The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
Published 7th February by Tor UK
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 7/50
I was gifted a copy of this one from the publisher, Tor UK, in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
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.
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.
My Thoughts
I was kindly gifted a copy of this, both an eARC from NetGalley and then a physical proof from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited to dive into the eARC of this one as this would be my first foray in adult fantasy and I wasn't disappointed however, the eARC was not formatted great and I did nearly give up. I managed to finish with the physical proof and I was so glad I did as I really enjoyed this one.
This book starts with our main character, Kihrin and his jailer, Talon getting ready to tell the story of how Kihrin got into his current situation. This is where the book becomes quite different as we follow two parallel storylines telling Kihrin's story from different starting points. Talon tells us Kihrin's story right from the beginning in 3rd person and Kihrin tells us his story starting up about halfway through in the 1st person. Along with these two stories in alternating chapters the book is also interspersed with footnotes from a 3rd character, the one who is supposedly writing down Kihrin's story. Now I know this sounds confusing and at times it could be but the story is not only complex but compelling, I needed to know what happened and therefore had to keep reading. Personally I preferred Kihrin's POV but they both provided us with key aspects of his story.
Now, there were times when I found the story a little bit difficult to follow, specifically the family trees and timelines as there's an aspect in this book that means people can body swap but I found this didn't necessary hinder me from the main story. I also didn't really understand where the prophecies came into the story but this may be something that becomes clearer as we progress through the series. Going back to the families and the characters, I did find that I struggled to find myself rooting for Kihrin, he was just kind of average to me but I loved a lot of the side characters and all of their witter banter and interactions. A couple of my favourite characters included Teraeth and Tyentso.
One of the things I do have to mention is the world building. The author did a fantastic job of creating this complex world. She gradually built it up throughout the story, adding on bits of information that were relevant without becoming at all info-dumpy. There were so many interesting aspects of the world that she created and I feel like we've only just touched the surface with so much more left to explore as we continue further in the series.
Overall I really enjoyed this one. As my first adult fantasy book this really hasn't put me off the genre, in fact it's made me really want to pick up some more. For me, this is one of those books that I think would really benefit from a re-read. It's so complex that I feel like you would pick up a lot more information that you may have missed the first time round and I know that's what I'll be doing before the next one comes out.
This book starts with our main character, Kihrin and his jailer, Talon getting ready to tell the story of how Kihrin got into his current situation. This is where the book becomes quite different as we follow two parallel storylines telling Kihrin's story from different starting points. Talon tells us Kihrin's story right from the beginning in 3rd person and Kihrin tells us his story starting up about halfway through in the 1st person. Along with these two stories in alternating chapters the book is also interspersed with footnotes from a 3rd character, the one who is supposedly writing down Kihrin's story. Now I know this sounds confusing and at times it could be but the story is not only complex but compelling, I needed to know what happened and therefore had to keep reading. Personally I preferred Kihrin's POV but they both provided us with key aspects of his story.
Now, there were times when I found the story a little bit difficult to follow, specifically the family trees and timelines as there's an aspect in this book that means people can body swap but I found this didn't necessary hinder me from the main story. I also didn't really understand where the prophecies came into the story but this may be something that becomes clearer as we progress through the series. Going back to the families and the characters, I did find that I struggled to find myself rooting for Kihrin, he was just kind of average to me but I loved a lot of the side characters and all of their witter banter and interactions. A couple of my favourite characters included Teraeth and Tyentso.
One of the things I do have to mention is the world building. The author did a fantastic job of creating this complex world. She gradually built it up throughout the story, adding on bits of information that were relevant without becoming at all info-dumpy. There were so many interesting aspects of the world that she created and I feel like we've only just touched the surface with so much more left to explore as we continue further in the series.
Overall I really enjoyed this one. As my first adult fantasy book this really hasn't put me off the genre, in fact it's made me really want to pick up some more. For me, this is one of those books that I think would really benefit from a re-read. It's so complex that I feel like you would pick up a lot more information that you may have missed the first time round and I know that's what I'll be doing before the next one comes out.
Overall Rating
Nice review. Not for me though as I'm not really into this genre.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I am really into fantasy books, both adult and YA, so I will add this one to my TBR. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGlad you stuck with it - formatting issues can be so frustrating
ReplyDeleteI love good worldbuilding.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see sucking with this one paid off and you enjoyed it. Great review!
ReplyDeleteGreat review I also got the e-arc of this book through Netgalley but I didn't have no problem with the e-arc. But I really and thoroughly loved and enjoyed this book as well. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.
ReplyDelete