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qkat's review
5.0
I never played League of Legends, nor did I know anything about the lore. I decide to pick this up to give it a try. The audiobook was the way to go, since the production value is excellent. The story was beautifully done. The ending made me emotional!
jach's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rwatkins's review
3.0
I liked it. Overall: 2.5/5 (13/25)
Fantastic for LOL fans, who will get references and foreshadowing from the first readthrough, and just as great for all readers who appreciate a tragedy. If you like mad kings, LOL, Hamlet/Macbeth, or Fountain of Youth tales, give it a try.
Minor Spoilers Below.
Plot: 2.5/5
After an assassination attempt, the queen is poisoned. Kalista is tasked with finding a mystical island that may hold a cure. With the queen poisoned and Aunt Kalista gone, the king goes nuts. Meanwhile, trouble brews on the misty isles.
The plot is basic but serviceable and enjoyable, with serious setting plot holes mentioned below. I am personally a sucker for tragedy, so the score is higher than it deserves based on merits alone.
Setting: 1/5
Not a lot of world-building here unfortunately. The kingdom of Camavor isn't fleshed out much or given any unique traits (similar to Greek city-states, I think) to pique interest. The misty isle nobody can find without magic trope has been done a hundred times before. It's supposed to be home to tons of wizards/magical scholars, but they don't help in defending the island when things go sour. Ryze protects himself and another trio of Sentinels make weapons and use them. All others, including the most powerful wizards, just stand there and get killed without even trying to cast a single spell. Worst protectors of relics ever.
How much magic, how it works and who can use it is all confusing or ignored. Knights are the dominant fighting force in Camavor and other places have magical artifacts, but don't use them in the wars shown. The island collects and hides magical artifacts, but again, nobody uses them to save themselves, the island or all the other relics. There is magic, but nobody wants to use it against the physical forces crushing them, and no reason is given for this. Bad world-building and plot holes.
Characters: 3.5/5
Kalista is flawed with believing in all those around her. She suffers loss and betrayal through the queen's poisoning and doomed romance, and her faith in her king to come to his senses. Her decisions lead her to her fate and I liked her character.
Erlok Grael is a Thresher with a grudge. Think Glokta-light. He didn't get the job he thought he deserved so the world must burn. No character arc or change for this guy; he's just a villain.
Ryze is an arrogant apprentice still struggling to understand and master his runic powers. He doesn't change or grow much in this story, but the events do leave their mark as a lesson learned about the dangers of magic.
Viego loses his wife then loses his mind. Quick trip to looney town. It is a brief negative arc and not a major focus, despite being the catalyst for the Ruination.
I liked the characterization for Kalista, Ryze and the cat Captain, but something didn't hit right with the baddies and the other characters.
Style: 2.5/5
The prose is simplistic, the foreshadowing is mixed. If you know LOL, it's obvious. If you're new to the LOL characters, the good parts are subtle while the bad parts are blunt and repetitive. The good you might only notice on a reread and could make the book more enjoyable a second time through.
The pacing gets interrupted with common tropey side-quest stuff (seer's premonition, kidnap caper, chance encounters) that I wished was better polished or made more interesting.
When the tragic parts are on display, it's excellent - but there is a lot of other stuff taking time and attention away from having a more tempered plot and developed characters.
Themes: 3.5/5
Love, Loss, Grief, Madness, Loyalty, Betrayal, War, Political Intrigue, Revenge, Pride, Envy, Privilege, Misplaced Trust, Honor, Duty (hehe), Dangers of Power and Magic, Greed. So many great themes mentioned but left thin and underdeveloped. Glad to see them but they didn't make me think or question.
Fantastic for LOL fans, who will get references and foreshadowing from the first readthrough, and just as great for all readers who appreciate a tragedy. If you like mad kings, LOL, Hamlet/Macbeth, or Fountain of Youth tales, give it a try.
Minor Spoilers Below.
Plot: 2.5/5
After an assassination attempt, the queen is poisoned. Kalista is tasked with finding a mystical island that may hold a cure. With the queen poisoned and Aunt Kalista gone, the king goes nuts. Meanwhile, trouble brews on the misty isles.
The plot is basic but serviceable and enjoyable, with serious setting plot holes mentioned below. I am personally a sucker for tragedy, so the score is higher than it deserves based on merits alone.
