Blood of the Old Kings, by Sung-Il Kim and translated by Anton Hur, is the first in a Korean fantasy trilogy well known in South Korea. While it has its strong points, I have to confess to being overall disappointed with Blood of the Old Kings, though I’ll probably give book two a shot when it comes out in English in hopes that the series improves (the last book won an award so there’s a fair chance that’s the case).

The story is set in a world dominated by The Empire (modeled pretty clearly on the Roman Empire with its “legions” and provincial governors), an oppressive rule and one that is seemingly invincible with its jealously guarded monopoly on sorcery combined with its powered equipment, particularly its military gear, which ranges from powered armor and swords to multi-story fighting machines. In fact, the two are literally combined, since in one of the more original aspects of the story, the power supply for all this equipment are dead sorcerers, which are basically used as batteries. Another reason nobody wants to challenge the Empire is that one formerly independent land (Mersia) that took them on decades ago was “reduced … into a wasteland overnight” using a powerful weapon known now as the Star of Mersia.

In this setting come three protagonists (each with their own POV chapters) who in their own way will be set up in individual opposition to the Empire. Loran is a widow in the province of Arland whose family was killed by the Empire. We meet her in a fantastic opening where she bargains with her country’s guardian dragon to avenge their deaths. The dragon, though, was defeated years ago by the Empire and is chained inside a volcanic cave, unable to help. It does, however, make a pact with her. She sacrifices an eye and promised to come back to break its chains and in return it gives her a magic sword (and some other yet-to-be-revealed powers). Her storyline follows her over opposition to the Empire via a series of ever larger battles.

Meanwhile, the other two characters are both in the Empire’s capital city. Arienne is a student of sorcery who is looking for a way out of lifelong and the death-long service to the Empire. This leads her to a problematic bargain of her own and eventually to being on the run from the organization that oversees sorcerers. Finally, Cain is another native Arlander who came to the city as a child and has since embedded himself in its day-to-day life. When his best friend is murdered, he takes it upon himself to solve the crime, which gets him entangled with the secret police and a possible plot to overthrow the Empire. While all three never really meet in person (pairings do occur), their actions do ripple outward from their own storyline to affect what is happening with the others.

As noted above, the foundation of the Empire’s power/energy structure is one of the more original elements, with those who show a sorcerous talent early on taken by the Empire and placed into the academy, where they learn relatively minor magic (if any) unless they become sorcerer-engineers (tasked with running the machinery), as their value to the Empire is greater after death as batteries. Unfortunately, the potential here doesn’t feel fully met, and the whole magic system overall is more than a little fuzzy, particularly when we learn of the far greater power magic users once wielded. In fact, the Empire as a whole is too misty a presence throughout. The concept of it being so strong and so pervasive that it’s nigh on impossible to imagine it not existing (and what the ramifications of it not existing would be) is a good idea, but there’s never a “lived-in” sense to it all. The Empire feels like a stage set or even just a scrim, a bit of bare background to justify the plot. We see a few members of the intelligence, but we don’t feel that they’re everywhere. We see some soldiers, then a few more, but we don’t really feel the overwhelming miliary presence of the Empire. And one could work one’s way through the rest of the world: the markets, the towns, etc. Even on a basic level, though I’m given travel times, I don’t really have a sense of the logistics of place: of distances between them, of terrain. We get snippets, but that’s it. I don’t need pages of geology, but I did need more.

The desire for more detail, more body held true in the plot as well. Loran moves too easily through her arc, with a magic sword that defeats any obstacle at first, and then when it doesn’t, she turns up with other magical powers. When she’s faced with a different sort of attempt on her life, there’s no sense of drama because the attempt is almost immediately taken care of by magic. And passive magic at that; she doesn’t actually do anything— it’s just there inside her. There’s both a repetitive nature to her arc (fight, pause, bigger fight, pause, bigger fight . . .) and a thinness to it. When she needs some allies, they show up out of the blue, are immediately incorporated into battle plans, and mostly become cannon fodder which doesn’t seem to be a problem.

