I read Swan's The Justice of Kings last year and it was definitely one of the best reads from 2022. This sequel simply blows book 1 out of the water!
I was completely and totally gripped from the first line to the last. I'm not entirely sure how my heart didn't give out reading the second instalment in the Empire of the wolf trilogy! We continue to view Sir Konrad Vonvalt's attempts to rid the Empire of the power hungry Claver and keep justice through the eyes of his apprentice, Helena. Her character really develops through this book and we see how she begins to start to question the world about her and find her own place. His retinue has grown to include Sir Radomir as well as the newly injured Bressinger. The characters are all wonderfully rendered and fleshed out.
The world building and magic system is phenomenal. I really enjoyed how it was linked in with the religious aspect of the world that the characters inhabit. Again, there was a mystery that needed solving element, similar to the first book.
I can honestly say that this book was breath-taking and I can't wait for the final book in this trilogy. It's certainly one I'm going to buy and place on my shelves.
Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for providing me with an arc in return for an honest review.

This book has the common problem all series can have, it felt a little off and wasn't consistent. The pacing was all over the place and I didn't click with the main character. However, I loved the first book and would continue to read any more books in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Orbit for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

"The Justice of Kings" was one of my favourite books I read last year, an incredibly dramatic law based fantasy set in a world where justice is dictated by a single man. I was delighted to get the chance to read the sequel, "the Tyranny of Faith", before it releases on February 16th in the UK. I absolutely loved this follow up as it takes the characters of Konrad Vonvalt, his clerk and apprentice Helena Sedanka and his loyal guard Dubine Bressinger to the centre of the Sovan Empire to confront the conspiracy that led to the tragic events of the first book. Here they are joined Sir Radomir, the Sherriff of the town from their earlier investigation which nicely rounds out the dynamic. The capital of Sova is a nightmare of politics and liars, especially as the leader of the Justices is punished for treason and Vonvalt is catapulted into a new role with little chance to focus on his real issue: Patrian Claver and his ability to harness magic. After the Emperor's grandson vanishes, and Vonvalt's health begins to decline rapidly, the four have to work against the entire system they believe in order to save themselves- and the entire Empire of the Wolf.

This was a stunning sequel and an excellent addition to a detailed, brutal series. I love the way that we see everything through Helena's eyes as an older woman as she writes these books detailing the fall of the Empire. I love her perspective so much and her relationships with the other characters are much more rounded after what she went through in Galen's Vale. I also really enjoyed seeing Konrad Vonvalt, who the reader knows as mostly unshakeable, gradually realise his life is falling apart was so well written and heartbreaking that I genuinely feared for him. One particular death really upset me and I'll miss them in the next books, though I was pleased with how the book ended. The warnings for this book are numerous but not limited to: violence, gore, death and it's not easy reading sometimes. However, I love this series and I can't wait for more!

Definitely reread the first one if you haven't read it for a while! But if you liked the first. You'll love this.
The battle may be over but the war is far from won.
The character development continues strong and the plot and politics of battle and the world rage on.
While the prose had some ups and down in pacing for me. I enjoyed and really enjoyed some plot points from the first one being wrapped up and explained.
I loved this, more than the first I think!
Definetely some anxiety inducing moments and some heart pounding scenes

Quite often when you read the second book in a fantasy trilogy, you can be let down. It lacks the freshness from book one, or the epic climax from book three, and so it can feel like filler content to get from A to B. There are obviously exceptions to the rule. A few that come to mind are Jade War by Fonda Lee, The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (Yes, I did like Well of Ascension) or The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien. With ‘The Tyranny of Faith’, Richard Swan adds his name to that list.

The Empire of the Wolf is in disarray, and only Sir Konrad VonValt and his retinue can put it right. We once again follow the first-person narrative of Helena Sedanka, VonValt’s protégé. And Helena is the first point of growth between The Justice of Kings and The Tyranny of Faith. She has blossomed into a POV that makes the reader feel her emotions. She battles with fear, loss, uncertainty, jealousy, and desire and hence, so do we. While in TJOK, I did enjoy Helena, I found myself wishing we were given a different character as a POV. In TTOF, no such chance. Helena deals with plot/mission/adventure with such bravery, determination, and strength.

