I have a confession to make. This is my first time reading a book set in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne universe. I was almost hesitant to The Empire's Ruin by Brian Staveley at first since it is a spin off series and I’ve been afraid to commit to yet another huge epic fantasy series.

However, I’m glad I made the plunge. Staveley paints a richly-imagined world and well-fleshed out characters, and despite its honking 700+ length, the pace does not relent and never once did I find myself bored with the story.

This book is the first in a new trilogy and takes place 5 years after the events of The Last Mortal Bond. The Annurian Empire is deteriorating, and the story alternates between 3 converging storylines:

Gwenna: A disgraced commander is sent to a deadly continent in search of prized war bird eggs in order to change the tides of war. However, the land itself is twisted with a strange sickness that transforms all life it touches and anyone who has traveled there does not come back alive … or is driven mad.

Akiil: A con artist monk schemes to weasel the emperor out of money by claiming he can teach her how to use kenta gates—ancient magical artifacts that can quickly transport someone across the world in a single bound. However, he only knows how to use the kenta in theory, and soon he finds himself caught in between a rock and a hard place.

Ruc: A priest of the goddess of love has a bloody past. However, when he finds himself thrown into a gladiator-style arena pit to fight for his survival, he must wrestle with his own beliefs.

I was initially intrigued by this book because Gwenna’s storyline sounded like a fantasy spin on Annihilation and oh, boy it did not disappoint in that department. This book delivers oodles of body horror and terrifying monstrosities. Even Ruc’s storyline had me hollering at the end too.

All and all, The Empire’s Ruin represents what I love most about epic fantasy: a fantastical world to get immersed in alongside compelling characters to root for. There are warring gods and ancient races, and even though I’m a newcomer, I still found the world and its history accessible.

This book was a pleasant find for me because I've never read anything by this author before and I've enjoyed this story a lot. There is already a series out that takes place in the same world, being the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne.

We follow three POVs in 3rd person and even though I'm not the most character-driven reader, Staveley crafted them so masterfully even I cared deeply about their fate. Their storylines do not come into contact with one another for the whole book (except for some minor references), so I guess this is left for the following books to pick up.
Gwenna Sharpe - a special unit soldier, Ruc - a priest with a myterious past, and Akiil - a monk with questionable alliances are the main characters here. Even though I was invested in each of their storyarcs by the end, at some points I've had problems with the pacing. I'd be at the edge of my seat during one storyline and suddenly we get a POV swap to a moment with way less tension going on, so I always needed to get used to the new POV all over again.

Summary of my favorite things:
- impressive worldbuilding
- very fleshed out characters with phenomenal arcs
- overall engaging storytelling

Things that threw me off sometimes:
- the pacing in some parts
- POV swaps are often jarring
- the ending doesn't really conclude anything, majorly open ended for the continuation

Overall I think this book is fantastic and I'm glad to have stumbled across this author. I'll definitely pick up his other works too.

This 1st in Brian Staveley's new fantasy saga follows from the events of the brilliant Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne books, as the Annurian Empire struggles to survive.

Plot threads follow several key characters as they strive to recover kettral eggs from the perilous southern continent; rediscover how to use kenta gates for instantaneous travel; and simply survive Dombang's Arena.

The Empire's Ruin is an intricate story (as is typical of Staveley's work) and a totally fascinating beginning to another unusual and impressive fantasy saga.

I really liked this book. It's always about the characters for me. I liked the way that he wove the different characters into the story and tied them all together neatly by the end. I was unaware that this book series was part of a bigger series that I had not read at all. It didn't make any difference to me. It was well fleshed out on it's own. I am looking forward to the next book in the series and am planning on reading the previous series.

Thank you to Jamie-Lee-Nardone and Stephen Haskins at Tor UK for providing me a review copy and participating in this blog tour!

I need more of this. I cannot for one, accept that this is the entire story. It feels like I’ve barely scratched the surface, as I’ve uncovered something more mysterious and deep in this fascinating world. No doubt in mind, this is the sequel trilogy to the Chronicles of the Unhewn Thrones of which I enjoyed reading a lot about. It features many old and new characters from this world, and instead of solely focusing on Annur, it gives us glimpses of the entire world that this book offers. With a whopping 1045 pages, it is massive. It’s something that should be celebrated. Therefore, we have an epic fantasy.

