Fantasy

The Empire's Ruin

The Empire's Ruin

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  • Create Date：2021-07-30 09:51:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Brian Staveley
  • ISBN：150982300X
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Summary

'Epic in every sense of the word' - Nicholas Eames

One soldier will bear the hopes of an empire

The Kettral were the glory and despair of the Annurian Empire – elite soldiers who rode war hawks into battle。 Now the Kettral’s numbers have dwindled and the great empire is dying。 Its grip is further weakened by the failure of the kenta gates， which granted instantaneous access to its vast lands。

To restore the Kettral， one of its soldiers is given a mission。 Gwenna Sharpe must voyage beyond the edge of the known world， to the mythical nesting grounds of the giant war hawks。 The journey will take her through a land that warps and poisons all living things。 Yet if she succeeds， she could return a champion， rebuild the Kettral to their former numbers – and help save the empire。 The gates are also essential to the empire’s survival， and a monk turned con-artist may hold the key to unlocking them。

What they discover will change them and the Annurian Empire forever – if they survive。 For deep within the southern reaches of the land， a malevolent force is stirring 。 。 。

'Brilliant' - V。 E。 Schwab on Skullsworn

'Will keep you turning pages late at night' Pierce Brown on The Emperor's Blades

The Empire's Ruin is the first book in the epic Ashes of the Unhewn Throne trilogy by Brian Staveley。

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Reviews

Michael Johnson ，

The worst part about this book is now I probably have to wait a year before the next one comes out。 There is a certain character who is introduced a bit before the halfway point that completely stole the show。Moira Quirk headlines a brilliant audio cast alongside great performances from Joe Jameson and Oliver Cudbill。Brian Staveley has put together a treasure and I'm excited to dig further into the Ashes of the Unhewn Throne The worst part about this book is now I probably have to wait a year before the next one comes out。 There is a certain character who is introduced a bit before the halfway point that completely stole the show。Moira Quirk headlines a brilliant audio cast alongside great performances from Joe Jameson and Oliver Cudbill。Brian Staveley has put together a treasure and I'm excited to dig further into the Ashes of the Unhewn Throne 。。。more

Michelle ，

** I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 This book was published on July 6， 2021 in the US。 ** Possible Triggers:DEATH | Mutilation | Torture | graphic graphic Violence/Gore | talk of RapeSummary:This is the first book in a new series by Brian Staveley。Characters:The story follows between 3 different sets of characters for its entirety。There are so many awesome characters in this book that it's difficult to choose a favorite。 There are multi ** I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 This book was published on July 6， 2021 in the US。 ** Possible Triggers:DEATH | Mutilation | Torture | graphic graphic Violence/Gore | talk of RapeSummary:This is the first book in a new series by Brian Staveley。Characters:The story follows between 3 different sets of characters for its entirety。There are so many awesome characters in this book that it's difficult to choose a favorite。 There are multiple ‘main’ characters but also a fair bit of secondary characters that you get to follow alongside for a vast portion of the story。 Strong female characters， morally grey ones， down right naughty naughty’s， and highly principled rigid folk。Rat: My absolute favorite character in the entire book。 I love her interaction with everyone。 I love her fierce loyalty （and hatred）。 I love how she humanized other people by just existing。 There is so much about the character that I want to know more about; that I can't wait to experience with her as she （hopefully） ages throughout the series。 I just wanna round shouting “spoilers” because there is so much awesome stuff I can't talk about that makes her such a cool character。Positives:+ The characters！ Holy heck do we have some really awesome characters！！！ Gwenna Sharpe！ Rat！ Ruc！ You go through their history， their breakings， their risings。 The awesome way they interact with others both in league with themselves and against them。 The characters are absolutely a strong strong factor in why I really enjoyed this book。 I can’t wait to see what happens to them in the subsequent books。+ The stakes are SO freaking high。 I love that everything in this book has a freaking cost。 A cost to humanity， sanity， personal well being。 There IS always a cost。 I love that。 Making a good decision - consequences。 Bad decisions- consequences。 NO DECISION… consequences。+ So much cool stuff in this book。 Old and new gods （of various cultures）。 Ancient civilizations。 Magics。 Technologies。 Strange religions。 Really I have a hard time even focusing on which thing to rant and rave about the most。 ALL OF THE THINGS。Final Thoughts:I struggled hard with reading the first 50% of this book。 It wasn’t because it was uninteresting， or badly written， or not a fully realized and immersive world/story with fascinating characters。 It was absolutely all of those things and so much more。 Can an author be too good at writing hopelessness and despair and you just read a book at the wrong time to NOT be able to take that well？ Staveley has a way of really making the feelings bloom inside you while you are reading and this book had some intense freaking feelings throughout the entire thing。 That being said… holy crap。。 You are absolutely missing out on SO MUCH if you don't get past the 50% mark。 If you like your books with HIGH freaking stakes， cultures that are completely unlike our own， steamy steamy violent and terrifying jungles/continents， GIGANTIC birds， monsters in both human and horror-fueled forms， ancient races， and old and new gods alike… hold on to your butt， because this book is going to take you all of the places。I need more people to talk about this book with。。。 。。。more