The characters of VonValt, Sir Radomir and Bressinger have all been greatly developed too. The latter two often providing comic relief (or often aggravating one another), but we also get to know more about their backgrounds. While VonValt’s ill health leads to us realising that he might not be as perfect a Justice as we think. There are also lots of new and old characters in this story for us to love and hate. Claver’s powers are growing, and he continues to be underestimated by the Empire. I personally wish there had been more page time involving Claver, but it does add to the mystery of his plans and goals for book three.

Next, I need to speak about the plot. This book has one of the most intricate and well-devised plots I have ever read. I believe that A Song of Ice & Fire is the pinnacle of series that are full of such minute and subtle details that you must take everything that happens into consideration, no matter how small. The Tyranny of Faith is a book that makes you do just that. It honestly felt like every single word mattered in this story. Something you would completely overlook would end up being relevant by the end. The were so many little morsels of mystery being revealed and it really keeps you glued to the pages. It reminded me a lot of a Sherlock Holmes story (Which I love, by the way). I love the idea of a mystery plot within another mystery plot. The way Swan links the two and creates one cohesive story is masterfully done.

The magical elements are also elevated in this book. Claver, and his forces, are becoming more adept at magick. New locations are being visited in ‘the afterlife’ thanks to the use of necromancy. But worst of all is that the inhabitants of these arcane places are noticing, and they will not stand by idle.

If Swan can stick the landing for book three, which I undoubtedly think he will, then I believe we could have a new fantasy series that will be talked about for years to come as one of the best. I hate that I now have to wait so long for the next instalment, but by Nema, I’ll be ready when it finally comes around.

The Tyranny of Faith is the second book in the Empire of the Wolf series. It was a fantastic sequel to the first book, the Justice of Kings. The characters continue to be wonderfully written and it was great to be back in this world. The plot was compelling throughout. I would highly recommend checking this series out. I can't wait for the next book to be released.

**Book Review**

The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

With thanks to @netgalley and @littlebrown for the arc.

Okay. This might be premature, but.... I think this will probably be my Book of 2023. It is simply PHENOMINAL.

"Obzinyit utyus"

The sequel to The Justice of Kings, we are reunited with Helena, Vonvalt, Bressinger, and Sir Radomir - with a new and most welcome edition to their merry band, Heinrich 🐕. I love a good investigative mystery - as I've posted before, Wilkie Collins and Arthur Conan Doyle are two of my favourite authors - and this has mystery galore. The first words I wrote as I started reading this were "Russian doll" - nothing is what it seems, and one mystery leads to another to another. A sense of foreboding and quiet dread runs throughout the book, and whilst one can describe it as a fantasy, at times, I found it verging on horror territory, which was deliciously unexpected.

I'm a bit of a history geek, so I found the political machinations and nods to "real life" events (both modern and historical) absolutely fascinating - that tug of war between the monarchy, "parliament" and the Church was perfectly captured.

The plot is well-paced, the characters are thoroughly human, and I particularly enjoyed the further development of Vonvalt. It's also the little details - e.g. the quotes at the start of the chapters - which just immerse you into the world.

I don't usually find myself marvelling at a particular chapter, but the standout for me was xxxii - it was edge of your seat, claustrophobic, nail-biting brilliance.

I did not want this book to finish, and I am so, so glad that there's a third book coming.

ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

The Tyranny of Faith is a great sequel filled with wonderful characterizations, thought-provoking passages, and explosive ending sequences.

“If our lives were inherently meaningless, were we not obliged to extract every happiness from it that we could?”


First things first, if it has been a while since you've read The Justice of Kings and you don't have the time to reread the first book before reading this one, Richard Swan has prepared a detailed recap of what happened in the first book on his website. Make sure to check it out. I used it, too, and I certainly benefitted from it because I read The Justice of Kings in late 2021. And it wouldn’t be right for me to start this review without giving a proper shoutout to the cover artist, Martina Fackova. I thought the cover art to The Justice of Kings, the first book in the Empire of the Wolf trilogy, which features Justice Konrad Vonvalt, was incredibly striking already. However, Fackova topped it even further with the beautiful cover art of The Tyranny of Faith. Helena Sedanka in the cover art looks badass, and I think this is another victorious cover art from the artist and Orbit Books. I am curious to find out what the cover art of the third and final book of the trilogy will look like. The same goes for the content of the third book, too, of course! But all of that remains to be seen. For now, this is my review of The Tyranny of Faith, the riveting sequel to The Justice of Kings.

