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ladyheroj's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Sexual violence
kingcrookback's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This took a bit to get into. It's is an interesting consideration of justice, morality, and power. As a lawyer, Swan is clearly invested in the exploration of these themes. The conceit of the story being told via the recollections of the protagonist in the distant future was an interesting choice in that it prompts curiosity as to what happens in this book that warrants keeping a record of it. But I found that sometimes that compulsion to keep reading was offset by wondering, "To what end?" Transcription and the recording of events is a running motif in the plot, but the fact that I kept getting distracted by what might be happening outside of the story - by what possible event, outside of the story we're actively following, prompted Helena to commit everything to paper - detracted from my engagement with the actual story. Even when I was engaged with the story, though, I found myself feeling somewhat detached from the main cast of characters, though that may just be an effect of the temporal distance of the older Helena's recollections.
I'll pick up the sequel because I'm curious as to where this all goes, but I'm not dying to find out.
I'll pick up the sequel because I'm curious as to where this all goes, but I'm not dying to find out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Grief, Animal death, War, Confinement, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Rape, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, and Child death
blacksphinx's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, War, Murder, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Vomit, Torture, Xenophobia, Fatphobia, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child death
andra_mihaela_s's review
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4.25 stars!
Sooo..we have here a great epic fantasy debut like no other I have read before!
We follow Sir. Konrad Vonvalt- a Justice in the name of the Imperial Magistratum, his clerk, Helena Sedanka, and his faithful ally and taskman, Dubine Bressinger, as they travel the vast Sovan Empire with the sole purpose of delivering justice where and when is needed.
CW: murder, torture, religious bigotry, attempted assault, graphic description of battles, abuse, sexual violence, genocide, confinement, cultural appropriation
This book was a surprise for me, as it was completely different than what I expected! Instead of an action-packed fantasy with lots of politics, I was greeted by a slow, deliberate narrative where the central aspect was the law, the murder mystery that sparkled the whole chain of events that we are told lead to the fall/ the reorganisation of the whole Empire as Helena tells as in her account of her past.
We follow a first-person narrative focused on Vonvalt and what it entails to be a Justice in this world. We have lots of world-builing regarding the affairs of the state, law, religion and politics, coupled with mentions of the wars the Empire lead in the not so distant past for furthering his objectives.
As we are in Helena's memories, be prepared to follow a nineteen-year old girl who doesn't know what she wants and how to relate to her current feelings on what is happening around her.
She is grateful for the chance offered to her, but warry of actually doing what Vonvalt does in the future, she is very good at what she does, but she doesn't think this is what she wants for herself, and, obviously, as per age, she is easily distracted and uncertain about anything and everything.
As I mentioned before, we have a book centered around law, the state and religion, so if you want to read something addressing the importance of keeping separate these institutions with a little magic(really loved the particular way in which Justices uses magic ^^) and a fantasy setting...please read this book! ^^
This book won't be for everyone; you need a little patience and a desire to delve into the legalities of solving a murder mystery from the perspective of the law, not the usual protagonists that just forces it's way into the investigation.
After 150pages ( I know its a lot to ask from many :( ) I was completely hooked in both the religious aspect revolving about the village of Rill, as the mystery ongoing in the Galen's Vale. Helena's perspective felt refreshing and kept me very interested in what Vonvalt will do next!
I gave this book a little over 4 stars mainly due to its strong worldbuilding and unique (to me) themes; the character development, although not bad by any means, it was noticeably less in focus.
By the end of the book, we had great events, some tragic moments, while others where quite amazing (loved 2 particular scenes when Vonvalt used his status to enact what justice means to him) and even battles with high stakes to complete the amazing portrait of this world; Vonvalt evolved in a certain way and I cannot wait to read what comes next in the "Empire of the Wolf" trilogy!
Hope I stirred your interest!
Enjoy
Sooo..we have here a great epic fantasy debut like no other I have read before!
