Fantasy

The Grace of Kings

The Grace of Kings

  • Downloads：6097
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-11-01 09:51:39
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ken Liu
  • ISBN：1800240341
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A TIME MAGAZINE BEST FANTASY BOOK OF ALL TIME

Emperor Mapidéré was the first to unite the island kingdoms of Dara under a single banner。 But now the emperor is on his deathbed， his people are exhausted by his vast， conscriptive engineering projects and his counsellors conspire only for their own gain。

Even the gods themselves are restless。

A wily， charismatic bandit and the vengeance-sworn son of a deposed duke cross paths as they each lead their own rebellion against the emperor's brutal regime。 Together， they will journey to the heart of the empire; witnessing the clash of armies， fleets of silk-draped airships， magical books and shapeshifting gods。 Their unlikely friendship will drastically change the balance of power in Dara。。。 but at what price？

The Grace of Kings is the first novel by Hugo-， Nebula- and World Fantasy Award-winner Ken Liu and the first in a monumental epic fantasy series。

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Reviews

Temporaryspell ，

DNF 40%

John Doyle ，

I did not finish this book。 I listened to it for 3 hours and was lost。 I restarted from the beginning and got 5 hours into it and was lost。 Boooooo8 hours of a better book lost :（

Jay ，

Excellent fantasy book that avoided obvious tropes and kept me guessing throughout - looking forward to books 2 & 3

Wilson ，

I picked this book up on sale after reading about how it basically kick-started today's Asian-fantasy trend back in 2015， hearing about Ken Liu's skill as a short-story writer， and seeing an adaptation of one of his stories in Love Death & Robots。 I read The Grace of Kings slowly over the course of nearly a month as a "back-burner" book that I could read on trips or late at night on my trusty Kindle。 At first I wasn't quite sure what to think of it but as I went the more its themes， characters， I picked this book up on sale after reading about how it basically kick-started today's Asian-fantasy trend back in 2015， hearing about Ken Liu's skill as a short-story writer， and seeing an adaptation of one of his stories in Love Death & Robots。 I read The Grace of Kings slowly over the course of nearly a month as a "back-burner" book that I could read on trips or late at night on my trusty Kindle。 At first I wasn't quite sure what to think of it but as I went the more its themes， characters， and overall story began to eclipse the other things I was reading in my mind， and I began to realize that this book （like Dune， which was my other main October read） is definitely the product of a genius。It's weird because this book shouldn't really work: it's mostly magic-less fantasy in a genre where the current milieu favors as much magic as possible， it's got a ton of characters， and it's written in a very "high-level" （analogous to computing） style where entire character arcs occur in a page， battles are won in a paragraph， and strangers become brothers in a sentence。 The prose itself isn't even really mind-blowing—I've definitely read more poetic descriptions—but something in the way Ken Liu strings them together just works。 The Grace of Kings really reads as a very long series of vignettes or short stories， which makes sense as that's how Liu got his start and notoriety as an author。 Most authors would thus fail at creating enough gravity and atmosphere to carry an epic fantasy of this scale in such short narrative chunks （I know I would）， but Liu's hand is practiced enough to make it happen。 The first thing that comes to mind when I think about emotional impact is Princess Kikomi's story about halfway through the back， which occurs just within the span of a short chapter or two but resounds through the rest of the pages and stuck with me enough to make it into this review。 Part of Ken Liu's genius is in understanding how to create so much with so few words。The other part is how to weave complex themes and historical relevance into a narrative。 I don't know much about pre-modern Chinese history， which this book is apparently based on， so those parts probably went right over my head， but reading the author's notes on Goodreads （recently posted） makes clear just how much thought went into making this book literary， incorporating elements of Chinese philosophy and exploring the relationship between "Eastern" ideas and the American idea of "Western" modernity。Not to mention the expansive worldbuilding at play here。 Ken Liu is clearly a guy that knows a lot about a lot of stuff。 From plants to military strategy and politics to technology， I was consistently impressed by the idea-chops on display here， that were enough to make this relatively magic-free fantasy nonetheless feel very fantastical。If I have any real criticisms， it's that some subplots didn't really land for me。 I think （view spoiler）[Mata Zyndu's demise （hide spoiler）] could have been dragged out a bit longer。 After spending 600 pages with this character "the big event" just kind of happens。 But other than that there's not a lot more to say。 This definitely won't be the last book by Ken Liu I read。 。。。more

