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.

Ooop! I'm not reading this -- I didn't realize it was just an excerpt when I downloaded it. I'll wait for the entire ARC or the full book. Nothing against excerpts, but I'd rather wait.

The Ruin of Kings - Preview Excerpt by Jenn Lyons 4 stars

I was lucky enough to a multi-chapter excerpt of "The Ruin of Kings". This books has been heavily touted on Tor.com. In fact, there is a chapter by chapter review going on right now. I liked what I have read, but the reason it is 4 stars instead of 5 is the fact that the narrator and timeline changes every other chapter. It took me awhile to get used to that. After 23 chapters, I am still not quite sure who the main character is - a thief?, a chosen of the Goddess of Luck?, a forgotten branch of a noble family, maybe royalty?, the needed sacrifice to win a long war between gods and demons?. The excerpt provides a lot of clues that tantalize, but doesn't clearly explain. In addition, the hero is wearing an valuable object in which we don't know the full extent of its properties. Mysteries abound and I have to read the rest of the book to satisfy my curiosity. I can't wait.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Books for providing this Preview

This is set to be one of my favourite fantasy releases of 2019! What a shame this is only an extract (though it is a nice substantial one), as it left me dying to read the rest of the book! The characters are compelling, the world-building is fun and thorough, and the writing style, complete with footnotes, had me enthralled. I can't wait to read the whole thing.

I really like what i read of that book and i can't wait to read the whole story ! I think it's the perfect beginning to an epic story

2.5/5 stars

I was given all of Part 1 to read and review. My expectation is that this novel will be 2 parts, seeing as Part 1 was quite lengthy.

This was a book I had my eye on. The summary sounded really interesting and different than most YA Fantasy books that have been released lately. Unfortunately, the execution wasn't at all what I hoped for amd left much to be desired. I found this firat part to be a mess, really. While I can see what the author was going for in the constant reversing of character POVs every chapter, it was just too messy and hard to follow. While it gets better as the book gets closer to the end of Part 1, it still remains to be convoluted. The reason why our MC is in danger is bland, the world(s) is confusing, and the side characters are forgettable. The only name I can remember is Talon, and that's because I see it constantly. After reading Part 1, I cant see myself going out of my way to pick up the book to read the rest. While it seems that it was improving, having half of the book be confusing and forgettable isn't really that great. I'll unfortunately have to say I'm passing on the rest of the novel. Maybe I'll pick up any future novels Lyons will write, but sadly this isn't the one for me.

ARC of Part 1 provided to be for free by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An interesting debut. Reading the story of the same character in different times back and forth in each chapter was an interesting way to tell the story. The world is bigger that the preview excerpt makes you believe (I received a paper arc after reading the preview). It kind of reminds me of Steven Erickson's "Malazan book of the Fallen" series and that's a compliment.

From the except I read, I like what I saw from this book. I usually reserve ratings for books that I have read completely but I can see that this is going to be an interesting book that appeals to fantasy fans. Can't wait to see what the finished copy looks like.

I both loved and hated this book. I will start with what I did not like, because it is only one thing but it is a big thing. The author has, clearly, done extensive world-building and knows exactly where each character introduced fits into the world. However, much of the world-building is not shared with the reader. As a reader, I do not know if the world is populated with different races or different ethnicities, or even if it is both. This left me feeling that there were layers of meaning that I simply was not getting. The good thing was literally everything else. The characters are sharply drawn and act clearly within their roles. The footnotes are wonderfully done, adding just a touch of extra information and, at times, some humor. The story line moves well, with good pacing and a nice balance of action and character building. I will absolutely be reading the next book in the series.

I found the footnotes to be a bit distracting, they really interrupted the flow of the narrative. This was particularly noticeable because the story really moved along at a nice place. The writing was great and the tale is epic in its scope. Can't wait to read book 2.

I received a free e-galley from netgalley.com.

Reasonably good first part of a new fantasy series

This novel in the fantasy genre centers around Kihrin, a musician and thief, who finds himself in all sorts of trouble because perhaps of his mysterious origins. The story or rather stories are told in alternating chapters about two different periods of his life, the present and sometime in his past. This format is a little annoying and the author also, I believe, makes the mistake of putting in too many names of people, places and races, most of which are hard to recall. The novel ends with little resolved, presumably leading straight into the next book.