We follow Sir. Konrad Vonvalt- a Justice in the name of the Imperial Magistratum, his clerk, Helena Sedanka, and his faithful ally and taskman, Dubine Bressinger, as they travel the vast Sovan Empire with the sole purpose of delivering justice where and when is needed.
CW: murder, torture, religious bigotry, attempted assault, graphic description of battles, abuse, sexual violence, genocide, confinement, cultural appropriation
This book was a surprise for me, as it was completely different than what I expected! Instead of an action-packed fantasy with lots of politics, I was greeted by a slow, deliberate narrative where the central aspect was the law, the murder mystery that sparkled the whole chain of events that we are told lead to the fall/ the reorganisation of the whole Empire as Helena tells as in her account of her past.
We follow a first-person narrative focused on Vonvalt and what it entails to be a Justice in this world. We have lots of world-builing regarding the affairs of the state, law, religion and politics, coupled with mentions of the wars the Empire lead in the not so distant past for furthering his objectives.
As we are in Helena's memories, be prepared to follow a nineteen-year old girl who doesn't know what she wants and how to relate to her current feelings on what is happening around her.
She is grateful for the chance offered to her, but warry of actually doing what Vonvalt does in the future, she is very good at what she does, but she doesn't think this is what she wants for herself, and, obviously, as per age, she is easily distracted and uncertain about anything and everything.
As I mentioned before, we have a book centered around law, the state and religion, so if you want to read something addressing the importance of keeping separate these institutions with a little magic(really loved the particular way in which Justices uses magic ^^) and a fantasy setting...please read this book! ^^
This book won't be for everyone; you need a little patience and a desire to delve into the legalities of solving a murder mystery from the perspective of the law, not the usual protagonists that just forces it's way into the investigation.
After 150pages ( I know its a lot to ask from many :( ) I was completely hooked in both the religious aspect revolving about the village of Rill, as the mystery ongoing in the Galen's Vale. Helena's perspective felt refreshing and kept me very interested in what Vonvalt will do next!
I gave this book a little over 4 stars mainly due to its strong worldbuilding and unique (to me) themes; the character development, although not bad by any means, it was noticeably less in focus.
By the end of the book, we had great events, some tragic moments, while others where quite amazing (loved 2 particular scenes when Vonvalt used his status to enact what justice means to him) and even battles with high stakes to complete the amazing portrait of this world; Vonvalt evolved in a certain way and I cannot wait to read what comes next in the "Empire of the Wolf" trilogy!
Hope I stirred your interest!
Enjoy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Genocide, and Confinement
Moderate: Sexual violence, Torture, Sexual assault, Murder, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: War
ripxw's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual violence
pvbobrien's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Sexual violence, Child death, Grief, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Death, and Sexual content
ryanhaile's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gore
Moderate: War
Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
bookishwondergoth's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Every now and then a book will come along that I feel was written specifically for me to enjoy. ‘The Justice of Kings’ is one such book. Essentially a murder mystery framed by enormous political upheaval, the story follows the Emperor’s Justice, Sir Konrad Vonvalt. Accompanied by his taskman Dubine Bressinger and his clerk (and our narrator) Helena Sedanka, Vonvalt makes his way from town to town across the Sovan Empire, exacting the law as judge, jury and executioner.
I don’t think—outside of Skulduggery Pleasant—I’ve ever read a fantasy crime book before, but that’s basically what this book is. There’s so much weighing of the law vs justice vs morality amongst these pages, that it’s easy to see where comparisons to Andrzej Sapkowski’s ‘The Witcher’ come from. The rumination on these different factors made for such thought-provoking reading, and I was totally invested in the outcome of each case.
Richard Swan is a wonderful storyteller with a keen grasp of character. Subtext is key, and it’s what’s unsaid as much as it is what’s said. Helena is a highly fallible narrator, writing as an older woman looking back on her young petulant self. I found her fraught, jealous, hormonally-charged father/daughter relationship with Vonvalt relatable and endearing, and Richard Swan falls into none of the traps male fantasy authors are prone to falling into when writing about hormonal young women. I thought he did a really good job. Vonvalt also is a compelling and charismatic protagonist (for truly, it is his story Helena is telling), and I definitely grew attached to this dysfunctional little family in ways that will no doubt hurt me in future books to come.