Following onwards, this novel features the POV of three characters: Gwenna, who is part of the Kettral, the Annurian Empire’s elite force. She ends up deciding to abandon her loyal soldiers in a daring raid at Dombang and pays up the price for it. What she uncovers throughout this novel is a mysterious secret that will astound you. I was guessing; I knew what was coming, and I could guess it because I’ve read the first three books of the Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne. However, I would recommend reading it to get an understanding of the events that happen. Let me summarise it in this way: The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne focuses on a declining Annurian Empire. Five years onwards with the Empire’s Ruin, it’s declining at a much steady pace than you can think. The events that happen there directly relate to the events that happen in Empire’s Ruin. Moving back to Gwenna, I didn’t like her character so much in the beginning. I despised her ability not to fight and stand up, even though she has the skills of a highly trained warrior. In the end, I understood her motivations and what she did. She is the epitome of the Broken Warrior seeking redemption. Then we have Ruc the Priest in Dombang, who is essentially uncovering his truth about who he really should worship. There’s an entire story arc for that, although unrelated, was a refreshing read. And we have Akill, who I seriously think could have his spin-off series as a Shin Monk. This monk is perhaps the bravest monk to live in this world. He goes to extent that no ordinary person can go through.

The action sequences are well written, and the battle scenes are also well done. Part of the reason I loved this novel was the naval combat and the descriptions of storms and the brig. Gwenna, while being sent by Emperor Adare to go to the mysterious land of Menkiddoc under Admiral Jonon, encounters the Manjari navy. Jonon defeats them, but not, of course, with Gwenna trying to prove she can do more. In the end, it ends up like a bloody mess. She meets the Captain of the Manjari Ship, Dhar, in the brig. There are philosophical conversations, there are engaging debates, and Dhar is a more secretive character than he lets on to be. Same for the Historian that accompanies Gwenna. Watch out for the Historian, by all means, just keep an eye out for him. I cannot tell you how engaged I was having reading Gwenna’s story in this arc when she went with this arc. There is brutality, there is a lot of cussing, there are a lot of truths and lies to be uncovered. There are trustworthy characters and untrustworthy characters. There are complete story arcs, and I think the POVs work well enough to complement one another. Some nitpicks I had were that some scenes were too long, and too many scenes felt on the edge of a cliff-hanger sometimes, but it’s a grand dark epic fantasy. Not every single page will be perfect. Fantasies will have their own strengths and weaknesses in a way. I was engaged in a story that made me want to uncover the truth and that’s what this dark fantasy presented to me. I don’t feel this is a benevolent world, because benevolence for the people of this world is, of course, wrought by elites and corrupted priests. But somewhere, there is still goodness in this world. Somewhere there is. Somewhere, a broken warrior may become attached to a small girl, which may reveal who she can become, a better version of herself than what she pretends herself to be. I wanted to see more of Akill. But the focus of book 2 should be on Gwenna. I need to know more. I just need to know more.

Amazing writing, great combat, I loved every second! Amazing!

I have submitted my Amazon and Waterstones Review as well.

The Empire’s Ruin is the start of a new fantasy series from Brian Staveley, It’s set in the same world as his Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series, and the excellent stand-alone, Skullsworn. In fact, it has several familiar faces appear in central roles, along with some we’ve never seen before. It’s probably easiest to pick this book up after reading the others in the sequence, though it has more than enough narrative weight to work as a standalone.

Anyway. Here we are again. A large part of the book takes place in the delta city we saw in Skullsworn. It’s a polity shaken to its foundations in the aftermath of revolution. An urban environment whose permanence is always in question, as the waters, reeds, and vicious predators of the delta slip in and out of focus. A place where the population is turning on itself in purges and blood, and where struggle is, quite literally, a religion.


It’s worth calling out Staveley’s evocation of atmosphere here. The city is close, paranoid. Stepping out after dark feels dangerous, not doing so armed is probably lethal. The nights are muggy and close, and everyone is always looking at everyone else for signs of backsliding. This is a people who have set out to define their own identity, but not yet decided what it’ll be. In the meantime, the priests of their long suppressed gods are driving them to frenzy and violence. The city is, essentially, a powderkeg.