“No event simply occurs. Each is the culmination of countless factors that trace their long roots back to the beginning of time. It is easy to bemoan an era of great upheaval as a sudden commingling of misfortunes– but the discerning eye of history tells us that there are few coincidences where the schemes of man are concerned.”—JUSTICE (AS HE THEN WAS) EMMANUEL KANE, THE LEGAL ARMOURY: ENTANGLEMENT, NECROMANCY, AND DIVINATION


The story in The Tyranny of Faith continues from where the previous book ended. The Battle of Galen’s Vale is over, but that doesn’t mean the war for the Empire of the Wolf’s future is finished. The majority of the plot in this book takes place in a new setting, the capital city of Sova. And this capital city is evidently gripped by whispers of conflict and rebellion. Justice Konrad Vonvalt, Helena Sedanka, Dubine Bressinger, and Sir Radomir, however, are ordered by the Emperor to focus on a quest to rescue the missing prince first instead. No man is above the law. If you have heard or read a review or two about The Justice of Kings, there is a good chance you would know about this phrase. Law, morality, and justice are some of the main themes of the first book, and if you loved reading about them before, I am confident you will love reading what Swan has in store in The Tyranny of Faith.

“There are times when a guilty person must go free. There are other times when the difference between a just killing and murder is procedural formality.”


I have a difficult time deciding which book I love more, The Justice of Kings or The Tyranny of Faith. Halfway through the novel, I was confident I loved the first book more. This isn't to say The Tyranny of Faith was ever bad or boring to me. Swan's prose did not allow me to feel bored reading his books; if we're speaking of writing quality and memorable passages about justice and morality, this one was unquestionably superior to the first book. But the entire plotline regarding the missing prince almost felt like filler. I knew it wouldn't be the case; there MUST be something important to this plot thread that takes up more or less half of the book. And yeah, there were. But we did not reap the satisfying result until late into the novel. Until we reached the last 30% of the book, the pacing sometimes felt on and off to me. I will go back to talking about the final 30% of the book later. Allow me to say this first. Even though this missing prince quest felt like filler initially, Swan did include many crucial character moments and development as compensation.

“History is neat. It is packaged, artificially broken up into epochs, and dissected remotely, both geographically and temporally, with the benefit of long hindsight. The reality of living through these turbulent times was much different. Matters are insidious. They build up over time, like small pieces of wood being chipped out of a supporting beam. Complexities and nuances are lost in the retelling of the story. Even this personal account omits a great deal.”


Just like in the first book, the narrator of the series is still Konrad Vonvalt's apprentice and protege: Helena Sedanka. This does not change the fact Justice Konrad Vonvalt is one of the main characters. Heck, sometimes I even forgot this book is written from the perspective of Helena just because so many story and conflicts centers around Vonvalt's and his decisions. But comparatively, there were several scenes where Helena shined bright in the spotlight. In The Justice of Kings, Vonvalt, Helena, and Dubine Bressinger were the trio characters of the book. In The Tyranny of Faith, Sir Radomir can now be added to the equation, and the book is better for it. These characters are lonely individuals, and they don't have a lot of, or any, real friends other than each other. I think the relationship development between Konrad Vonvalt and Helena Sedanka will be divisive among readers. Even as I write this review, I am still unsure what to think about it. However, I am confident many will agree it was so good and heartwarming seeing the relationship development between every one of these four characters and having more background revealed on Vonvalt and Dubine.

“It is strange how when two people are of one mind, thoughts can be expressed as clearly as if some third party were to appear out of thin air and speak them aloud.”


To me, one of the most surprising elements of this book was how much the villain grew to become so memorable. We know that Vonvalt wouldn't be the perfect paragon of virtue Helena seemed to think he is. I do not consider it a spoiler at all to say that. But Vonvalt's existence and the tenacity of the law keepers are necessary to fight against the evil that is Bartholomew Claver. My memory of Claver was a bit hazy at first. He felt like a forgettable villain in the first book for the sake of being the target enemy of the main characters. That notion has changed here. I don't want to say much on this, but Claver is a superb example of what would happen if evil is left unchecked for too long.