Cain, we’re told, “solves” problems for people, which is how he ends up entangled with some official or semi-official people in trying to track down the murderer of his friend. But we never really see him do anything clever or “detective-like”. He’s given a tip of where to go, he follows somebody who is supposed to be a major bad guy though he never picks up he’s being tailed, and that leads to another discovery and so on until he ends up uncovering what has to be one of the worst kept “secret” plots around. As a character he is likable and his obsession with finding his friends killer is moving at times, but his plotting is never compelling or particularly surprising.

Arienne has the most interesting storyline. Her reluctance in terms of who she is forced to ally with adds some strong, constant tension. As does the fact she being hunted. But again, the way she is able to use magic to get herself out of jams, magic that just seems “inborn” versus magic she has to work for, robs her narrative of drama and agency. We also don’t get enough emotional richness, as when she’s forced to kill for the first time, something we would expect to reverberate but it’s given relatively short shrift and thus feels like another missed opportunity amongst many.

I felt the same, though perhaps to a lesser degree, about the themes. Regarding imperialism and colonialism, the destruction and flattening of cultures, the vagueness of the Empire and its subject provinces made those themes seem more academic than real, outside of Loran’s personal grief over her murdered family. And even that felt flat. That was true to some extent for the idea of freedom as well, since we don’t see the Empire in real action and don’t have a strong enough sense of what Arland was like pre-Empire and what it sacrificed, it’s hard to know what its people are fighting for beyond the word “freedom.” We know of course the Empire is brutal in putting down rebellions, and we see that in action more than once, but those feel like set pieces to make the point and not like the experiences of people for decades. We just don’t see their daily lives in disturbed enough. More effective is Arienne’s fight for freedom: her freedom from her life being fully controlled by the Empire due to her magical talent, her freedom from serving the Empire even in death, her fight for freedom to control her own actions (literally at times). All of these feel much more real, much more visceral, and much more compelling.

Overall, Blood of the Old Kings moved along well enough, the prose was clear if not particularly stylish, the characters easy enough to root for given their plot situations, but
it all just felt both too flat and too thin, with some good ideas in terms of the world or character set-ups that were never exploited enough for a rich, substantive reading experience. At this point, I’d say hold off until one has a sense if there is improvement in the sequel.

I am interviewing Sung-il and Anton for this book in the next few days, and am very excited for it. I really enjoyed this first installment in the Mersia trilogy, and am ready for more. I found the three points of view interesting and liked how they weaved the story together with their chance meetings. I'm interested to see how the next one comes out and if there will be different POVs or more or if it will stay with the original three characters.

I enjoy a good dark fantasy and this lived up to expectations. I loved the dragon opening and the translation seemed smooth. I did not care for the slow pacing tho. I lost interest several times and had to cone back to it. All in all I'm still a dark fantasy fan and I could see myself reteading it.

When someone is getting an eye removed by a dragon before the story even takes off, you know you are in for a fun ride. Lol. This was def a fun read and I enjoyed the journey from different characters pov.

Blood of the Old Kings delivered a lot of the things I love in great storytelling. First, the storytelling style and writing draws you right in. It has a good flow so you can lose yourself in the story. Second, the POV characters are clearly established and followed in their chapters, so you’re anchored in their minds and begin to get to know them. This works really well because it helps establish their motivations and objectives early on.

Loren, Arienne, and Cain are the POV characters, and they represent different age groups and situations. Loren is the oldest. In her 30s, she suffered the loss of her husband and daughter at the hands of the oppressive Empire. Cain is in his 20s and he’s a displaced Arlander who now calls one of the Empire’s cities home. He’s mourning the loss of a friend and determined to find out what happened to her.

Arienne is a 16-year-old sorcerer, forced into a life of service to the Empire, like all sorcerers. With the encouragement of a voice she hears in her head, she’s determined not to follow along and bide her time until the Empire uses her corpse as a power source.

