sometimes take a few minutes to work out, or it did for me if this is before or after what happened last. First of my two further negatives is that I didn't really grasp the reasons for the whole prophecy about our main character and I never thought he wasn't the hero as the tagline states. Also, the 80-90% section of the narrative is too swift, and however amazing it is, pardon my french - it's a bit of a 'head-fuck.'

I sound like I've been negative here but I'm really not. Emma summed up perfectly what I enjoyed about this book. I still believe this will be an instant classic and TOR have got an absolute winner on their hands. My comments might have been the harshest but I've pushed the rating up because of how great I think this book is, albeit including minor issues. The Ruin of Kings will be in many top-10 lists next year and I cannot wait to see what comes next because I'm 100% here for the whole ride.

[Amy Imogene Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

UPDATE: I am still chewing on this story, 7 months later. I had to bump it up to 4 stars for the sheer lasting effect alone. Maybe I love this?

There is such a thing as too much, too fast, too deep, and too convoluted in high fantasy. This is arguably it.

Writing: ★★★★★
World Building: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★
Timeline: ★
Overall Reader Enjoyment: ★ for the act of sorting out the plot, and ★★★★ for the actual world and events once deciphered

I’ve never had to make a literal flow chart for a book before this one, but I would not have been able to confidently say I’d read and understood The Ruin of Kings without it. Despite its completely messed up status as Too Much, I think I loved it.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room: The Ruin of Kings' complete clusterf--- of a timeline and general sense of place and character development. Now—separate from the plot and enjoyment as a reader—it can be stated that this plot is very intelligent and the narrative IS insanely clever.

But when something is that complicated, is it enjoyable to read?

The Ruin of Kings starts off like an oral narrative with two characters, Kithrin and Talon, in a prison/dungeon cell setting. Kithrin prisoner, Talon jailor. Talon goads Kithrin into telling his life story and agrees to supplement the story with every other POV that matters (Talon is able to impersonate/become other people, like Mystique in X-Men but with a complete mental takeover as well). Yes, it gets very confusing.

So far though, so good—each chapter alternates between Kithrin's POV and Talon's narrators. There are also some intriguing footnotes from a third person who is obviously listening to these recordings, but we'll get to those later.

Now here's where this gets sticky: Talon's timelines are all in the past, following their own linear structure, while Kithrin's timeline is all in the future, following his linear structure. Confusing, right?

It's like cutting one story into two parts, and having you alternate between the beginning of the book and the 50% mark of the book....simultaneously.

You might be thinking that this linear mind mess must have a purpose or, at the very least, an epic time-release pay off. (From my opinion, the jury's out on this one.) Little is revealed that wasn't already alluded to, and the climax is—if anything—made less impactful by our awareness of certain facts.

On top of this, let's add a complex world that deals heavily with the concept of reincarnation. I loved that, and how people who died are either Returned (brought back to life), reincarnated as other people later in life, or other.

Trigger Warning: because people Return, there are several instances where characters kill themselves. This is within the context of reincarnation and is handled incredibly well, but it is still a form of suicide and should be noted.

Because of the past lives element, every single character ended up either a reincarnated version of someone OR they were so closely linked that it was a frequent problem.

It was just too much. Given the frankly stellar world building and completely foreign names, locations, and customs, it was hard to keep it all straight.

This was such a personal conundrum for me, as the writing and individual scenes as so fantastic.

When the hype for this series states that The Ruin of Kings is a masterpiece, I'm assuming they're referring to the flawless characterizations of dozens of unique characters, the fluid sexuality throughout, or the complex belief systems and general world flow. Or maybe just the ending.

Also, let's get to the footnotes. I LOVE sassy footnotes. The footnotes are from a third POV (I'm counting Talon's multiples as one), Thursivar. Why is he the footnote POV? I still don't get it. His role in the story as a semi-omniscient narrator communicating via footnotes is unclear, even as he is introduced by Kihrin and Talon in their stories. (Something that becomes clear in later books? One hopes.)

The footnotes by themselves were great, but my one complaint is a larger problem in regards to the book as a whole—they were inconsistent.

The footnotes come, and then they go, and then other plot points come, and then they go. Kihrin has some moments with his sexuality, but this is dropped. There are some semi-conversations between Talon and Kihrin at the beginnings of chapters (done in italics, to keep them separate from the narrative), and those drop.

Also, there is a demon landscape element that I honestly don't know how to review so I'll just leave it here. ...What?

(If you've stuck with me to the end of this review, thank you.)

However, The Ruin of Kings did one thing right: I need to know how it goes.

Cheers to those of us who embark on Book 2 - out of five planned novels in The Chorus of Dragons series- I think it will be a masterfully done ride...and will hopefully clear up some of the confusion.

I'm avoiding considering how much more can enter this incredibly full plot in four more books. But I'm going to read them anyway. Because I need to know.

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[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kihrin is many things: orphan, thief, long lost son of a prince... destroyer of the world? Whatever else he is, he’s also having a really bad time of it. Everything he’s ever believed is lies, truths only discovered though violence and death. But since his new life involves evil magicians, a death cult, a war between gods and demons, the kind of family that epitomises the whole keep-your-enemies-closer philosophy, and dragons…. well, his chances don’t seem like they’ll be looking up any time soon. After all, he’s in prison when we meet him.

