Member Reviews

While the concept and language of this book are certainly captivating, unfortunately it falls short of what fantasy books should be. If this were written by Gene Wolfe in 1980, I could at least understand the blatant sexism and call it a "product of its time." But it's 2022. There are plenty of fantasy series that have much more representation and don't rely on outdated tropes to feel more "historical." I hope this author continues writing, but I hope he does so with more awareness.

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4.5 out of 5 stars. This story follows Konrad Vonvalt, a Justice of the Empire. He's sworn to uphold the law as judge, jury, executioner to the far-flung regions of the empire. His absolutist, lawful view is his strength and burden to bear. This internal struggle unfurls as he investigates a murder in a quiet town that broadens into impact the fate of the empire.

This book is fantastic. A tightly-knitted story that reads quickly, yet takes its time with the important points. Through the eyes of Helena, Vonvalt's clerk, we witness his grandeur and despair, ultimately forcing us to consider the question: "Can justice truly be served by the sword?"

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This book tells the story of Justice Vonvault, as told from the point of view of his clerk Helena. Based on the synopsis, I was fully expecting this to be told from Vonvault’s point of view so I was pleasantly surprised to see it told from the point of view of his clerk! I really liked Helena as a character and how conflicted she is about being on the path to becoming a Justice in her own right.

This is definitely more of a character focused story, and at times I found that I wanted to skip ahead to some of the more action heavy portions of the book. There is also (obviously) a heavy focus on morality and the law, including a courtroom scene. I feel like based on the ending of the book, things will really pick up in the second book and have more action than this one did.

I loved the mystery aspect and thought that the way they solved the case was interesting and I loved seeing the connections they made between each of the clues. That said, when they weren’t actively investigating the murder, I did find that I got a little bored. There felt like there was a LOT of inner monologuing happening with Helena about her feelings as a young woman discovering who she is, and at times I didn’t think it was always necessary. However, I definitely am more plot focused than character focused so that definitely impacted some of my enjoyment.

This is also written in an interesting way, there are times where it’s made clear that what we are reading is actually something that happened in the past that Helena is telling us about, because there are lines similar to ‘if only we knew then how this would impact x ,y, z’, which I thought was both interesting and a little irritating because we just kept referencing that current events impact things that happen in the future, which 1) duh, and 2) made me want to know about future events more than current events at times, especially when things were more slow paced.

I did love how religion and law work both with and against each other, and I think the way things play out with this in the next book will be very interesting and a lot will happen there. The magic system also tied into both law and religion, and I can’t wait to see how the struggle between the two impacts the magic system.

Overall, this was a great story and I really enjoyed the writing. I think things will really pick up in the next book, so I’m curious to see where it will go!

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It's always the books that I loved the most that are the most difficult to review. I know that's not unique to many reviewers, but this is indeed going to be challenging as I enjoyed this story on a level that really makes it hard to articulate. There are so many reasons to pick up this book and catapult it to the very top of your TBR. Here are just some of them...

The very first thing that surprised me about this book is that the main character Vonvalt's story isn't told through his eyes or the author's via third person for that matter. Rather it's quite fascinatingly told in the first person through the narration of another character Helena, who serves as Justice Vonvalt's clerk. She is a pretty major character in her own right, but getting to experience Vonvalt's exploits through her and to see how it affects her journey as well was quite interesting. It also gave the story an added dimension that made it so much more enjoyable in my opinion.

As we get to know these people better along with some others, the main plot of the story begins to take shape. Vonvalt has been charged by the emperor to investigate reports of a witch practicing an outlawed form of religion called Draedism. But it soon becomes clear that things are much more complicated than a simple task of meting out the emperor's justice and cleaning up a few fringe elements operating just outside the Empire's reach. Then when a murder is discovered that may have a connection to all of this, Vonvalt and Helena find themselves embroiled in a conspiracy that could threaten to destroy the empire and its loyalists for good.