That said, it contrasts beautifully with the delta. The humming claustrophobia of the metropolis is replaced by the lapping of muddy water against the hull of a hand-driven craft. Ten minute south side of the city, you’re probably lost in a sea of identical, head high reeds. Ten minutes after that, you’re probably dead, as one of the many, many predators - poisonous snakes, murderous fish, hungry gods - makes you deeply regret getting on the boat in the first place. The isolation, the tension of constant vigilance, the low thrum of danger are seeping off the page, contrasting with the boiling over pot that is the city on its edge.


But it’s not all familiar ground. I don’t want ot spoil things, but we also get to see a whole new area of the world. A place forbidden. A place filled with a slow and seeping contagion. A place that has been quarantined for, well, ever.And as we explore the unknown with our characters, the true horror of what sits within that area will become clear. Again, Staveley offers a masterclass in narrative tension, mapping the reader’s sense of discovery with those of the characters - and leting the in and out of universe sense of dread build slowly, until turning the page is something done because you need to know, need to see, what’s going to snap.


And rest assured, this is a richly imagined, beautifully terrifying, strange place we will go. It has its own character, nothing we’ve seen before, but something different. Something often awful, and unspeakably vital. Which is all rather vague - but the book does a fantastic job of its worldbuilding, giving us a strange, terrible, beautiful place where you would never, ever want to go, but which nonetheless has the beauty of an open wound. It’s beautifully realised, and skin-crawlingly real.


On which note: Gwenna Sharp is back! I’ve always had time for Gwenna, the sharp talking, smart arsed, worryingly competent leader of a Kettral Wing. She’s like a member of the special forces, if they flew on ops using giant birds. Now, though, there’s not many Kettral left, and fewer birds. Now, Gwenna is going to make some unfortunate, albeit perfectly sensible, choices. Now Gwenna is going to crawl into a small dark hole and hope to die. Now Gwenna is going to decide who she is - or not, and become something new. Gwenna has a hard time in this book, but oh, it rings fierce and true. Gwenna is not well, emotionally speaking - and we can watch her slide into depression happenning in front of our eyes. It’s an amazing portrayal of a woman falling down an emotional well, one which rings painfully true. Quite who she’ll be by the end of the story is somethin else, but Staveley shows us the strength of his characterisation in the descent of Gwenna Sharpe; honestly, its surgically accurate and breathtakingly painfully honest reading.


There’s others of course.Priests turned involuntary gladiators in the delta arena. A man chosen by the delta gods to be a killer, their killer, struggling with his heart, his faith, and his sense of self. An Admiral who is an utter arse, but has a sense of duty like a rod of iron. Young legionnaires, following Gwenna Sharpe with too much pride and concern, but not enough fear. A shin monk, setting out to run a con on the leader of the Empire (that whole thread is smart and funny and painful, and comes in such a different voice to the others, it;s a breath of fresh air).So many more, some of whom I can’t speak of for the sale of spoiling things. But in any case, the character-work is first rate. These are living, breathing people, and you’ll laugh and quail and love with them, celebrate their triumphs and mourn their deaths.


The story...well, I’ll say this. It’s epic. All three strands of the story - the con, the exploration, the delta - feel different. And examine different things. But they slowly intertwine into a larger creative structure, a cathartic ending that makes you sit up and take notice. And in the meanwhile, each story makes us care about our characters, puts them into this beautiful, horrible world with each of these fragile, breaking, pressured, loving, killing, gentle, vicious people. And the story shifts up a notch and tells us what happens, and what happens next, and it;s tense and fast paced and snappy and a joy to read.


In the end, this is a damn fun, damn fine story, one which I highly recommend.

This was my most anticipated book of 2021 and somehow it still blew my expectations out of the water.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Staveley is a fantasy writer at the peak of his powers. Every time I read one of his books, I look back at all the others I’ve given five stars to lately and subtract a star from every one of them.

He sets the bar that high.

He sets the bar so high that I have no problem waiting however long it takes for him to release a new book. It’s been roughly four years since Skullsworn came out, and while I know a lot of readers complain about these gaps, I have zero angst about it in the case of Staveley. Maybe that’s because up until now, he was somehow cranking one of these behemoths out every year. Or maybe it’s because I’m an author myself. I read The Empire’s Ruin, and after I finished it, I thought, “LOL, four years? It would have taken me ten to come up with something half as good as this.”