Ella （The Story Collector） ，

The Kettral were once a force to be reckoned with – elite soldiers of the Annurian Empire who rode massive war hawks into battle。 But the Kettral’s numbers have dwindled to almost nothing and the empire is on it’s last legs。 Gwenna Sharpe， Kettral commander， is given a mission to voyage into unknown lands to find the nesting ground of the giant war birds and rebuild the Kettral to their former glory。The Empire’s Ruin is the first book in the epic fantasy series， The Ashes of the Unhewn Throne。 T The Kettral were once a force to be reckoned with – elite soldiers of the Annurian Empire who rode massive war hawks into battle。 But the Kettral’s numbers have dwindled to almost nothing and the empire is on it’s last legs。 Gwenna Sharpe， Kettral commander， is given a mission to voyage into unknown lands to find the nesting ground of the giant war birds and rebuild the Kettral to their former glory。The Empire’s Ruin is the first book in the epic fantasy series， The Ashes of the Unhewn Throne。 This is a continuation of Staveley’s previous series， Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne， but it is absolutely not necessary to have read any of the previous books to enjoy this one – I haven’t and I don’t feel that any information or context was missing at all （although， I do now want to read all of Staveley’s books）。The narrative follows three main POV characters， with mostly separate plots: Gwenna Sharpe travelling in search of the nesting ground of the giant war hawks; Ruc， a Vuo Ton-turned-Preist-of-Eira surviving the Arena in Dombang; and Akiil， a monk-turned-con artist carrying out his own agenda in Annur。 I thoroughly enjoyed all three storylines， but especially Gwenna’s。 She’s the perfect troubled heroine and her quest into Menkiddoc was definitely the most interesting to me。 （I would love for her to meet Ryhalt from Ed McDonald’s Raven’s Mark trilogy）。Staveley’s world-building is incredible。 The story launches straight into action from page one， but the setting is still somehow created with complete clarity， and only gets better as the characters spread out into different locations。 This is high fantasy on an epic scale， and the world-building plays a big part in that。 The scale of the thing felt reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings to me， but without the pages of lore。 In fact， every second of this book was completely plot-driven which really surprised me considering the size of it。 At 700+ pages long， I expected The Empire’s Ruin to be a bit long-winded， but it isn’t。 I loved every word。I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Deb ，

The Empire’s Ruin is the beginning of a new epic fantasy series。 The action and the vivid imagery pulled me in from the very beginning and did not cease through this adventure。 The characters are complex and world building is fantastic。 This book has everything a grimdark fantasy fan craves。 Special thanks to NetGalley， Brian Staveley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge， for the advanced copy of The Empire’s Ruin。

Robin （Bridge Four） ，

This review was originally posted on Books of My HeartReview copy was received from Publisher。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。The Empire's Ruin is the first book in The Ashes of the Unhewn Throne series set about five years after all the events in the parent series the Chronical of the Unhewn Throne 。 I was on the fence about if I wanted to jump into this series。 The reason， I loved the first two books of the Unhewn Throne but the third really didn't This review was originally posted on Books of My HeartReview copy was received from Publisher。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。The Empire's Ruin is the first book in The Ashes of the Unhewn Throne series set about five years after all the events in the parent series the Chronical of the Unhewn Throne 。 I was on the fence about if I wanted to jump into this series。 The reason， I loved the first two books of the Unhewn Throne but the third really didn't live up to my extremely high expectations。 Staveley is a great writer though and I loved Gwenna from the first series so I gave it a try and I am not disappointed。 This is a series you really need to have read the parent series， at least up to the third book to really get a lot of the history， especially of the Kettral。Gwenna， was probably my favorite female character from the parent series。 She is a fiery girl who likes to blow stuff up and has proved her strength in so many situations。 She came to leadership through some hard battles and rolled the dice and won so many times she sometimes feels invincible and that every crazy plan is going to work， until it didn't。 She made some calls and lost the last Kettral and a few of her team。 Now she has to go on some crazy mission in hopes of redeeming herself and the mistakes she has made。 It is a hard road out of that dark place she is in with her confidence lost。 She will pick up a few new friends along the way and make plenty of enemies。 Her story is action packed in a strange land with danger and monsters around every corner。 My favorite new ally was Rat， a little girl in this monstrous land with a lot of fight in her。Ruc was a priest of the goddess of love。 Well at least that is the role he has played for the last fifteen years， prior to that he was raised by godlike creatures in what basically amounted to a swamp。 He learned how to kill， how to hunt and how to live in the swamp until he found he was also supposed to kill the humans that came there as tribute。 He is trying so hard to suppress the violence inside him which becomes neigh on impossible once his temple is burnt down and he is thrown into a gladiator style competition with his long time lover， Baen。 They will have to escape if they really want to survive， but they will also need to hurry because a new God is headed to his city and that God wants all to live in chains of submission。This story line was just as exciting as Gwenna's， probably because I always enjoy Gladiator type scenarios in stories and I really wanted to learn more about Ruc's past， living with two of The Three （the gods of the city he currently lives in）。 Plus this is the only story that had any hint of love/romance not that those ever seem to work out in Staveley books。 Ruc and Baen do love each other but have both been keeping pretty big secrets， so I'm not sure they will survive the series， let alone come out the other side still connected by love。The last PoV that really gets the least amount of time in this story is Akiil。 He was one of the monks who grew up with Aidan from the first series and we met him briefly。 He has pretty much been a grifter since the destruction of his Order of Monks。 He has come to the capitol to perform the biggest grift of his life on the Emperor。 There are transportation gates you can use if you know how to get to the right mindset， Akiil is going to temp the Emperor with the idea that he can train her how to use those gates。 She is going to need them with the Kettral gone and her empire in trouble from multiple sides。 If she is going to hold onto power， she will need something huge to help her。This was a pretty action packed story and I really had a great time being in the world。 All the PoVs were interesting but Gwenna's and Ruc's PoVs were so intense at times。 I love Staveley's prose; he is so good at describing what things feel like and the flow of the story is really strong。 He really is a great fantasy writer， here is hoping he doesn't break me in my journey through his new series。 Narration: As a reader I really appreciate when there are multiple narrators for different PoVs。 Moira Quirk did a great job with capturing the spunk， depression and desperation in Gwenna's chapters。 Her representation of Rat and all the other characters really made them come to life。 Joe James0n and Oliver Cudbill also were fantastic in really bringing their PoVs to life and making the listener really feel the danger and hope the characters have。 This is a series where the audio helps make the book even better。 I was able to listen at my usual 1。5x speed。Listen to a clip: HERE 。。。more