The framing narrative of the crumbling Sovan Empire was, in my opinion, far less interesting than the legal nuances of the murder mystery at its core, which is why my rating drops down to 4 stars for me. I would honestly love to read an entire book that solely consists of Vonvalt, Bressinger and Helena travelling around and episodically exacting the law. I just find it so so interesting. AND it got proper brutal in places, my God! Just… all the things I love. Like it was written specially for me, like I said.
Loved it. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Can’t wait for ‘The Tyranny of Faith’.
I don’t think—outside of Skulduggery Pleasant—I’ve ever read a fantasy crime book before, but that’s basically what this book is. There’s so much weighing of the law vs justice vs morality amongst these pages, that it’s easy to see where comparisons to Andrzej Sapkowski’s ‘The Witcher’ come from. The rumination on these different factors made for such thought-provoking reading, and I was totally invested in the outcome of each case.
Richard Swan is a wonderful storyteller with a keen grasp of character. Subtext is key, and it’s what’s unsaid as much as it is what’s said. Helena is a highly fallible narrator, writing as an older woman looking back on her young petulant self. I found her fraught, jealous, hormonally-charged father/daughter relationship with Vonvalt relatable and endearing, and Richard Swan falls into none of the traps male fantasy authors are prone to falling into when writing about hormonal young women. I thought he did a really good job. Vonvalt also is a compelling and charismatic protagonist (for truly, it is his story Helena is telling), and I definitely grew attached to this dysfunctional little family in ways that will no doubt hurt me in future books to come.
The framing narrative of the crumbling Sovan Empire was, in my opinion, far less interesting than the legal nuances of the murder mystery at its core, which is why my rating drops down to 4 stars for me. I would honestly love to read an entire book that solely consists of Vonvalt, Bressinger and Helena travelling around and episodically exacting the law. I just find it so so interesting. AND it got proper brutal in places, my God! Just… all the things I love. Like it was written specially for me, like I said.
Loved it. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Can’t wait for ‘The Tyranny of Faith’.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Murder
Minor: Xenophobia, Cursing, Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexual content
emilyacres's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Colonisation, and Blood
Moderate: War, Grief, and Sexual violence
Minor: Ableism and Child death
readundancies's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
And so ends my streak of ≥4 star reads, with a half hearted sigh and a splash of chagrin.
I’m sorry to say that I really struggled getting through this novel. It caught my eye a couple months before it’s release earlier this year in February because I love a good investigative tale. But it was really bogged down by the narrative style and voice, specifically of Helena, the clerk of the fabled Sir Konrad Vonvalt, who puts the Justice in the title, The Justice of Kings.
But let’s start with what did work for me.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding, along with the accompanying map that was included. The world is one where the Sovan religion of Nema has been imposed upon a region that is still trying to keep the old gods in favour; although it’s been some time since the initial invasion of the Sovans and the old ways are slowly but surely being completely eradicated by brute force and violence. Which is how the narrative starts, in the tiny village of Rill, where the old Draedist ways are still being practiced despite it’s illegality. And we slowly get to see how one small instance quickly snowballs into a far and wide reaching conspiracy that affects the entirety of the Sovan empire, all the way up to the Emperor himself. It’s a land that is on the precipice of change, of revolt, of turmoil because those of the Neman church want to reign supreme over all other aspects of politics and law. This is not a tale of religion trying to indoctrinate church with state, this is a tale where religion is attempting to consume the powers of the state as their own. It is not a meeting of two equals, but rather the devouring of one by the other, and I think that that overarching plot in the grand scope of things is worth exploring. If I were to consider continuing on with the series, this would be the reason I would do so.
