The Justice of Kings (Empire of the Wolf, 1)
Action, intrigue, and magic collide in this epic fantasy following Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor's Justice, who is a detective, judge, and executioner all in one--but with rebellion and unrest building, these are dangerous times to be a Justice . . .
The Empire of the Wolf simmers with unrest. Rebels, heretics, and powerful patricians all challenge the power of the Imperial throne.
Only the Order of Justices stands in the way of chaos. Sir Konrad Vonvalt is the most feared Justice of all, upholding the law by way of his sharp mind, arcane powers, and skill as a swordsman. At his side stands Helena Sedanka, his talented protégé, orphaned by the wars that forged the Empire.
When the pair investigates the murder of a provincial aristocrat, they unearth a conspiracy that stretches to the very top of Imperial society. As the stakes rise and become ever more personal, Vonvalt and Helena must make a choice: Will they abandon the laws they've sworn to uphold, in order to protect the Empire?
"Richard Swan's sophisticated take on the fantasy genre will leave readers hungry for more." - Sebastien de Castell, author of Spellslinger
"A fantastic debut." - Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones
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Community Reviews
1. we didnât get Sir Konrad Vonvaltâs POV and that honestly felt a little deceiving, based on the synopsis. Instead, we follow Helena his assistance. While I did enjoy her POV, I rather wanted to see things through the eyes of Konrad. I wanted to know how he felt about the magic, his thoughts, his life but we didnât. At times the writing felt distance and I believe this was due to Helena recounting the events.
***SPOILERS***
2. The second qualm i had was the trial part, while I get showcasing it, I think too much time was spent on it vs getting to the point. I found myself skimming pages when the trial started.
The world building was amazing! I enjoyed the descriptions, especially the gory ones, those were so well done! I loved all the characters even the shitty priest Claver. I was very intrigued by the magic system and how the justiceâs obtain it. So definitely excited to read more about that.
Around the 85% marks is when the battle between Westenholtz/Claver and Konradâs men begins. So that was good! Although, we get it from Helenaâs POV so we donât see everything, she was still bad ass.
Characters:
There were a lot of characters so will only talk about the main ones.
I love Helena and enjoyed her POV.
I wish he had sir Konradâs POV
Bressinger was your typical broody soldier lol we only have a glimpses of his life before wrong for the Empire.
Ultimately, the beginning is very slow paced but it keeps you interested. I do think it slogged around the trial part and Helenaâs infiltration of the nunnery (see below) but this is a series I will definitely continue and see how it concludes. I am hoping we get sir Konradâs POV.
4âï¸
World building 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Magic System: 5/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Action: 4/5
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