Anne - Books of My Heart ，

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart Review copy was received from Publisher。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。The Empire's Ruin is the first book in The Ashes of the Unhewn Throne series set about five years after all the events in the parent series the Chronical of the Unhewn Throne 。  I was on the fence about if I wanted to jump into this series。  The reason， I loved the first two books of the Unhewn Throne but the third rea This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart Review copy was received from Publisher。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。The Empire's Ruin is the first book in The Ashes of the Unhewn Throne series set about five years after all the events in the parent series the Chronical of the Unhewn Throne 。  I was on the fence about if I wanted to jump into this series。  The reason， I loved the first two books of the Unhewn Throne but the third really didn't live up to my extremely high expectations。  Staveley is a great writer though and I loved Gwenna from the first series so I gave it a try and I am not disappointed。  This is a series you really need to have read the parent series， at least up to the third book to really get a lot of the history， especially of the Kettral。Gwenna， was probably my favorite female character from the parent series。  She is a fiery girl who likes to blow stuff up and has proved her strength in so many situations。  She came to leadership through some hard battles and rolled the dice and won so many times she sometimes feels invincible and that every crazy plan is going to work， until it didn't。  She made some calls and lost the last Kettral and a few of her team。  Now she has to go on some crazy mission in hopes of redeeming herself and the mistakes she has made。  It is a hard road out of that dark place she is in with her confidence lost。  She will pick up a few new friends along the way and make plenty of enemies。  Her story is action packed in a strange land with danger and monsters around every corner。  My favorite new ally was Rat， a little girl in this monstrous land with a lot of fight in her。Ruc was a priest of the goddess of love。  Well at least that is the role he has played for the last fifteen years， prior to that he was raised by godlike creatures in what basically amounted to a swamp。  He learned how to kill， how to hunt and how to live in the swamp until he found he was also supposed to kill the humans that came there as tribute。  He is trying so hard to suppress the violence inside him which becomes neigh on impossible once his temple is burnt down and he is thrown into a gladiator style competition with his long time lover， Baen。  They will have to escape if they really want to survive， but they will also need to hurry because a new God is headed to his city and that God wants all to live in chains of submission。This story line was just as exciting as Gwenna's， probably because I always enjoy Gladiator type scenarios in stories and I really wanted to learn more about Ruc's past， living with two of The Three （the gods of the city he currently lives in）。  Plus this is the only story that had any hint of love/romance not that those ever seem to work out in Staveley books。  Ruc and Baen do love each other but have both been keeping pretty big secrets， so I'm not sure they will survive the series， let alone come out the other side still connected by love。The last PoV that really gets the least amount of time in this story is Akiil。  He was one of the monks who grew up with Aidan from the first series and we met him briefly。  He has pretty much been a grifter since the destruction of his Order of Monks。  He has come to the capitol to perform the biggest grift of his life on the Emperor。  There are transportation gates you can use if you know how to get to the right mindset， Akiil is going to temp the Emperor with the idea that he can train her how to use those gates。  She is going to need them with the Kettral gone and her empire in trouble from multiple sides。  If she is going to hold onto power， she will need something huge to help her。This was a pretty action packed story and I really had a great time being in the world。  All the PoVs were interesting but Gwenna's and Ruc's PoVs were so intense at times。  I love Staveley's prose; he is so good at describing what things feel like and the flow of the story is really strong。  He really is a great fantasy writer， here is hoping he doesn't break me in my journey through his new series。 Narration: As a reader I really appreciate when there are multiple narrators for different PoVs。  Moira Quirk did a great job with capturing the spunk， depression and desperation in Gwenna's chapters。   Her representation of Rat and all the other characters really made them come to life。  Joe James0n and Oliver Cudbill also were fantastic in really bringing their PoVs to life and making the listener really feel the danger and hope the characters have。  This is a series where the audio helps make the book even better。  I was able to listen at my usual 1。5x speed。Listen to a clip:  HERE 。。。more

