I don't know how others felt, but I was (an still am) getting tired of fantasy novels inspired by the same old myths, folklores, etc..., so I always get hyped whenever there is a new fantasy series like The Gryphon King. Like all books, some could be downers, but this wasn't the case at all!

I got right into it and only stopped because I was forced to because otherwise I wouldn't have put it down. Yes, I thought it was good.

I loved the inspiration behind it. I loved the characters. I loved the setting and tha magical aspect. Basically, I loved every tiny comma in it.

This was an interesting read. I would first warn anyone to first read the trigger warnings before reading this book, as it is quite brutal and there is a lot of death happening throughout most of the story. It starts even in the prologue where a child is brutally killed by a gryphon.

It really is a fantasy heavily focused on war, conquest, and political intrigue, and I think it does do a good job writing it in a cohesive story that keeps it interesting. I think the more fantastical elements helped keep it interesting as well such as there being gryphons, pegasus, ghouls, demons, etc. However, I felt that the explanation and worldbuilding of some of those aspects were lacking. The main thing I was confused about was the religion/afterlife most people followed as it seemed like it varied depending where someone was from but I don't think it was ever explained. Nor Bataar and his ability to see souls even though it's mentioned from the beginning, we only get small hints regarding the ability.

I liked that there was not a lot of romance throughout because I think it would have felt out of place, and the romance that was included was incorporated well. This was because the main relationship was already established between Bataar and Qaira, and so it focuses more on the emotional relationship between husband and wife. But also in addition the relationship Qaira tries to form with Nohra, and I am curious to see how this further plays out.

I will admit that I was confused throughout the book since there are so many characters mentioned, with some playing big roles and other minor ones, but that is mostly a me issues and there is a guide at the beginning that would be useful if reading a physical copy. I'm quite curious as to what will happen in the next book based on how this one ended.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy in exchange for a review!

The press and early praise for this book enticed me to pick it up, though I do not read a lot of fantasy. I don't know the tropes, and I haven't read a lot of the titles this book is compared to, so this review is rather virginal in that sense.

I was intrigued by the promise of a Southwest Asian/Turkish-inspired world, a grisly opening (look, I normally read women's fiction and romance, so this surprised me too, maybe it's like the car crash you can't look away from), and an intriguing romance (there we go).

The book satisfied on all counts. I started reading at the exact right time because the author had just posted the world's map on her Instagram, so I was able to track the conquering armies and the main kingdom where the action took place. The descriptions of the landscape, people, animals and monsters, and culture were immersive while remaining relatable. (That's pretty hard to do.)

The grisly opening set the tone for the whole book, and I was here for it. This is a story about a man obsessed with conquering the world so he can make it the way he thinks is best. And about a woman who is raised to fight against invaders like him. They get bloody. I especially appreciated the careful way the author treated disabilities (in general and from injuries) and called out ableism. I don't expect that kind of thing in stories like this. It felt true to the characters and the place/time.

The romance...it's so good. It sneaks up on you. It wasn't what I expected. I need the next book(s) as soon as possible, please, to see this out.

Unfortunately this just isn't for me. I enjoyed the start but then it abruptly jumps 10 years and I just didn't take to the characters from then on. The writing style didn't work for me it felt jerky at times and so much description given to food or gore where I would of rather had info on say the 10year jump! I found the actions/reactions of the characters a bit weird and just didn't really care for how they were going to move forward.
Thanks to Titan Books and Netgalley for the arc, all thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

This book was not at all what I expected with such a heavy focus on battle and violence, but once I settled in I found it to be a deeply compelling and epic read. The prose was excellent and really established a strong voice that I was instantly drawn to. The story flowed well and kept me needing to know more about Bataar and the brutal battles that he wages across his world. Overall it felt like reading a movie, and while I think that led to a bit of emotional detachment from the characters it made for a very satisfying reading experience. I never quite knew what was coming around the corner and I was hooked for the whole read.

This was a really good, immersive read. The worldbuilding is really rich and detailed full of fabled beasts and monsters, impressive lore, religion, politics, and war. It's super grimdark, so it won't be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.

The characters were fascinating. And well written. The shift in perspective in the last chapter was incredibly well done.

I loved Qaira and Nohra and their dynamic. Nohra is so bound up in her faith and her oaths, but she's also incredibly headstrong and brash and doesn't think things through like she should. Qaira, when we first meet her as a child, is timid and shy, but she really blossoms as a grown woman.

Bataar is another interesting character as we see the moment he becomes a man and then later watch him as a man lead a campaign to unite the continent in a bloody war. He wrestles with his conscience as he makes the questionable decisions he must take in war.

My biggest complaints were the pacing through the middle was quite slow. I never wanted to stop reading, but I did find myself losing focus.

