This was a great debut, and one with an ending that makes me excited to see what's next in store!

There was plenty of action to be had, which was all really descriptive and well-written. I would say at times I would've liked some more emotional moments from Anji and Hawk, gotten to know them a bit better and the world around them - though there is great set up for the next book.

Overall I enjoyed this book, and would recommend to anyone looking for an action packed travel based fantasy novel. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was really interesting, some of the ideas I enjoyed but the execution was quite predictable.

No idea where the comparisons to Joe Ambercrombie come from, there is nothing Grimdark about this.

I think there is a lot to enjoy in this debut. Leikam has a strong voice that is fast-paced with strong imagery, character-building, and fight scenes. The main reason this is a three-star read and not higher is because I found almost every plot beat to be predictable. With every moving piece introduced, I felt like I knew exactly where it was going to end up. The only thing that felt new and fresh was the very last reveal during the final few pages of the book. This leads me into the second reason this is a three-star read for me: Anji Kills a King feels like the first act/half in a much longer book. I feel like I was only just being introduced to the interesting world before the book ended, but without leaving me longing for more. If the more conventional/predictable set-up was in service of a twist half way through a larger book before having the second half explore a very fresh perspective, then I would have appreciated the generic nature much more. Nevertheless, I think fans of fast-paced, action-oriented, travel fantasy will find a lot to enjoy. I will be interested to see the direction of the series moving forward and wouldn't be surprised to find the next entry be a couple of hundred pages longer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a copy of Anji Kills a King.

This was an excellent debut novel that perfectly sets up the opportunity for an even better series.

The characters in this novel are amazing and completely stand out against other fantasy novels in the best way and have more realistic flaws in their decision making that make you love to hate them.

The story throughout is great and well paced and it definitely feels like the first in a series where there’s lots more to uncover. The premise is fab and well introduced, with a great and explosive ending in a really rich and immersive world.

I wasn't the biggest fan of this book.

The positives:

It had a strong start and strong ending. The action really kicked off at the beginning of the book. It jumped right in to Anji killing the king. There was no lead up, so you're just immediately dumped into the plot.

However, the pacing was quite slow throughout the rest of the book as it was quite repetitive. Because it was a travel book, they were basically going from Point A to Point B with lots of things going wrong in between.

The characters were also not very likeable, so I wasn't invested in them. I didn't really care what happened. I found Anji to be selfish. She whined and moaned too much. She was obnoxious and annoying. Kit was sullen and had few redeeming qualities.

2.75 stars rounded up

Anji has just killed a king. Now on the run, she has to navigate the cruel world she’s in, trying to escape the clutches of the Menagerie.

A very well done debut, following fun characters and an interesting world. There is no build up to the story, you are dropped into the murder head first.

The main character was fun, although it felt like she wanted to wretch every other chapter, which eventually became tiresome.

Overall a fun time, 3.5/5. Looking forward to more work from this author.

This was a quick and enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend to everyone.
Anji’s story was one that was different to one that I’ve read before and eventhough it was shorter, it still packed an impact

From the moment I saw the title Anji Kills a King and the classic fantasy-inspired cover, I was hooked. The premise—Anji on the run after assassinating a king—immediately promised a gripping, high-stakes adventure, and the book definitely delivered.

The story wastes no time pulling you in, and I found myself quickly immersed in both the world and the characters’ journeys. While the worldbuilding takes more of a backseat, the fast pace and strong character focus more than make up for it. The writing is clean, accessible, and perfect for readers who might be newer to fantasy or just want a fast, engaging read.

What really stood out to me was the dynamic between Anji and the Hawk. Their banter, tension, and gradual character development were highlights that kept me turning the pages. Even in the darkest moments, their humour and chemistry added a spark that brought the story to life.

Overall, Anji Kills a King is a strong, adventurous fantasy debut filled with sharp dialogue, unlikely allies, and a protagonist you can’t help but root for. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever this author writes next.

Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for this eARC to review.

3.5 rounded up to 4.
Recommended for: fans of gritty dark fantasy who love lots of struggle, violence, dirt, bodily fluids... If you remember that scene from Game of Thrones where Bronn says "men sh-t themselves when they die" and you want that kind of "realism" in your dark fantasy? Then this book is for you. It goes out of the way to portray all the nastiness and misery of poverty, oppression, being a prisoner, etc.