Sandra ，

Can i read this without reading any of the other books first？

Ned Lud ，

Despite my issues with this piece of work， it definitely merits 5 stars。 Masterful prose and violent as fuck。 Good stuff！

Neo ，

loved it。

Munch ，

I was sent a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review。3。75When I found out that Gwenna， one of my favourite characters from the other series， was one of the main characters in this， I was so hyped！ I have to say， it did take me much longer to get into this than the other books but once I was， I got much more invested。 Of course Gwenna's chapters were my favourite， no surprise there。 Though she did spend， in my opinion， too much time wallowing in guilt and grief （I know， I' I was sent a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review。3。75When I found out that Gwenna， one of my favourite characters from the other series， was one of the main characters in this， I was so hyped！ I have to say， it did take me much longer to get into this than the other books but once I was， I got much more invested。 Of course Gwenna's chapters were my favourite， no surprise there。 Though she did spend， in my opinion， too much time wallowing in guilt and grief （I know， I'm a monster）。 I just wanted her to snap out of it。 Rat， I think was who saved the day， I adored her！ Their relationship was so great， I loved every minute of it。 I can't wait to see what they get up to in the next one。Akiil grew on me as his story played out but I just couldn't make myself care that much about him。 Thankfully his chapters aren't that long or frequent。 I loved Yerrin though :）。 I think Akiil will have more involvement in the next book so we'll see if I become more attached to him。Ruc and Bien's chapters are definitely my least favourite。 I found a lot of their conversations involved them saying "I'm a terrible person" "No， I'M a terrible person" to each other， when all I wanted was training scenes and gladiator type fights。 Even the side characters didn't help， I think I was supposed to find them entertaining but I ended up be more irritated with them， except one but I can't tell you who it is because spoilers。 I think a lot of the beginning of their story could have been cut down。Overall I loved parts of this and was a bit meh about others。 If you enjoyed the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne then this is definitely worth a read。 。。。more

Whimsy Dearest ，

I have a confession to make。 This is my first time reading a book set in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne universe。 I was almost hesitant to The Empire's Ruin by Brian Staveley at first since it is a spin off series and I’ve been afraid to commit to yet another huge epic fantasy series。 However， I’m glad I made the plunge。 Staveley paints a richly-imagined world and well-fleshed out characters， and despite its honking 700+ length， the pace does not relent and never once did I find myself bored I have a confession to make。 This is my first time reading a book set in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne universe。 I was almost hesitant to The Empire's Ruin by Brian Staveley at first since it is a spin off series and I’ve been afraid to commit to yet another huge epic fantasy series。 However， I’m glad I made the plunge。 Staveley paints a richly-imagined world and well-fleshed out characters， and despite its honking 700+ length， the pace does not relent and never once did I find myself bored with the story。This book is the first in a new trilogy and takes place 5 years after the events of The Last Mortal Bond。 The Annurian Empire is deteriorating， and the story alternates between 3 converging storylines:Gwenna: A disgraced commander is sent to a deadly continent in search of prized war bird eggs in order to change the tides of war。 However， the land itself is twisted with a strange sickness that transforms all life it touches and anyone who has traveled there does not come back alive … or is driven mad。 Akiil: A con artist monk schemes to weasel the emperor out of money by claiming he can teach her how to use kenta gates—ancient magical artifacts that can quickly transport someone across the world in a single bound。 However， he only knows how to use the kenta in theory， and soon he finds himself caught in between a rock and a hard place。Ruc: A priest of the goddess of love has a bloody past。 However， when he finds himself thrown into a gladiator-style arena pit to fight for his survival， he must wrestle with his own beliefs。I was initially intrigued by this book because Gwenna’s storyline sounded like a fantasy spin on Annihilation and oh， boy it did not disappoint in that department。 This book delivers oodles of body horror and terrifying monstrosities。 Even Ruc’s storyline had me hollering at the end too。 All and all， The Empire’s Ruin represents what I love most about epic fantasy: a fantastical world to get immersed in alongside compelling characters to root for。 There are warring gods and ancient races， and even though I’m a newcomer， I still found the world and its history accessible。 Thank you， NetGalley and Tor Books， for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Karen ，

I just really really love this world & all the characters。 Had to pauze for a bit because I was really convinced one of my favs would turn bad and honestly， I just couldn’t cope。 Loved every page。 Hopefully the wait won’t be too long。 Highly recommended ❤️