Right from the outset it’s clear this book isn’t set up in the usual fashion. Kihrin languishes in a jail cell, bullied by his captor into narrating the events that led him to this point. Into a magic rock no less. His tale is told in alternating chapters, while his jailer, Talon, accounts for the other. But here’s the hook, she has some very particular skills that means the story she’s telling is also his, adding parts of the plot not only on a different timeline, but from varied perspectives too. If that isn’t complicated enough, the resulting recoding (magical rock, remember?) from which this book is supposedly drawn is then provided with somewhat snarky commentary in footnote style from a whole other character who is also involved in the story at various points. It’s an interesting premise, but one that nevertheless has its own challenges. When it works it creates an escalating tension as the chapters flip, each one ending on a cliffhanger, so that it’s impossible to put the book down. The chapters are short, high energy, and thrilling.

But that’s when it works. The dual storyline of Kihrin in first person and then in third from differing perspectives sometimes created a strange dissonance, almost like it was two different people, and not just because of the character development acquired in one half or the other. There’s a constant need to remember which Kihrin knows what and when he learned it, especially because the overarching plot is seriously convoluted. Not only is there high stakes politics, ethnic and religious wars, and familial infighting on an epic scale, there’s bodyswapping. So people might not be who you think they are. Or were. Or whatever. To say it brings about some dodgy familial connections is a bit of an understatement. When the format fails, bogged down in detail and unnecessary complication, things end up needing to be explained a bit too much by one person or another, making it feel unnatural. Even if, because of the complexity, they probably really do need to work through it themselves. This happens a bit too much at the beginning and then again with the finale, which felt rushed and threw in some curve balls to conform to the prophesies that supposedly underly the action.

So at this point you might be wondering how it got 4 stars at all? Let me go back to the whole ‘when it works’ thing I was talking about before. Parts of this book are blindingly good. As in, 5-stars-are-not-enough kinda great. Pretty much all the middle in fact. If you’re one of the people that read the preview, it starts right at the end of that and lasts all the way till the stories converge in the final segment. This is where Jenn Lyons’ creativity shines. From beginning to end, the worldbuilding is excellent, layered and intricate, developed by an author who knows everything about the place she’s created. It’s never less than believable, from the systems of government to history, cultural norms and values to religion and magic. There’s diversity of all sorts, including both underlying and overt dialogue about sexual identity/choice that surprised and pleased me. Of course, it’s not all hearts and rainbows, variation brings hostility and this is a dangerous world. All of the abhorrent aspects of human society are here: slavery, racial wars, rape, incest, murder, human sacrifice. People have dark stories and even darker motivations. Even our lead has a real attitude, though considering his circumstances I can understand where he’s coming from, and in any case it’s done with comedy rather than angst. It’s not just him either. The book had the same kind of humorous banter and point scoring backchat that reminded me much more of UF. The exchanges between Kihrin and Teraeth were exceptional, transforming from genuinely funny to moving and emotional and back again with ease. Such humour provided a very necessary lightness in pretty dire circumstances and gave Kihrin the kind of appeal accorded to those who respond to the shit shovelled in their direction with two fingers and a smile. Yet he’s only one of a whole cast of memorable characters, so well conceived and vibrantly portrayed that they carry the book even when the plot loses itself a bit. Most of the true character development came predominantly in that middle section and was by far the best part of the book, managing to maintain momentum whilst deepening the relationships between characters and expanding our knowledge of the world. I raced though it, loving every minute. There were questions answered and even more asked, a labyrinthine game that has been played for thousands of years. And even though the ending didn't hold quite the same thrill, it brought enough surprises, enough possibilities, to whet the appetite for more.

Despite my quibbles, I’m intrigued about where this will go. The dual storyline format doesn’t seem to be one that can be successfully repeated, potentially giving the next book an entirely different feel. Certainly, the final scenes include some you-can’t-do-that moments that I can’t wait to see explored. If you thought things were going to hell here, the future seems like it’s already on fire…. and I'll be there to see it burn.


ARC via publisher for fantasybookreview.co.uk

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I listened to this on audio and enjoyed the narration as there are 3 different narrators which helped make the jumps in time easier to follow as well as the footnotes. While this is an interesting world full of political machinations, it does become overly convoluted as the story goes on. Due to the nature of the magic system and various methods of “immortality”, the family trees in this are so complicated with so many twists revealed that by the end I had trouble remembering who was related to who and how. This made it harder to follow, especially character motivations and alliances. I’ll likely continue this series on audio since the narration was so good, but I don’t feel connected enough to the story to want to continue it ASAP.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, reviews on this book are very split and I understand why but I LOVED this!!

Basically what it comes down to is if you don't like puzzles, complex narrative structures, or books where you have to pay close attention to pick up on what's happening, you will find The Ruin of Kings very frustrating. However, if you (like myself) love puzzles, complex narrative structures, and fun things like snarky and informative footnotes, then you should definitely pick this book up.