Vonvalt is a character who believes that no matter what, the law is paramount and nobody is above it. So much so that he often views everything through this myopic lens, to the exclusion of any other considerations. So it was really fascinating to see his beliefs challenged at times and how he struggled to reconcile the reality of what was going on around him with what had been ingrained in him from his earliest years as a Justice of the Empire. Helena's loyalty to Vonvalt (for reasons you will find out) is a recurring theme and she feels a certain obligation to protect him, yet doesn't always approve of his methods. There's also a hint of a possible romantic attachment between them that further complicates their relationship. I was entranced by their interactions from the very first page and Richard Swan breathes so much life into them that I felt like I knew them intimately.

Something that really made this a next level read for me was the astounding magic system and how it is integral to the enforcement of the laws of the Empire. Only Justices of the empire are empowered with the special knowledge to perform certain magic and it is what separates them from the faith-based Templars. Among these powers is the ability for a Justice to speak to the dead by traveling to another plane where the spirit resides. This comes in very handy when prying for information from someone you accidentally ran through with your sword. It does come with its risks however, because if not done carefully things can bleed into the real world that are quite vile and nasty to say the least. But that's just one of the many cool magic elements in this book. There's so much jaw-dropping sorcery that you'll just have to read it to see what I'm talking about.

Finally, what really sent me over the moon with this book was the incredibly intense intrigue and hateful conflict between the Empire's servants and the religious faction on the opposing side. That central conflict is truly what made this a magnificent read that I couldn't put down. The Justices on one side believe in abiding by the laws of man while those faithful to the Neman religion believe that all laws spring from her and her alone. So you can see where something has to give here, yeah? That tension carries on throughout this mesmerizing story and made for some truly heart-pounding moments for sure.

There aren't many books that can make me totally obsessed quite like I was with THE JUSTICE OF KINGS. This is a book that demands that you read it to the exclusion of all outside distractions. So much darkness, grit, intrigue, conspiracy, action, drama, crazy magic, I mean...not a lot compares to this reading experience. I was sad to have it all end but also exhilarated at the prospect of getting to find out how this tale continues and ultimately concludes. I'm sure that Richard Swan will deliver on the goods, as he already has beautifully with this epic first entry in the Empire of the Wolf series. THE JUSTICE OF KINGS is one of the very best, if not THE BEST debut fantasies I've ever read.

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The Justice of Kings is the first book in a new epic fantasy trilogy from Richard Swan. This is Swan’s debut fantasy and starts the “Empire of the Wolf” trilogy.

I was pleasantly surprised by the author’s writing; I did not feel like it was a debut fantasy book from the writing style - it felt to me like a seasoned author. I found the writing style to be easily accessible and had no trouble following along.

I think this book provides an effective bridge for newcomers to fantasy that may want to try something new. There is enough in the story that felt like mystery/thriller/crime and the magic/powers in the story were very easy to follow. I never felt as thought I didn’t understand the powers and what Vonvalt was doing.

I enjoyed the premise of the story and thought the idea was unique; especially the point of view selected as being from Helena, the Justice’s clerk, rather than Vonvalt’s point of view. I think this decision made the story much more complex. At first, I was not a fan of the main character as I did not feel there was enough backstory to understand her decisions but later on in the book I found that I really enjoyed experiencing the story through her.

I did feel the character building took a long time to build and I had trouble understanding or caring for the characters or their decisions early on. The pacing was my biggest issue with reading; I felt that part of the story would really start to take off and build momentum before it would be halted again. There are many examples of scenes that I started to feel immersed in and very interested before there was a long pause in the action. I don’t feel character or world building filled much of the early story so it was a bit of a struggle until the action and character building of the book started. The world itself seemed similar to ours so I didn’t feel much needed to be explained; other than the politics of the world - which some idea was given throughout.