Lexi ，

Fucking amazing， but only if you've read the other series first！ Title says it all。 This book is wonderful; it grips you in and doesn't let up until it's over。 That being said， the author isn't very forgiving fie new readers。 The characters don't get as much back story coverage as they should have unless you've followed their journey through the other series。 Because of thay the begining is a bit rough to read， you see familiar characters introduced and thrown into an emotional blender before yo Fucking amazing， but only if you've read the other series first！ Title says it all。 This book is wonderful; it grips you in and doesn't let up until it's over。 That being said， the author isn't very forgiving fie new readers。 The characters don't get as much back story coverage as they should have unless you've followed their journey through the other series。 Because of thay the begining is a bit rough to read， you see familiar characters introduced and thrown into an emotional blender before you know which end is up。The rest of the story is griping。 Switching character point of views （normally the bane of my existence as i want to see what happens next） is seamless。 You might find yourself disappointed that something the chapter ended on something exciting - only to remember this next chapter should be amazing too！ 。。。more

Ivan ，

This was my first novel read by Brian Staveley。 For me， it was a page-turner。 I looked forward to each character's point of view and found my greatest joy in Gwenna's story arch。 I took copius notes in the beginning chapters to conceptualize the world-building without the benefit of reading the prior books and this aspect Stavely weaves with mastery。 It is rare to read a novel with three books of prior history and be able to engage with it with confidence and not getting lost。 This is chiefly ac This was my first novel read by Brian Staveley。 For me， it was a page-turner。 I looked forward to each character's point of view and found my greatest joy in Gwenna's story arch。 I took copius notes in the beginning chapters to conceptualize the world-building without the benefit of reading the prior books and this aspect Stavely weaves with mastery。 It is rare to read a novel with three books of prior history and be able to engage with it with confidence and not getting lost。 This is chiefly achieved with Stavely's use of subtle flashbacks and the characters' internal monologue。 I look forward to reading the prior novels of this series and the follow-ups to this entry。 The last chapter delivered a remarkably warm and satisfying note。 。。。more

Daniel ，

I have really enjoyed Brian Staveley's work。 Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne is one of my favorite Speculative Fiction series。 I knew that the sequel series would be good but man， I didn't know it would be as riveting as the first series。 Gwenna Sharp is one of the all time memorable characters in fantasy and the story this time is very compelling。 We visit other parts of the world and meet new people from them。。。 I don't want to spoil anything but if you liked the first series you'll devour this I have really enjoyed Brian Staveley's work。 Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne is one of my favorite Speculative Fiction series。 I knew that the sequel series would be good but man， I didn't know it would be as riveting as the first series。 Gwenna Sharp is one of the all time memorable characters in fantasy and the story this time is very compelling。 We visit other parts of the world and meet new people from them。。。 I don't want to spoil anything but if you liked the first series you'll devour this one。 。。。more

Sylvia ，

This is the start of a new series following on from the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series。 Set some time after The Last Mortal Bond， we follow three characters， Gwenna Sharpe as she leads her Kettral wing into disaster， resulting in her being sent thousands of miles away to retrieve the much needed Kettral eggs in the hope of restoring the Kettral and save the empire。 Elsewhere， an ex-monk and con artist is trying to offer his not entirely legitimate services to the Emperor of Annur and two This is the start of a new series following on from the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series。 Set some time after The Last Mortal Bond， we follow three characters， Gwenna Sharpe as she leads her Kettral wing into disaster， resulting in her being sent thousands of miles away to retrieve the much needed Kettral eggs in the hope of restoring the Kettral and save the empire。 Elsewhere， an ex-monk and con artist is trying to offer his not entirely legitimate services to the Emperor of Annur and two priests of Eira， the goddess of Love， get caught up in a barbaric ritual。Gwenna was one of my favourite characters from the previous series so it was great to follow her journey as she reaches rock bottom。 She is broken， and due to the development of a new relationship forced upon her， she builds herself back up。 While other characters were interesting， I enjoyed Gwenna's chapters the most。The story is a slow burn， as it intricately builds， moving each piece into place， as these storylines will eventually intertwine。 The world building is intense， there is a lot of history， and you will need to read the previous series to fully enjoy this。 I did sometimes feel， that some parts got a bit repetitive， however saying that， it was easy to visualise and get a real feel for what the characters were going through。 It is a big book with a lot of information， it's clear that it is set to be a series， while there is lots of conflict and action it may be feel slow for readers who like quick resolutions。 The end is a comfortable cliff-hanger， our characters are still in peril and there's lots more to do， but it resolves the minor goals set in this book， leaving enough intrigue to read the next。 。。。more

Paul Morton ，

Well I'm half the way through it and I just can't get invested。 Its a great concept and very well written but。。。 I'm not sure I just can't get invested in most of the characters and I feel there could be less words？ I don't know I enjoyed the first trilogy， but this one isn't making me want to pick it up。 Good enough to finish I think。I mean I can't think of any huge errors the author made that puts me off， I guess its just a case of it not waving my flag。 Well I'm half the way through it and I just can't get invested。 Its a great concept and very well written but。。。 I'm not sure I just can't get invested in most of the characters and I feel there could be less words？ I don't know I enjoyed the first trilogy， but this one isn't making me want to pick it up。 Good enough to finish I think。I mean I can't think of any huge errors the author made that puts me off， I guess its just a case of it not waving my flag。 。。。more

