I really liked the premise. This book explores a storyline of fantasy that's not explored very often: what happens to the person who kills the king? There is a lot of depth and twist as a bounty hunter attempts to take Anji, the killer, to the proper authorities for a reward. I saw the ending twist from a mile away, which personally decreased my enjoyment of the book, but that's not necessarily the case for everyone.

The magic system was interesting and learning about the politics was engaging. Addiction played a central role in this book, which I think isn't done enough in fantasy and not as well as it was done here :) Overall, I enjoyed the book and it's worth picking up!

Surpassed my expectations!
Gritty, atmospheric, and steeped in magic, this book is a perfect blend of high-stakes adventure and deeply intricate relationships and moments of tension.
Addicting and fast paced.
This has yet to be released and I am already anxiously waiting for the second installment.

What's a little regicide to start the day? "Anji Kills a King" The debut book from Evan Leikam (out 13 May 2025) gives us a bit of that.

Anji just killed the king, to be fair he was a bit of a jerk. Only thing to do after that is to leave town immediately. Unfortunately for her one of the near mythical bounty hunters of the Menagerie shows up and collars her. Now under lock and key of the Hawk she is going to be taking in for one of the largest rewards even, and then promptly tortured to death. Well, assuming a different hunter doesn't show up and kill her first.

Narrated by Moira Quirk, the banter flying to serious moments between characters in this one you nailed. That finale, so good, always a pleasure to hear you.

Reasons to read:
-You don't like monarchies
-Banter
-Tired people much past their prime
-Folks making due with what they can and attempting to live
-Sudden and dramatic escalations of violence
-Pointing out that you can't take the easy way to solve an issue

Cons:
-But the hard way is so much harder!
-Animal death

Thank you Macmillan audio for this ARC. The narrator is excellent and really made the story come to life.
The story starts strong, with the point of view of main character killing the king.
I loved the dynamic between her and the Hawk, and how their relationship grows organically and is not too forced.
There is a lot of action and humour, as well as feelings, and I loved the ending.
It's an entertaining and easy read, and I hope we will see more of this world.

Mixed feelings on this book. It started really strong - with an intriguing and entertaining relationship between Anji and Hawk, the famed bounty hunter who has caught her after killing a king. The novel is easy to read, there's good banter, and the dystopian fantasy world is interesting. However, I never felt connected to the characters in the way I wanted to. While we get flashbacks to Anji's past, the emotional arc for her wasn't really there for me. It felt very arms length and driven by the plot and information about the world. Anji is often impulsive to the point of stupidity and never felt like a fully formed character that I was rooting for. And for the most part, things are just happening to her and she often doesn't have a lot of agency. Sometimes very violent things that seem to come out of nowhere.

Meanwhile Hawk at the end of the book felt really discordant with her character through the rest of it. For me the ending didn't feel earned and I'm scratching my head a bit at how we got there. I went into this hoping to love it but ultimately it was disappointing. It has potential as a story but in my opinion needed additional editing and work on the emotional arcs of the characters for it to reach that potential. The audio narration is done well though. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this arc!

4/5 stars

This was a really solid debut fantasy! This book begins with a bang as Anji is literally killing the king, and it truly doesn't stop from there. From being apprehended by the Hawk, one of the Menagerie of bounty hunters and assassins in this land, Anji is thrust into a very long and very painful journey (both physically and emotionally lol). I did find this to be a little bit predictable, but also not in the ways I was expecting or predicted from the beginning. A little tropey, but in a good way. Like I said, really solid debut novel and I'm looking forward to the next installment!

And of course, Moira Quirk was absolutely fantastic in narrating this. She's one of my favourite narrators, and her voice was absolutely perfect for this novel!

Anji Kills A King is for the people who couldn’t get enough of the feral captive/grumpy bounty hunter dynamic between Arya and Sandor Clegane.

The book starts in the middle of the action, with Anji—you guessed it—killing the king. Anji is quickly apprehended by the Hawk, a member of the famed royal Menagerie, and the perilous journey to face her justice begins. Not only does Anji face certain death for her crime, but she is forced to examine her romanticized ideas of revolution. Thus, this is very much a story about The Consequences.

Leikam’s prose is excellent, particularly during the action scenes. I really felt the intensity, which propelled the story forward and made this an easy read/listen. The violence and gore—although heavy—felt earned and appropriate in a world of monsters (human and fantastical) and for Anji’s predicament (we are talking regicide, here). The character arcs were earned, and the ending was compelling enough to make me want to pick up the next book. I was pleasantly surprised at how much was packed into this relatively short 10-hour audiobook.

Some things that brought my rating down: Much of the plot was predictable for the genre, though still enjoyable and satisfying. Eventually, the bickering between Anji and the Hawk became pretty repetitive and annoying (I wanted to shake Anji myself at times for her audacity). I also felt like Anji’s POV necessarily limited the world building and politics, but there is indication we will get more of this in subsequent books.

As for the audiobook performance, if Moira Quirk narrates it, I’m going to love it. There is a character that has something in their mouth while speaking (TW for my folks with misophonia), and this is portrayed perfectly while still being intelligible. I will say I wasn’t a huuge fan of the voice used for one very minor child character because it was pretty piercing. Otherwise, a top tier performance from Quirk, as always.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC. My opinions are my own.

This was one of the better new fantasy books i've read in awhile. Of course there are some old school fantasy tropes here, but they are done with a more modern voice and written with an obvious love for the genre. The pacing was great and the characters were interesting and relatable. I can't wait to read book two or anything else written by this author. Would highly recommend if any fantasy fans are looking for something a littel different!

4.5 stars!

I'M SO HAPPY THAT I LOVED THIS, IT'S SO GREAT. Just an excellent balance of all the right stuff. I can't wait for book two, it's going to kill me.

Everyone wanted the king dead. Anji was just the only one with the balls to follow through. On the run Anji runs into former heroes, the members of a new cult, possible allies, and definite enemies as she learns that the evils of the world do not end with the death of one man. I had no idea what to expect going into this and honestly I was a little nervous because I've followed the author for a while and really like him as a person. Thankfully, I can recommend this book with my whole heart because it is just made me so happy. Anji is an absolute gem, and Leikam does a fantastic job balancing her humor and heart with the darker moments and themes of the story which I've seen a lot of book struggle with recently. Plot-wise this initially feels like a pretty standard journey on the run but the relationship that develops between Anji and the Hawk as well as the tension that builds as Anji's execution looms really distinguishes it and makes it uniquely enjoyable. I have to also give a shoutout to Moira Quirk's narration because it's just spot on and she's one of my favorite narrators.

I'm so glad that all of the elements of this book come together in such a perfect whole. Anji has my whole heart and I look forward to her adventure continuing!

Thank you to Evan Leikam and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

No notes.

I loved this book. I inhaled it. I read a reviewer say that they sat down to read a chapter and stayed up all night finishing it. I had a similar experience. Once you are in this world, you will not want to take a break, so prep yourself for a good, long reading day. The characters are phenomenally flawed yet so easy to root for. I don't want to spoil anything because there's a lot of political intrigue and layers of "who's a goodie and who's a baddie" going on here. The ending was perfect. This book does not pull its punches, so don't get attached to anyone. Everyone is subject to death, dismemberment, and tragedy. That being said, if you can deal with that, this book is a near perfect fantasy read. I only regret that I read it before the next one was out. Also, any audiobook read by Moira Quirk is an automatic yes for me. If you've not had the pleasure of listening to her narrate an audiobook, do yourself a favor and get this one. Her narration is perfection.