“In peace send me the kind, the goodly, and the strong of heart. In war give me the cruel, the hardy, those who will act in want of all honour. The latter build nations; the former sustain them.” COUNT HAMER VON SCHOFF, 2ND MARGRAVE OF SEAGUARD


With a more terrifying villain and increasing danger, it is safe to expect the conflict and circumstances our main characters struggled with here to be more threatening. I've mentioned in my review of The Justice of Kings that the world of the series didn't utilize many magicks. Yes, we have Emperor's Voice, used by Justices to command people to answer questions truthfully, but that's mostly it. This situation is no longer the case here. The Tyranny of Faith displayed grimoires, magicks, and supernaturals that are more potent, violent, and destructive in their nature and execution frequently. And the final 30% of the novel was insane, intense, and brimming with explosive action scenes. Swan did a terrific job writing these chaotic scenes, immersing readers into the chaos and stakes of the situation emotionally and vividly with ease. Everything came together in the final pages of the novel nicely. The wait for the final volume of the series, currently planned to be published in 2024, will be painful. But as always, I will be patient.

“Humankind is not so self-terminating that we would allow our greatest quality– that of our capacity for hope– to be fully extinguished. But I shall readily admit that there are times when we are reduced to fanning the embers.” MISTRESS OF THE MAGISTRATUM NEVENKA ZORIĆ


Overall, The Tyranny of Faith is another enthralling volume in the Empire of the Wolf trilogy. Ask me today, and I will say The Justice of Kings in its entirety is a better book, but ask me tomorrow, and I might end up choosing The Tyranny of Faith over it. The halfway portion of the book did feel like filler at times, but it's worth persevering through. The ending sequence of this book was so impactful, and I am eagerly looking forward to reading the third book as soon as possible.

“The Nemans preach that if one is good and moral in the course of their life, paradise awaits them in the afterlife. Well, in my experience the afterlife and everything in it is completely indifferent to us and our ‘souls’. One should lead a good and moral life because that is the right thing to do as an end in itself.”


You can pre-order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel

The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan, the follow-up to The Justice of King ( review here) by Richard Swan was everything I hoped it would be and Empire of the wolf is shaping up to be one of my favourite fantasy series.
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
The book continues to tell the story of Justice Vonvalt through the eyes of his apprentice Helena including his slow descent into the morally grey and the consequences of his single-minded pursuit of Claver, the villain of the first book.
This isn’t a book you can just jump into without having read the first book.
Vonvalt continues to be just a complex as his was in the first book and I love how the author doesn’t sugar coat his flaws but despite this we can still understand why he does what he does.
Helena grows into her own both emotionally and in her own magically abilities- the complicated relationship between Vonvalt and her becomes more complicated in this book but without overwhelming the story and without too much angst (although I would have preferred no angst at all) The friendship between Dubine, Sir Randomir and Helena faces several challenges with a heart-breaking conclusion.
The plot and story races along with action-filled scenes, magic, complicated politics, and betrayals- sometimes I found it hard to keep track of what was happening.
I cant wait to see how Vonvalt’s character continues to develop- will he completely turn to the dark side and can Helena stop him?
This book proves that dark, epic fantasy can be great without women being subjected to graphic violence
Content warning
References to a death of children,torture

Richard Swan's The Justice of Kings is one of the best fantasy books I have ever read and it ultimately ended up being my clear cut choice for top read of 2022. So it goes without saying that the sequel THE TYRANNY OF FAITH had a lot to live up to.

This book is an anxiety-inducing, heartpounding mystery in this world and the next. Very different in scope and stakes than book 1 and just as good. In conclusion, Ì will say that if you loved The Justice of Kings, you will likely enjoy this book as well. The Tyranny of Faith is a riveting read, full of twists and turns and is one of my favourite reads of the year.

I don't even know how I'll go another year without seeing how this concludes!

Thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book did not work out for me. I don't know how much I can discuss without spoiler. It was one of my most anticipated sequel ever. The prose, style, worldbuilding everything felt wooden. The characters were wooden and boring. Vonvalt doesn't have gravity, repeats phrases often and Helena doesn't feel like a female character. Her emotions change so much that it is astonishing. Bressinger was my favourite of the trio so I don't want to talk about the butchering of his character arc and wasted potentials. Maybe the next book will prove me wrong. Here's to hope!

I'm really enjoying this fantasy series. I think it's not going to work for everyone, but it works for me.

This series is actually very easy to read, in terms of writing style. I quite like that it doesn't always feel like a traditional fantasy because it has two story arcs going on - One in which we solve crimes and conspiracy's as essentially investigators and lawyers, and then the more traditional fantasy story of fighting bad guys who want to take over the world. I think having the characters be travelling justices actually means we're seeing this story from a perspective that feels more original. I think as well having this story from Helena's pov is very smart. We get to see that Vonvalt is not infallible, and we see more of how Bressinger and Radomir act when away from him, as their own people.