Anj✨ ，

Unputdownable， immersive， action-packed， brutalBrian Staveley had been on my radar for years， and this is my first foray with his works。 The Empire's Ruin is the first book in the series of Ashes of the Unhewn Throne， a sequel to Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne。 Despite being a sequel series， It took me a while to get into， but I started enjoying it after reading the first quarter。 It was pretty unputdownable after that！It's 752 pages， and it took me 8 days to finish it。 The Empire's Ruin has Unputdownable， immersive， action-packed， brutalBrian Staveley had been on my radar for years， and this is my first foray with his works。 The Empire's Ruin is the first book in the series of Ashes of the Unhewn Throne， a sequel to Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne。 Despite being a sequel series， It took me a while to get into， but I started enjoying it after reading the first quarter。 It was pretty unputdownable after that！It's 752 pages， and it took me 8 days to finish it。 The Empire's Ruin has three POVs: Gwenna， a member of the Annurian Empire’s elite force called Kettral; Ruc， a priest of Eira; and Akiil， a shin monk and a thief。 All characters are compelling， fierce， and well fleshed out。 Their struggles and inner conflicts were portrayed well。The writing style and pacing were just perfect。 There are plenty of names， places， and information， but it never felt like an info dump。 One of its strengths is world-building。 Immersive， interesting， and detailed。 It was descriptive without being too detailed， and I can picture clearly the places。 Another strength of The Empire's Ruin is its well-executed fight scenes。Overall， I enjoyed reading The Empire's Ruin。 It's a dark， brutal， and richly imagined novel with diverse and compelling characters。 Need to read the previous series soon！ Don't wanna miss out on something awesome！Thank you so much Pan Macmillan/Tor and Netgalley for the DRC。 All thoughts and opinion are mine。 。。。more

Hirosantagonist ，

Not nearly as good as the prequels but there’s room to improve。

Rosie ，

Staveley is an author who I have heard a lot about since coming back into the world of fantasy， so when the invitation for this blog tour landed in my inbox I knew I had to accept！ I was immediately gripped by the first chapter of The Empire’s Ruin and it is easy to see why Staveley is a favourite amongst fans of the genre。 Whilst this is a beast of a novel at 752 pages， don’t let that intimidate you！ There are three different narratives running through this novel， all with engaging characters w Staveley is an author who I have heard a lot about since coming back into the world of fantasy， so when the invitation for this blog tour landed in my inbox I knew I had to accept！ I was immediately gripped by the first chapter of The Empire’s Ruin and it is easy to see why Staveley is a favourite amongst fans of the genre。 Whilst this is a beast of a novel at 752 pages， don’t let that intimidate you！ There are three different narratives running through this novel， all with engaging characters which have the pages just flying by。 From the opening pages I fell in love with Gwenna， Commander of the Kettrals who will do everything she can for her men even if she knows that her ideas aren’t the best。 The entire opening chapter is from Gwenna’s perspective as she embarks on one of her most dangerous missions and makes several mistakes which cost her the lives of those she is sworn to lead。 She is such a strong and complex character， it was fascinating seeing how she coped in the aftermath of the disaster。 I liked how she appeared to have lost herself for a moment and yet there were still parts of her stubborn personality that shone through。 I particularly loved her fiery interactions with Jonon， the Admiral， but the true highlight was her unlikely… friendship with a feral girl who she， affectionately， names ‘Rat’ （in fact， I could have an entire 700 page novel with just Gwenna and Rat and not get bored）。 Then we have the narratives of the Priests of Eira， Ruc and Bien who aren’t typical priests。 I found these chapters of the novel great for understanding the politics behind other parts of the novel。 Whilst each narrative builds the world in a certain way and alludes to a ‘bigger picture’ - it felt as though Ruc and Bien were in the heart of the political turmoil which was great to see alongside the other narratives revolving around the Annur。 I also really liked seeing them contrasted with the ‘Worthy’ in later chapters， it feels like they shouldn’t work as well together as they do but Staveley has a knack for crafting characters as well as worldbuilding。 Even Akiil， who we don’t see as often as the other characters， is incredibly memorable as the con-man monk。 By the end of the novel， I was surprised to find that he was one of my favourite characters and much more complicated than I initially thought。 Whilst each narrative may seem separate at first， as the novel progresses you begin to see more and more links between them。 I loved this gradual coming together of the plot as it had me eagerly returning to the novel to see what happened next every time I picked it back up again when life decided to interrupt。 Although so much is going on in the novel， it was very easy to keep up with all of the different strands of plot and the different groups of people within this world。 The attention to detail in the different settings also highlights how Staveley is absorbed in this world as much as the reader is， which is always great to see on the page。 His descriptions of action as well as the world also captivated me and I could clearly see everything as I was reading， even if there were times I perhaps didn’t want to （well， maybe that’s not entirely true， I did very much enjoy seeing certain characters get what was coming to them）。 Overall， I loved The Empire’s Ruin and will be checking out the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series as I just need to know more about this world whilst I wait for the next installment in the Ashes of the Unhewn Throne series。 Not many authors can write a 700 page book and leave me desperate for more but Staveley has masterfully achieved this。 。。。more

