I received a physical, digital, and audio copy from Macmillian Audio & Tor Books via NetGalley. All reviews are my own.
I'll be honest: the cover and title got me. But unlike most books that disappoint me with their fabulous art and tantalizing titles, Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-Il Kim was a decent read! Told by three different POVs, BOTOK tells a story about the loyalty and protection of the people's beloved country, Arland, and their journey to keep it safe. Oh! And there are dragons.
"Powered by the corpses of sorcerers, the Empire has conquered the world. It claims to have brought peace and stability to its conquered lands, but some see that peace for what it is—a lie—and will give everything in the fight against it.
Loran is desperate for revenge after the Empire killed her family, so much so that the swordswoman climbs the volcano where the legends say an ancient dragon slumbers and leaps in. She finds that the legends are true, and Loran leaves the mountain with a sword made of dragon’s fang and a great purpose before her.
Cain arrived in the Imperial Capital lost and orphaned, and it’s only thanks to the kindness of a stranger-turned-mentor that he survived on the city’s streets. When his friend is found murdered, he will leave no stone unturned to find those responsible, even if it means starting a war.
Arienne’s future has never been in question—born a sorcerer, she’ll be a Power Generator for the Empire upon her death. But when she starts to hear the voice of a powerful necromancer in her head, she realizes the only thing more terrifying than dying for the Empire is never getting to truly live in the first place.
When peace is a lie, there is power in truth—and as Loran, Cain, and Arienne hunt for answers in their own lives, any one of their small rebellions could be the stone that brings the Empire toppling down."
I chose to attack this novel via audio, with a multicast featuring the voices of Eunice Wong, Major Curda, and Suzy Jackson. I blazed through this narration in 9 hours and 45 minutes, only stopping to sleep and to catch some quiet time in my house.
BOTOK is a decent read. It was quick, the Fantasy elements weren't too complex, and the character-building is something most authors should take a page and study. The story started strong, reminding me of The Poppy War. The grit, hunger, and determination the first character's POV exuded gave me the impression that this would be an epic journey. However, as I continued to read, I think the synopsis gave more of an "Epic" feel than the story produced. I'm used to trials, and obstacle course work to get to the final battle, but BOTOK cut out a lot of the fluff and got straight to it. It left the desire for "epic," but I appreciated the story nonetheless.
As stated before, the story is told in three different POVs. You have Loran, a widow who lost her family to senseless Empire crimes. She's the Rin to my Poppy War and my favorite character. Arienne is a failed magical student on the run toward a greater purpose. I liked her character, too. I'm for a good underdog story; she had the best one out of the novel. And Cain, the silent chess player of this tale, is moving pieces in the background to ensure everybody wins. He was my least favorite character. I'm making him sound good, but I saw no point in his version of events. He could have been left out. Each POV serves a purpose for this tale, but I had to rewind a few chapters a few times because it wasn't sticking. It could've been information overload or a lull in the story, but I had to spin the block a few times to better understand what was happening.
Overall, I rated this book 3-stars. Again, it was a decent read. After reading the acknowledgments, I understand that this is supposed to be a trilogy, but the ending had a final tone, so it would be interesting to see how Book 2 would fare.
Blood of the Old Kings is available now!
Comments