I did not feel too invested in the story until a little before 50%. However, once the story started to pick up it became much more exciting and I wanted to learn more about the politics, character backgrounds, and Justice powers and history. Also once there were action and battle scenes, the were incredibly written in my opinion I felt this was a major strength of the book and wished there had been more.

I would be interested to continue with the trilogy and I’m excited to see what is next for Richard Swan; I think he has a promising fantasy career ahead of him.

The Justice of Kings comes out February 22. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 3.5/5

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I really enjoyed this novel, and it delivered on its promise. It's told from the perspective of the Justice's clerk, a nineteen-year old woman, which is an interesting (and important) lens through which to tell the story. There is plenty of action and intrigue, as the Justice delves into a crime that goes far, far deeper than it first appears. I enjoyed the world-building as well, the hints of magic, and how the story unfolds at the end... highly recommended~

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I received this novel from netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

Justice of Kings is about an imperial justice named Vonvalt his companion's journey to uncover a murder that leads to the discovery of deep rooted conspiracy. For a debut novel this story had me hooked from tye get go. Seeing Vonvalt's action through the eyes of our narrator Helena, Vonvalt's young protégé, gives an interesting narrative I've not seen done often. The story is gripping, and reminds me of a classic Sherlock type mystery. The Germanic influence in the medieval world is a breath of fresh air from traditional English fantasy. The magic is intriguing, and the characters interactions with each other feels natural. The plot sets up nicely for things to come, and the villains feel truly despicable. Overall I loved this story. I can't wait for book 2!

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Look at this epic fantasy cover. And you know when there’s a map in the beginning of a book that it’s probably going to be good.

This book was so good. The story is told by the clerk of a Justice, Sir Konrad Vonvalt. She travels the empire with him and a taskman as Vonvalt keeps the law in the emperor’s name. It includes a murder mystery and political power plays in the world at large, along with fantastic characters. The narrator drops tantalizing hints as to what may come in the future.

Let’s talk about the world building. The world builds gradually as the story unfolds. There’s no infodumping here. I liked the story right away. It didn’t take any time to get into it. But at a certain point, it became gripping, and I couldn’t put it down. I was drawn into the story and had to know how it would turn out.

This works as a stand-alone book, but it’s the first book in a trilogy. It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but there’s so much potential here for more to happen. I want to go on more adventures with Helena and Vonvalt and their companions. I can’t wait for the next book! The Justice of Kings comes out February 22. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for my copy.

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We follow Sir Konrad Vonvalt's story through the eyes of his clerk, Helena Sedanka, when she's recounting hers and Sir Konrad's life during a pivotal time of turmoil in their Empire. It's really interesting to put Helena as the sole point of view, when most stories would use Vonvalt as a PoV. Helena, not only is capable of recounting everything that is happening, but we also see her opinions and a few snippets of the future during her narrative. And I do really enjoy books that center on a person telling the story from their past.

Although I did feel that the story took a while to get going, I really enjoyed the characters arcs in this first book. I feel they are all in a really interesting position for the story to continue; the corruption of all the main characters is something that was extremely well crafted and made me really want the next book. I do feel that this book will improve when the rest of the series comes out since it does feel a little as a setup and prologue to the main story that is yet to happen. But I found myself really fascinated by the world, all the characters, and the politics that are in play. It's interesting that this book also deals with religion versus the dominanting power in the government, as Engines of Empire. But this one works much more effectively to build the tension and the characters for what happens.

The progression of the narrative with the powers of the Justice is really compelling. They play really well with the ideas of justice, law, and morals that are discussed throughout the book. Since the powers deal with compelling the wills of people, it's interesting to follow how each character view these powers and their manipulation and validity. They play a really important part and were slowly developed in such a way that I'm keen to know how everything will play out.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

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This is a very smart book. It's enjoyable. But just didn't grip me as much as I wanted it to. I thought it was interesting that the book itself is written from the POV of a side character, and it's her telling us the stories about Vonvalt, who is judge, jury and executioner. The prose is great and very readable. It's just missing that lack of urgency. But overall, it gives off Witcher meets Lawyer vibes, and I enjoyed it!

