A very interesting novel. The world is very immersive and went in directions that I didn’t expect. Intrigued for book two.

I can't decide if this is a FULL 4 stars or not, but I'm rounding up either way.

This was a fresh epic fantasy with high stakes, a dragon, a unique magic system, and three compelling POVs. We're dropped into the world with Loran approaching a chained dragon to ask for help with revenge for her family. And we're off from there.

I think I liked Arienne's POV the best, with her undead sorcerer in her head. But Cain was a close second as he turned spy, yet really more double-agent style. Loran's chapters were probably the most epic as she built an army to take her country back from the empire, but there was something about the writing in her section that left me a little detached.

The pacing was a bit uneven; we start quickly enough, then it slowed down, then the penultimate chapters were amazing, and THEN the last chapter gave me whiplash with how quickly everything wrapped up. I don't know if there will be another book. We get some pretty good closure, but that last line absolutely opens itself up for more books.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and quick read. I'd definitely recommend for fans of epic fantasy. Also, the cover is just amazing. I also enjoyed the 3 narrators for the audiobook.

(Side note: I was probably expecting a Korean-influenced setting between the author and the cover, but the setting was kind of...could be anywhere. There weren't any distinguishing characteristics of any particular place in the world building.)

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

🐉 ARC REVIEW 🐉

Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim
4/5 ⭐

This book is a fast-paced, interesting read. It follows three points of view as they navigate their issues in the shadow of a colonizing Empire. Overall, I really enjoyed Blood of the Old Kings, and would recommend!

Please read if you like the following:
🔥 Seven eyed dragons
🔥 Students on the run from the government
🔥 Wizards residing in people's minds
🔥 Dark secrets covered up by the Empire

🏷️ #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #books #booklover #bookworm #bookstagrammer #reading #bookish #bookaddict #booknerd

Felt like an inconsistent world and underdeveloped characters. I liked many of the aspects of the story, but they didn't all feel as if they fit within the story.

A solid standalone fantasy (that I definitely thought was going to turn out to be a series starter) with a group of very interesting characters. Loran is a pretty standard fantasy heroine, making a pact with a dragon to become her occupied homeland’s champion and wage war on the empire.

Cain filled the “detective” role, with his desire to solve his friend’s murder. Through him, we saw what lives were like for immigrants in the heart of the occupying empire, which did a good job at providing context for what Loran was doing.

Arienne was the most interesting character, a fugitive sorcerer whose destiny was to become a magical battery. Through her we got bits of history and legend as well as the basics for how magic works in this world.

All this without needing to be a doorstop. It was a very economical fantasy novel in that sense.

Blood of the Old Kings is an epic fantasy tale featuring a unique world. This tale is told through three different POVs - Loran, Cain, and Arienne who are each on a distinctly different path that happens to interweave with the others. As with many multi POV books, I found myself drawn to certain characters over others. In this case, I was most interested in Loran and Arienne and often found myself wanting to hurry along Cain to get back to the others. His POV isn’t boring by any means, I was just more invested in the others. I found the world building and magic systems in this book especially fascinating. The world building was richly detailed. The magic, though, is where this story really shines for me between using dead sorcerers as a power source and the nuances of it for the living, you can’t help but be drawn in. I also appreciated how seamlessly the story flowed which is a testament to both the author, Kim, and the translator, Hut. I felt the plot was well paced and had plenty of action and intrigue to keep my interest. By the end, there is still much that could be explored if the author chooses to do so. I combo read this via ebook and audiobook. The audiobook, though, is something special. I love the choice to use three different narrators to voice the different POVs. Eunice Wong, Major Curda, and Suzy Jackson did so well in their respective roles. I could feel the emotions and drivers behind each character in their narration. I would highly recommend the audiobook for this.