I actually preferred this installment more than book one. We finally get to see Sova, the heart of the empire, and the inhabitants that make up it's political class and royalty. I think as well that this irons out the balance between the two story arcs much better than book one, as the crime they are investigating actually ties in to the bigger plotline.

The thing I really liked most about this installment was the relationship development. There's definitely an element that isn't going to work for everyone but it worked for me just because I like those kind of dynamics. I also like how Vonvalt keeps adopting strays into his retinue. One of which I love and adore, Heinrich the dog. I'm trying not to get my hopes in regard to certain relationships because I know full well that in fantasy series things don't always have a happy ending.

The one problem I have with this series is it's a little on the nose when it comes to the 'Oh but now we know things went badly!' because we know this is a story being told by Helena decades in the future. It was a little less noticeable in this book but it can get a little bit annoying.

A solid fantasy series with a unique magic system set around justices who travel a declining empire dispelling the Emperors Justice and follows the main characters trying to prevent the Empire from falling.

I did find this instalment to be slightly slower than the first one as the pacing was off in a few places. The main character also got lost in telling the story and you didn’t get a lot of personality from her.

Abstract fantastic sequel. This is slowly becoming my favorite series. Highly recommend it if you enjoy fantasy. Unique and engaging, I cannot wait for book 3.

I loved The Justice of Kings, so was really excited to get my hands on Richard Swan's new novel. I was not disappointed.

The Tyranny of Faith takes all the great things from the first novel and improves upon them. The setting widens to take in much more of the world, and I loved seeing the politics of this place set out. Helena remains a brilliant and enagaging narrator and protagonist, and it was thrilling to see her grow into her role, and become much more cynical about those around her. Vonvalt's journey into a much more morally grey figure was a lot of fun to watch.

This is fantastic, grimdark, pageturning fiction in brilliantly realised world. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this title, in exchange for this honest review.

Don’t let the rating fool you, I actually really loved this book. The prose elegantly flows off the pages and the characters feel raw and real. In fact, I actually enjoyed this more than the first book, which I also quite enjoyed. But why the lower rating, then?

For the longest time, I expected for this book to be a sure five star read. It hooked me from page one and did not let me go until something happened, which displeased me so much, it felt like being thrown off of a train. I’ll just frankly state the two things that each bumped it down a star, before I get back to singing this book’s praises, because it does deserve it. But the romance? Awful. I’m not a fan of mentor and apprentice relationships and this one was no exception. Especially since I was expecting a father-daughter dynamic due to the age-gap and the fact both had other lovers in book one. The second thing is the plot twist. It was too obvious. I won’t elaborate too much, but it was so glaringly obvious I actually got mad at the characters for not even considering it. I was honestly starting to think it would go down that route, because it just seemed so obvious. But, alas.

Now, back to the positive. I loved delving further into Vonvalt going absolutely feral, since that is my favorite type of character arc and I can’t wait to delve further into it in the next book. The narration was, once again, spot on and the overall plot itself was both intriguing and incredibly satisfying, right up until the true perpetrator of the kidnapping was exposed, as I said before: it was too predictable.

Either way, I’m very excited for the final installment of the series.

Update: I’ve thought about it and I’m bumping this back up to four stars, since I may have been unfair about the plot twist. I did still want to shake the characters for not figuring it out, but it didn’t feel fair as this is honestly a great book.

I read an e-ARC of The Tyranny of Faith so thank you to net galley orbit books and Richard Swan for allowing this.

I loved The Justice of Kings so I was excited to read The Tyranny of Faith. This is the second book in the series.

I really enjoyed Helena as the narrator. I thought this was an excellent choice by the author. Helena is Vonvalt’s clerk and assists him as he dispenses justice on behalf of the emperor. Helena gives us a perspective where she’s still learning about the magic the Justices practice and we discover this alongside her. I found this made the magic system feel much easier to understand the explanations really natural. I found the magic really fascinating, we dabble in it in the first book but the second book greatly expands on the uses, specialities and forbidden uses of the magic. I liked how accessible the magic is presented as being. It’s not exclusive to people with pre-disposition to the power, or can be learned by anyone with the discipline and dedication (and access to books/ a teacher). However it’s dangerous in the wrong hands, and throughout these books we always see that actions have consequences.

