Reviews

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

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petraofwords's review against another edition

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DNF at 50%

fancypantsben's review against another edition

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adventurous funny reflective sad tense 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? No

3.75

cutewitchirl's review against another edition

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I enjoyed some parts of this, but for me it would have helped if I felt like we had a character we were really close to. We had main players to follow, but it's a book that feels like someone pushing armies around on a board.

nikki_saulnier's review against another edition

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We move through so much time from the beginning to where I stopped but I feel like I never really got to know any characters beyond the surface. There were so many snapshots of what was happening in the world but we weren’t allowed to sit with any of it long enough to get attached. It made the story so boring and slow even thought it was jam packed with events. Like, how do you make an eight foot tall double pupiled man searching for revenge uninteresting?!?!

edbeertoertchen's review against another edition

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Was too boring for me

zoekatereads's review against another edition

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5.0

The Grace of Kings is the first novel in the epic fantasy series The Dandelion Dynasty, a reimagining of the birth of China's Han Dynasty. An epic world, complex characters, a gripping and heart breaking plot.

“A knife is not malicious merely because it is sharp, and a plot is not evil merely because it is effective. All depends on the wielder. The grace of kings is not the same as the morals governing individuals.”

'Emperor Mapidéré was the first to unite the island kingdoms of Dara. Now, on his deathbed, his people are exhausted by his grandiose projects, and his counsellors conspire for their own gain.

Even the gods are restless.

A clever bandit and the vengeful son of a deposed duke each lead rebellions against the emperor's brutal regime. Their paths cross as they journey to the heart of the empire, witnessing clashes of armies, fleets of silk-draped airships, magical books, and shapeshifting gods. Their unlikely friendship will alter the balance of power in Dara... but at what cost?'

“What is fate but coincidences in retrospect?”

This truly blew me away.

The world-building was fantastic. The story sits on the familiar backdrop of Eastern Asia, and Liu weaves in fantastical elements (gods, airships, creatures) that really elevate the setting and support the plot throughout. The book is an interesting blend of historical fiction and fantasy.

The first half of the novel introduces multiple characters and plotlines, which was initially a bit tricky to get my head around. But as the novel progresses and the focus moves more towards our two main characters, everything comes together in an incredibly satisfying way. All the information provided in the first half provides a deeper understanding of the events to come and created a really rich backdrop for the main characters and their stories.

The Grace of Kings is very heavy on political intrigue, lots of plotting, back-stabbing, war and great battles. The pacing was really interesting, with sizeable time jumps that really add to the epic scale of the events that took place in this time.

“Emperor, king, general, duke,” he whispered to himself. “These are just labels. Climb up the family tree of any of them high enough and you’ll find a commoner who dared to take a chance.”

While not a particularly character-driven novel, I found myself completely enraptured by the characters and the decisions they made. The way Liu constructs his characters is wonderful. They're complex, deeply flawed, and I often found myself wondering whether I was rooting for them or not (which I sense is by design).