Brian Quick ，

at page 83 it still has not got my attention as to anything that is happening

Fabiano ，

DNF 20% Pag。 130Un grandissimo ed enorme no！ Forse il mio giudizio è prematuro dopo sole 130 pagine？ Pazienza， invecchiando si diventa più cattivi e scorbutici。 La Grazia dei Re， libro scritto da Ken Liu， presente una narrazione infantile condita da tanta noia e da poco mordente （definirla fredda sarebbe riduttivo）， manca completamente di entusiasmo， i personaggi （se così posso definirli） sono macchiette prive di qualsiasi spessore le cui scelte sono spesso discutibili。 Salvo solo il worldbuildi DNF 20% Pag。 130Un grandissimo ed enorme no！ Forse il mio giudizio è prematuro dopo sole 130 pagine？ Pazienza， invecchiando si diventa più cattivi e scorbutici。 La Grazia dei Re， libro scritto da Ken Liu， presente una narrazione infantile condita da tanta noia e da poco mordente （definirla fredda sarebbe riduttivo）， manca completamente di entusiasmo， i personaggi （se così posso definirli） sono macchiette prive di qualsiasi spessore le cui scelte sono spesso discutibili。 Salvo solo il worldbuilding， l'unica cosa interessante。 Avevo grandi aspettative su questo libro， purtroppo miseramente disattese。 La scintilla non è scattata， pace a tutti。 。。。more

Mishelle ，

I read this wonderful Silkpunk Fantasy novel with Kristen from Kristelle SFF Reader -we have discussed it in depth on YouTube - https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=HRjHF。。。This was just an example of excellent fantasy， Ken Liu is becoming an autobuy author for me。 I read this wonderful Silkpunk Fantasy novel with Kristen from Kristelle SFF Reader -we have discussed it in depth on YouTube - https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=HRjHF。。。This was just an example of excellent fantasy， Ken Liu is becoming an autobuy author for me。 。。。more

Taylor ，

5 stars。 Audiobook。If you don't like slow-burn， large scale， political fantasy， then this book is not for you， but GOD DAMN was this book for me。 I delighted in the foreshadowing and intricate plot points carried though this story。 The combination of the new emerging technology and the fantastic characters who either did or did not take advantage of it， as well as each character's ability to play to their own strengths made this a fascinating story to follow。 I'm terrified of The Wall of Storms 5 stars。 Audiobook。If you don't like slow-burn， large scale， political fantasy， then this book is not for you， but GOD DAMN was this book for me。 I delighted in the foreshadowing and intricate plot points carried though this story。 The combination of the new emerging technology and the fantastic characters who either did or did not take advantage of it， as well as each character's ability to play to their own strengths made this a fascinating story to follow。 I'm terrified of The Wall of Storms as I have a feeling that Liu is going to pit all the characters I've come to love against each other， and I'm not sure if my heart can take it。 But I'll be picking it up soon regardless。 。。。more