ClaireJ ，

What a book！ When I say epic I mean EPIC。 It is fast paced， breath taking and it kicks off with a bang， literally！ One of the main characters， Gwenna gets herself into a very dire situation and the aftermath has significant consequences。 She is then sent off on a quest that is dangerous and is likely to fail。 She was probably my favourite in the book， based purely on how bad ass she is， strong and inspiring。 You follow her journey and also other characters in other parts of this world。 While we What a book！ When I say epic I mean EPIC。 It is fast paced， breath taking and it kicks off with a bang， literally！ One of the main characters， Gwenna gets herself into a very dire situation and the aftermath has significant consequences。 She is then sent off on a quest that is dangerous and is likely to fail。 She was probably my favourite in the book， based purely on how bad ass she is， strong and inspiring。 You follow her journey and also other characters in other parts of this world。 While we are on the subject of the world…the worldbuilding in this is just perfection。 The author explains all the different areas magnificently without making it too heavy。The book is over 700 pages long but it never felt overwhelming。 It is such an exciting， thrilling read and completely gripping so I soon flew through the book。 There are so many themes running through the pages， life， death， loyalty， failure， adventure。I am now eagerly awaiting the next book in this series！ 。。。more

Belinda Lewis ，

It feels like the entire first epic trilogy was in fact only the slow burn prequel for this even more expansive story。Loved it and so excited for the next one。“No one gets out。 There is no out to get。 This is the beauty and the truth of the Arena: in Dombâng， in the delta， in the wide world”—he gestured grandly with his slim blade， a sweep taking in the fire and screams， the monsters and the fighting and the dying—“there is only ever this。”

Maria ，

The Best Summer 2021 Read Yeah， my excitement is probably due to how intrigued I am about this world， the characters， the monsters and the not so humans。 Yes， there's a lot of blood， plans that go awry， and near cataclysmic disasters。 The Empires Ruin has just the right stuff to keep you reading all night。 At the center are the stories of characters trying to heal their broken lives。 Count me in for the next book in this series by Brian Staveley。 The Best Summer 2021 Read Yeah， my excitement is probably due to how intrigued I am about this world， the characters， the monsters and the not so humans。 Yes， there's a lot of blood， plans that go awry， and near cataclysmic disasters。 The Empires Ruin has just the right stuff to keep you reading all night。 At the center are the stories of characters trying to heal their broken lives。 Count me in for the next book in this series by Brian Staveley。 。。。more

James ，

An audiobook review:I’ll leave it to other reviewers to go over the plot。 Here are a few of my observations。 First the narration。 I feel like fantasy fans are the most demanding of listeners of audiobooks。 I know many will not like the decision to move away from Simon Vance but it was a good decision。 I love Simon Vance but with the rotating p。o。v’s and huge cast it makes the most sense to do this。 A lot of listeners didn’t like Browns Red Rising Audiobooks to go that direction but I felt the sa An audiobook review:I’ll leave it to other reviewers to go over the plot。 Here are a few of my observations。 First the narration。 I feel like fantasy fans are the most demanding of listeners of audiobooks。 I know many will not like the decision to move away from Simon Vance but it was a good decision。 I love Simon Vance but with the rotating p。o。v’s and huge cast it makes the most sense to do this。 A lot of listeners didn’t like Browns Red Rising Audiobooks to go that direction but I felt the same way there as here。 It was a great decision。 I thought Moira Quirk was the best one but the other two were alright。 I’ve certainly heard far worse。 Secondly。 Can one read it without reading the previous books？ Well that depends on the sort of reader you are。 Are you ok without having every back story explained to you and you can shrug it off and say it’s not really important to the story and piece relationships and things together as you go along？ Then you’ll be fine。 Thirdly。 Is it good？ It is definitely his best book so far。 I have mixed feelings about Staveley’s books。 I feel like the Emperors Blades was great， some questionable decisions were made in the second and I really did not like the third book。 I couldn’t get into Skullsworn and havnt finished that one。 In this book he writes with more of a standard epic fantasy tone that will be more familiar to readers。 It’s hard to describe and put my finger on it but it is just better all around。 He also has these flourishes that shows what a great writer he is。 For instance， instead of saying it was rainy and overcast look at this description:“The hot， wet jiangba season should have ended weeks earlier， around the equinox， but aside from one or two breaks， the storms refused to relent。 The sun， which should have been blazing in the sky， was little more than a pale， green-gray disk， like a dream of sun。 No fire， no substance。 The rain， on the other hand， was all too real。 The rain had weight。 Not the individual drops， of course， which splattered harmlessly on the bridges and wooden causeways， drained from the baked-clay tiles of the rooftops， stippled Dombâng’s ten thousand canals， but the idea of the rain， countless days of it， crouching over the city， pressing down， down， down， gently but unrelentingly， with a billion implacable fingers until even people who had lived their entire lives in the delta， who had seen forty or fifty or seventy rainy seasons， began to go about stooped， hunched， as though the weather were a weight that they bore on their backs。” Now can Staveley stick the landing for the rest of this series？ Time will tell but I am very hopeful based on this fantastic start。 。。。more