Superficially, it seems the only thing the three have in common are their origins as Arlanders. Although Loren and Arienne have more rage against the Empire, Cain is less of a revolutionary and more of an accidental activist as long as it aligns with his objectives.

The author skillfully weaves their stories together, bringing us to points where some intersect and advance each other’s arcs. Moving between three POV characters definitely kept me on my toes; something shocking would happen and I’d turn the next page to catch up with someone else. I was equally invested in all the characters and their stories, and curious to see how things would unfold. And despite having so many perspectives, there was still plenty of room for surprises in the narrative that felt earned and appropriate within the story.

Blood of the Old Kings also has a unique magic system at work, and it was intriguing to learn more about this and see how it would impact the characters and their arcs. This is one of the highlights of the book, for me.

Honestly, it was such a compelling page-turner, it turned out to be one of my fastest reads this year.

I do think the ending may disappoint some. That will be an individual choice. For me, it felt more realistic, but I can see how that would fail to satisfy some readers. At the same time, it left me with the tiniest flicker of hope that there could be an opportunity for the author to return to this world someday. It was definitely the type of world I was sad to say goodbye to.

First off, I appreciated that this was a vaguely Eurofeudal fantasy world written by a non-European author. It's important to note that this story has little bearing on Korean culture, and good on the author for writing the type of high fantasy that is usually assumed to be the purview of white/European authors! Additionally, Hur's translation was impressively smooth, and thanks to his work the writing holds up well against traditionalist fantasy expectations.

I struggled over whether or not to DNF this (and I may indeed still change my mind in the future), but about halfway in I realized that I still had not learned very much about the world or the three characters, and that, combined with the slow pacing, made it all too easy for me to put this down and walk away. I got the gist that Arland (as well as some other kingdoms?) had been conquered and under the Empire's rule for about 20 years, but found it difficult to distinguish between the culture and values of all the different people that mixed together as a result. I didn't get a good sense of the empire as villain, which made me struggle to invest in the story.

All three main characters, unfortunately, sounded similar and were inadequately developed, despite having supposedly fascinating storylines. The book starts with a fantastic scene of Loran claiming the dragon's blessing as the rightful heir to Arland, but rather than provide us with more backstory about the dragon or the history of Arland, or even about Loran herself, we simply follow her on a series of similar-sounding battles. Arienne also has an interesting storyline which is hampered by a lack of sufficient backstory and plodding pace.

Still, I'm going to give this 3 stars because of the fluidity of the writing/translation. It's just that I'm on a mission to DNF more books that I know will just end up being 3 stars for me. This is a serviceable high fantasy that I wish had done more in terms of character development, world-building, and pacing to capture my emotions.

A great epic fantasy tale that channels the D&D goodness of 80's pulp fantasy in all the best way. But also a story with surprising heart and thought to it. Check out my Youtube video for more details!

I really enjoyed the dark premise of this fantasy novel. The setup was exactly up my alley and reminded me of some of my other favourite media that have gone to similar dark places.

This might be the first time I have read a fantasy novel translated from Korean. I appreciated the unique perspective but I found myself wondering if any style was lost through the translation. The story was good but the actual narrative style was incredibly straightforward with very plain writing. I wish there had been more nuanced and complexity to the prose because this one had serious five star potential but fell a little flat.