Coy ，

Max

Rob ，

I get the five stars reviews - this book was epic and groundbreaking。 I also get the poor reviews - the characters are not painted in depth; it is epic in the best and worst ways。 I guess I'm splitting the difference in my review。 It's good to see a fantasy setting not set in a magical Europe， written by a non-western person。 The mythology stuff was kind of cool， and the "silkpunk" aspect was original。 At times I was captivated by the story and the writing is fast-paced。 But the story was very o I get the five stars reviews - this book was epic and groundbreaking。 I also get the poor reviews - the characters are not painted in depth; it is epic in the best and worst ways。 I guess I'm splitting the difference in my review。 It's good to see a fantasy setting not set in a magical Europe， written by a non-western person。 The mythology stuff was kind of cool， and the "silkpunk" aspect was original。 At times I was captivated by the story and the writing is fast-paced。 But the story was very often not captivating。 Mata was a one-dimensional， goofy comic book （manga？） character。 Kuni's storyline was the only interesting one。 Sometimes he was real and interesting， but often his story also became just part of this grand martial tale。 I don't entirely get the hype。 It was kind of one-note and stilted。 All telling， no showing。 I'm curious to read on， but this， for me， was not a fantasy masterpiece。 。。。more

John Sturges ，

Interesting book filled with colorful characters， and fickle god's。 Start of a silk-punk fantasy epic。 Interesting book filled with colorful characters， and fickle god's。 Start of a silk-punk fantasy epic。 。。。more

Tyler Pry ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Very good！ A quick read once you get into it and very engrossing。 At times， it seemed to steer dangerously close to cliche， but not only did it avoid it， but it turned it on its head and remained true to itself。 At the beginning， I had serious doubts about the gendered nature of the world and its societies， i。e。 was this going to be another fantasy book written by a man that hews to real-world gender stereotypes when it could move away from that？ The author put my doubts to rest quite firmly。 I Very good！ A quick read once you get into it and very engrossing。 At times， it seemed to steer dangerously close to cliche， but not only did it avoid it， but it turned it on its head and remained true to itself。 At the beginning， I had serious doubts about the gendered nature of the world and its societies， i。e。 was this going to be another fantasy book written by a man that hews to real-world gender stereotypes when it could move away from that？ The author put my doubts to rest quite firmly。 I am super excited to read the next book; it promises to be better than the first！ 。。。more

Kristenelle ，

I'll be doing a joint live review/discussion with Mishelle Lexi on The Grace of Kings this weekend！ （It will be Friday evening for those in the US。） You can set a reminder to join us here: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=HRjHF。。。Wow， this was so good！ Apparently Ken Liu crafted the term "silk punk" to describe what he is doing in this trilogy。 You can read about it here: https://kenliu。name/books/what-is-sil。。。This is inspired by Chinese history （a changing of dynasties） and is somewhat historic I'll be doing a joint live review/discussion with Mishelle Lexi on The Grace of Kings this weekend！ （It will be Friday evening for those in the US。） You can set a reminder to join us here: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=HRjHF。。。Wow， this was so good！ Apparently Ken Liu crafted the term "silk punk" to describe what he is doing in this trilogy。 You can read about it here: https://kenliu。name/books/what-is-sil。。。This is inspired by Chinese history （a changing of dynasties） and is somewhat historical fantasy and military fantasy。 There is so much I could say。 My favorite things about this story include: -this is so cinematic。 The battles are epic and the technology is equal parts gorgeous and mind blowing。 -the technology is so dang cool。 -the characters are all really compelling and complex。 -each chapter accomplishes so much and is so immersive。 -I love how the story continually zoomed in and out so that we could see the consequences of large scale changes on individual people。I thought it was interesting the way the Liu dealt with writing the women in this story。 He is drawing inspiration from a time period where women were very much second class citizens and not afforded the same opportunities as men。 And Liu writes this story within those confines， yet from within those confines he is able to show how strong and dynamic women can be even when confined to domestic and support roles。 He discusses these attitudes in the story and he eventually has a woman character who is able to break these molds。 Sexual violence？ Yes。 It is somewhat dubious， but the consent definitely isn't enthusiastic。 Other content warnings？ Brutal violence， brutal ruling regimes， war， torture。Mishelle Lexi and I are doing a live review this weekend！ I'll post links。 。。。more

