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A review by rg9400
Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf by C.L. Clark
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'll split this review into sort of 4 sections/questions since this is connected to both the League of Legends franchise and the TV show Arcane, and so people might be curious how it interacts with all of those different properties.
Do you need to know League lore to enjoy Ambessa? I'll preface this by saying I know almost no League lore, so the answer is no, kinda. However, as I kept going through it, I became more and more curious and kept asking people for insights into various factions and characters. Most of the characters in this book are original to the book, but it does prominently feature a POV from a character who is from League but not Arcane, and that character was very fascinating. You don't need to know anything about them as this serves as sort of an origin story, but I just wanted to know their role in the wider lore. There are some other factions at play, but it's pretty easy to pick up on those within the context of the book. The core story in this book is easy to follow as it follows the Medarda family, but a lot of the worldbuilding uses League countries and factions, leading me to sort of gloss over actually understanding the world.
Do I need to have watched Arcane to read Ambessa? No, not at all. There are no characters or plot points from Arcane referenced outside of Mel and Ambessa, and other than knowing what happens to them post this story, watching Arcane won't really add much. There is one scene that is copied over from Arcane, but it's pretty much an exact copy.
If I watched Arcane, is Ambessa a must-read? Not really, no. Because it is a prequel, the book doesn't really give any sort of continuation on the story threads left open in Arcane. However, it does add some context towards Mel's storyline in Season 2. I can see this book setting up some important threads for a future spin-off show in Noxus, but in a way that I think can easily be explained within that show for people who skipped this book. The main thing this book is doing is building the backstory for the aforementioned League character as well as really exploring Ambessa as a character. In a way, she's the same as she is in Arcane, but this story really highlights how her life philosophy impacts her, those around her, and her relationship with her children in much more detail.
Given all this, is this book worth reading outside of the League/Arcane connections? Yes, I enjoyed it. I think being in Ambessa's head is a bit much at times, but I like how the book splits that up by giving us the POVs of a handful of other characters including Mel. This is really a story about how ambition at all costs can leave a path of destruction, and I think it captures that pretty well. I certainly did read it trying to find all the various connections to this franchise, but I also just enjoyed the experience in general even if it has a bit of a lull in the middle. The core story is relatively simple though. The voice actress for Ambessa in Arcane narrates the audiobook, but she does some weird high-pitched voices for other characters that felt off.
Overall I would recommend Ambessa for those who are looking to get some more exposure to this franchise or enjoy League lore or just want a no-frills succession war storyline and enjoy being in the mind of a morally ambiguous protagonist. It might not be essential reading, but it is certainly enjoyable reading.
Do you need to know League lore to enjoy Ambessa? I'll preface this by saying I know almost no League lore, so the answer is no, kinda. However, as I kept going through it, I became more and more curious and kept asking people for insights into various factions and characters. Most of the characters in this book are original to the book, but it does prominently feature a POV from a character who is from League but not Arcane, and that character was very fascinating. You don't need to know anything about them as this serves as sort of an origin story, but I just wanted to know their role in the wider lore. There are some other factions at play, but it's pretty easy to pick up on those within the context of the book. The core story in this book is easy to follow as it follows the Medarda family, but a lot of the worldbuilding uses League countries and factions, leading me to sort of gloss over actually understanding the world.
Do I need to have watched Arcane to read Ambessa? No, not at all. There are no characters or plot points from Arcane referenced outside of Mel and Ambessa, and other than knowing what happens to them post this story, watching Arcane won't really add much. There is one scene that is copied over from Arcane, but it's pretty much an exact copy.
If I watched Arcane, is Ambessa a must-read? Not really, no. Because it is a prequel, the book doesn't really give any sort of continuation on the story threads left open in Arcane. However, it does add some context towards Mel's storyline in Season 2. I can see this book setting up some important threads for a future spin-off show in Noxus, but in a way that I think can easily be explained within that show for people who skipped this book. The main thing this book is doing is building the backstory for the aforementioned League character as well as really exploring Ambessa as a character. In a way, she's the same as she is in Arcane, but this story really highlights how her life philosophy impacts her, those around her, and her relationship with her children in much more detail.
Given all this, is this book worth reading outside of the League/Arcane connections? Yes, I enjoyed it. I think being in Ambessa's head is a bit much at times, but I like how the book splits that up by giving us the POVs of a handful of other characters including Mel. This is really a story about how ambition at all costs can leave a path of destruction, and I think it captures that pretty well. I certainly did read it trying to find all the various connections to this franchise, but I also just enjoyed the experience in general even if it has a bit of a lull in the middle. The core story is relatively simple though. The voice actress for Ambessa in Arcane narrates the audiobook, but she does some weird high-pitched voices for other characters that felt off.
Overall I would recommend Ambessa for those who are looking to get some more exposure to this franchise or enjoy League lore or just want a no-frills succession war storyline and enjoy being in the mind of a morally ambiguous protagonist. It might not be essential reading, but it is certainly enjoyable reading.