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What a pleasant surprise this book turned out to be! I went into The Justice of Kings expecting something totally different than what I got, and I loved it!

In The Justice of Kings, we get the story of a King's Justice named Sir Konrad Vonvalt. In his job as a Justice, he is basically a judge, jury, and executioner for the realm. The Order of Justices is one wrapped in mystery and arcane powers. At the start of the book, everything is business as usual: Vonvalt is making his rounds of the countryside, accompanied by his task man and his clerk. But when they arrive at the town of Rill, devious things start to slide into place, and everything about the law and justice that Vonvalt holds dear is called into question.

Reading that, you'd think that the POV in the book would be Vonvalt's. You'd be wrong! The only POV we get in The Justice of Kings is that of Vonvalt's clerk, Helena. At first, I was a little upset; I don't tend to like being bamboozled by a synopsis haha. But it worked out beautifully. Helena was an engaging and smart narrator, and she had incredible insight into not only her surroundings but Vonvalt's character. This book had a lot of politically motivated plot points, but because it was narrated by Helena, they never felt dense or overwhelming.

I usually like a lot of magic in my fantasy, and this book had magic but it was very slight. There were openings by the end for potentially more magic in subsequent books, which I liked. This book just ended up having the perfect blend of politics and magic. There were also some really profound examinations of power and what it can do to a person. Also, Swan's writing was incredibly easy to read, and the pacing was spectacular! Because of this, I was able to finish a 400+ page book in 3 days! To me, that's the mark of a great story in the hands of a great storyteller.

I'll definitely be looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

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**Thank you for the ARC!! All opinions are completely my own.**

4.5-4.75 stars. Incredibly thrilling, gritty, and complex!

FANS OF GOT and THE WITCHER, you will love this!

ORBIT BOOKS has been absolutely KNOCKING IT OUT OF THE BALL PARK. Orbit Books, if you're out there, please hit me up. Seriously, every single book I read from Orbit is pure gold... recently, I found myself looking for the Orbit circle logo at the bookstore.

THEMES: Political/legal intrigue, fantasy, epic fantasy, magic, superpowers, coming of age.

SUMMARY (spoiler-free): This story starts, as all classics do, with a kingdom. This imperial kingdom has waged bloody war against the villages and towns in the countryside, and has established the common law rule (legal system) across its expanding reach. This kingdom is ruled by three factions: the king/executory faction, the religious faction, and the Justices/legal faction. The fantastically complex story starts with a Justice (a judge/investigator who has divine superpowers that help him investigate and uphold the law), a female scribe (intern/paralegal), and a trusty righthand man. Together, the three journey through small countryside towns (reminiscent of The Witcher), investigate murders and strange going-ons, and further uphold the imperial kingdom's rule. We meet these three in the midst of a changing political tide. Something sinister is taking place and weakening the imperial kingdom. The religious faction is slowly gaining power and making moves against the other two factions. The three must uncover threatening political plots, meet nefarious players, and ultimately struggle against the dark tide to uphold justice in the name of the imperial kingdom, before it falls to its knees.

THOUGHTS: AHH. I LITERALLY STAYED UP ALL NIGHT READING THIS.

Fans of GOT and The Witcher, and fans of any complex fantasy/epic fantasy, THIS BOOK IS MADE FOR YOU. I seriously cannot sing enough praises about this book's PLOT PACING (so hard to get right, I've found), the COMPLEX CHARACTERS, and the WORLD BUILDING. The author handles the legal complexities of this world in a fascinating and intriguing way that is simple, natural, and easy to read.

The three characters are so human and intriguing. Since all of the book is written in the perspective of the 19-year-old female scribe, we are able to view the Justice as a fearsome man, a kind and caring father figure, and above all, the sword and shield of the imperial empire's common law system. Judge, jury, and executioner - ALL IN ONE (also he has some incredible superpowers).

