The Ruin of Kings really grabbed my attention right from the start! I found myself trying to predict where the story was going, and being completely wrong. It does not follow any previous or banal formulas for attempting to build a new fantasy series/world. Our main character, Kihrin, lives in a world that is harsh and cruel and filled with faults, which is why the stakes feel so high. I really liked Kihrin as a character, he is witty, charming, and surprising honest for a thief. I also liked trying to guess whether every character we were introduced to was a friend to Kihrin or a foe. No one’s motives are clear and every character feels realistic, with the capability of doing good or doing true evil.

I found some things a bit confusing such as the narrative switches between first and third person, as their are two characters acting as storytellers, Kihrin and his jailer, Talon. Eventually it becomes clear as to why Lyons chose to tell the narrative this way and it works it just takes a bit of getting used to. Another thing is that there are footnotes that aim to expand and add to the world building without slowing the pace of the main story. These are helpful but were more difficult to navigate on my kindle. Lastly, the preview did end on a cliffhanger, but that is to be expected and only made me more committed to finding out what happens next. I will definitely be picking up the finished version on February 5, 2019.

I was given a copy of this preview excerpt from NetGalley for an honest review.

The description of The Ruin of Kings drew me in and it didn't disappoint. From the first page I was interested in what was going to happen next. This was only a preview excerpt and I'm definitely interested to see where the rest of the novel goes.

The world building particularly for the novel is stunning from the get go. There's a history to this world and it isn't a great one, it's dark and it gets gritty. Not only is there a history, but there's it's own monetary system, social class, and different races of beings. If nothing else give this novel a shot for the world. It'll suck you in.

The plot is definitely what one would expect out of an epic fantasy with demon, gods, and lots of intrigue abound. There's even the diversity that I've started to look for. The main character is still your typical white male, but there's certainly racial inclusion in the other characters and there's even a lesbian! There's witty dialogue and even some deeper conversations between characters that I enjoyed.

Now, there were a few things about this novel that could have been tweaked a bit. Kihrin, our main character, is enjoyable, He has some snark that I can appreciate, but for growing up in a brothel and being a thief he's surprisingly and almost annoyingly good. He has no flaw that I really picked up on. Now, his flaw may appear later in the book or at least become more obvious, but I live for the flaw and right now it just isn't there. The one other part that was a bit of a struggle for me. The narrative. I love the idea of telling a story through the characters telling the story. I think it's a brilliant idea. However, both storytellers follow Kihrin, but at different points in his story, It makes the characterization seem shaky at times. Final note, love the foot notes, but they aren't great for the kindle. If I wanted to read the footnote I'd have to bookmark the page or lose my spot. While not a big deal if there was only one there are a fair amount and that can make it a bit tedious.

So, as a whole I would definitely recommend reading this book. There's a solid world, diverse characters, and a great fantasy plot.

Warnings: (implied) rape, slavery, torture. I didn’t feel like any of these points became overly graphic, but they are also major points in the novel and not something that can be avoided.
In many ways I was not prepared for, or expecting such a large chunk of an excerpt. I honestly think (but do not know for sure) that this was about half the book. Which I’m obviously very grateful for. I’m merely guessing at the size of the excerpt though, based on what was covered and what still has to be covered.
The Ruin of Kings drew me in right from the beginning. It has an epic plot, interesting characters, and reasons to be emotionally invested in what happens next. Having an intriguing magic system and even better fights was just icing on the cake.
This novel is one part a coming of age story, one part a classic princeling story (you know the type, where he’s had to flee the throne in order to save his life? Usually without ever knowing the truth), and one major part epic fantasy.
There are many elements of this story that felt familiar…but in an almost soothing way. Jenn Lyons cleverly used these elements to jumpstart certain plots in her writing. This allowed her to more efficiently get along to the more exciting parts. It was really well done.
Kihrin was an interesting character. He’s charming, intelligent, and oddly naive despite what he’s been through. This is likely due to all the fairytales he grew up listening to. There’s something oddly endearing about this fact, and it really does help the story along.
The plot jumps back and forth between a couple of points in time. This worked really well here – Lyons was able to move the main plot forward in one timeline, while also teaching us about the main character and the world in another. It was effective.
I honestly can’t wait for The Ruin of Kings to release so I can read the second half of the book. I’m so anxious to see what happens next, and how it will all fall together.

