A review by marie_thereadingotter
The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 

This book was quite the read. More "dense" than I was expecting. A lot of political and religious intrigue. I wasn't expecting the book to be told from the perspective that it is, it's told from the perspective of Helena as an old woman, recanting what happened in her youth in her time as the clerk for the Justice. Her fate in all that's going to happen is relatively clear, but everybody else and what exactly has happened is still a mystery.

 It takes the majority of the book, and you find out as the story is being told how everything connects together. It feels disjointed and rambling in parts of the book, though that feels like a narrative choice since the narrator is an old lady who goes on small tangents, but it's all relevant in the end. 

 Because the choice to tell things in past-tense the fate of a side character was one that I suspected, but it didn't make it any less sad when it happened. Honestly, this author masterfully wrote from the perspective of an older woman reflecting on herself as a young woman. Something that I haven't read from many authors, especially male authors. 

 A lot happens in this book, and I think it's best to go into this book mostly blind. This book ends on a strange note, and I am very much looking forward to reading the sequel, which I believe comes out soon.