The history of the imperial empire was incredibly fascinating (notice how I keep using that word).

TLDR; An epic fantasy, incredible world-building, JUSTICE!!!, political intrigue...INCREDIBLY GOOD!!

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The primary thing that stood out in The Justice of Kings was how well the language itself was written. So many new authors posture and ruin their prose with poorly used vocabulary. Not to say the language used in the book was flowery or overly done. Quite the opposite, his verbiage is very succinct and snappy. Though to be fair, even though this is Richard Swans first published work he has been writing since high school.

This tale follows the travels of Vonvalt as Justice and his clerk or apprentice Helen. They go from town to town doling out justice to each city along their route. They also investigate accusations, murders etc... to determine guilt and dish out retribution. As justice, Vonvalt also has a few supernatural abilities that allow him to pursue this means with a bit of an edge.

The story is primarily one of political intrigue. Some of the most well written politicking I've read in quite some time. Though I do enjoy this genre, this book had me wondering why I haven't been reading more in this vein.

The characterization for the main characters comes across through expertly written dialogue and the many nuances of each character either start to pull your heartstrings or wear on your nerves quite believably. The main antagonistic counterparts could have used a bit more fleshing out. Though their actions made me angry I didn't quite feel the hate I have for a good villain.

Pacing was spot on. But as it is political intrigue some readers may find the actual plot a bit slower. Personally I enjoyed every page.

The only real issue I found with the book has nothing to do with the author and I find no fault with him. Many reviewers and booktubers are presenting this as a fantasy novel. It is set in a medieval time. However, the fantasy aspects are just in passing and really just spice up the story a bit. At this point they aren't really the focus. I'm presuming there will be books to follow which will allow these aspects to grow.

This was an Excellent debut and I will be picking it up shortly after release.

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Reading like a dark and dense historical mystery, the Justice of Kings follows Justice Sir Konrad Vonvalt, his man at arms, Dubine, and his clerk, young Helena Sedenka, as they investigate the death of noblewoman. But while in some ways the world seems like a medieval eastern Europe, it is an Empire where the King's Justices such as Sir Konrad ARE the law; they are investigator and judge, and often jury and executioner, and each Justice has special occult powers. But during their latest investigation, they discover dangerous undercurrents threatening the Justice system, the Justices themselves, perhaps the very Empire.
While the story is relatively slow at first, it is very absorbing and the characters very engaging. You will feel yourself pulled down into the damp and the dark and the backwardness, and be trying to work out just what is going on as seen through the eyes of the clerk Helena. It's all relatively new to her as well, so a good method of introduction for the reader. Then it's a mystery within a mystery, so it's going to take a little time, and lots of threads are going to weave in various directions, so enjoy the complexity. Excitement and action builds. Rich and satisfying.

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Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Justice of Kings is Richard Swans debut to fantasy. Put simply, this book kicks so much ass that it is better than a lot of authors best efforts in my opinion.

In Justice of Kings we follow Helena, a 19 year old girl who is a Sir Konrads Clerk. Sir Konrad is an imperial Justice and he travels the borders of the Sovan Empire, distributing the Emperors Justice to the far reaches of the ever growing Empire. The story takes some thriller/detective novel beats that really help keep the reader interested. The way the larger plot unravels is extremely satisfying. There were moments where I was fist pumping to the events but by contrast there were also moments where I was hurting with the characters.

The story is told in first person retrospect. I am usually not a big fan of this type of storytelling but I really like how it's done here. The characters around Helena steal the spotlight sometimes but she is still an interesting character herself.

If I could voice any complaints about the book it would be an instance of insta love. It does make sense in the context of the story but for me personally, it's not something I enjoy. Though as the relationship went on it did grow on me significantly.

In all, Justice of Kings was a great journey and I am very excited for the sequel already.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4435376547

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What a phenomenal debut. Great characters with a gritty realistic world that has baggage and feels lived in. I hope this is just the first in many of the adventures of Sir Vonvalt, Helena, and company.