From what I read so far from this 23 chapter extended preview, I LOVE the story. I can’t wait to read the entire book!!!

This book is split up into three different timelines. There’s the present with Kihrin and Talon in third-person, Kihrin telling his story from the beginning (that starts four years back) in a first-person POV, and Talon telling Kihrin’s story in third-person from a different starting point also four years in the past. You don’t really see much from what I would call present-day, so it’s really alternating chapters between them to tell the story.

I actually really like this kind of storytelling, and personally, I love reading fantasy in first-person, so I was flying through this preview. This extended preview does end in a cliffhanger and left me wanting more, and I can’t wait to read the rest of Kihrin’s story!!! I might buy the audiobook as well as a physical copy (there are footnotes in this story but the e-book formatting is really well done reading this on my Kindle) because I want to know how to pronounce all the character names and places.

Not a bad start since this is a substantial preview. The world building is definitely intriguing and it holds your attention. I would definitely be interested in seeing more. I'm on the fence on whether the use of footnotes help or hinder the flow of the narrative, though.

Epic Fantasy read. Will require attention as you will be introduced to different characters and the book is told in two different narratives 1st and 3rd person and in different time lines. Kihrin's jailor forces him to tell his story that led him to where he is when we are introduced to him. While his captor Talon recounts for Kihrin's earlier story. There are footnotes in each small chapter that adds to the tale.

A book of gods, demons, magic, kingdoms, dragons and adventure. It keep my attention and I wanted to know what was going on and understand what role Kihrin play's in this book. Written in an interesting way and looking forward to see how the 2nd book will be done.

I recommend this book for Fantasy readers who enjoy the complexities of a new world and new characters. Always fun when kingdoms are involved and the different wars and not just between humans but gods as well. A good addition to your TBR pile.

Thank you to Netgalley for generously providing this arc preview.

So far so good!! I love the main character and the world building is nice. The pacing takes some time to get used to and it was a little confusing at times but I was really enjoying it...so far! I'm super sad right now because I thought this was the whole book arc. Sadly, its a long arc preview.... So I got up to the end of chapter 23 and BOOM it ended.... so I am VERY excited to get my hands on the full copy of this!

I didn't realise this was an excerpt until I was halfway through, and now I'm gutted! I was truly drawn into the world Lyons created, and thankfully it was a lovely long excerpt. I'll be sure to try and get my hands on a full copy when it's released.

I enjoyed The Ruin of Kings. It left me wanted to read more and delve deeper into Kihrin's world. I look forward to seeing more from this author and more about Kihrin and the land of Quur.

I enjoyed the story and characters in The Ruin of King but struggled a lot with the voice, timeline jumps, and footnotes. I'll try again when it comes out and I can physically flip to the footnotes.

This book sucked me in from the very beginning. The writing is set up to tell 3 timelines for the main character at once; giving you an origin story where the MC is a street urchin with a mysterious birth, a what-happened-next main story-line where the MC is older and now dealing with magic, gods and demons, and a how-it-ended-up story line where the MC is in a dungeon being taunted by a demon.
Honestly, I think this is a brilliant way to draw the reader in. I'm dying to know how to he got from street urchin to vitally important MC, to obviously having gone wrong somewhere and in a dungeon. I just need to know!
The characters are good, not necessarily predictable, very distinct, and not too like their tropes, although I think the dialogue could use a little work. I like the Main Character, although the world-building is happening a little Too slowly, leaving us annoyingly in the dark about some basic facts about this world. I like not dumping it on us all at once, but I wish for a little more.
The use of "footnotes" within the text, as if the book were a report being written to some government official, is a nice way to provide world-building information without interrupting the story. I like the whimsical feel of a 3-rd party commenting on the events.
I was only given Part One to read, so I'm dying to get the book for real and find out how it end!
I received this book as an ARC copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Ruin of Kings was different to what I expected. It begins with a letter that tells us he will write a full account of the events that led up to the burning of the Capitol. This meant that there was little footnotes at the end of each chapter which explained a few things. I kind of liked this format although I did feel a little confused at first. The footnotes were fun! I

