Thank you netgalley!

From the moment I opened the book, I was transported. The storytelling immediately drew me in. The vivid descriptions of landscapes and kingdoms painted a rich tapestry of the setting, immersing me in a world that felt both familiar and wondrously new. It's not just a tale of adventure—it's a story with heart. Themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and the pursuit of justice resonate throughout, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

Although this took me a short while to get into, once I was in, I was all in! I thought the exploration of justice, morality and the law and how they don't always coincide was really interesting. I also enjoyed the sparing use of magic, giving just enough hints to show a wider magical system, without getting bogged down within it. Vonvalt is a fascinating character and his progression through the narrative was very intriguing. I could have done without some of the teenage angst from Helena and Matas, but overall, this was a very accomplished and compelling first book in what I feel will be an excellent series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Honestly I thought I’d already given feedback on this one, apologies! (I’d taken a break from NetGalley and reviewing)

What can I say, I loved it. Went on to purchase a physical copy and am eagerly anticipating book 3!!

I ended up listening to the audiobook of this. I found this helped. I could get myself lost in the story and fly through it.
Sadly I probably won't continue the series as this didn't leave me intrigued to follow the characters and world anymore than I already have.
It was a good book but I wasn't wowed. It was just decent.

4.5
I really enjoyed the writing style. Not hard to read. The characters are also very interesting, very mysterious. All in all, we don't know that much about them by the end of the book, I hope we get to discover more about them in book 2.
There wasn't action at every corner, but the story was still compelling, to me. I liked the vibe of the story, the setting. There were also some intense and gore-y fighting scenes.

In the backwaters of the Empire of the Wolf, upholding the law is provided by the wandering Order of Justices. Sir Konrad Vonvalt has provided this service to the frontier towns and villages for years. Now, the muder of a aristocratic lady lays bare the rifts within the Empire and Sir Konrad must use all his logic and gifts to hold back the oncoming chaos.

A debut novel by Richard Swan, The Justice of Kings is about treachery and power struggles as it is about law and order. It also could be said to be a story of how pursuing the truth can lead to some increasingly grey morals, as the high ethics at the beginning are slowly ground down. Interestingly it is told from the POV of Helena Sedanka, clerk to Sir Konrad. This lends a more personable and emotional air to what could have been a cold and logical telling otherwise. Character background is scanty, with only a little backstory given on each, and there is not much information provided on the various factions fighting for power. However, I felt that added to the atmosphere of seclusion away from the main seat of power and I suspect more information may be provided in the upcoming sequel. Luckily, it does mean there are no massive info dumps, which is always appreciated!

This is an assured and smooth novel for a debut, plotted with care and attention. It does get slighlty bogged down in sections (see the court case with the prosecution arguments in full!) but mainly it is a suspenseful detective story in a epic fanstasy setting. The sequel is due out vey soon and I will definitely be seeing where this story goes.

I received a free arc from the Publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Recommended to me by @QuillofArkham1 I was delighted when the ARC became available. Due to illness this review is late but another contender for my books of the year list.
This story is seen through the main character Helena Sendanka a clerk to the Justice Konrad Vonvalt. The initial investigation of the murder of a Lady of the realm is not as simple as it seems and the consequences of the murder and the investigation affect the Empire.
Helena was plucked from obscurity by Vonvalt, who saw character traits and intelligence that fit a Justices clerk. When we meet Helena she is at a crossroads with her relation with Vonvalt and her work, unsure if this is something she wants to do but beholden to her mentor.
The growth of Helena through her experiences of loss, death, love and duty is fabulously written. A flawed heroine with the promise of so much more. The political factions and the erosion of Justice Vonvalt foundations from the Empire are compelling and this is certainly a book I would recommend.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for access to this ARC as always much appreciated. All views are my own.

A fast paced murder mystery. I enjoyed the fantasy/murder mystery mashup and thought the plot was very original.

Unfortunately struggled to become invested in the story or the characters.
There was nothing obvious to dislike about the characters of this book but nothing particularly likeable about them either. I found the romance element of the unrealistic and a little bit “cringey”.

3.75 stars

The Justice of Kings was slow, meandering and character driven with an inquisitive tone. Definitely not my kind of storytelling but that doesn’t mean the book is bad or that I didn’t enjoy it!

The writer definitely knows their craft. The words he chose perfectly fit and describe the scenes. He also writes battle scenes really well, with the gore making you wonder with every word!

A truly unique story with interesting but subtle magic. Wish we’d have seen more of what the justices can do, but I’m hoping that will come in the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Justice of Kings

When Vonvault investigates the murder of a noble woman he soon discovers that the cae is far more complex than he thought and uncovers a conspiracy that could spread chaos across the Empire.

This book was a little slow to start but once it got going I was hooked. I loved how this story was told from Helena perspective looking back on the past.
A great fantasy debt can't wait for more in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown Group UK and Richard Swan for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for this advanced copy.