Srikkanth G ，

The entire book felt like watching Mission Impossible movie without a deadline， a goal， any consequence but just action， character point of view and some plot。 Thanks to myself for spending an Audible Credit， listening for 34 hours （8 days straight listening） and writing an honest review （pun intended）。 The biggest issue I have with this book is the exact opposite of why I loved the original Trilogy。 The very first book of the Unhewn Throne starts with the death of an Emperor。 Through Valyn we g The entire book felt like watching Mission Impossible movie without a deadline， a goal， any consequence but just action， character point of view and some plot。 Thanks to myself for spending an Audible Credit， listening for 34 hours （8 days straight listening） and writing an honest review （pun intended）。 The biggest issue I have with this book is the exact opposite of why I loved the original Trilogy。 The very first book of the Unhewn Throne starts with the death of an Emperor。 Through Valyn we get to know that there are assassins on the prowl to kill Valyn， Kaden and even Adare。 As readers， we are now glued to the book because we know that whatever is happening， there is an event waiting to happen， an impact if that event occurs and the challenges the people in the plot face。 The Empire's Ruin has none of those。 Gwenna， the legendary dumb commander after sacrificing the only living Kettral Bird is now tasked to find new birds to be trained。 What happens if she doesn't complete the task？ Nothing。 How much time does she have？ As much as she wants。 Her grandchildren can bring the eggs for all we know。 In short， she is on a journey with no urgency。 Two priests of Ira is trying to make a living。 Why？ Who knows。 They are in Dombang and is caught up in the aftermath of violence unleaded against the attack by the Empire on Dombang。 Why should they escape？ Well， they need survive。 What happens if they escape？ They will survive。 How will this impact the story？ No freaking clue。 Well， it doesn't even matter what they do because they haven nothing to do with the entire plot。Not to mention a 52min chapter on Akeel playing cards apart from other chapters dedicated to his pov。 Why is that there？ No idea。 Why is his story there？ No idea。 What's his impact in the plot？ No idea。 You see， the entire story doesn't make any sense because there is nothing threatening Adare， the Empire or anyone。 Adare knows she is struggling to run an Empire， like all Emperors do， but how much time does she have to straight things out？ Like Gwenna， her grandchild can solve her issues because there is no external threat。 Brain Steaveley could have wrote another 700 pages of book and still wouldn't have made it exciting because there is absolutely no urgency。 I'm fresh from re-listening Kings of the Wyld and that's why I'm drawing a comparison。 Gabe has come to Clay to seek his help。 Why？ To reunite the band。 Why？ To save his daughter from possibly getting murdered。 How long do they have？ She needed saving yesterday。 Now， you pay attention to the entire story because， as a reader， you know time is running out。 You are now curious and excited to know how Gabe reunites the Band。 How they overcome the challenges and how in hell will they reach the other side of the world to save Rose。 None of that exists in The Empire's Ruin。 More than being mad at the author， I'm so mad at so called "Reviewers" who have honestly rated the book 5 stars。 Have they even read the book or was it paid reviews？ Now I know whom not to trust when it comes to reviews。 I had extremely high hopes because the Unhewn Throne is among my top 3 Fantasy Fiction books。 The characters， the plot， the Kettral， oh my God， was amazing。 I even loved Skullsworn and the character Pyrre。 Not to forget the Audiobook narrated by Simon Vance。 He bought all the characters live。 I do hope that the next book have something to read for。 。。。more

Joel ，

Even though I am not finished， this is one of the best books I have read in a long time。 Brian Staveley just gets it right for me as a reader。 Yes their is significant vulgarity， but it is used in a way that actually makes sense and actually adds to the characters and the flavor of the book。 The story is fantastic and the world building could not be better。

Adah Udechukwu ，

The Empire's Ruin is a spectacular read and I'm definitely gonna read book 2 whenever it comes out。 The Empire's Ruin is a spectacular read and I'm definitely gonna read book 2 whenever it comes out。 。。。more

Fiona ，

4。5 stars

Sachin Dev ，

Can I give this like 10- star rating？ The best book that I have read this year。 Period。

Justin Dingfelder ，

New story moves away from the original seriesI enjoyed it。 Took me a little while to get warmed up。 Some of the characters i loved in the first trilogy werent in this one。 A few memories or mentions to them at least tho。 Well written and opens the series for more good stories。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Empire's Ruin

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Empire's Ruin&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Empire's Ruin&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0