I’m not being mean to myself here. He and I write in different genres and our styles aren’t nearly the same. Also, he’s better than me. I’m not fishing for compliments or putting myself down. He’s just plain better, and I am not only super okay with that, but thrilled by it, because it gives me something to look forward to. Also, it makes me want to improve, and I’m one of those competitive assholes who needs that in my life.

But enough about my ego. Let’s talk about this book.

“There were times to lie low, to watch and wait, to play the long game. And then there were times when you needed to light the world on fire and watch it explode.”

In this world, there is an elite force of fighters who fly into battle on the wings of warhawks the size of city buses. The birds, which the soldiers are named after, are called Kettral. The Kettral troops have several memorable sayings, but one stuck in my mind while reading this: goatfuck.

Simply put, a goatfuck is what happens when all your carefully laid plans blow up in your face and the mission goes to complete shit. That is what we dive into with this book. It’s how it opens. It’s how it progresses. It’s even a great reflection of the empire the Kettral serve. Half a decade has passed since the events of the first trilogy in this series, and Annur is collapsing.

We see this collapse through three different narratives. Akiil shows us the capital of the empire and the desperation of its emperor. Ruc shows us a rebellious city one riot away from tearing itself apart. And Gwenna, oh, Gwenna. She shows us everything it is to be human.

When I first saw the cover for this and the figure with the flaming red hair on it, I knew she’d play a pivitol role. She’s something of a legend in my household. I made my husband read these books, and he loves her just as much as I do, so much that he named his main character in World of Warcraft after her.

That’s true love, ya’ll.

I’ve been low-key obsessed with her since I first laid eyes on her in The Emperor’s Blades, when she was nothing but a wise-cracking, tough-as-nails demolitions troop with hidden depths. And now, well, with this installment, Staveley cemented her as my favorite female lead of all time. I don’t even… fuck, how do I talk about her? How do I explain how multifaceted she is? How strong? How vulnerable? How human?

I don’t often struggle with words, but in the case of this character, I can’t say anything, because you just need to read the damn books to understand.

Speaking of which, READ THE BOOKS. Not just the first trilogy, but also Skullsworn. It introduces you to the city that a third of this book is set in. I mean, Staveley does a great job explaining it all in a way you could grasp if you skip Skullsworn but I still recommend reading it to really get a good understanding of what you’re walking into, as well as learning the origin story of one of the key characters.

So by this part of the book review, you’re probably wondering what the hell takes place within it. I’d love to tell you. To dive into the intricacy of the plot. The thievery and skullduggery and swashbuckling hijinks of these characters. But it releases the day I’m posting this review, and, my god, the spoilers are REAL, friends. Also, it’s over 800 pages long and if I start to dig into the meat of it, this review will become the length of a thesis paper.

I’ll tease you instead.

The empire is falling apart. A stealth mission turns into a goatfuck. A thieving monk gets in way over his head. A boy raised by bloodthirsty gods finds himself fighting for his life in an arena while a city implodes around him. Creatures of myth and legend still stalk the world. And the battle for supremacy hinges on an impossible mission to plunge into a dark, diseased continent and retrieve an object that could save Annur from ruin.

I know we’re only halfway through the year, but I’m going to go ahead and call it now:

FAVORITE BOOK OF 2021

I cannot even express my joy at having returned to this world and finding Gwenna Sharpe being a badass once again. Gwenna and her Kettral wing are in Dombang arming the resistance, but Talal and Qora have been captured and are being hauled off to the Purple Baths - one of two main garrisons. Things go badly, and I mean BADLY, wrong and Talal is captured, death reigns supreme, and Gwenna is ultimately thrown in the brig. Empress Adare sends Gwenna packing on another ship to the continent of Menkiddoc, where she is tasked with finding Kettral eggs so that the Annurian empire might rebuild their flying special forces. Thing is, the continent is corrupted and everything but the coastal regions are tainted and full of horrific murderous beasts.
Back in Dombang we have Ruc Lakatur Lan Lac, priest of Eira the goddess of love. Ruc has tried to forge a new future for himself, away from the gods that raised him and away from the death and suffering that comes from living in the delta. When a mob raizes the Temple of Eira, only Ruc and his lover and fellow priestess Bien escape. He and Bien are brought to the Arena and forced to become participants in a gladiator-style competition to become priests of the Three. As three is a holy number, Ruc and Bien are paired with Talal who was in fact not executed upon capture.
Our third POV is another that you may find somewhat familiar. Akiil, described as a monk turned con-artist, was a Shin monk alongside Kaden hui’Malkeenian in the first trilogy. Akiil has turned back to a life of petty crime since the monastery burned so many years before and is constantly in desperate need of money. So desperate in fact that he decides to run a con on Adare herself, telling her he can teach her to use the kenta gates. The gates allow instantaneous travel to any other gate but if the user is not properly trained they will immediately be eradicated from existence.
The Empire’s Ruin is the beginning to the next segment of the Unhewn Throne series and it rivals (if not exceeds outright) the quality of the first three Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne books. It’s a visceral tale of loss, love, redemption, and inner strength. I am blown away with how much I loved this book and completely fell back in love with Brian Staveley’s incredible writing.
The world is already a well-established one at this point, but the addition of the continent of Menkiddoc further expands an already richly detailed setting. As I pointed out so long ago in my review of Skullsworn, Dombang and the river delta are such vibrant settings that you can almost feel the sweat beading on your brow and hear the insects buzzing. This is a world that has a sense of weight and history to it as well, since the supposedly extinct Csestriim and Nevariim are repeatedly brought up and their weapons and fortresses still exist and are used by those who hold them.
If you’re craving a book with depth, violence, and emotional connection to the characters I would highly recommend you check this out, but perhaps consider picking up The Emperor’s Blades first. You’ll enjoy the references and the long history behind many of the characters to the fullest, though it’s certainly not necessary if you want to jump in head first. The Empire’s Ruin is without a doubt a strong contender for Best Book of 2021!

More Please!
This was a lot of fun to read. We follow three different characters through three different adventures each taking place in the world of the Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne. I was completely drawn in to each pov and completely invested in the fates of the characters.

Fair warning though, this is not for the faint of heart. There was plenty of blood and violence. It was gritty grim-dark fun!

This had lots of action, compelling characters, and intriguing settings. It certainly left me wanting more!

My thanks to both NetGalley and Macmillian Tor-Forge for an advanced copy of this fantasy novel.

The Empire's Ruin by Brian Staveley is listed as a new trilogy, but new readers should really start with the first book in The Emperor's Blades as being dropped into this world will be much easier. Plus the early books are good, so why not.

Mr. Staveley's latest book is as dark, brutal and well thought out as his early books, as I said earlier set in the same world. The book is big, but with three separate plots, featuring separate characters with various motivations converging together near the end it makes sense. The book starts with action and never seems to stop moving forward. And don't fall in love with any of the characters, because as I stated the book is brutal and real, and unfortunately bad things happen. The world the characters find themselves in is engrossing with many races, regions and religions that can be explored over the rest of the trilogy.

Warning, there is a lot of darkness in this book. Characters make mistakes and they or others pay for it. Neglect also seems to hang over the world. Things are failing, empires are fading, no one but the characters seem to be trying. And a greater foe is gathering forces. A very good start to a very promising series.

Epic.
Brutal.
The return to the world of Unhewn Throne is with higher stakes than ever.