This is the start of an epic fantasy series filled with political intrigue, magic, power hungry gods, and dangerous prophecies. Book 1 is structured as a report written to a ruler about events that led up to the burning of the capital city. The person who created the report cobbled together transcripts telling the story from two different people, and then added his own commentary through footnotes. (Yay footnotes! I love a good footnote)

The main story is told in two timelines from two different narrators while one of them is imprisoned. Kihrin is asked to tell his own story, but he begins halfway into his life. To supplement, Talon (a mimic with the ability to eat people and magically assume their identities and memories) tells his earlier history for him, from the perspective of the people she has killed. The chapters alternate between them until eventually the timelines intersect.

If this sounds complicated, it kind of is but I thought it was a lot of fun, and an interesting way to hear the story because the reader sometimes learns important information from older Kihrin that younger Kihrin doesn't know yet. You do have to pay attention because there are three mechanisms for magical body swapping in this book.

1. Mimics can take on the form of other people, especially if they have killed and consumed that person.
2. There is a magic stone necklace. When the owner of it is killed, their soul is switched with that of their killer, thereby keeping them alive, but moving them to another body.
3. Reincarnation. Some people are able to remember their past lives

Probably you will read this review and either think "omg, no thank you! That sounds like way too much work." or think "Wow, that sounds really cool and interesting! I need to read this." Either way, you're welcome! I will say, if you are an audiobook person you may want to blend your reading with audio and physical. There are three different narrators (including one for the footnotes) which probably helps with keeping the different perspectives straight.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and want to continue with the series. It's the kind of book that in my opinion is very re-readable because there are so many little details and easter eggs scattered throughout. I have some theories about the world and what's going on and am curious to see how much of it is accurate. Thanks to Tor for providing me with a copy for review! All opinions are my own.

Content warnings include enslavement (there is a lot of this throughout), murder, torture, sexual assault (off-page), physical & verbal child abuse (on page), drugging, probably other things as well.

[Spencer Orey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an odd one. Sometimes I wanted to give up on it, and sometimes I was totally hooked. If you're looking for a really detailed fantasy with a sprawling epic world with huge intrigue and schemes, then here you go. This one would be great to read with a friend, just to get a grip on some of the twists. I found myself really wanting to talk things over.

The main story is standard epic fantasy stuff at this point but on a grandiose scale, with wizards, gods, dragons, brain-eating monsters, demons, magic soul crystals, and just so much scheming.

What's unique is the framing. The book is told in a back and forth, with one story told by protagonist Kihrin in the first person and the other story in a third person voice also about Kihrin (but often through other points of view). There are also intrusive footnotes from another character. The chapters are relatively short, so at first the back and forth switch with footnotes full of extra world building info was a hard mix for me to follow.

By the end, I felt like the switching worked. I actually think it's a big accomplishment here, but I can't imagine other writers using the same format.

I have mixed feelings about the politics? Slavery is a constant presence here, in all of its horrors. That led to a good focus on consent, and giving consent was a major theme in the book. On top of that, there were some pretty minor gestures to gender politics (a historical racial thing, an openly bi character, and a closeted character) that were ok but could have been more thoroughly developed in this fantasy setting.

I'm a little less comfortable with how race was treated in the book. There are multiple intermixing races, as is usual in fantasy these days, but although skin color wasn't usually a big factor in the world of the story, the author always made sure we knew exactly what color everyone was, often repeating their skin color on every reintroduction. I think overall it felt like the author was trying their best to do some good here and to be diverse by making sure we don't assume everyone is some white Tolkien elf or human, so I'm giving it a pass. But I dunno. We don't see the actual cultures of people and places or get to understand heritage, except for how skin color reflects hereditary. On the other hand, there was one scary race with poison spikes under their arms, so that was cool at least?

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

At one point, a character says “use that brain. I know it hurts, but try”, and nothing has ever summed up a book so perfectly. Jenn Lyons put me to work, and I’m exhausted 😭 The Ruin of Kings was an incredible read, but I’m happy (relieved?) I’m finally finished

[Jade Ratley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely phenomenal

On re-read: Absolutely phenomenal, again.

[Zoe Stewart (Zoe's All Booked) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

This book was so. fucking. good. The only reason it lost half a star was probably my own fault since I zoned out a little while I was listening to the audiobook. After I switched to the physical copy I was fully invested. I'll definitely be rereading one day, so hopefully, it'll be a full five stars then!

I freaking loved the worldbuilding in this, the magic was interesting and dragons. THERE WERE ACTUAL DRAGONS. I'm calm. I just love dragons.

The story is told in alternating timelines until the end of one timeline matches up with the beginning of the other. Personally, I think it was a great idea in the way that it let us put the pieces together from the slightly more distant past to figure out the events of the more recent past without it being info-dumpy or boring. It all tied together so perfectly, answering most of my questions but opening up so many more by the end. Moral of the story is I need the next one now.

Right now.

[Lauren Lanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I don’t want to be your hero. Those stories never end well.”

The Ruin of Kings was mind blowing in every sense. Khirin is easily one of my new favourite protagonists; the fact that he faced the wrath of dragons, demons, and deranged royals (among other creatures) while constantly being called out for his low IQ was hilarious. Complete with the vastly intriguing supporting cast and endlessly amusing footnotes, I had a wonderful time reading!

~★~ What is this book about? ~★~

The Ruin of Kings is told quite strangely (which I adored). When we first meet our protagonist Khirin, we find him jailed by a monster, one that demands he recite the story of what led up to his current imprisonment. From there, we are thrust into alternating perspectives following two different timelines in Khirin’s past. One told by his jailor, Talon, the other recited by Khirin himself...