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First, I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley to access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In a vast empire that has taken over many different cultures and lands, law and order must be kept. Tasked with keeping this order is the Order of the Justices. With magical powers that grant them the ability to compel truth, as well as other skills, these Justices travel the empire town-to-town settling disputes. One of these Justices, Justice Konrad, has two charges with him, Bressinger and Helena. When these 3 reach a town on the outskirts of the empire where a mysterious murder has just taken place, they must help this town get closure. However, in the capitol, there is much unrest that Justice Konrad is only now finding out about. What follows is a dark story about morality, law & order, and the fight for justice.

I really loved this book, which surprised me because I’m normally not into murder mystery-type stories. It was expertly crafted, and I can’t believe it’s a debut novel. The characters were all so complex, with transformative character arcs. The pacing is well thought out, with the slower parts never dragging. The world building is really the highlight of this story. Because the 3 main characters spend the book in the far outreaches of the empire, they don’t interact much with the bigger picture of the world. This allows for the reader to get comfortable with the tone of the world and the magic system, then towards the end, as we learn more about the larger scale politics going on, the reader feels like the really have a firm grasp on these characters. This also sets up the sequel sooooo nicely, and I am dying for the next book.

I would recommend this book to fantasy readers looking for a unique story.

TW: abusive relationships, alcohol, amputation, assault, attempted murder, blood, bones, child abuse, child death, death, decapitation, gore, hostages, kidnapping, murder, poisoning, rape (off page), sexism, sexual abuse, skeletons, snakes, torture, violence

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Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free copy to read and review!

This book initially caught my attention because of how strong the focus on justice would be. I anticipated some moral grey-ness on Vonvalt's part due to how much power he held, and that's something that will always intrigue me.

The story itself had a slower start and it took me some time to get into it. Once I did, I was fully invested, and also came to appreciate how important the beginning truly would be. For a little while, it felt like this book was mostly going to focus on Vonvalt solving various cases with Helena and Bressinger, and then later started to feel like more of a murder mystery. By the time I reached the final third of the book I realized how complex the story really was and how everything tied together. After how explosive the ending of this book felt to me, I feel a mixture of excitement and fear at the thought of seeing how this story will continue.

The characters themselves were also very well written. I initially was surprised to see that the book was told in first person from Helena's perspective when the book description implied that the story was about Vonvalt. It still did heavily focus on Vonvalt, but once I was far enough into the book it only seemed fitting to be told from Helena's POV. Helena developed more than I honestly anticipated during this book, but in ways that feel fitting for a nineteen year old that has had the types of experiences she's had. She could be frustrating to read from at times when she would make some particularly questionable choices, but I found that those mistakes just made her feel that much more real. By the end of the book I was truly impressed by how far she'd come as a character, and I'm sure she'll only continue to grow alongside an also changed Vonvalt.

Vonvalt himself also went through some drastic developments throughout the book. I was initially somewhat indifferent to him, but the more I saw him interact with Helena and Bressinger throughout the book, the more I grew to care about him. It's hard to talk about Vonvalt's further development without spoiling major details of the books but wow did those moments hit hard. I had such complicated feelings for him by the end of this first book and am truthfully not sure what to expect from him in later books, other than some even more morally grey behavior than was seen in this first book.

Overall this was a great debut, and was probably one of the best books I've read in a while. I am 100% in this universe at this point and will without a doubt get myself a physical copy of this book and also future installments in this series.

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I'd like to start by giving a huge thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for allowing me to read an early digital copy in exchange for an honest review

"The wise man arms himself with knowledge before a sword."

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan is the first book in a new fantasy trilogy called Empire of the Wolf. It tells the story of Sir Konrad Vonvalt who is an Emperor's Justice, a lawman who travels the nation to uphold the law using unique powers in addition to his intelligence and mastery of the sword. The perspective is told thru his assistant Helena Sedanka as she witnesses his righteous dealings. The third member of their group is Vonvalt's close friend and veteran of a past war, Dubine Bresinger.