Confession:
As someone who absolutely loved the first book in original trilogy, I always had a feeling that by the end even author was bored and dismayed by Malkeenian siblings and the fact he had to tell their stories when other characters and other parts of this world sounded so much more interesting to explore. So many great concepts and ideas that were barely touched upon and potential untapped. That is why, in my honest opinion, Skullsworn focused on amazing Pyrre Lakatur was Staveley's best work up to now. That's why I loved Akiil's voice in The Last Abbot of Ashk'lan, the short story Staveley wrote for Tor. He sounded excited about these, tangential characters to his main series and in turn, I was excited as well. So, imagine my delight when beside Gwenna and Kettral I discovered that The Empire's Ruin is, in a way, tied to both of his other works as well. So, if you're new to Staveley and want to start with this book, I'd encourage you to read his previous books because for me it definitely enhanced the experience knowing the background.
As the first book of new trilogy, The Empire's Ruin doesn't dwell too much on the past events because there is simply no time with everything that's happening: The Annurian empire maintained their rule largely by using two military assets that were remnants of once ruling immortal race called Csestriim: Kettral- huge warrior birds formidable in battles and capable for covering very long distances and kenta- teleporting gates that allowed Annurian emperors to go instantly wherever they wished. Now, Emperor Adare tries to hold on to power and deal with the loss of both. She sends a disgraced commander, Gwenna Sharpe, on a journey to retrieve Kettral eggs in an unexplored, hostile part of the world. That being a very long shot, Adare is desperate enough to try and learn secrets of using kenta gates from Akiil, the only surviving Shin monk. In Dombâng, Annurian rule is overthrown, along with their gods. With the unpopularity of their Goddess, the only thing pair of priests, Ruc and Bien, have is arena and fighting for the dubious honour of being sacrificed to old deities living in the surrounding delta known by the name of Three. But something far more dangerous is waking up and ignoring the messengers who announce his inevitable coming may be the doom of them all.
Everybody has a favourite recurring plot, a theme they are drawn to in fantasy novels, and this book actually has two of mine.
First is a "Dangerous Voyage" that covers most of Gwenna's arc. So here is another confession: In my head I always imagined Gwenna to be exactly like Dizzy Flores from cracktastic '90s scifi romp Starhip Troopers. I mean, the wild red hair is obvious, but the comparison was more due to the fact that both of them were there to be a part of hero's arc, but ended up infinitely more interesting and better characters than Johnny or Valyn. And seriously, who can argue with that? Gwenna out-shined everyone from the original cast of characters and putting her right at the helm of new series was a smart move. So, Gwenna was a favourite because Gwenna. keeps.saving. the. day. It's the theme with this novel as well: you will see her being an absolute beast; a crazy but effective one-woman solution for everything, but that's not what makes her so compelling. We open up a book with her completely fucking up and by the end of her mission you will see her at her lowest point. And while her heroic, unbelievable feats makes you pump your fist in the air, it's these moments that makes her a great character. And her arc is almost a book in itself with breathless ship battles, monsters and a jungle that has this horror vibe that just worked for me. Honestly, the way Staveley built all of this around Kettral and where they come from is stunning.
The other plot I absolutely love to read is "Gladiator fights". Give me a tournament in a fantasy setting, an arena with excessive training scenes and an enemy to hate, so we can have hero fighting them as a culmination and I'm happy. And that's basically what Ruc's arc is about. But that's just one part of what makes it absolutely riveting. This part of the story is happening in Dombâng, the city in the the middle of Shrivian delta, that gained the independence from Annur. Delta, full of jaguars, snakes, crocodiles and other far more terrible things is city's best defence. The whole vibe of swamp and dump, civil unrest, different cultures that reside in here and a religious cult that "follows the old ways" makes for absolute bonkers setting to put your character fighting for life in an arena. I can't decide if I loved this arc or Gwenna's more.
Akiil's part of the novel makes for the smallest part of the story and not as interesting to read simply because the stakes were not as high nor was the danger so palpable as the other two protagonist faced, but he has his own adventure. I love his voice, but the whole process of unlocking the secrets of kenta didn't jive that well with what I remembered from Kaden's chapters and was written like something Clive Barker would approve.
I really like his books, but I know Staveley is a divisive author among fantasy readers and some of the criticism I totally understand and cosign (Valyn). There are still things I think he can do better, but the things I liked about his previous book were only improved on and elevated. He remains true to his style and the excellent world building. Fantasy religion concepts are so well built into this world, but that's a given considering his background. So, in one sentence, if you liked his previous books, pick up The Empire's Ruin. I lean toward darker fantasy, with high level of suspense and with characters actually in risk and he delivered that in spades, I can't wait for the sequel.

Brian Staveley is a great writer. He has the ability to suck you in to the story and not let you go.
The world he has created is fantastic, but still has plenty of rough edges to it.
Empire’s Ruin begins a new chapter in this world. It starts off full of action and doesn’t really let up.
This is both a strong beginning to a new trilogy and a great way to start it off.
I honestly just can’t think of enough good things to say about this book.

While I CANNOT advise anyone to start reading Empire's Ruin before first reading the Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne trilogy, I CAN delightedly say that Empire's Ruin is a worthy successor to those books.

On the one hand, he didn't really go anywhere: on the other hand; damn, Staveley is BACK!