Setting: 1/5
Not a lot of world-building here unfortunately. The kingdom of Camavor isn't fleshed out much or given any unique traits (similar to Greek city-states, I think) to pique interest. The misty isle nobody can find without magic trope has been done a hundred times before. It's supposed to be home to tons of wizards/magical scholars, but they don't help in defending the island when things go sour. Ryze protects himself and another trio of Sentinels make weapons and use them. All others, including the most powerful wizards, just stand there and get killed without even trying to cast a single spell. Worst protectors of relics ever.
How much magic, how it works and who can use it is all confusing or ignored. Knights are the dominant fighting force in Camavor and other places have magical artifacts, but don't use them in the wars shown. The island collects and hides magical artifacts, but again, nobody uses them to save themselves, the island or all the other relics. There is magic, but nobody wants to use it against the physical forces crushing them, and no reason is given for this. Bad world-building and plot holes.
Characters: 3.5/5
Kalista is flawed with believing in all those around her. She suffers loss and betrayal through the queen's poisoning and doomed romance, and her faith in her king to come to his senses. Her decisions lead her to her fate and I liked her character.
Erlok Grael is a Thresher with a grudge. Think Glokta-light. He didn't get the job he thought he deserved so the world must burn. No character arc or change for this guy; he's just a villain.
Ryze is an arrogant apprentice still struggling to understand and master his runic powers. He doesn't change or grow much in this story, but the events do leave their mark as a lesson learned about the dangers of magic.
Viego loses his wife then loses his mind. Quick trip to looney town. It is a brief negative arc and not a major focus, despite being the catalyst for the Ruination.
I liked the characterization for Kalista, Ryze and the cat Captain, but something didn't hit right with the baddies and the other characters.
Style: 2.5/5
The prose is simplistic, the foreshadowing is mixed. If you know LOL, it's obvious. If you're new to the LOL characters, the good parts are subtle while the bad parts are blunt and repetitive. The good you might only notice on a reread and could make the book more enjoyable a second time through.
The pacing gets interrupted with common tropey side-quest stuff (seer's premonition, kidnap caper, chance encounters) that I wished was better polished or made more interesting.
When the tragic parts are on display, it's excellent - but there is a lot of other stuff taking time and attention away from having a more tempered plot and developed characters.
Themes: 3.5/5
Love, Loss, Grief, Madness, Loyalty, Betrayal, War, Political Intrigue, Revenge, Pride, Envy, Privilege, Misplaced Trust, Honor, Duty (hehe), Dangers of Power and Magic, Greed. So many great themes mentioned but left thin and underdeveloped. Glad to see them but they didn't make me think or question.
reaux31's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
If you're a fan of League or want a way to get into the game/world this is a great start. The focus is mostly on world building and setting up plot pieces, tying multiple character origins from the book into the game. We meet these characters before the main tragedy and see how and why they become what they are. Having said that, there are so many characters that it's difficult for them to develop them all well in a single book. Some people are mentioned once and never heard from again. I expect them to do many spin-offs and series to flesh out the different regions and Champions in the future. The plot is fairly predictable regardless of your knowledge of the game, but the writing is well done and still holds it all together.
bekybear's review
4.0
This is a great book, loses a point because I feel like if you’re not familiar with the characters and who they are/what they become, you’ll be a little bit lost. But if you’re familiar with League of Legends, this book is a great piece of lore that is a striking addition to your collection!
luckylikesreading's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
laelyn's review
4.0
First things first: I know absolutely nothing about League of Legends. I barely know of its existence and I couldn't tell you a single thing about the game or the world or the characters. But just like millions more, I watched 'Arcane" and was blown away by it, and while it still didn't inspire me to read beyond "multiplayer battle arena game" on the Wikipedia page, it did manage to make me actually read the blurb of a book titled as a League of Legends novel. A thing I would not have done before this show came out - not just because I know nothing about the game world, but also because I don't even read novelizations of the games I actually do play. So me reading this very book right here, it is kind of a miracle.