They travel the countryside of Sova, the nation of the Empire, to a small village called Rill where word of heretics have been sighted. A common law of the nation is one of religion, where one religion rules all, that of Nema. Accompanying them into this village is a holy man named Claver, who immediately wants all the pagans executed, however Vonvalt refuses and excepts that the mayor of this town just pay a small fee and have each villager swear fealty to Nema. This sets up one of the main conflicts of the book and an enemy in Claver, whom Vonvalt has sent away from the town and their company.

"Claver, on the other hand, was young enough to have known no other religion. A true believer. Such men had their uses, but more often than not their inflexibility made them dangerous."

Afterward, the trio of Vonvalt, Helena and Bressingser head to Galen's Vale. A trader town where there has been a murder. This is the main plot of the book. Quickly they begin to work by questioning and researching all there is to know about the case. We see Vonvalt use some of his unique powers such as The Emperor's Voice, which when used allows him to question weak-minded or unprepared people and it compels them to tell the truth to the best of their abilities.

"Then I heard Vonvalt use the Emperor's Voice. Even from where I crouched, it was not without power. My skull seemed to vibrate subtly, and a faint ringing sang through my eardrums as though someone had tapped a tuning fork and held it next to my head."

Another power of his is that of necromancy, which is just done superbly in this book. I find necromancy can sometimes be very cheesy if not written with caution. The way Swan writes the scenes where Vonvalt uses this dark and morbid technique gives goosebumps and the atmosphere is bone-chilling. There was a moment in the book where I was reading late at night and I had to turn the light on. I'm not used to a reaction like that but it gave me a great sense of immersion in the story.

"I felt another presence in the room. I felt it with absolute conviction. My skin broke out in gooseflesh. The candles guttered and faded. I hoped to all the gods I could think of that they would not go out. They remained lit, but the light they provided was different, somehow. It was as though the light itself was black."

Swan has done an incredible job in the building of this world and it's lore. With a lot taken from the dreadful gloom of our own history with religion and those who get brainwashed by it. The plot weaves back in forth between trying to figure out the murder mystery and then that of the priest Calver and his holy crusade. There is also a lot going on behind the scenes with politics in the empire.

"Well, religion does funny things to your brain."

We see a lot of character growth within both Vonvalt and Helena. Their interactions and dealings with multiple characters we meet in this book are fantastic. All the characters have a unique voice and you just feel that the author took a great deal of time to craft their personalities. Swan did a fantastic job with developing them in such a short book, compared to most massive fantasy tomes. I am so excited to see where the rest of the series goes in regards to their mindsets, beliefs and ideals.

“De jura nietra iznia. No one is above the law."

<b>Score: 4.5/5</b> The Justice of Kings is one of my favorite books I've read in a long time. I highly urge you to pick it up if you like rich world-building, well developed characters who feel real, and a plot that urges you to just keep turning the page. There is one gripe I have in this book and that is a moment of 'insta-love' between two characters. There was just not enough time to form a proper connection between them.

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It’s the best book I’ve read so far this year. I strongly suspect it’ll wind up in my top ten for 2022-and for me that means at least 200 books to judge it against. Probably quite a few more than that….
It’s definitely a grim dark fantasy. Darker than I usually prefer but I like character driven fiction and this is absolutely a character driven story. I did not expect the narrative choice the author made when I picked up this book but it works beautifully and draws you into the world and the blood and the muck. So much blood….I may be a bit punchy writing this. It’s a bit past midnight and I’m usually an early to bed and early to rise person. But this was well worth the pain my morning alarm will bring to finish it! I couldn’t put it down and given the gore levels I may toss and turn a bit before I sleep despite the late hour. No regrets though! Don’t hesitate to read this one if you like grim dark fantasy.

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