The Justice of Kings is the great start for a series. I still can't believe this is a debut novel. It is so perfectly written. Now, I am adding Richard Swan as my favorite SFF author.

The story about sir Konrad Vonvalt, who is a Justice of the emperor. Het travels with his clerk as a lawman. Until, a certain case of dying noblewoman tests his faith and everything he believes.

There are several things that I love about this book.

First, the main character is Vonvalt, but we get the narration by Helena, his Clerk as first point of view type. This is quiet rare and I find myself really enjoying this kind of POV. Helena herself is a nice character. It's nice seeing her taking interest in Vonvalt but respect him so much.

Second, as a lawman, Justice should be the "Good Guy" type, but we get a morally ambiguous character here. This contradiction made Vonvalt becomes an interesting main character.

Third, the magic system, It's nice to see the solid magic system. Vonvalt has 2 magics to help him seek the truth , but he has one condition and another, so he can use his magic. It's so neat to have a limitation in the magic system.

Fourth, The cover is so powerful !!!

I totally recommend this book to my friends and everyone who enjoy reading adult SFF.
Can't wait for Tyranny of Faith next year.

💬 "Empires are built and maintained with words. Swords are a mere precedent to the quill." 💬

Thank you to @netgalley
and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for this arc! 🥰 This book is out now!

Look at this cover! 😍 this immediately caught my eye and I had to request it cause it sounded like such an interesting book. And I'm so glad I did! This is a fantasy book and the world building felt so great cause I did not feel overwhelmed at all and my brain could still make sense of everything. I really enjoyed the way it was written with little glimpses and hints towards the future. This made me so excited to keep reading! Also I was not expecting this to be as gory as it was but I loved it!!

At first I was interested in the trial but it quickly became a little long winded for me. And I felt like the romance subplot happened a bitttt fast so it didn't affect my emotions as much as it could've? I was also very scared this was going to become an age gap romance which would have been weird for me cause I felt like the two characters had more of a father/daughter relationship?

When everything went down, I felt so tense and I just couldn't stop reading. I was terrified about what was going to happen and it was playing with my emotions which was great 😂 was close to tears at one point

I really thought I had guessed what would happen but I didn't. The direction this book went was unexpected but amazing and omg I can't waittt to read the 2nd book (which is going to be a long wait 😭). I can't wait to see how the characters develop and I'm so excited to continue this journey!

“Justice is not vengeance, and vengeance is not justice. But the two often overlap.”

I can't say how much loved this book!
I still can't believe how I've fallen hard for it!

“I am Justice Sir Konrad Vonvalt of the Imperial Magistratum,”

The story starts with the caravan of four people, the Order of Justice, in order to stand against chaos in the Empire of the Wolf.

Their employer, Sir Konrad Vonvalt, is on a mission to deal with murderers, thieves and rapists; Helena Sedanka, the narrator, Vonvalt’s clerk, her job is to take down a note during proceedings. Dubine Bressinger, Vonvalt’s taskman; and Patria Bartholomew Claver, a Neman priest who had imposed himself.

Sir Konrad, a man of justice, the Empire himself grants him the authority to be both Judge and Punisher. His solid belief is “No man is above the law,” and his loyalty to the empire is unshakable.

"The story of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, after all, is the story of the rise and fall of the Sovan Empire."

Though all characters were well built, I enjoyed Sir Konrad the most. I may be wrong, but I think the strongest element in fantasy books are their heroes. The beautiful part is that he is not exactly the hero but he is the best.

We are all put to the test by our hardest beliefs, and so is Sir Konrad who faced the difference between a piece of paper and steel.
Is justice enough? Where is the red thin line between murder and penalty or good and bad?
And I think the most important question that every character in this book had to answer to it was, your loyalty is to whom? God, the Empire, yourself, or someone who love?

Where is book 2?

My huge thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit via NetGalley for giving me the chance to read The Justice of Kings (Book One of the Empire of the Wolf) by Richard Swan; I have given my honest review.

This book just hits home when you're a practising lawyer. Moral conundrums, juristic dilemmas and the dissonance between the letter of the law and practice of the law are those things we in profession often talk about, laugh or argue.
So, it was a sure bet that many of the themes Swan explored in this novel will resonate with me.
To explore them within epic fantasy world? Well, that was just the icing on the cake.

We follow exploits of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, the Emperor's Justice, and his role in events that shook the foundations of Sovan empire. For two years he travelled the conquered lands of Sova with his clerk and his taskman making sure that law is obeyed and upheld. The road takes him to a small town of Galen's Vale, where death of a lord's wife may point to something bigger brewing in Empire.