Then you begin the story with a boy in a cell (Kihrin) and his jailer (Talon) and to pass the time she asks him to tell her his story. The chapters are set up to alternate between Kirhin and Talon telling the story. I liked that we saw two sides to Kirhin and I found it interesting but it took me awhile to get used to switching between 1st and 3rd person. There is quite a few characters and they turn up in both Kirhins recent events timeline and Talons past events. Honestly it's confusing but also worth the read if you can.

Kirhins life is hectic. There's evil magicians, a war between gods and demons, a messed up family, a cult and dragons. It was interesting but with the politics and family and people who are not who they say they are, it can be hard to remember everything. The middle section of this book is amazing and I really enjoyed how intricate the world was. The world building is beautiful, there's a history, politics, magic and a culture which made it feel more real. It also didn't hide away from the horrible acts such as slavery, murder, rape and the people are dark and dangerous. There is also a lighter more humorous parts to the book. For me the ending felt a little rushed and there was a few curveballs thrown at me. But I enjoyed the majority of this book but I don't think I will read it again and I'm not sure if I want to continue. The format of it was the main problem for me.

This is a review for the complete book by Emma Davis & James TIvendale for FBR

Kihrin is many things: orphan, thief, long lost son of a prince, destroyer of the world? Whatever else he is, he’s also having a really bad time of it. Everything he’s ever believed is lies, new truths discovered through violence and death. But since his new life involves evil magicians, a death cult, a war between gods and demons, the kind of family that epitomises the whole keep-your-enemies-closer philosophy, and dragons…. well, his chances don’t seem like they’ll be looking up any time soon. After all, he’s in prison when we meet him.

Right from the outset, it’s clear this book isn’t set up in the usual fashion. Kihrin languishes in a jail cell, bullied by his captor into narrating the events that led him to this point. Into a magic rock no less. His tale is told in alternating chapters, while his jailer, Talon, accounts for the other. But here’s the hook, she has some very particular skills that means the story she’s telling is also his, adding parts of the plot not only on a different timeline, but from varied perspectives too. If that isn’t complicated enough, the resulting recording (magical rock, remember?) from which this book is supposedly drawn is then provided with somewhat snarky commentary in footnote style from a whole other character who is also involved in the story at various points. It’s an interesting premise, but one that nevertheless has its own challenges. When it works it creates an escalating tension as the chapters flip, each one ending on a cliffhanger, so that it’s impossible to put the book down. The chapters are short, high energy, and thrilling.

But that’s when it works. The dual storyline of Kihrin in first person and then in third from differing perspectives sometimes created a strange dissonance, almost like it was two different people, and not just because of the character development acquired in one half or the other. There’s a constant need to remember which Kihrin knows what and when he learned it, especially because the overarching plot is seriously convoluted. Not only is there high stakes politics, ethnic and religious wars, and familial infighting on an epic scale, there’s body-swapping. So people might not be who you think they are. Or were. Or whatever. To say it brings about some dodgy familial connections is a bit of an understatement. When the format fails, bogged down in detail and unnecessary complication, things end up needing to be explained a bit too much by one person or another, making it feel unnatural. Even if, because of the complexity, they probably really do need to work through it themselves. This happens a bit too much at the beginning and then again with the finale, which felt rushed and threw in some curve balls to conform to the prophesies which underly the action.