Despite my criticisms, I still enjoyed this one a lot and would highly recommend to readers looking for a dark fantasy story.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I had a lot of fun reading Blood of the Old Kings. The first chapter with Loran latched onto me like a facehugger. I enjoy fantasy stories, but I've always found myself put off when fantasy books go so hard with the world-building while the story moves at a painfully slow pace. I know that's a specific reason why people like the fantasy genre, but I didn't have that problem with this book since it gives me the basic rundown for its world and trusts me to use my imagination while it adds in the other details as the story goes along. I appreciate Sung-il Kim's efficient storytelling. Having three main characters (Loran, Arienne, and Cain) provided a good base for the story. Most of the chapters are viewed through just one main character's perspective, but as they all connect it works out like a stacked three-piece ensemble. During the times when I had to put down the book (work, life, and all that) I found myself wondering if certain elements in the story were symbolism for modern day capitalism, work ethic, and/or imperialism. While the book does leave room for more, I enjoyed how Sung-il Kim was able to make me care about a fictional world in just one book (at least it's one book in the English release). I'd recommend this for people who want to get back into reading more, but are the type of person who feels put off when their friends are trying to get them into a book series that just has seven volumes (so far) or a show that already has several seasons available that they are pressured to binge.

Through characters on their own paths of survival and resistance to the Empire's control of the entire known world, Kim creates a world of intrigue and heart-pounding dramatic events. Kim emphasizes plot over character, though still conveying emotional depth, and his focus on ordinary people becoming reluctant heroes is a fresh contribution to the fantasy trope of rebellion against an imperial power, with exciting plot twists and nail-biting narrow escapes building to the kind of crescendo that ignites passion for revolution. Intrigue and suspense are layered into this exciting story about an Empire's control of necromancy and the brewing rebellion forcing ordinary people into heroic roles.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars--

I absolutely love seeing books in translation in the fantasy/sci-fi genre. Blood of the Old Kings is a great start to this fantasy trilogy all about resistance to empire.

The story is told through three main characters, all of whom are from Arland, a territory conquered by the Empire. Many were forced to flee to the Empire's capital to escape punishment after a dragon-riding king led a rebellion decades before. Cain is one of these refugees. He was helped by a an Arlander woman, whose sudden murder he now seeks to solve.

Arienne is a young Arlander who was forcibly removed to the capital by the empire because she displayed talent for magic. The empire has stamped out all local, indigenous magic practices, and instead harnesses the power of would-be sorcerers after their death by turning them into "power generators." Arienne is desperate to avoid this fate

Finally, Loran is a brave Arlander woman whose husband and daughter were killed by the empire. This fuels her rage and ambition to strike at the Empire. She seeks help from a dragon imprisoned by the Empire.

All of these POV were enjoyable, but Arienne's was definitely my favorite, perhaps because she is the vehicle through which the reader discovers more about this world's magic system, which is one of the more original parts of the book. Otherwise, the plot felt a bit too fantasy world Star Wars for me--with the evil empire, rebel fighters, and threat of a civilization destroying "Death Star" style weapon (literally called the Star of Mersia). I did love how the three POV all contribute to resistance in different ways.

Overall, I thought the translation was pretty great. Early on the prose felt a bit stilted, but it got better as the book went on. Or I got used to it. Either way, I felt able to fully immerse myself in the story without distraction or confusion in the English translation.

Blood of the Old Kings left off on a big cliffhanger and I will definitely be looking out for the second installment.

Many thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

While I liked some elements of this and the cover is so nice, I just didn't love this. We follow 3 different characters in this story and they all have their own plots and distinctive voices, but they lack personality or depth. They're one-dimensional and exist for the plot, so that wasn't super engaging to me. Additionally, this felt a bit convoluted to me, I had trouble just being engaged with everyone's plots and my mind kept wandering, I wasn't hooked by any of it even though there was a lot going on. So, yeah, this was mid for me, but I see a lot of people loving it and I think anyone intrigued by the description should give it a try.

"Blood of the Old Kings" is an enthralling fantasy novel that captivates from start to finish. The intricate world-building and richly developed characters create a compelling backdrop for a story brimming with adventure and intrigue. The plot weaves together themes of power, loyalty, and redemption, keeping readers hooked with its unexpected twists and high stakes. With its vivid prose and immersive storytelling, this book is a must-read for fans of epic fantasy.

I was immediately drawn to this book because of its incredibly beautiful cover. But apart from that, I have to admit that I really liked how Kim started the story! I was immediately engrossed in the plot and became incredibly eager to read it.