Max D'onofrio ，

One of my favorite fantasy books I have read in awhile。 I think this is what I wanted from Game of Thrones。 The rythm of the timeline can vasilate from fast to slow， and some off the charecter trraota may seem so exaggerated in their skill that it is unrealistic， but I still found it a joy to read。 Really enjoy the world and the lessons it tries to impart on good governance。

Marianna De Cristofaro ，

"The grace of kings is not the same as the morals governing individuals。" Un volume come La grazia dei Re， edito da Mondadori negli Oscar della collana Fantastica，  si può dunque cominciare ad approcciare consci che stiamo parlando di una produzione che nasce in un simile contesto。 L’universo di riferimento è estremo orientale， con il suo carico di antichità esotica e in gran parte sconosciuta al lettore medio， e l’autore del romanzo， Ken Liu （pseudonimo dello scrittore cinostatunitense Liu Yuku "The grace of kings is not the same as the morals governing individuals。" Un volume come La grazia dei Re， edito da Mondadori negli Oscar della collana Fantastica，  si può dunque cominciare ad approcciare consci che stiamo parlando di una produzione che nasce in un simile contesto。 L’universo di riferimento è estremo orientale， con il suo carico di antichità esotica e in gran parte sconosciuta al lettore medio， e l’autore del romanzo， Ken Liu （pseudonimo dello scrittore cinostatunitense Liu Yukun）， è proprio il padre del cosiddetto Silkpunk。 Di che si tratta？ In due parole: retro-futurismo fatto di bambù e cuoio， tecnologia e materiali grezzi， in un mondo fittizio， Dara， che è la trasposizione efficace della Cina dei primi secoli prima di Cristo。 Uno scenario inedito， certamente， e proprio per questo stimolante: le contese dinastiche dei signori della guerra， gli intrighi divini， l’ingegneria rutilante di aeronavi primitive… Tutti elementi pittoreschi che contribuiscono， assieme a una trama fiume， a creare un vero e proprio romanzo-mondo， dove i personaggi si susseguono in grande numero， e l’affresco di una civiltà magnificente diventa il punto di forza della narrazione。 Per certi versi， un dilatarsi progressivo dell’angolo di osservazione che può ricordare ad alcuni il ciclo di Malazan， soprattutto dal punto di vista della ricorrente tematica militare strategica， che concorre a delineare gli spazi geografici delle storie e a offrire le nicchie di approfondimento ad essi relative。  Un’impressione rafforzata dal fatto che La grazia dei Re è solo il primo dei volumi della cosiddetta Dandelion Trilogy， da noi ancora inedita per due terzi e foriera dunque di una espansione in termini di dettaglio che si preannuncia poderosa。 Se dunque Ken Liu è stato più che abile nel riproporre sotto mentite spoglie i conflitti che infiammarono la Cina nel periodo Chu Han， un po’ come fece a suo tempo Martin nei suoi romanzi con la Guerra delle Due Rose， è altrettanto evidente che lo scotto da pagare per questa ricostruzione monolitica è stato l’asservimento della trama all’ambientazione。 Delineata da numerose storie e protagonisti， non necessariamente collegati fra loro， è propria quest’ultima il vero personaggio di punta de La Grazia dei Re， che mostra in ciò più di un debito verso il famosissimo – almeno in Oriente – Romanzo dei Tre regni， vera opera storico-cronachistica sulle antiche guerre cinesi opera di Luo Guanzhong。 Come in un arazzo， i percorsi della storia sfumano in dettagli minori， andando a formare un disegno complessivo。 Fantasmagorico， imponente， ma che in più di un caso risulta smorzato nei termini della pura e semplice impalcatura narrativa， che appare a volte scopertamente funzionale allo scopo di descrivere l’universo in cui si svolge。 Se coloro che apprezzano le trame politiche， gli intrighi， gli sviluppi militari troveranno così tanto pane per i loro denti da uscire dalla lettura di Liu più che abbondantemente sazi， un’altra fascia di lettori， forse più tradizionalista， potrebbe non accontentarsi dell’esotismo Silkpunk o dell’esplorazione delle tante plaghe del mondo di Dara。 Lo spaesamento causato dalla tanta carne al fuoco pone dunque l’accento sull’equilibrio da ricercare fra ricchezza della proposta e sua effettiva combinazione con le altre componenti del romanzo。 Anche sul fronte della scrittura， Liu – che molti di noi leggeranno come ovvio in traduzione – si pone decisamente sul lato di una sorta di attica semplicità， lineare， pulita。 Una scelta forse inevitabile se si ha l’intento di offrire così tante informazioni， ma che per certi versi è in opposizione proprio con il merito di queste， che hanno invece attinenza con un mondo che ha la ricchezza cesellata di un antico manufatto orientale。 。。。more