As the adopted son of a blind musician, young Khirin’s life was made up of harp playing and the occasional thievery. This all comes crashing down when, during a robbery, he spies a prince summoning a demon—and gets caught. As the only witness to what happened that night, Khirin becomes a target of great danger. So, when the prince he caught performing a dark-magic ritual publicly claims Khirin as his long-lost son, Khirin’s whole world becomes a nightmare.

────── {⋆★⋆} ──────

I have never read anything like this book. The Ruin of Kings takes intricacy to new heights, combining elements of magic that I never imagined could meld together so well. The first book already saw the whimsy of dragons, krakens, immortal gods, mimics, emperors and more! I know, “How could that many things possibly work in harmony with one another?” Believe me, I’m in awe too. Jenn Lyons does a damn great job weaving her magic into this world while leaving tons of room for expansion in later books.

“Do you think fortune will favor you because your cause is just and your heart is full of vengeance? As you said yourself, he is a monster. One does not slay a monster with good intentions.”

The world-building was spectacular! Lyons crafts a realm with such rich history, that even the places our protagonist didn’t visit felt recognizably lived in. I could picture every setting in vivid detail, and revelled in much of the mental scenery. Some of my favourite scenes took place of Thaena’s island, partially due to how much I enjoyed the atmosphere.

The characters. Oh my. Khirin was such an unpredictable, hotheaded, stupid teenager. Alas, how could I not love him?. The humour within this novel was perfectly to my taste; Khirin’s impulsive snarkiness made me laugh out loud during one or two scenes, which is a rare feat for any book to accomplish. Taraeth and Tyentso are probably my next favourites, providing entertaining banter with Khirin and containing great character depth themselves. (I’m sad that Taraeth wasn’t too prominent in this first book; here’s to hoping he’ll show up more in the rest of the series!)

My one (pretty miniscule) complaint revolves around the soul-switching, nobody is who you think they are thing. The royal family tree was hard enough to follow on its own, so the additional ability allowing someone's soul to posses the body of their killer made characters' true identities and relationships even harder to keep track of.

All in all, The Ruin of Kings is an incredibly immersive and enjoyable high fantasy. If you tend to like very complex storylines and magic systems, this one is definitely for you. Exhilarating battle sequences and plot twists will have you on the edge of your seat for sure! However, If you enjoy more straightforward fantasies, I’d give this one a pass. Did not expect to love this book so much, but it was amazing!

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it about 175 pages in and then I just....
I can't.

I tried very hard, but to be quite honest, after about 30 pages, I was hate-reading out of spite, and I have better ways to spend my time.

Here's my main two problems with it:

1. Even if your frame device--a letter about how the whole book is an "account" being sent to some kind of king/magistrate/judge (I admit, I can't remember)--says something along the lines of: "I know you probably know a lot of this lore, but I left it in the account because I decided to err on the side of ignorance," ...that's not an excuse for infodumping. If you can't creatively incorporate your exposition into the narrative, I...can't wade through it all.

2. There's two narrators--that's fine, two is a bearable number of PoVs--but they sound. Exactly. The. Same. Except one is in first person and one is in third. They have the same tones, the same resonances, the same character voices. And when one is an arrogant demoness and one is the boy she's bullying into telling the story, there's...not really an excuse for the tonal and vocal similarities. No, not even saying, "she's a mimic and tends to take on the mannerisms and character of people she's in close proximity to." That's... You can't have two characters who are so different sound exactly the same.

Those seem like really petty reasons on their own, but combined with the unnecessarily graphic violence, the slow-as-molasses pacing, the really questionable bits of worldbuilding (still not over the extinct race of angelic beings who are born boys and turn into women when they hit puberty, because THAT'S UNCOMFORTABLE FOR SO MANY REASONS, or the race of women who were literally created to be slaves to the centaurs??), and the rather bleak outlook on a fantasy world (I'm not opposed to grimdark, but I'm...incredibly over brothels, rape, and slavery, ESPECIALLY when written by a woman who should be able to imagine a better world than the one we're in now), it just sort of washes out into something that GRRM could have written. But without the semi-decent prose.

Also, any fantasy book that's got a setting full of brothels, rape, and slavery that has a man say, with all seriousness, "You can't know what I've been though," to a woman of that world, I automatically gag. I just can't.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look.

I cannot count the number of times this book had me feeling confused.

There are so many names and most are hard to pronounce and often similar so it was incredibly difficult to keep track of who was who and what was what. Then you throw in the genealogy and the adultery and the body snatching and the illusions and I DON'T KNOW WHO ANYONE IS.

There's a boy.
There's a witch.
There's a flirty magic boy.
There's an old sorcerer dude.
There's a tyrant. (Actually several).
There's a wimp.
There's a dragon.

There's also X who is secretly Y but is actually secretly Z and that is the case for, like, half the characters. Basically, no one is who they seem to be.

But you know what? Despite regularly having no clue what was happening, I still really enjoyed this book. It's a rare occasion that I get invested in the story when I don't really care for the characters. I didn't start warming up to this band of misfits until about 350 or so pages in so props to the story for keeping me entertained that far.