Pretty much everything I loved about the Chronicles is once again on full display here - the addictive attention to detail, the subversion of well-worn tropes, characters who feel like they're about to start breathing and walk right out of the pages. But Empire's Ruin takes it several steps further, literally; the story is majorly focused on events outside the Annurian empire, in domains that have broken away from the empire in the fallout of the events of the previous trilogy, and on another continent entirely. This gives Staveley even more room to show off his worldbuilding, not least in the matter of gods and their nature - conclusions I'd reached at the end of the Chronicles are revealed to be mistaken, with the truth much more complicated than I could ever have guessed.

Not gonna lie, that delighted me.

Characters from the previous books share the spotlight with new ones, and please don't ask me who I love the most, because I can't make that call. And as usual, Staveley's particular flavour of grittiness had me wincing and my heart breaking at various points, because that's kind of what he does, isn't it?

My only nay-saying wouldn't be a critique so much as a warning: I found myself far less able to handle the grimdarkness right now than when I read the earlier books years ago. Readers who've discovered they're a bit more emotionally raw than they used to be, what with Everything, might want to wait until they're feeling up to it to read this one. There are terrible mistakes, cruelties, hopelessness, levels of human awfulness that was all just a bit...a bit too much. And that's on me, for not realising that I wasn't in the perfect headspace for a Staveley book. Don't make my mistake!

None of which makes Empire's Ruin less than epic. This is going to be a *hit*.

Another excellent book by Brian Staveley. I thoroughly enjoyed the first series, and I'm so glad to return to the world in this new series and revisit some familiar characters and meet some new ones. Saying that, if you haven't read the first series, you don't need to. It's been so long since I had read it that I had forgotten most of it anyway. I actually want to go back and read it all again now, but my books are packed away somewhere!

I love the characters in the book. Well, most of them. From broken Gwenna Sharpe to the indomitable Rat, the characters come alive throughout the book and you really get to know them. Some are more likable than others. Some you become more invested in than others. For example, I wasn't as keen on the story line of Akiil, but you can see why his story is important.

The plot is excellent and the pacing is very good. The book was pretty much unputdownable. I only stopped reading to sleep pretty much. My biggest regret is that I'm now going to have to wait far too long for the next one to come out!

Definitely another 5 star effort from Brian Staveley!

The Empire's Ruin is the start of an epic fantasy in an immersive world. We follow three main characters, Gwenna, Ruc and Akiil in their very different journeys, each subtley tied together by the world around them.

Gwenna is a Kettral, a specially trained warrior with heightened senses in the Annurian Empire. She's made mistakes which has caused the deaths of many, and is plagued with guilt and self-loathing. The Emperor sends her on a journey which could change the fate of the Annurian Empire, but things take a very twisted turn. Gwenna is a strong and complex female lead.

Ruc is a priest of Eira - the Goddess of love - but his background is very, very different. He was raised by the Gods of the delta, vicious, bloodthirsty monsters. His backstory is intense, and so is his emotional and physical journey in this book.

Akiil is a thief and a street-rat, and also one of the last Shin monks in the Empire, with the ability to travel through gates across the world. He has layers, upon layers, upon layers. His story is the shortest, but I was still hooked, and I'm desperate to find out where it leads.

Each of these three journeys is filled with a host of fully fleshed side characters, carried out in a world that's full of history and depth - strength, power, magic, brutality and beauty all merging in this crazy, complicated world.

It was a bit of a slow start, as we're thrown directly into the world with a lot of different races, religions and details. For the first few chapters I felt a little bit confused, but as I got to know the characters I became utterly addicted, and the world slowly began to make sense to me as they made their way through it, and then gripped me completely.

I can't wait to read the next book!

This review contains no spoilers.

Thoughts
What can I say beside just… wow? This book was incredible in more ways than I can possibly explain. It was lengthy (incredibly lengthy) but none of it felt like it was dragged out or filler information. Every single chapter pulled me in starting from the first one and kept me hooked until the very end. This book has everything you could want in a fantasy book: incredible world-building, realistic and deadly main characters, diversity representation, and a storyline that will pull you right in.

Characters
The book follows three different storylines focused on the characters Gwenna, Ruc, and Akiil. Each has their own strengths, but in my opinion I couldn’t find a single weakness.

Gwenna is a Kettral, an extremely deadly warrior and commander, who in the very first chapter sees her world go to hell. She’s everything you could want in a female lead: powerful, deadly, rebellious, ruthless. The story really takes you on the journey to her both knowing and believing those traits. She isn’t just those things, however, the base of everything is that she’s realistic. She might be set in a fantasy world, with fantasy beasts, and skills beyond those of a normal human but she’s authentic and you really emphasize with her throughout the book.