These aren’t hugely long books, the page count is quite reasonable but the author manages to create such a wonderfully detailed Lore, arcana and world. I was really quite impressed with this. I’ve seen fantasy worlds described in far more depth, and yet much harder to visualise than this one. It’s really excellent storytelling.

A very exciting book. I greatly enjoyed the first book and I was delighted when the second book reached the same high standard set by the first. I loved the mystery elements woven through these books. As a justice, Vonvalt investigates and judges crimes so we see the gradual unravelling of misdeeds at small and large scale throughout these books. It’s excellently blended into the fantasy setting.

I enjoyed the small group of characters. The close company. The dialogue was strong and the personalities felt distinct. The relationships between Helena and the other characters felt natural and progressed in ways that made sense for the story.

I found this to be exceptional fantasy. It felt fresh, as though it was telling a fantasy story but in a way that I didn’t think I’d experienced before. I thoroughly enjoyed this and I will be looking out for more in this series.

One of my favourite reads of the year!

I read The Justice of Kings in January, and it is one of my favourite books of the year. I was, therefore, incredibly excited to continue this series with The Tyranny of Faith. So what did I think?

Let me start by stating that I loved this book. This book delivered on almost every single thing I was hoping to see more of in this series. Firstly, The Tyranny of Faith fully embraces its fantastical elements. Magic and forbidden magic, demons and other horrifying creatures play a significant role in this book! This book was significantly darker than The Justice of Kings, which I loved. Secondly, the plot thickens considerably, and the number of twists and turns makes this a riveting read. Thirdly, this book has an absolutely epic conclusion – one of the most satisfying and page-turning endings I have read. I read the last 125 pages in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. There were so many moments where I literally gasped!

I also love how this story is presented. Similarly to book 1, this book is told through Helena’s point of view and explores the character of Konrad. The fact that the reader knows that Helena and Konrad will survive at least the first two books should make you expect that there wouldn’t be as much tension. However, this book filled me with excitement which goes to show how talented Richard Swan is as an author.

I also love that this book focuses much more on dialogue and exploring characters and themes over action sequences. Yes, there is action in this book, but that is not the main focus. The Empire of the Wolf has made me realise that I need to read more fantasy books that focus more on “dialogue” and “intrigue” over action – recommendations are welcome!

However, I can see some readers having issues with the pacing. The section from 30% to 60% is relatively slow and, initially, almost feels like a “side mission”. However, Swan brilliantly ties everything together in the final act, so I would recommend trusting the process. Everything Swan has put in place serves a purpose for the final act – and the payoff is worth it!

In conclusion, Ì will say that if you loved The Justice of Kings, you will likely enjoy this book as well. The Tyranny of Faith is a riveting read, full of twists and turns and is one of my favourite reads of the year. I can’t wait for the final volume in this series!

4.5 / 5 stars

The follow up to the excellent “The Justice of Kings” a tale narrated by the young Helena Sedanka of her adventures with Konrad Vonvalt who is a Justice and dispenser of the Emperor’s laws and punishment. The first book gave us a sense that all was not well but here they go back to Sova, the capital, to warn of the things they have seen. But they find Sova in a mess and an Emperor not overly interested in heeding their warnings.
In the midst of a crumbling Empire with a dangerous enemy, Can Vonvalt hold to his principles or will he go down himself?
Helena is a great voice, the author gets the balance just right with her youth and immaturity but also her fierce intelligence and enthusiasm. The relationships with her and Vonvalt and her other companions ebb and flow too giving everything a sense of realism and tension.
The book is hugely entertaining and doesn’t go in directions you might expect. The direction of travel for the next book seems obvious but with Richard Swan you know he will surprise and delight you.

Review will be published on Goodreads and Amazon within the two week publication window.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for a free ARC of "The Tyrany of Faith" by Richard Swan.
The second instalment of the "Empire of the Wolf" had a bit of slow start, but did delivered in the second half.
The gorgeous cover got my expectations even higher than the first volume, which was in my top reads of 2022.
I got to enjoy the deeper dives into the worldbuilding and especially the magic system which were fascinating.
The characters are moraly gray and the villan is interesting to discover.
The things that draged at the begining of the story were the repetitive descriptions of Sovan arhitecture and furniture and a few to much foreshadowing, that sometimes felt as spoilers.
With all this said, I still plan to read the next volume in the "Empire of the Solf" and I expect improvement in the conversations around colonialism and feminism.