There's a lot of variety and magic here, making the whole thing pretty epic. I DID want more dinosaurs, though. I got so excited when they showed up, but they didn't hang around nearly long enough for me. Sigh. But there's lots about gods and demons and monsters and magic and reincarnation and it all gets so messy but who the heck cares because it's SO MUCH FUN.

So I'm gonna keep it brief for now and just say that I really enjoyed the crazy ride this book took me on. It was so bizarre to just be so out of it and yet so thoroughly entertained all the same.

Fingers crossed the next installment has some more detailed family trees though. The one at the back here really did not help in the slightest.

[Eon Windrunner · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, maybe 4 - may change as I review the full book upon publication.

Who are you again??

So sweet of you to ask. I’m Talon. I’ll be your murderer tonight.

I recently finished reading this preview available on Netgalley of The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons and enjoyed it very much. I did have some problems with the chosen narrative style which did not help the story, but the book was fascinating enough to keep me glued to the pages.

Our story starts off with the protagonist stuck in a prison cell and his formidable captor watching over him, preventing any chance of escape. His captor is bored and demands (threats are made) the protagonist tell her the tale of how exactly he got here. Thus we find out what has transpired, but from chapters told through alternate viewpoints. One from the protagonist, Kihrin, and the other from the jailor, Talon. These alternating viewpoints then also have different timelines and every time a viewpoint switches it is almost a mental exercise in remembering what is going on. There is also another complication with the viewpoints, as one character can see from multiple viewpoints, but I will leave it at that. See why I mentioned the confusing narrative style?

Young Kihrin is a talented thief who witnesses something he should not have, which then sets in motion events that will eventually lead to him being claimed against his will as the long-lost son of a treasonous prince, as mentioned in the blurb. The Kihrin we find languishing in the jail cell though, seems to be a very different version of the character and I can only wonder at all the changes in him and the events that transpired to result in his incarceration.

I have not read Jenn Lyons before, but apart from the confusing narrative I enjoyed her writing. Worldbuilding was solid, characters were interesting and the story riveting. As mentioned, this was just a preview though, so I cannot judge the entire book but only comment on what I have read so far. The thing is that this book would likely have been amazing without all the extra complication of the viewpoints and timelines etc. When it was good, it was SO good. But the narrative choices take so much away from the story. I am not sure if the rest of the book gets less complicated as it continues, but the story being as fascinating as it is, I hope that the next book takes a simpler approach. The preview ended just as things got REALLY interesting, so I am pretty much clueless as to what’s next but still VERY eager to find out where this is going. I have hope, friends. Another (part of a) book on the TBR list.

The Ruin of Kings releases February 5th 2019

[Andrei(Drusca) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi-a plăcut foarte mult

[Kitty G Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

* I read this as my Defence Against The Dark Arts OWL read *

This is a story which I think is a little hard to really describe as it tells the story in a fairly unique way. The book is divided into three main narrators, we have: Talon, a mimic who can take on the memories and skin of those she has killed; Kihrin, the real main character of the story who is telling his side of things; and another character who infrequently gives his opinions and any extra information needed to the reader on the events that the other two are discussing. The book is a little bit difficult to get into at first becuase of the various viewpoints I think, and becuase not only are the viewpoints different, but the timeline of the story they are discussing (although that of the same person) are different and connect only later in the book. For that reason, combined with the fact that this is very much epic fantasy and has a whole host of characters to remember and get to know, means this is not for everyone.

However, with all that being said, once I got into this it was good. I really liked the world and the magic and the vast empire and lands we span. There are different types of people that we meet like those who live in the poorer districts and work as thieves/thugs and brothel slaves or workers. We then meet the upper classes and the families who rule the empire in terms of power and wealth if not in name. They are devious and deadly and have constant schemes. We meet sorcerers, warriors, slaves, and the Black Brotherhood. We meet dragons and demons and spirits and magic-wielders, people who have died and come back, people who have had their souls ripped to shreds and even gods. There is SO much going on at all times that it can be tricky to follow, but it's worth it becuase it's such a complex world of worlds and I really do think it's worth the read.

I will highly recommend the audiobook as that is how I consumed this and it really helped me to learn who was who and keep them distinct as there are multiple narrators. I am confident that the story was made easier because the narrators were different, and I think it would certainly help people to listen rather than read if there is any confusion.

On the whole, I think that's all I really want to say about this one because it's hard to describe and it's one I think worth discovering for yourself. I do think that the middle was my favourite section and although the beginning is a bit slow and overwhelming it's worth sticking with it as it gets really good in the mid-sections and pretty over the top dramatic and crazy in the end. There's a lot of political scheming and adventures and it's a story I do recommend if you have read and enjoyed other great big epic fantasy stories. 4*s from me :)

[Brenda Waworga · Rating 2 out of 5]

The blurb said this book is perfect for Sanderson and Rothfuss fans (me me me)! and i put so high expectation for this book and ended up pretty much disappointed and i feel exhausted when i finished read this

The writing style is peculiar .. told in first person and 2nd person told the 1st person story (2 different timelines back and forth every chapter) like 2 people did conversation and sometimes in 3rd person POV.. there were also footnotes and tbh i feel annoyed with them cause they are just unnecessary! the names also equally confusing.. alot of names look too similiar and there were also body swap/soul swap/ gender swap and shapeshifters!! you dont know who is who.. like one person can be 3 other persons? its hella confusing and too MUCH!! THE PLOT omgosh it scattered everywhere, my brain needs to work harder to understand and to try to put everything together.. there are probably 100 characters on this book and i like 0 and remember only 1 name

I do like some of the magic system and the world building and also some snarky conversations but Overall i think this book is quite a mess... it can be more enjoyable if the timeline is in the proper order and less crazy names and unimportant characters

not sure if i want to pick up the next book

[Stefan]

Angsty orphan with his head in the clouds didn't get his happy story so he decides to destroy the world?
Orphan with his name so conspicuously similar to Krillin's?