Sir Konrad is the focus character, or to be precise, the character on whose actions entire story hinges. But the story is told as a confession; a recollection of events as witnessed by his clerk, Helena. This way the story unfolds gradually managing to keep the suspense all the way through, but it leaves the space for character development because of Helena's complicated feelings for Konrad and their profession. To be clear: theirs is not a romantic relationship- Sir Konrad adopted Helena who was orphaned by war and paid for her education hoping she will follow his path to be a Justice. He is the most important person in her life, but Helena has a mind of his own, and she is at that age when she starts questioning the absolutes of law and Sova sir Konrad is so devoted to. She is also young and she rebels and makes haste decisions, but we are spared of annoying new adult ruminating because the story is narrated from pov of older Helena. And hence, it has a melancholic tinge to it.
To be the Justice in this world is to be kind of an amalgam of investigator, judge and executioner.
Think of Sir Konrad as the most prudent official with cool powers who can also swing a sword. From the perspective of someone who practice criminal law, his procedural powers rival superstrength: he has a Voice which compels witnesses to tell the truth and he has the power to briefly raise the dead for valuable information. So, he comes to court with basically undisputable arguments. His skill with sword is a remnant of his previous life as a soldier, but his tongue is the main weapon he wields now, so don't expect a lot of epic fights. As Helena reminisced, sir Konrad is an idealist about the justice and law system of Sovan Empire relying on it even in the face of imminent threat to him and others. With Konrad is duty above common sense which narrows his view and we see young Helena slowly realizing what Konrad is not- that Sova is heading toward a war and system of law is not going to save them. This slow creep of inevitability and downfall of institutions of Empire and Konrad's refusal to accept it makes his character complex and flawed and immensely more interesting compared to those heroes who can do anything and are good at everything.
Third part of the trio is Bressinger, Konrad's taskman. To put it simply: Bressinger is the main investigative tool in Konrad's arsenal. With his rough and gruff and emotional pain he hides behind bottle and barrage of women, Bressinger doesn't concern himself with laws and debating the principles of just and might, but you want him on your side in physical confrontation. I am partial to autodestructive characters who are hurting, so I liked every scene with him.
We've seen only glimpses of magic in this world, but I want to know more. It has a sinister tone to it and Swan is not scared to make his characters face painful consequences of their actions, so I am waiting to see how will this develop further, both with Helena and villain they are fighting against.
Swan definitely excelled with characterization in this novel, but the plot worked really well for me most of the time. It starts deceptively small, with a murder they are investigating only to grow into conspiracy that will lead to the fall of Empire. And I admit it will not work for everyone. It's not fast paced: in fact, there seem to be a lull with scenes of Konrad's lessons with Helena and minutiae of their work that can come up dry, but all of them served a purpose and they are thematically interesting to me, personally. The story definitely raises stakes for everyone in later part of the novel and we are left with the knowledge that true conflict is about to come.
The inevitability of war and disillusionment of a man who keeps trying to do good is by far my favourite takeaway from this novel.
For his foray into epic fantasy Swan managed perfectly to convey some of those sentiments I was left thinking about and I can't wait to read more.

“The wise man arms himself with knowledge before a sword” 

‘The Justice of Kings’ by Richard Swan is the first instalment in a new fantasy trilogy, Empire of the Wolf. It follows our main character, Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor’s Justice as his story is told through the reflections of his clerk and scribe Helena Sedanka – a very interesting approach having the story told from another POV. 

In this world, Justices uphold the law, they are viewed as judge, jury and executioner and they do this by using specialised arcane arts that they have trained in, with each Justice having their own special abilities which they can utilise. Sir Konrad Vonvalt himself is an easy character to like (but a hard one to love?) and it was really a joy to read about his story and journey. 

The story itself is what I would refer to as a political fantasy murder mystery….yeah, that’s what I am going for. Although at the heart of the story is a murder with Sir Konrad acting as detective to assess what has transpired, the true focus is really the political unrest in the lands and the strain on an already breaking legal system. 

The world building is immersive, and the characters are wonderfully developed. The entire book is a unique one in the fantasy universe, and I honestly cannot wait to read the next in the series. 

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers at Orbit Books for the ARC.

This first book in the series of the Empire of the Wolf is written from the point of view of one of the main characters Helena Sedanka. She is clerk to the Imperial Emperors Justice. One of many Justice’s who roam the Empire to uphold the law. Sir Konrad Vonvalt part of the order of Justice’s starts with what seems just a quick murder of a local noblewoman, but becomes so much more. He is slow to realise he is looking at the overthrow of law and order and even the very Empire. A fantasy Realm based on the Empire of Rome and all the problems of dealing with different factions, religion and war. These are characters that start out as upholding law and justice but the line is crossed into the murky depths of revenge.
A story well worth persevering with when you have a lot of new characters and places to connect with. The pacing may seem a little slow due to this point. Overall l feel the mixture of historical reference and magic is well combined and sets up well for further stories in the series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an eARC copy of this book from NetGalley and Little Brown Book Club UK / Orbit in exchange for a review.