Also if you crave bad@$$ older women characters in fantasy a la The Art of Prophecy. The Hawk is described as "ancient" and "looking at least 60", but she's an extremely competent warrior with some magical skill to boot.

Unfortunately, for me the constant mentions of p-ss, sh-t and other ugly realities are a downside, not an upside, so I'd need a really engaging plot to push through all the deliberately disgusting scenes, like for example when their horse dies an extra gruesome death, eww.

And the plot was... fine, but very slow. The first 40% mostly consisted of:
1) Anji trying to escape, failing, and getting nastily beaten and mocked by the Hawk.
2) Anji trying to start a conversation with the Hawk and being ignored or told to stfu.
3) Some other people trying to take Anji from the Hawk and getting repelled, often violently.

I was very hyped for this release since I've read the deal announcement on the author's social media stating "for fans of Nicholas Eames and Christopher Buehlman", and I loved Bloody Rose and The Blacktongue Thief both. Unfortunately, it misled me. This book isn't funny at all, contrary to the books from the other authors it was compared to. It's not even voicey either, while the Blacktongue Thief was a masterpiece of snarky cynical 1st person narrator, Anji feels very "basic adult fantasy voice" veering into dry and sometimes even overwritten.

Since then, the comps were updated. The US version states "perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, and Christopher Buehlman" and the UK version says "perfect for fans of R.F. Kuang, H.M. Long and R.J. Barker". I think that's closer to its intent, especially the Abercrombie comp. And R. F. Kuang only if you consider "Well, The Poppy War is grimdark and gruesome". Because I think her later works have a different tone, more philosophical than "here we are in mud and crap". Oh, and I guess both The Poppy War and this book tackle the subject of drug addiction.

I wish either the tone wasn't so focused on shock/disgust value, or the plot was piquing my curiosity much more - I felt so kept in the dark with the direction of the plot I wasn't even sure there is any. So in the end, reading this felt like a chore.

Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for the ARC.

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

This book had a solid beginning, a solid ending, and a shaky middle. I think this book’s premise was intriguing but the execution of it was a little underwhelming.

Anji as a character was interesting. She makes a rash decision and then pays for that decision throughout the course of the book. She’s impulsive and desperate and is fighting to survive when a large number of people want her dead.

As I said, the beginning was solid, and the ending was really good. I did predict the ending, but it was well written.

Hawk was an interesting character but I didn’t really feel invested in her? She was just a mean old swordswoman who was intent on taking Anji from point A to point B. Towards the end we did learn more about her but by that point I was just reading the book to get to the end.

I think the middle was shaky because it was a travel book in the sense that they are trying to travel to point B but things keep going wrong. That can be very repetitive, and this book was rather repetitive. I did enjoy the worldbuiling, I liked Anji, and I found the beginning and the ending good. I just feel this one needed a bit more development in the middle.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I saw this compared to the blacktongue thief, so I thought I would really enjoy this, but unfortunately it didn't really work that well for me. I found it difficult to become invested in the characters, and some of the concepts just were not explained well enough. The pacing was also not ideal for me, for example I was expecting some build up to killing the king, but instead it just happens straight away. However, I think this would work for those that enjoy fast paced action focused books.

Anji is an orphaned servant who shoved a letter opener through the king’s throat. Then she is captured by the Hawk, one of the most hardened warriors in the world for a large bounty to be executed.

I liked Anji - she was cheeky and doesn’t know when to shut up. The best predicament for a captive and an old woman who just wants to collect her bounty and maybe not get killed by fellow hunters.

<b>“This isn’t a gods-damned story, you stupid girl! You think a little suffering makes you innocent? You think you’ve earned something? What good is your pain if you learn nothing from it?”
</b>
What hampered my enjoyment was that this was primarily a travel book which I always find gets too repetitive for me. Travel, horse interaction, event, travel.
I never felt an emotional connection to the characters and Anji started to get on my nerves and I love a chatty heroine usually.

There was magic, drugs that turn you into creatures but I could just never visualise anything as nothing was properly explained.

The prose was simple so it was quick to read, but to me, the reveals were obvious so it felt like I was plodding through just to reach the end.
Whilst my my predictions were right, we then get the ending. BAM and I was not expecting that.
I have to admit it was cleverly done and book two can take a whole new direction and tone.

Arc gifted by Titan books.