Well, big thank you to miracles because I really really enjoyed this one. Yes, there are a lot of "Look! this is THAT iconic character of the Game badoooooom!!" moments that I recognized without knowing anything about those characters, the writing and storytelling was very explicit in that way. But I just nodded and moved on because it was such a well-written, fun, exciting story all around. Mostly, it didn't feel like a tie-in novel. It stood perfectly well on its own, telling the story of an overwhelmed and frankly terrible king, the warrior who should have been queen instead and her long quest to save her king's dying love - a quest that ultimately leads to tragedy. I was hooked, I was invested, and was emotionally involved. It's a fast-paced read with interesting characters and themes. Kalista is a great and loveable protagonist that I would have loved to follow even longer. I do have to say that the ending is a little abrupt, as in, I would have loved to see more of the aftermath explored.
Now, does it necessarily hold up to other high fantasy novels in terms of world building, writing and thematic complexity? No, but it doesn't have to. And it's perfect for those of us who sometimes just want a more action-focused, faster paced fantasy read. I would consider this a really accessible fantasy novel for readers who don't read adult high fantasy all the time, too. And quite frankly? While you still won't ever catch me playing the game, I'm much more interested in reading novel tie-ins now.
4 stars, no further notes.
Well, big thank you to miracles because I really really enjoyed this one. Yes, there are a lot of "Look! this is THAT iconic character of the Game badoooooom!!" moments that I recognized without knowing anything about those characters, the writing and storytelling was very explicit in that way. But I just nodded and moved on because it was such a well-written, fun, exciting story all around. Mostly, it didn't feel like a tie-in novel. It stood perfectly well on its own, telling the story of an overwhelmed and frankly terrible king, the warrior who should have been queen instead and her long quest to save her king's dying love - a quest that ultimately leads to tragedy. I was hooked, I was invested, and was emotionally involved. It's a fast-paced read with interesting characters and themes. Kalista is a great and loveable protagonist that I would have loved to follow even longer. I do have to say that the ending is a little abrupt, as in, I would have loved to see more of the aftermath explored.
Now, does it necessarily hold up to other high fantasy novels in terms of world building, writing and thematic complexity? No, but it doesn't have to. And it's perfect for those of us who sometimes just want a more action-focused, faster paced fantasy read. I would consider this a really accessible fantasy novel for readers who don't read adult high fantasy all the time, too. And quite frankly? While you still won't ever catch me playing the game, I'm much more interested in reading novel tie-ins now.
4 stars, no further notes.
maeve_the_bookaholic's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Okay, first I didn't know this book was a backstory for a game. I don't know anything about the game. I just read it as the book that it is.
This book was amazing! I looooove it so much. I really felt with the characters thevstory was unique. The endig was sad but it was an ending I have never read. I do recommend it even if youblike me don't know anything about the game. The book itself is worth reading.
This book was amazing! I looooove it so much. I really felt with the characters thevstory was unique. The endig was sad but it was an ending I have never read. I do recommend it even if youblike me don't know anything about the game. The book itself is worth reading.
skyfullofstars's review
4.0
Definitely nothing to write home about. However, this novel is extremely succesful at mostly everything it sets out to do. It’s a fun, light read that brilliantly depicts the events that up until now were only mentioned in the game. The individual stories of each character finish closed enough to have a satisfying conclusion, and the new characters are a nice addition that have enough on their own to be charismatic but don’t overstay their welcome. Kalista’s story delivers on fleshing out her character from her rather lacking depiction in LOL as just a shadow of what she once was and honestly made her a badass who didn’t feel Mary Sue ish at all, and making her last stand sort of a Thermopyllae scenario against the noble detractors of her own militar force comprised of non nobles made me like her even more. Ryze’s story makes a wonderful show of the beginning of his determination to recover the runes and protect them. These two stories are well written and flow perfectly, not so much the other ones. These don’t precisely lack good writing but since they are told by the more villainous characters, these characters are just shown as evil for the sake of it and we don’t get much insight as to why they are evil. And no, Thresh being poor as a child is not enough to make him the monster he ends up becoming. Viego is a little bitch, as expected, and he is undeserving of even being called the ruined king. Perhaps something like the whining regent would be more fitting. Isolde is criminally underdeveloped (although I really liked every moment of hers on the narration). Also Gwen is mentioned so thumbs up.
Final verdict: Something sweet for the kids.
Final verdict: Something sweet for the kids.