You know when TV shows do crossovers for special events or charity events? Walter White and Jesse Pinkman working as Pawn Stars for the Emmys comes to mind. Or when the cast of Fleabag and Normal People combined for Comic Relief. Although fun and a novelty, often these come across as cheesy and contrived.

Now imagine an episode of Law and Order taking place in Westeros, the land of Game of Thrones (or A Song of Ice and Fire for all us fantasy nerds). But imagine it done incredibly well, where the things that you love about both shows is well maintained over roughly 600 pages of crime-solving fantasy brilliance. That's what you get with The Justice of Kings.

Initially this book sets up as a classic murder mystery that you think will just be a quick solve. However it continues for the majority of the book but it never feels boring or monotonous. The intrigue of medieval setting makes this case so much more exciting. It also works as a way to uncover a much larger conspiracy and rebellion within the Empire.

Swan will keep you glued to the pages with his writing. You never feel confused about what is happening, and each chapter ends with making you want to start the next.

I would argue that really the main character of this story is Konrad VonValt, a Justice for the Emperor, who maintain's order within the Empire. He is a very deep and experienced man and I would love a prequel where we learn about his journey to become a Justice.

But that's not what we get here, instead we get the telling of Helena, VonValt's apprentice, and her experience as she does just that. It's an interesting perspective to tell a story from, and although I personally wouldn't consider it ideal, I do think it provided and interesting viewpoint and it was ultimately a really positive experience.

The only thing I disliked while reading this story was the set-up for the romance. Once it was established, I had no qualms with it, but the way it was established was just so rushed and you feel like it just comes out of nowhere to be used later in the story. But it's a very minor thing in an otherwise fantastic story. Maybe the word "melancholic" is overused too, but that wouldn't really bother me.

All-in-all, this book is an easy 5 stars for me. I love political maneuvering and hidden agendas that occur in the background, so this hit all the right notes for me.

I urge anyone reading this review, pick up this amazing book, read this amazing book, and most importantly, enjoy this amazing book.

Oh, this was a fascinating one! I went into this mostly blind, but having seen it compared to The Witcher series I did approach "The Justice of Kings" with certain expectations. Now, this is nothing like The Witcher, and the comparison does it no good. But it's a really intriguing, very well crafted start to a new series which I cannot recommend enough to lovers of political fantasy focussing on characters.

The plot sounds simple enough: The Justice Konrad Vonvalt, tasked with maintaining order throughout the empire, and his protegé Helena (who is our pov protagonist) and armsman Bressinger more or less stumble into a murder mystery that turns out to be much more than meets the eye. The book does have its slow parts, absolutely, and the writing is a little detached because it's written in form of a kind of memoir of Helena, but it fits the story absolutely perfectly. Whenever I felt my interest dipping the story suddenly took a new turn, and I can honestly say I have never been so interested in reading a book focusing on, essentially, law and order before.
The characters are all intriguing, but Vonvalt... Vonvalt alone will make me read the entire series. He is absolutely fascinating, and the way Swan explores morality with him is simply masterful. I honestly cannot wait to see where this character goes. I loved Helena too, and the relationships between the characters are engaging and make them feel actually alive. Considering that the protagonists in fantasy novels are more often than not the rebels, the people without power, the people fighting authorities, it was a welcome fresh air, too, to switch perspectives and have the authority figures as main characters for a change. It opened up all new ways of exploring power and morals.

All in all, this is an amazingly written and very unique start of a new low fantasy trilogy with slow pacing but fascinating characters. I'm excited to read the next books.

This was a masterpiece. At its core, it was a novel on morality, war, and justice with a hint of love and it did everything it needed to and more. The weird thing about it is I can’t explain why it was so incredible, it just is. Everything felt so real even in a fantasy-driven world - both with the mundane normalities of the protagonist’s work and also with her thoughts surrounding her lifestyle.

The pacing was incredible. Everything happened in a way that kept the plot and the characters’ motivations engaging whilst also ensuring that everything they did was natural to their life. The characters themselves were dynamic and I often felt for them and their disdain/love for their occupation. This was also aided by the action which added excitement to the novel whilst also allowing progression for the characters. The magic system itself was so integral to the concept of justice and order within this world that it felt so natural even while maintaining its complexity and fantastical element. In addition, the way it transitioned to allow for a sequel didn’t feel forced (which I often find) and I felt it concluded the story of the first book perfectly whilst keeping the characters and their adventures open for the next.

The fact this is a debut blows my mind and I cannot wait for the next instalment to come out. I cannot recommend this enough!

TW: death, murder, beheading, hanging, torture, blood, kidnap/enslavement, graphic violence

Preliminary 5-star review. Will post a full review and adjust the rating accordingly after I finish the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.