And then even the blurb is so filled with bullshit that they go so far to compare the worldbuilding with Sanderson's and prose with that of Rothfuss' (which is basically like they compared her with Robin Hobb, modern Mary Shelley)?
Give me a break.

I see where this is going.
GR, when you finish hyping this book out to heavens and beyond, and couple of years passes by and everyone forgets it - I will read it in peace.

[Tricia Levenseller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fun! I tend to get bored while reading epic fantasy, but that wasn’t the case with this one! The dialogue was well done, and I admire the unique storytelling method. I wouldn’t pick this up if you’re a fan of hard magic systems with clear rules, but if you like more wondrous magic (and dragons!) I would give it a try!

[Jessi (Novel Heartbeat)]

DNF @ 150 pages

The storytelling was tedious and made me want to bash my skull into a wall. It flip flopped back and forth between Khirin's story - in first person, at point B in the timeline; and Talon's story - in third person, talking about Khirin/Rook, at point A in the timeline. I think it would have been interesting if it had been done just a certain way, but this one sooo did not work for me.

There were a lot of names and places being thrown around - names that sounded like my cat decided to galavant across my keyboard, might I add - with little to no explanation (except for the mind-numbing useless facts in the footnotes that did absolutely nothing for the readers' comprehension or story line, which I'll get to in a minute) and it made the world confusing and hard to follow. I do hope the final copy will have either a map or a glossary (or both, preferably).

Which brings me to the utterly useless footnotes that made me want to rage quit after two chapters of reading them - I ended up skipping them altogether after a few chapters and I'm pretty sure I missed exactly nothing. There was "world building" in them on occasion, but it was irrelevant drivel that didn't add to the plot in any way, shape, or form. To further my point, here are some examples of said footnotes:

The vane's eyes glowed.* (*footnote: One presumes not literally.)
Most folks just assume it must be a diamond.* Hard as a diamond, anyway.* YES THAT'S TWO IN THE SAME FREAKING SENTENCE (*footnotes: It's not a diamond. /// *Harder.)

Like I said: utterly. useless. I think maybe the author was going for a Nevernight-esque thing with the footnotes, but most definitely failed. If you're going to drag me out of the story, at least make it worth my while.

[Tammie · Rating 1 out of 5]

TW: statutory rape, incest, graphic violence/gore, death, slavery, misogyny, homophobia

Hoooboy, where do I begin with this one? I think this is easily one of my most disappointing reads of the year and it's only February. I went into this one with high expectations because I had heard nothing but great things about it, and on paper, it sounds like my favourite kind of book - I love non-linear storytelling, and love when a book is kind of confusing but pays off in the end. For full disclosure, by the last 100 pages, I truly just did not care about any of the characters and was reading for the sake of finishing this book since I had already read 600 pages, so I probably zoned out a little.

In my opinion, this book just fell flat on so many fronts. For a bit of context, this book is told in the format of someone documenting a story that is told from two POV's about our main character, Khirin. Khirin's POV documents his story starting at 16, and is told in first person, and Talon's POV documents his story starting at 15, and is told in third person (both POVs are about Khirin). There are also footnotes throughout that are provided by the character who is documenting these two POVs.

Let me start with what I did actually like about it - for the most part, I liked Talon's POV. During those chapters, I was actually engaged with the story and interested in finding out what was happening in terms of plot, so there's that.

What I didn't like:

- This book is unnecessarily convoluted. Usually for me, I like non-linear storytelling and confusing plots because authors tend to incorporate some sort of payoff at the end and/or there is a reason why the story is told in this way. I didn't feel this with this book at all. There was no payoff, and absolutely no reason why the story needed to be told in this manner. There are also footnotes from a particular character, and maybe it's revealed why it's important that it's this particular character in later books, but I honestly don't care enough to find out why.

- Khirin is an incredibly unlikable character, and not even one that I feel like you can root for. He's annoying, insufferable, and entitled. If you like your characters to have a "woe is me" attitude all the time, he's your guy.

- If I did not know a woman wrote this book, I would've thought a cishet white man wrote it. The entire story (both POVs) reads like it is told from the male gaze - women are constantly being described very sexually, and seem to have little to no traits other than their beauty. Aside from a very select few characters, most of the women in this book are either whores or slaves with little to no personality. The world is wildly misogynistic, and this misogyny is largely, if not completely, unchallenged. In all honesty, it felt like Lyons was trying really hard to appeal to the type of reader who reads George RR Martin and Patrick Rothfuss without challenging their underlying sexist undertones (aka the SFF dude bros), and as a result, wrote this type of male gaze into her story. Either that or there's some serious internalized misogyny, I'm not sure.