Ruc is a former Vuo Ton (people of the delta) transformed into a priest that follows the goddess of love. Along with Bien, his kind-of girlfriend and priestess herself, they struggle through the world fighting both inner battles with their religion and outward ones. As much as I loved the other two main characters, I think Ruc tops them all for me. His character really made me love this book as more of his background got unraveled and I was desperately reading until my eyes hurt to know more.

Akiil’s storyline was the shortest, but that’s not to say it was short. He’s a thief turned monk who’s just trying to survive in this world. I loved the way his character was written, and the ending really solidified it for me. Brian Staveley did an amazing job at showing how complex of a character Akiil really is along the way.
The main characters were all amazing, but I do want to add in two side characters that stood out to me: Kiel and Rat. I won’t go into detail about who they are to avoid spoilers, but I can tell you that it is rare for me to really bond with any side characters and these two managed to do it.

Representation
The diversity in this book was refreshing to read. Everyone in the book, with the exception of the Annurians, are described as different people of color. I loved the way Gwenna was written as a strong female lead while still showing that sexism was apparent toward her. It didn’t feel forced or overused; it felt natural. The point was clear: even thought she was a deadly warrior, men still believed they could best her (they could not). I appreciated little things such as the Emperor was titled just that – Emperor and not Empress despite the fact that she was a woman.

Quotes
There are several quotes I highlighted throughout this read, but to avoid spoilers I’ll only share one.

Jonon shook his head. “There are no rules.” Which made it, Gwenna reflected briefly, a lot like fucking life.

World-Building
The world-building in this book was incredible! I truly mean incredible. The terrain was described perfectly without it being too lengthy, the cities I can map out clearly in my head, and each scene was described in just the perfect amount of detail. For a fantasy book that created it’s own world and races, the descriptions hit the perfect balance between forming a perfect picture and not dragging on. I wish I could say more, but the best advice I can give to you is just read it!

I will say this is not a book to read if you are in a reading slump. It is extremely long and just the sheer length of it made me waver in the beginning. I am extremely glad I put aside those reservations, but if you’re looking for a short and easy read this isn’t it for you. This book contains complex and sometimes dark themes but it’s well worth a read.

TW: explicit violence, gore, racism, discrimination, mentions of rape, references to sex, suicidal thoughts

What a tear into a new series that starts page one and doesn’t stop! This one was fast, fun, and full of surprises!

I requested this book as the author had several good reviews on his other novels. Unfortunately, his writing style just did not appeal to me. I found the book to be a slow and at times painful read. While I am disappointed in the novel, several other reviewers found it to be just the opposite for them.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get back into a world with Kettral. I mean, giant man-killing birds trained to work with the deadliest warriors, does it get much cooler than that? I loved the first trilogy, and The Empire’s Ruin picks up the story with some familiar characters who get to stand in the spotlight this time. A favorite from the first trilogy, Gwenna, comes back front and center and her story arc is both complex and deep already in just one book. The common threads tie the stories together bringing in elements that made the first trilogy so great while still weaving together an entirely new story full of adventure, danger, and the struggle of finding out who one really is. I was drawn in and became quickly invested in the story, devouring chapter after chapter. It was a book I didn’t want to end and eagerly await the next one!

Going into this I didn't know what to expect. I thought the Intial trilogy started off great, but the second and third books never lived up to the first books potential. I loved the standalone, but so far Brian Staveley was batting 2-2. Well I'm happy to say that I absolutely loved this book. The action began immediately and never slowed down. Like the previous trilogy there are 3 main characters, with stories that may or may not converge at one point. I forgot a lot about the previous trilogy so I had to read a synopsis online to refresh my memory. Im thankful I did because otherwise I would have had no idea that a few of these characters I had already met before. If you didn't read the previous books you would likely still enjoy this one. However there is a lot, like a lot a lot, of things that will only make complete sense if you have read all four of his previous novels in this world. Mr. Staveley writing has improved tenfold. He no longer wastes words on things that aren't necessary. As a result, this book is an instant classic. People will be talking about this in the same breath as The Name of the Wind and The Lies of Locke Lamorra. 5 out of 5!