Characters are interesting and well-developed and there’s not an abundance of description which I applaud but the whole experience leaves me with a sense of dissatisfaction and I’m not sure that I want to continue with the series. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read the netgalley sample of this which was 178 pages. I think that's long enough to realise it's not for me. It's very wordy and dense, jumping into many pages of backstory that, honestly, it felt like we didn't really need to know. I appreciate well-rounded characters, but I like the plot to move forward at some point! In fact, it made me BORED with the characters, instead of more interested in them.
I can see why some might compare it to Rothfuss - largely because of the slow and dense narrative - but it didn't keep me anywhere near as engaged as Rothfuss did.
It is also being compared to Sanderson's work, which I've never really liked, so maybe it is more suited to his fans.

Well butter my biscuit, WE HAVE ONE HECK OF A GOOD BOOK!

When this book was being shouted out among the mountaintops that it was for fans of Joe Abercrombie, I had to slow down my breathing because I am a Abercrombie FAN GIRL and let me just say, they weren't joking. This is an embodiment of Abercrombie's luscious writing.

This is the first installment in a new epic fantasy series called A Chorus of Dragons.
The plot mainly focuses on Khirin's, our main characters, life and it switches between past and present, young teenage Khirin and Khirin as a man. I loved this! I'm going to sidestep going into too much of the plot. to avoid spoilage. Suffice to say, I'm intrigued of what I've seen so far. Just know that Lyon's talent as a writer is one of the shining aspects of this novel. Her ability to develop landscapes & nations with distinctive cultures is impressive. She is seamlessly able to tie together situations & characters with smooth descriptions & clever dialogue.

She has created a beautiful world loosely based on medieval times. At first, it's not entirely clear what the major storyline will be. It's also not clear who the good guys and bad guys are -- kind of like real life. If this sounds like A Game of Thrones, well, yes -- the series are very different, but they do share some elements: morally complex protagonists and no easy answers.

Recommended for people who like there fantasy with some sugar and spice.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so pumped to dive into The Ruin of Kings. Especially after getting accepted for this but, unfortunately, I ended up disappointed. Honestly, it could've been the format (since I read this on my phone) but it's just like.. ugh, nope.

At first, the characters were interesting and I wanted to know more about them. BUT, ugh, I couldn't stand the backstories anymore. One and done people! I didn't need to know what people had for breakfast 500 years ago or whatever. It's not something that actually happened.. just an example!

Other than the interesting characters, the demons, magicians, and long lost princes were what kept my engaged. Oh lord, the demon was freaky, weird, and honestly made me laugh. Probably not supposed to laugh when a demon is yelling at a character in all caps... but I did. It was hilarious.

I wish I liked it more than I actually did. Might try to reread it.. but no promises right now.

Many thanks for the opportunity to have an advance reading copy of this book. I have heard a lot of buzz about The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons and the hype is well earned. I found The Ruin of Kings fresh, something new that will resonate with readers of epic fantasy. The most interesting thing I found with this book is that it flew by.. Highly readable with hints of mystery, made the pages turn.
The story is told from two different points of view, both relating past events. Our narrators are a demon jailer named Talon, and it's prisoner, Khirin, who may or may not be much more than what he seems. The world building is first rate and well as well fleshed out characters.
No spoilers here, but read this book, you will find yourself waiting for book 2, very unpatiently.

The author and publisher made available a very long excerpt. The story alternates between past events and the events that will presumably lead to the main character, Kihrin, being locked in a jail cell with the monster Talon outside the cell keeping him company and antagonizing him, which is how the story begins. While the alternating storylines work, I would prefer a more linear progression. The story itself is portrayed as the record of a scribe and there are footnotes/endnotes. In the e-book preview, they are endnotes, but I hope the printed version utilizes footnotes, as this will be more informative. While some of the endnotes are helpful, they mostly show the reader that there is a lot of history/background that is not being provided and that would provide greater clarity if presented.

The author has created a number of interesting characters and an interesting plot. The book has a lot of promise/potential, but I am uncertain from the preview whether it will live up to the potential., which is why I have given it only three stars. However, I am curious enough that I want to read the full story when the book is published next year.

This was blurbed as Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss-ish fantasy story.
I was very sceptical and it turns out after reading the egalley excerpt, that it didn't deliver that promise in my eyes.

I'm not aversed to multiple POVs or more difficult world building, but we're dropped in right into the story and I'm confused as hell.
Reading through the excerpt I don't find myself invested in the characters or the story. It doesn't feel fluid enough for me and the dialogue is kind of stiff.

I guess you might like this if you like Brandon Sanderson books, but it's not even close to the style of The Name of the Wind.

Personally I won't continue with the story.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

What an epic preview! This is a great start to a new series. Lots of action, dragons and love. Thanks to Tor Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley preview in exchange for my honest opinion.