- There is a lot of gratuitous violence in this book. A lot of this was done for the shock value, and while I am no stranger to a lot of violence in my books, one thing in particular that I could not look past was the inclusion of statutory rape for no reason other than pure shock value. It happens off page, so I'll give Lyons that, but it was completely unnecessary. It happens to Khirin during the 15 year old storyline, and aside from a half page conversation afterwards, this trauma is completely brushed aside and forgotten about. I understand that authors sometimes include traumatic things to make a point, but Lyons did not make any points here that required this to be statutory rape. She made a very small attempt at discussing consent, but seeing as this happened while the characters were intoxicated, she could easily have discussed consent without making him 15 years old. It was unnecessary, and coupled with the rest of the misogyny and sexism in this book, I'm inclined to call it problematic.

- A minor thing, but I literally never want to see/hear another white person say that names in non-white fantasies are confusing ever again when you have white authors writing names like this.

- While I appreciate how vast this world is, and to give Lyons the benefit of the doubt, perhaps she expands on the world in the next 4 books, I still felt like the worldbuilding fell incredibly short. She constantly talks about how there are all these different races in the world, but aside from giving us broad stereotypes ascribed to each race, we learn little to nothing about each of their cultures. For me personally, this also is slightly problematic and perhaps says a little about how the author views races in reality, but above all else, it honestly just makes for an uninteresting world/story.

- I do want to note that there is some queer rep in this book. I know that there is polyamory later on in the series, ace rep, and bi rep as well, and there are genderfluid characters in this book. However, given the other issues I had with this book, and how unnaturally sexuality was brought up throughout the book, it honestly just felt like Lyons threw it in the book for the sake of having queer rep. Possibly to make up for the sexism and misogyny, possibly just for diversity points, but either way, I personally hated the rep in this book. I obviously can't speak for anyone else, and I do know some other queer reviewers who find the rep to be quite good, but for me, it just put a really bad taste in my mouth.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend this book personally, but I know that a lot of my friends do love this book so I recommend checking out other reviews to see what people do like about it. For me, this is just a pass and I won't be continuing on with this series.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very pleasant surprise.

I fully expected a modern epic fantasy, but what I hoped for, based on a few recommendations, was something closer to the feel and complexity of, say, WoT or Name of the Wind, with characters I could love on the same level. I'm happy to say that while I'm not AS invested in these characters, I'm pretty close.

So much happens. I think it was wonderful.

There's no good way to describe this because it is rich with characters and worldbuilding, but I can say, with utter pleasure, that there are immortals, gods, dragons, demons, the afterlife, and enough corrupt politics and seedy empire shit to thrill a certain kind of reader.

I mean those readers who love huge, complicated tales that begin at the lowest rung and have enough reveals and twists to keep you spinning like a top only to wind up AT the top, looking down, and freaking out because while it may appear that it seems like a standard plot, the journey is far from it.

So, again, I have to underscore the fact that I think this is pretty damn wonderful. I had a great time and it wasn't just pure popcorn. It had real meat to it. And I really hated some of these people, too. Their deaths were very satisfying.

I can't wait to keep reading on!

[Liviu Szoke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Redactare pentru Leda Edge și cu siguranță cel mai bun roman fantasy „citit” anul acesta.

Ideal ar fi să schițez câteva idei de la care să pornească o viitoare recenzie, dar să vedem ce iese.
Jenn Lyons scrie o combinație de roman fantasy într-o lume complet nouă, și totuși parcă destul de cunoscută, combinat cu un roman science-fantasy în care fantasticul și magia au totuși o doză sănătoasă de știință, culminând cu o legendă care povestește de schimbările („magice”) prin care a trecut steaua care luminează această planetă pe care se petrece acțiunea. Parcă sunt și doi sateliți, două luni, nu mai rețin exact, ceea ce face imposibil să fie vorba despre Pământ.

Pe această planetă se petrec lucruri care s-au petrecut și se vor mai petrece și pe a noastră. Adică cei puternici îi asupresc pe cei mai slabi, rasele cu puteri magice le subjugă pe cele care n-au asemenea puteri, însă și rasele acelea puternice își găsesc și ele un sfârșit perfect normal, așa cum orice lucru puternic se prăbușește până la urmă sub greutatea propriei puteri care îi aduce pieirea.

Avem rase dispărute, dragoni, vrăjitori malefici și vrăjitori buni, demoni ce pot fi invocați pentru a-i urmări, măcelări și consuma pe cei indezirabili, avem un hău pe o mare ce te duce imediat cu gândul la Noul Crobuzon (de fapt toată povestea are un fermecător parfum al scrierilor de tinerețe ale lui Mieville, ceea ce categoric reprezintă un plus, mai ales când e combinată cu o poveste high fantasy), avem un hoț care de fapt este un prinț pierdut și pe care-l vor toți mort, avem vânzări de sclavi la care licitațiile o iau razna, avem culte religioase de ale căror puteri colosale se tem mai toți, avem un viitor moștenitor sadic și de care se tem nu doar odraslele sale, ci și toți sclavii din jur și chiar părinții săi, avem călătorii transcendentale în alte lumi, avem oameni meschini și cu suflete mici care se visează măreți.