So at this point, you might be wondering how it got 4 stars at all? (Another of our reviewers, James Tivendale, has read this also which is why the rating is higher than the 4-stars Emma mentions- Editor) Let me go back to the whole ‘when it works’ thing I was talking about before. Parts of this book are blindingly good. As in, 5-stars-are-not-enough kinda great. Pretty much all the middle in fact. If you’re one of the people that read the preview, it starts right at the end of that and lasts all the way till the stories converge in the final segment. This is where Jenn Lyons’ creativity shines. From beginning to end, the worldbuilding is excellent, layered and intricate, developed by an author who knows everything about the place she’s created. It’s never less than believable, from the systems of government to history, cultural norms and values to religion and magic. There’s diversity of all sorts, including both underlying and overt dialogue about sexual identity/choice that surprised and pleased me. Of course, it’s not all hearts and rainbows, variation brings hostility and this is a dangerous world. All of the abhorrent aspects of human society are here: slavery, racial wars, rape, incest, murder, human sacrifice. People have dark stories and even darker motivations. Even our lead has a real attitude, though considering his circumstances I can understand where he’s coming from, and in any case, it’s done with comedy rather than angst. It’s not just him either. The book had the same kind of humorous banter and point scoring backchat that reminded me much more of Urban Fantasy. The exchanges between Kihrin and Teraeth were exceptional, transforming from genuinely funny to moving and emotional and back again with ease. Such humour provided a very necessary lightness in pretty dire circumstances and gave Kihrin the kind of appeal accorded to those who respond to the shit shovelled in their direction with two fingers and a smile. Yet he’s only one of a whole cast of memorable characters, so well conceived and vibrantly portrayed that they carry the book even when the plot loses itself a bit. Most of the true character development came predominantly in that middle section and was by far the best part of the book, managing to maintain momentum whilst deepening the relationships between characters and expanding our knowledge of the world. I raced through it, loving every minute. There were questions answered and even more asked, a labyrinthine game that has been played for thousands of years. And even though the ending didn't hold quite the same thrill, it held enough surprises, enough possibilities, to whet the appetite for more.

Despite my quibbles, I’m intrigued about where this will go. The dual storyline format doesn’t seem to be one that can be successfully repeated, potentially giving the next book an entirely different feel. Certainly, the final scenes include some you-can’t-do-that moments that I can’t wait to see explored. If you thought things were going to hell here, the future seems like it’s already on fire…. I'll be there to see it burn.

ARC via publisher for fantasybookreview.co.uk

Additional notes by James Tivendale - I think Emma summed up most of the points perfectly.

I agree with what Emma said about the point of views switching between 1st and 3rd person sometimes being confusing and the reader having to readjust. The beginning and middle I rated 10/10. The ending occasionally felt forceful and rushed until the final 30-40 pages which I found absolutely stunning. There are a lot of characters and many of which have very similar names and there are very complex family trees. Lyons kindly includes a Dramatis Personae as well as explaining difficult or uneasy context to help us understand the deepness and complexities in her amazingly crafted world.

Following on from there being many characters it does get confusing with the two timelines. One being Kihrin's 1st person perspective which is his recent antics and the other being his jailor Talon's descriptions of what happened before his sections. Many of the cast are in both timelines and with short, sharp and often very thrilling chapters and I believe only 4-years difference between the action of both segments it does sometimes take a few minutes to work out, or it did for me if this is before or after what happened last. First of my two further negatives is that I didn't really grasp the reasons for the whole prophecy about our main character and I never thought he wasn't the hero as the tagline states. Also, the 80-90% section of the narrative is too swift, and however amazing it is, pardon my french - it's a bit of a 'head-fuck.'

I sound like I've been negative here but I'm really not. Emma summed up perfectly what I enjoyed about this book. I still believe this will be an instant classic and TOR have got an absolute winner on their hands. My comments might have been the harshest but I've pushed the rating up because of how great I think this book is, albeit including minor issues. The Ruin of Kings will be in many top-10 lists next year and I cannot wait to see what comes next because I'm 100% here for the whole ride.