The universe itself is extremely fascinating, containing parts of the traditional high fantasy setting. I really enjoyed how quickly the chapters moved along, switching between points of view often, and I never got tired of any one of them.

The tale was captivating, and there was a fair variety of interesting people. This novel is told from the perspectives of three main characters, each of whom has an unique background and set of goals. I adored Loran and Arienne so much. Fantasy books rarely feature deep female characters, and Kim does a fantastic job developing compelling, likable heroines in this book.

This is a beautiful world full of unanswered questions and a wealth of untapped potential. I'm excited to read more works from Sung-il Kim and will get them as soon as I can. Blood of the Old Kings is the perfect fantasy novel if you're searching for a compelling story with intriguing characters and a sinister magic system.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of the first book in a fantasy series, that wastes no time in setting up the story, and takes place in a world that is full of real wonder, real mysteries and the most creative use of magic and magicians I have read in quite a while.

Back in the day I loved fantasy novels and read them as quick as I could find them, or read reviews of in Dragon magazine. As I got older though I became a little tired with a lot of the tropes, the many books that seemed to be killing trees more than entertaining me. Huge stories, that took so long to build, one could wait a year or two just to find the characters starting their plot. Science fiction was entering that stage too, and I turned away a lot from genre books. That ended when I noticed that new risks were starting to be taken. New ideas, new writers and a feeling that stories mattered, not just the cool world one can make a companion map book about and sell at the holiday. The last couple of years I've probably read more books of fantasy than in the previous fifteen years if not more. Few though have gripped me so quickly, made me know the day was going to be spent reading, and not on those chores I promised myself to do. And made me excited to see what was coming. Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim, translated from Korean by Anton Hur, is a story about dragons, yes, but about guilt, remorse, honor, the weight of responsibility, adventure, with one of the most uses for magic I have read in a book.

The book goes right from the first page, so I will just describe the characters, as I don't want to ruin anything. Loran, is a sword teacher whose husband and child have been murdered by representatives of the grand Empire that rules them. The Empire is all powerful, with powered armor, great machines that can destroy cities, and pull dragons from the sky. Loran has entered into a deal, one that might change her vision of revenge, but might allow her to defeat the enemies stacked against her. Arienne was gifted with the power of magic from an early age, and was taken from her parents and brought to the capital of the Empire to be educated in her gift. A gift that seems more of a burden, and one that seems not to end on her death. Arienne has a plan to escape, and aided by a voice only she can hear, proceeds to do so, though her mind is weighed down by a great burden. Cain is a child of the streets, taken from his home and brought to the capital where he was abandoned. Cain makes his way by helping others with things only a person who lives on the border of law and criminality can do. Cain is content with his lot, until his mentor, the one who saved him is found murdered. Investigating Cain finds himself in a conspiracy against the Empire, and not sure on what side he wants to be on.

Few books start so fast and keep the interest of readers up, but this one did. Which is remarkable as the author had to do it with three different characters, in three different places. Kim is a very good writer, the characters are distinctive, with different ethics, and ways of dealing with problems. And all contain an inner strength that gradually comes to the surface. The world is really interesting, and told in a way that is shown, never told. Plus the magic is handled really well, and uniquely. There are sword fights, sieges, poisonings, acts of daring, dragons, semi-mech battles even a bit of body horror. Also a lot of questions about power, responsibility, and what is right. And how evil people can be.

This is the first in a trilogy, but there is a ending to this, one that promises more, but does not leave a reader going ahh. I really look forward to more. This is a rich world, with a lot of potential, a lot of questions waiting to be answered, and some great writing to enjoy. A great gift for a person who loves fantasy, or like myself, once did but fell away. They will want a lot more after this.

This was a fun fantasy set in a rich world that I feel could have been explored in a little more depth. I liked all of the characters, and I was really intrigued by the worldbuilding, but the book started right at the beginning of all of the action. There was very little exposition, and with such an interesting world, I wish the author had taken some more time to set the scene.

