This was such a great ending to this series! A fantastic, fleshed out world that pulls you right into it. A book that makes you forget you’re reading. Excellently written, flesh out characters… I can’t think of an area where Richard Swan has failed in this book. Just brilliant!

I had a whole life to live, and yet it felt as though I had already lived a whole life.

I took my time, delayed writing this review, and yet I still find myself at a loss for words.

The Empire of the Wolf trilogy is, without a doubt, the best series I have ever read. I know it's a bold statement, but I know what I'm doing and I know I put this trilogy stands shoulder-to-shoulder with other untouchable gods of fantasy.

To express my feelings towards the Empire of the Wolf trilogy, I can't help but think of Helena's quest. It is the nearest thing to show my surfaces that I can't voice: "Sometimes I found him intolerable; other times I craved him as though I were addicted to him. Our lives were so thoroughly and inexorably entwined it was impossible not to think of him constantly."

The Empire of the Wolf trilogy chronicles the story of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, as narrated by Helena Sedanka, his clerk. The tale of the rise and fall of the Sovan Empire, the Empire of the Wolf.

“Do you know, Sir Konrad, that you may just be the most offensively insolent man I have ever met?”

Like the last two books, the story starts where it left off.

Sir Konrad Vonvalt, a talented swordsman, ‘hero of the Reichskrieg’, accused of treason, now is going to bring his greatest weapon to bear, his brain, to break the law only so that it may be saved the law.

But

Such a thing is even possible?!

“There is peace, and there is justice, and these are not the same thing. And whilst the Empire has brought peace, where is the justice for those who died to bring it about?”
“Now you equate justice and vengeance.”
“Sometimes they are one and the same.”

I can tell you that the plot twist in this book is truly unbelievable. The characters are so realistic, the world-building is unique, and the descriptions are so vivid that it feels like watching a movie...

But

I wouldn't say and it doesn't matter, because I may have used similar phrases to describe other books, and this trilogy is not like other books, stands apart from the rest. I don't have much else to say...

Again

I am begging you, dear author, don't stop writing about Sir Konrad Vonvalt, there are many trilogies with more than 3 books... anything... before Rill...

And

Helena don't you DARE keep for yourself!

My huge thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit via NetGalley for giving me the chance to read The Trials of Empire (Empire of the Wolf #3), I have given my honest review with a heavy heart.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley.

This has become one of my favourite fantasy series of all time up there with The Witcher. It is phenomenal. In this trilogy all three books have been five stars.

I think this is perfect not just for fantasy fans, but fans of historical fiction too. The way the book and the characters structure around justice and the law make this such an unusual and fascinating read.

I love that the trilogy is told from the perspective of Helena, an apprentice of the Justice Konrad Vonvalt. Seeing the story from Helena’s perspective lets us learn alongside her, feeding us information about this world’s lore and arcana at a really accessible and digestible pace. Helena herself is a fascinating character who holds up a mirror to others when their decisions are questionable. She often is stuck with moral quandaries and it helps the reader see both sides.

I love the supporting cast in this too. Particularly of the canine variety in book 3. I don’t want to say too much on plot to avoid spoilers for the first two books but I am delighted to say this is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. The story is wrapped up well, the character development over the three books is excellent. My only complaint is that I’m so sad this trilogy is over as I have loved these books!

Five stars from me, highly recommend and will be telling people to read this!

The Tyranny of Faith was my stand-out book of last year, and I was eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this epic trilogy. Guys, it may only be the 2nd January, but once again I find myself struggling to comprehend how any book is going to better this.

The Trials of Empire picks up from where we left off, with Helena, Vonvalt and Sir Radomir. In an effort to avoid spoilers, I'm not going to touch on the plot details - but it is, like it's predecessors, complex and intelligent - a book you don't want to put down, but also don't want to end. At this point, the characters, the lore and underlying plot are already well-developed, so you're pretty much straight into the action. And what action there is! Nail-biting, anxiety-provoking, I often found myself muttering out loud "what the... ?!" It's not just the action that was outstanding; the world-building is epic and so easy to visualise and place yourself in the midst. But for me, the highlight was the dialogue which was phenominal and a stand-out. Take away the action and having just one person speak for pages on end - and have you absolutely captivated - THAT is a skill and one which Swan is gifted with.