This The Ruin of Kings book review was written by Emma Davis and James Tivendale

THE RUIN OF KINGS is an exciting start to a dream gone quite wrong. An orphan, a thief, a long-lost prince...what will become of Kihrin when all is said and done? Fast-paced, entrancing, and not above making its readers laugh amidst the darkness, this story promises only one thing: one complicated thrill of a ride.

Wow. This one was seriously interesting,
The worldbuilding went a bit over my head and there were some info dumps in the beginning, but I found that I really liked the narrative voice and style here, and the characters were very intriguing. I feel like I can't say much about the plot since this review is based only on a preview excerpt, but I can say that the atmosphere was incredibly well drawn, I felt the slave market, the prison cell. I literally felt transported reading this. And I'm very much curious to see where Kihrin's story goes. I will definitely be checking this one out when it becomes available.

First of all, I wish this had been the whole story not just an excerpt and I almost didn't read it because it wasn't the complete work. I liked the story and it was very well written. I found the footnotes to be very distracting. It was annoying to have to go back and forth between the story and the footnotes, if I waited until after I read the chapter then the footnotes didn't make sense and I had to go back to the story. That was very annoying. If it's important enough to footnote, include it in the story. I also didn't care for the alternating POV's. I wish the author had just written the story without doing that because it interrupted the flow of the story. I would have read the rest of the story if this had been complete but I will not remember this story when the complete one is released so I will probably not read the second half. I liked the story but I guess I don't really care how it ends. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

As previews go, this one surpassed all expectations - traipsing elegantly into the top 5 expected book releases. I appreciated the way the first section hooked the reader, leading you to want more. An overplayed plot, given its own unique twist.

I received a free e-copy preview excerpt of this book from NetGalley for review purposes. It included the first 23 chapters (seemed like about half the book).

Ho-lee-crap. I was *not* expecting to love this as much as I did. I was expecting it to be your average adventure-fantasy, but there's a lot here to like. Kihrin is kind of a dumbass, but I was fascinated by his story. Getting to know the various characters was interesting, because they each had their own actual developed personality (unlike a lot of the newer stuff out there that sacrifices world-building and characterization for romance and a badly-written plot). The plot itself is pretty tangled up, and even though I'm pretty sure I got the first half of the book, I have no idea where it's really going. And for once, I liked that!!

There were two things that really took away from the book for me:

1. I HATED switching back and forth between Kihrin and Talon for each chapter.
2. Those footnotes! They were numerous, they didn't seem to be super helpful, and who the heck was speaking in them? It wasn't Talon, and presumably wasn't Kihrin - was it supposed to be the person writing everything down from the recording stone? Was it someone else? I'm hoping we get that later.

I am definitely placing this on my to-be-finished shelf (not that I have one) and will hopefully remember to pick up a copy when it's released so I can finish the damn thing! Setting Google alert now...

I'm hooked already... I don't think I can wait until this books release date to read the rest of the story!! I can see this being one of my favourite 2019 reads!

The Ruin of Kings is a fantastic novel — my one regret is that I was only able to devour the preview instead of the full book. It’s a fantasy tale set in a world that seems similar to Middle Earth with less creatures, save for dragons, of course. The progression of the novel is compelling, gradually revealing tidbits of details through two timelines. I couldn’t wait to get to each new chapter, to put the pieces together and figure out who our main character really is.

There are many deep forces in this world that tie life, magic, and death together into three realms that are recognized and worshipped. The magical aspects are fascinating. We meet demons and sorcerers, many as ancient as the land they stand on. We’re introduced to objects with immense, evil powers. A sense of good versus evil lies beneath every page, making you wonder what everyone’s intentions are. The grandiose implications are eminently entertaining.

It’s also notable how easy it is to follow along with the world and the characters. So many epic fantasy novels flood you with names, kingdoms, gods, and random beings that are impossible to remember. Here, each character has an obvious purpose and place within the plot.

Overall, there’s an impressive strength in the writing and storytelling that makes The Ruin of Kings a great read. I look forward to flying through the rest of the book as soon as I can get my hands on it.