I also struggled with the sheer number of characters. It was hard to keep track of who was who sometimes and their roles and relationships. In a society where multiple wives and concubines is common, it's easy to get lost in siblings and cousins. I think the book could have done without quite so many secondary characters.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eArc in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately I DNF'd after 3 chapters.

What I loved
The female characters in chapter 2
The set up of some complex religion, philosophy and family dynamics (I love this in a fantasy)

What I disliked.
Every other page is violence.
Bataar. I didn't click with his character at all.
There is something about the pacing that is off for me.

I'm glad that others have enjoyed this. The premise sounds great, but it just wasn't for me. Tempted to maybe come back to it another day and try again

I think it's full of fantastic ideas but ultimately the writing was really clunky and distracting. I've been putting it down and picking it back up over a couple of weeks and only reading a couple of pages at a time before wanting to quit again.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

very well written fantasy work. the influences are clear but the story pulls unique ideas out of everywhere. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of The Gryphon King.

***Review Summary:***
Unfortunately, although I was really excited about this book, I'm DNF'ing it on page 115 due to it being too stomach-turning for me. Although I am the wrong reader for this book, I am sure others will love it — this is just a case of the book being a bad fit for the reader.

I knew this book was going to have violent and potentially gory scenes, but I didn't expect them to be anywhere near as frequent. On page 72, I jotted down a note that we had yet to experience one entire scene without either violence or gore, including graphic descriptions of animal death by hunting and a small child being eaten alive by animals.

Additionally, the characters are described as morally ambiguous in the book description, but I want to stress that the book goes hard with this. The main POV character was so devoid of redeeming features (at least, up until page 115) that I couldn't enjoy reading his sections.

Of course, these two points could be the exact reason why another reader loves the book. As I said, bad fit, not a bad book, which is why I haven't given it a lower score.

***Detailed Review:***
Let's start with the positives. There were some things that I liked about the book: the setting, the mythical creatures, the bi and sapphic representation, the relationships between the sisters Nohra and Safiya and between Nohra and her friends. I also appreciated the lack of sexual assault and rape — although one character is chemically castrated.

However, our main POV character for the first 115 pages is Bataar, the Gryphon King, and I couldn't stand him.

The book was marketed as having morally ambiguous characters, but by page 115, I still hadn't seen any ambiguity in Bataar. What I personally consider "morally ambiguous" is something like Game of Thrones. I expect characters in impossible situations forced to choose between two evils, or doing bad things to protect others, or at least having a compelling reason for their actions. Instead, in The Gryphon King, we get a man who invades country after country just because he wants to — not even because there are ongoing border raids or anything like that, but because he can. And that's all he does, i.e. there's nothing good to balance that with, beyond one thing he does as a child. If I'm honest, I couldn't help but think of Putin during some of Bataar's POV scenes.

To be fair to Bataar, on page 88 he does give a moral excuse for all the violent battles he's been waging, but I'm saying excuse for a reason: it's utterly unconvincing. It's a throwaway thought that there won't be as many social wrongs in his empire (never mind all the people he's already slaughtered), and then he goes back to planning his invasions.

I also found Bataar to be prejudiced and just outright annoying. There's an ally that he needs but dislikes, so Bataar starts a juvenile pissing-contest (metaphorical, not literal) with him, insulting his ally, attacking his ally's hunting birds, and taking his family heirloom off him.

Bataar isn't the only flawed POV character. We also get some scenes with Nohra, who is dogmatic and xenophobic. However, the book showed how she came to be that way so I was left hoping to see character growth from her, while I just found Bataar to be distasteful.

Leaving aside the characters, I also found that the writing was at times awkward. And although it might sound contradictory, I also found it both over- and under-explains. Social interactions? Over-explains. Big picture things? It under-explains, meaning that large sections of the book felt in media res. It also felt like the characters were keeping big-picture secrets from the reader, like who Nohra is going to marry. It states several times in the text that Nohra isn't happy about her upcoming marriage before we finally discover who she's going to marry. And at one point, we learn that a decade has passed a full nine pages into the new time period. But of course, I might have had more patience for this had I not disliked Bataar so much.

I saw some fantastic reviews for this before I even picked it up and it did not disappoint. This is a sweeping fantasy that manages to establish a whole world of empires, governments, monarchies, and complex families just within the first 100 pages. I would expect this rate of worldbuilding to leave me a little bemused and following along hoping it all made sense later, but with this book I was entirely gripped and doing my best to follow each detail to see how they would play out. And truly I never guessed correctly where the plot would go next.
Who was I supposed to be rooting for? Is this a romance? Are they betraying each other? I spent a wonderful few days completely immersed in this world and I'm already eager for Book 2 of the trilogy.
A vicious, violent book that I thoroughly enjoyed

Really fascinating dynamics between the characters but Batar was really interesting and I loved the evolution of all the characters.

Thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This was an ambitious debut! Set in a world inspired by Southwest Asia, this book is packed full of mythological creatures, incredible characters, politics and battles. We follow Bataar who intends to rule the continent, and his clash with kingdoms. We see the moment that made him change from boy to man, and then we see him as a man, pushing onwards in his attempt to rule the continent, which takes him to Dumakra, where he clashes with Nohra and her sisters.

From there is a political struggle, and I found that aspect so interesting, especially with Nohra trying to find a way out of the situation she's in as well as realising she's becoming closer to Bataar's wife, Qaira. This is a brutal book full of battles, plays for powers, and shifting dynamics between the characters. I loved the mythological creatures and I found them terrifying and interesting.

I also loved how queer-normative this world is and I'm very excited to see where the story goes between Bataar, Nohra, and Qaira. I definitely recommend picking this book up if you're interested in epic fantasy and mythological creatures!

A very intriguing epic fantasy if there ever was one, the worldbuilding was intricate and immersion. The relationship dynamics between Bataar, Nohra and Qaora were fascinating. Bataar was a ruler you were rooting for and Nohra saving her people meshing well with her character development amd built who she us. I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend for readers looking for their next epic fantasy reader!

The story had a unique concept that pulled me in right away. Even though some elements felt predictable, the emotional payoff was strong. It’s a comforting read with just enough depth to keep you thinking.

The Gryphon King is an ambitious and immersive fantasy debut set in a world inspired by Southwest Asia—a region we see far too little of in fantasy. The cultural depth is stunning: from architecture and climate to food, clothing, and ceremony, the setting feels rich, lived-in, and refreshingly different.

Although this is a fantasy book, this is a brutal, political, and impressively realist story full of layered dynamics and shifting power. I also loved that queerness is seamlessly accepted in the world—no angst, no explanation, just a natural part of society. More of that in fantasy, please.

The protagonists, Nohra and Bataar, are adults (!!!) navigating their own high-stakes paths before their stories intersect in a slow burn that feels mature and deliberate. It was so refreshing to follow characters shaped by experience, and who have their own developed personalities and agendas while interacting with each other.

If I had one small note, it’s that I wanted more insight into their emotional worlds— it wasn’t always clear to me why the characters acted the way they did. But that’s a tiny issues I had in a debut this layered.

Thank you so much to Sara Omer for the ARC!

This review will be posted in the publication month on my socials, as requested.

The strength of this book lies in the worldbuilding and the complexity of both characters and plots.
There is Southwest Asian mythology, mythical creatures, and two main protagonists that are really interesting and well thought-out.

The book has an intriguing and breath-taking start, and I truly thought I would very much enjoy the tale of the conqueror and the warrior princess.

Sadly, something about the pacing and/or the prose took me out of the story quite fast, and even when things picked up toward the end, it has lost me already.

I wanted to love this, but I have to end up at 3/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @titanbooks for the eARC!

#TheGryphonKing #Netgalley #Bookstagram

"The Gryphon King" was intriguing. I am always looking for fantasy books who draw on the south west of Asia or central Asia, so I was excited.

The worldbuilding is nice. There is a great sense of environment (moutainous and steppes), with creatures like gryphon and pegasus (not gentle pegasus). The societies are also quite well thought and diverse, drawing a nice political map.

Unfortunately, there was something in the writing that threw me off. I didn't really want to come back to the world and found myself skimming a bit. The dissonnance between the language used and the world portrayed, as well as the type of plot and characters the story is carrying wasn't to my taste. Is it bad? No. But I need to be invested in a story to gave it my attention, and here, I couldn't, which is a shame.

I might come back to the book in a few weeks or months, because I really want to get lost in the story, with horses, gryphons and political struggle (despite my usual dislike of book centered around political intrigue). And Baatar, of course. I like him, somehwat, I didn't get far enough to really see any romance, so here's another reason to try again, in hopes of being in a better mindset for the book (and I will change my review if this time comes).

I really enjoyed the world building in The Gryphon King, but the pacing threw me off. The start of the book and the last 20% were intriguing and well-paced, but the middle meandered and lost my interest at several points.

That said, The Gryphon King was a unique read and obviously setting up the stage for a longer series, which I’ll absolutely read. I loved the queernorm world too.

THE GRYPHON KING is intricate in its political intrigue, delightful in its conflict and tension, brilliant in the complexity of characters, and a wonderfully mythic story of love and sacrifice.

For those into action-packed fantasy with great character banter and relationship tensions!