Avem de-a face cu o poveste complexă, care reprezintă doar primul segment al unei epopei ce promite enorm. Deocamdată s-a așternut tabla de șah, au fost așezați pionii, poate am văzut și un rege, însă nu am găsit regina și nu știu încă nici cine face de fapt mutările. Și chiar era să uit de imitatoare, de cea care îl trage de limbă pe Kihrin să-și spună povestea din punctul lui de vedere, o criminală cu sute de crime la activ și care nici ea nu mai știe cine a fost la origine, căci poate împrumuta forma oricărei victime dorește. Recomandată!

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one you have to commit to being a tome but the read just flies by because it is utterly fantastic. In fact I wouldn’t have minded a bit more…
A good fantasy novel lives and dies on its world building and characters and Jenn Lyons has an intricately imaginative eye for both – a rich tapestry that offers up new insight every time you look at it – a complex and highly intriguing setting with multiple levels that inform and affect the characters you meet there.
The story is told over different periods of time by our possible hero or possible reluctant villain Kihrin and by Talon, who I’ll leave you to meet for yourselves. It is impossible to describe in review the intelligent plotting and extraordinarily fascinating tale that unfolds so I won’t even try but it was completely gripping and the writing is beautifully immersive first page to last.
Also it has dragon’s, sea monsters, demons and magic, heroes and villains that are occasionally interchangeable and an addictive quality that is second to none.
Loved it. Highly Recommended.

[Veronica ⭐️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...

The story opens with Kihrin in prison guarded by Talon. Talon asks, I should say forces, Kihrin to tell his story whilst she also narrates her part of Kihrin’s story.

Kihrin’s narration is in first person and starts as a 16 year old Kihrin is being sold in a slave auction. Talin’s is in third person and starts a year earlier with 15 year old Kihrin living with adoptive parents in the slums of the lower circle. He is musician by day and thief by night. The two narrations alternate but I found them easy to follow. There were also footnotes by the author but I skipped those because the printing was so tiny in my uncorrected proof I could hardly read it.

Kihrin is a likeable protagonist. He seemed to have morals in a world that had no morals. He had a sarcastic sense of humour that managed to surface even in the face of overbearing adversity. This slight lean towards humour took the edge off some of the darker moments.

The writing was exceptional and the world building was complex and intricate. There was so much going on in this novel I felt at times that I couldn’t take it all in. There was never a dull moment or a lapse in the action.

I was a bit disappointed that the women were so subservient. I would have liked a few more strong women. The men have little regard for women beyond their pleasurable use. Even the wives were beaten and then healed by other women to cover it up.

The novel is filled with the type of action dark fantasy fans have come to expect; murder, torture, demons, gods, dragons, kings, dark magic, undead, flesh eating shape shifters and allusions to rape and incest all ending with a tantalising cliff hanger.

The Ruin of Kings is a dark fantasy that will grip you with its world building and squeeze the air from your lungs with its unrelenting danger and battles.

I received an uncorrected proof copy from the publisher for review.

[Sherwood Smith]

The next big blockbuster fantasy series, at least according to the massive publicity push.

There are three narrative threads switching back and forth, sometimes with lightning speed: there is the present-day, in which our handsome hero, Kihrin, is in prison, telling his story to Talon in first person.

Then we get Talon’s narrative intrusions explaining Kihrin’s past, interpolated with a mysterious narrator who also adds footnotes.

It’s clear that the author is having prime fun with narrative devices; the footnotes veer between mordant-toned commentary and casual worldbuilding nuggets. The result is a snarl of time and place and POV that the reader must constantly adjust to, but there is enough cleverness in the prose, and vivid imagery (sometimes too vivid for my wimpy self) to make it worthwhile-- if one likes this type of fantasy.

And a lot of people will. It’s intelligently written, with wildly inventive worldbuilding stitching together the usual fantasy tropes of kings, demons, wars, and priests doing blood magic, etc.

The book should do super well as there is enough torture, blood, guts, brothel-forced sex, incest, rape, and agony (while still preserving Kihrin’s fabulous looks and nascent powers) to satisfy the Game of Thrones fans who go into fantasy expecting astronomical body counts.

Since this was a preview, ending on a thousand mile drop of a cliffhanger, there is no predicting how this first book of a projected five book series hangs together, but judging by the exhilaratingly wild ride of this glimpse, I expect it will do what its fans want most: entertain.


Preview provided by NetGalley

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
This was a great start to a new-to-me fantasy series. This book manages to be both complex and accessible at the same time. Told in a unique chronicle style, the narrative weaves together the threads of Kihrin's life into a story of adventure and character growth. The prose was straightforward and easy to follow with plenty of humour infused moments and witty banter. Yet there was a complexity and depth to the story that made for a rich reading experience. One of my favourite aspects was the inclusion of the footnotes. Normally, I find footnotes distracting and disjointed, but these ones actually enhanced the story adding entertaining details to the narrative.

The main character was not quite a complex or interesting as I hoped he would be. I found him a bit underwhelmingly average so it was difficult at times that his life story is meant to be front and center on the story. However, in terms of other characters, I really appreciated the positive queer representation, which was naturally woven in many aspect of the story.

Overall, this was a solid start to a fantasy series and I look forward to reading through the later books.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.