The other aspect of this, and arguably the other two in this trilogy, that I personally loved, was the interesting examination of state and religion; the morally grey characters and the questions they present - what wouldn't you do for the greater good? Does doing bad things to prevent a bigger evil make you a bad person? Or, if bourne out of necessity, is that justifiable? I love it when a book makes you reflect on things like this - it stays with you, long after you've finished it.

This is quite probably my favourite all-time book series. I'd highly recommend for fans of Abercrombie's First Law and Anthony Ryan's Covenant of Steel trilogies. I'd also recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy, historical fiction, general fiction, plot-driven, character-driven - you know what, anyone.

A solid 5/5

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
This is a book cannot be read without having read the first two books- the book jumps in straight after the events of Tyranny of Faith where Helena and Konrad are dealing with Bessinger’s death and Carver’s ongoing success in gaining power in Sova. But Helena has additional concerns is Konrad slowly turning to the dark side and becoming more like Carver in his single-minded obsession in stopping him.
Konrad and his slow but sure erosion of his ideals and honour is strong presence throughout the book and you are never sure whether the anti-hero from the second book will become the villain of the third- and this kept me hooked right till the end.
Helena finally comes of age and becomes her own woman, possibly the only person Konrad cares about. Her own doubt about Konrad becomes stronger but she breaks out his shadow to make her own friends and allies as well as her own path.
The Trials of Empire is chockful of action and has much more magic than the other two. The books also shed more light of the religion and society. The world-building continues to be a delight and I love how in this Empire , men and women are equal.
There are some truly gruesome scenes in this book, that definitely gave me the creeps.
Content Warning
Refences to torture and suicide.

Helena, Vonvalt, Sir Radomir, and the Templar von Osterlen are traitors in the eyes of the Empire and have a bounty on their heads. Their primary goal remains the preservation of the Empire, or at least the lawful peace which it had brought about.
Yet, Claver is causing destruction, intent on causing the ruin of the empire. Not to mention, it appears he is receiving assistance from some malevolent entity in the astral plane as the fabric between worlds is thinning, allowing demons loose.

This is a lot more psychological. Contending with the ideal of justice and how it can be manipulated to achieve a greater, better end.
What separates the good guys from the bad? Helena particularly struggles with this as Vonvalt just dives headfirst into a fall into evil practices. The mentee becomes the teacher as she tries to guide Vonvalt so morality.

“I think you can twist facts and arguments to suit your own ends and make anything seem good and honest."
“I would not be much of a lawkeeper if I couldn’t.”

Yet Vonvalt still has the power to compel Helena - not literally, with the Emperor's Voice, but emotionally. She remains, in spite of their growing relationship distance due to growing differences in values, in his thrall.
Vincent believes with steadfast faith that to fail with clean hands was worse than succeeding with dirty ones. He asserts that to adopt the tools and methods of the enemy was the right thing to do if done in furtherance of an ultimate good.
He saw their group, their mission, as a sacrifice - compromising their souls so that others could see the world through eyes unclouded by moral failure.

However, this is destroying Helena from the inside out. Paired with the demons visiting her in reality and her nightmare, she feels she is going insane enduring what no person should have to.
Honestly, kudos to her for not absolutely snapping and going feral.

Sadly, I think this is my least favourite of the series which is gutting as book one was one of my most favourite starts to a fantasy series when I first read that arc last year!
I think it was just too wrapped up in descriptions and convoluted moral ambiguity debates that was pushed in as frequently as possible amidst seemingly impossible battles on both the mortal and immortal realm. And a lot of screaming on Helena’s behalf.
Perhaps because it takes on this much bigger scope dealing with realms of hell and demons whereas book one was more centred in law and mystery rather than fantasy.

Minor spoilers:
The romance between Helena and Vonvalt which totally put me off in book two was thankfully handled better than I feared. I still think it shouldn’t have been included, but I concur an adoration translated into love and desire isn’t totally out of order, but it was just a personal ick for me.

I will definitely look forward to whatever Swan next writes as I do enjoy the debates proposed and the character growth he forces his characters through.
Also, Helena would die for a dog and that is always a redeeming character quality and will always make me like the author.

“One of the greatest feats of human cognisance is to realise and accept that every being capable of thought has a life as complex as one's own."

If you enjoyed this, I would recommended Traitor’s Blade by Sebastian DeCastell or The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson.

Thank you to Orbit for providing an arc in exchange for a review!

Swan has done it again and I can't get over this novel. I'm eager to reread the series since Swans writing is to complex yet easy to read. This is a fitting end to the series.