It was incoherent. I couldn't keep up with the plot and couldn't see how everything connected. I feel like something was lost in translation.

4.5 stars

Easily one of the best new fantasies I've read in the last couple of years, and a very solid start to what I hope will be a series (based on the author's note at the end it seems like it will be a trilogy?). For readers who don't enjoy cliffhangers though, you don't have to worry here as it does end on a fairly satisfying note.

Blood of the Old Kings is a modern high fantasy novel following three main characters - Loran, Arienne, and Cain. Loran, driven by her desire for revenge against the Empire that murdered her husband and child, strikes a deal with a dragon to take back her home kingdom of Arland in exchange for magical powers. Arienne is a sorcerer-in-training in the capital city of the Empire, where all sorcerers are harvested after they die to become power generators for the Empire. Out of desperation to avoid this fate, she follows the instructions of a strange voice in her head and steals one of the bodies of a power generator in the basement of the Academy and goes on the run. Cain also lives in the city, and is a very well-connected Arlander. A close friend of his is found dead, and he wants to find out what happened to her.

From start to finish, this book was such an entertaining ride. The pacing was quick, flipping between POVs frequently, with short chapters, which reallly worked for me as I never got bored with any one POV. If I had one critique, it's that I do wish some scenes were a bit more fleshed out, especially towards the end, but that's really me nitpicking.

The worldbuilding is probably my favourite thing about this book. It's done in a very piecemeal fashion, and Kim only ever provides you with just enough information to keep you interested. I personally love this type of worldbuilding, as it makes me want to actively read more to learn about the world, and I never felt like I was getting a huge info dump at any given time. The world itself is also super interesting, with elements of gaslamp fantasy weaved in with the classic high fantasy setting. The magic system is definitely on the looser/softer side, so if you're someone who doesn't like magic systems with no rules at all, this might not be for you. I think it works here, and adds a sense of whimsy that I personally really enjoyed. I'm interested to see how the sequels will expand on the world.

As for the characters, I found the three main POV characters to be pretty well fleshed out considering how few pages are really in this book. In particular, I really loved Arienne and Loran, and I think that Kim does a great job at not falling into the trap of any character archetypes in general. Cain reminds me a lot of Grey from The Rook & Rose series by M.A. Carrick, so if you've read that series and you like Grey, I think you'd really like Cain as well. We also meet a few additional side characters that piqued my interest, but I don't think we got enough time with them, so hopefully we'll get to see more later on in the series.

In a genre that can often feel quite formulaic, Blood of the Old Kings felt new and refreshing, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this. The translation read very smooth to me, so I want to give props to Anton Hur for his translation as well. I highly recommend Blood of the Old Kings for anyone who is interested in dragons, gaslamp fantasy, colonial themes, strong female characters, and just a fun adventure.

The storytelling didn't resonate with me, and I struggled with the characters. It wasn't a great match for me, but I believe others might enjoy it more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing me with this ARC.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard that there are only so many unique ideas in the world and it’s impossible to come up with a completely original idea. Blood of the Old Kings, with its standout world-building, interesting characters, and unparalleled magic system, is proof that there are still new stories to tell.

I was immediately grabbed by the opening of Blood of the Old Kings, which features a woman, named Loran, looking for revenge against the Empire, who murdered her family and subjugated her homeland, by climbing into a volcano and forging a world-altering pact with a dragon. Loran is a character who has already lost everything and therefore has nothing to fear, which makes her fascinating to watch. And who doesn't love an underdog story with a good fight against an evil empire? On the opposite end of the spectrum from Loran's nigh on suicidal fight, is Arienne, a sorcerer, who, like all sorcerers, is doomed to become a power generator for the Empire for all eternity, and desperately wants to live. Somewhere in the middle of these two extremes falls the third narrator, Cain, who merely seeks to find out the truth of what happened to his murdered friend and to make her memory proud.