But despite the intriguing political situation that looms at the edge of each page of the story, the focus is a bit more insular, instead focusing more so on the character development of Sir Konrad Vonvalt through the eyes of his clerk and protegee Helena Sedanka, who initially is torn about apprenticing under Sir Konrad as she’s a bit disillusioned about becoming a Justice and has no passion for it. And while the story focuses on Sir Konrad and his tale, it is framed a bit like a coming of age novel for Helena at the same time, watching her grow as a character but not to the degree your average coming of age story normally would.
Herein lies my first issue of the story. I think there was just a bit too much trying to be combined. There’s the investigation involving Bauer and Vogt and Graves, alongside the larger political implications of Patria Claver and Fischer and Westenholtz, and then the even larger scope of what’s happening in Sova with the Emperor and leader of the Order, Kadlec. But it’s all framed within Helena’s narrative, and Helena is contending with Sir Konrad himself and the patriarchal role he has in her life in addition to being his employee, her dissatisfaction in her role as a clerk and her weariness of it, the new romance she garners with Matas, and trying to come to terms with her upbringing in Muldau with the young woman she is now. I thought I was getting into a more investigative tale, with more of a courtroom drama feel, but that’s truly at a minimum in this story. It’s not really about the judicial aspects, which are definitely still present - I don’t think a lawyer can write a story of this nature without mentioning things like due process and tiresome research that law requires - but they’re never the focus, and that’s what I was leaning towards.
Perhaps I could’ve overcome all of this, bit the pacing was a bit off for me. It was slow to medium paced for the most part, but then some action scenes would occur that flew by entirely too quickly for me to appreciate them to any great degree. The story is also written as a metafiction, where the prose and narrator directly address the reader. In this case, Helena is telling the story as an old woman, and because of that there was a not infrequent amount of blatant foreshadowing. Actually we went beyond that. There was quite a lot of overt foreshadowing, at the end of more than half the chapters it seemed, and I personally don’t find that an effective use of the literary device anytime I’ve seen an author employ it. I find it way too heavy-handed, especially when used more than once and it’s kind of a peeve of mine to be honest.
Let’s get petty now and do a map check. The map overall was fine, except the feather in the top right hand side looked so out of place, I wish it hadn’t been included at all.
And then there was the romance. This instalove romance angle between Helena and Matas which was trying my patience vastly because hypocrisy, thy name is Helena. The more it appeared, the more upset I got about it. I didn’t like it, I didn’t need it, and while I know it was supposed to show Helena’s lack of maturity at this stage in her life and the impacts of her decisions, just, no. It was only included to tie Helena to Sir Konrad’s cause, especially with where it goes, and I thought it was a cheap addition to the story that just wasn’t necessary. I didn’t get anything of value out of it, I didn’t agree with it and truly, it made me dislike Helena more than I should’ve.
From a characterization perspective, I wasn’t wholly impressed. I wasn’t unimpressed either, I just didn’t really know what I wanted out of the characters and even upon finishing I still don’t, but I do know that I didn’t get what I wanted out of them. In Vonvalt we witness the corruption of man because Vonvalt, as brilliant and wise as he may be, is flawed with pride and arrogance at the forefront of his character, and he was moody as heck all which made him seem inconsistent at times. Likewise, Helena is a very emotionally turbulent character; she felt strongly and was not well versed in tempering said emotions which means she was prone to loud outbursts and sometimes rash decisions. Action and emotion were tied very tightly in her being, and everything was a personal affront to her which made her aggravating, especially because she came off a bit whiny to me as well. It really felt like Helena was written from a man’s perspective, because she was, and I had a hard time grappling with her as a character.
At the end of the day, I enjoyed the investigative aspects and how the magic and the necromancy were tied to it. The worldbuilding was definitely the strongest part of the novel for me. But characters weren’t doing enough for me, and I can’t see myself picking up the sequel without a significant amount of prodding from others.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Murder, Torture, Physical abuse, Confinement, Child death, Colonisation, and Blood
Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
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