A review by effinalice
Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim

3.5

Blood of the Old Kings is a standalone Korean fantasy novel filled with dragons, sorcerers, and political intrigue. In this world, the empire’s magic is powered by the corpses of dead sorcerers, serving as eternal batteries. The story follows three characters resisting the empire’s grip: Loran, who seeks revenge after losing her family and gains a powerful sword from a dragon; Cain, a loose cannon investigating a loved one’s death in the capital; and Arienne, a magic student hearing the voice of a dead sorcerer, introducing us to the book’s unique magic system.

Each character offers a fresh perspective on the empire’s control, politics, and revolution. Loran is relentless in her quest for vengeance, Cain’s shady connections keep his chapters exciting, and Arienne’s journey into magic discovery was especially engaging.

While I enjoyed the book, some character developments felt unearned, and more time spent on growth would have been appreciated. 

One aspect I loved was the representation of a character who wears glasses and is impaired without them—something rarely seen in fantasy. I also appreciated that one of the main heroines is an over-30-year-old badass! We definitely need more non-male characters in fantasy with agency who are over 30.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the advanced reader’s copy of Blood of the Old Kings.