"Do not forget that it is to the Empire that you have lost your birthright."

A lot of time in fantasy novels, the hopping between narrators can be pretty jarring and even cause pacing issues—that is not the case in Blood of the Old Kings. There is always something interesting going on with every single character. Plus, as one character took action, the ripple effects were felt by the other characters, who consequently made decisions based off of them. This made everything feel very connected and that every characters’ actions were significant, adding to the excitement and tension of the novel. It didn’t hurt that I was invested in all of the narrators. Though there isn’t a whole lot of time dedicated to exploring the intricacies of the characters’ pasts, author Sung Il-Kim does a fantastic job of doling out just enough information on all of the characters to keep them mysterious and potentially even more dangerous, while also keeping them relatable.

"The power generators were inscrutable things, and not wanting to become one even more desperately than not wanting to die, Arienne found herself here—in the small hours of the morning and following a strange, unknown voice, breaking the unbreakable rules."*

I especially loved reading from the perspectives of both Loran and Arienne. Blood of the Old Kings makes both characters forces to be reckoned with, but in different ways. Neither woman is simply the stone cold badass bitch type that we see so often in media and popular culture—they are nuanced characters with different motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. It’s rare to have a complex female character in a fantasy novel that isn’t reduced to some trope, let alone two. And it's even more wonderful to see these women fighting their own battles and in the case of Loran, spearheading her own revolution.

Though what initially attracted me to the book was the idea of sorcerers being turned into power generators, when I started reading Blood of the Old Kings, I really enjoyed the setting of the novel as well. In this world, there are dragons and sorcerers, sure, but there’s also carriages, machines powered by dead sorcerers, people enhanced by metal, and so on. I am not 100% sure if this magitek-esque filled world qualifies as a gaslamp fantasy, per se, but that’s the closest term I’ve found to encompass this world that blends magic, technology, and a more Victorian-esque feel. Throughout the entire novel, the ubiquity of the Empire is ever-present, feeling like a character in its own right. Characters must not only evade their armies, but the Academy of Sorcerers who will stop at nothing to keep their sorcerers confined within their walls, and the Ministry of Truth, who will surreptitiously take entire families, friends, and acquaintances on suspicion alone and make them disappear.

The one thing that I found a bit lacking in Blood of the Old Kings was the page allotment to certain events in the novel. There were several times in the novel when I found the narrative choice to spend so much time on certain events odd. I think these moments would have been better spent on other parts of the novel, such as character development and more nitty-gritty details about the fantastic world-building and magic system. I would have loved to have more detail on just about everything in Blood of the Old Kings because I loved the world and the characters so much. However, I do think that by sticking with giving more of an overview of the world, it not only allowed for the fast-pacing of the novel, but also maintained the air of mystery, which in turn, made me even more excited to read the next book and get some answers.

"Destiny may offer men and women who would be kings, but only the people may exalt them."

I think it is worth noting that some readers may find the prose of the novel a little off-putting. That is not to say that the translation (the novel was originally written in Korean) isn't well done—it is—but the prose itself is very direct and to the point (what the author refers to as "crisp prose" in his note at the end of the novel), and I think some readers may find the minimalist technique not to their taste. Personally, I enjoyed this style, as it kept the flow even and the action moving. Many times when reading a translated novel, it feels like something is missing or that the connection to the work isn’t quite what it should be, something I felt with The Witcher series, but that is not the case with Blood of the Old Kings. Many kudos to the translator, Anton Hur, who created such a smooth experience—I wouldn’t have even known it was a translated novel just by reading the work.

Blood of the Old Kings has so much to offer and is an incredibly promising start to a new trilogy. I am highly anticipating future installments in the series and will pick them up as soon as possible. If you’re looking for a gripping fantasy with captivating characters and a dark and unique magic system, look no further than Blood of the Old Kings.

*All quotes taken from an ARC and subject to change at time of publication.