Logan ，

This book was definitely inspired by Wuxia storytelling and Three Kingdoms mythology。 It reminded me of the movie Battle of Red Cliffs and other chinese martial movies。 The storytelling was a little distant at times， but that was deliberate。 Some of the characters felt a little difficult to connect with。 Despite these complaints， the writing was mostly quite good and the ideas and world really was a huge positive for me。

Alex Kwong ，

Some good， some bad， ultimately decided to not read any more into the series。

Annie ，

An okay read， just a little too long without good justification for the length。 Way too much war， war， war， war， recovery from war， or planning the next war。 That might be fine for some， but here it eclipses the overall story。 Granted， Liu is using this story to reflect aspects of China's history and mythology， with two men as the main characters， one from noble lineage， one not， who work together to overcome tyranny。 There are some interesting bits， but not enough to capture interest for 600 pa An okay read， just a little too long without good justification for the length。 Way too much war， war， war， war， recovery from war， or planning the next war。 That might be fine for some， but here it eclipses the overall story。 Granted， Liu is using this story to reflect aspects of China's history and mythology， with two men as the main characters， one from noble lineage， one not， who work together to overcome tyranny。 There are some interesting bits， but not enough to capture interest for 600 pages。 One man was determined to overthrow and replace the rulers， without much difference in governance， the other was inclined to benign or benevolent rule。 While interested in reading more from outside the western perspective， will skim the second book and evaluate。 Too many 'trilogy' series could have been summed up in one or two books but are unnecessarily stretched out。 。。。more

Lari ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Meh， it was good。 But there were too many irrelevant characters （eg everyone in the emperor's court。 They had all these schemes， and then they just。。。 died。）。 Also， I remember thinking that there was a weird lack of good female characters in this book。 But I'm writing this review after having read the second book， which was made up almost entirely of awesome female characters， so。。。 I guess it makes up for this book。 Meh， it was good。 But there were too many irrelevant characters （eg everyone in the emperor's court。 They had all these schemes， and then they just。。。 died。）。 Also， I remember thinking that there was a weird lack of good female characters in this book。 But I'm writing this review after having read the second book， which was made up almost entirely of awesome female characters， so。。。 I guess it makes up for this book。 。。。more

Kate ，

This book rather felt like it was racing from one battle to the next with barely a breathe to spare。 On one hand， effective writing for a series of battles; but on the other， I didn't feel any real connection to any of the characters or their crusades。 This book rather felt like it was racing from one battle to the next with barely a breathe to spare。 On one hand， effective writing for a series of battles; but on the other， I didn't feel any real connection to any of the characters or their crusades。 。。。more

Mia ，

It was beautifully written and the world building was phenomenal。 Written almost like a great history book， where you never truly feel in the present and you're watching a series of events pass by。 However， the character development felt a little flat for me。 Personally I like to be very attached to at least one character and I never really fell in love with any of them。 And the I didn't love the portrayal of the female characters， though I heard that it gets better as the books progress。 I'll d It was beautifully written and the world building was phenomenal。 Written almost like a great history book， where you never truly feel in the present and you're watching a series of events pass by。 However， the character development felt a little flat for me。 Personally I like to be very attached to at least one character and I never really fell in love with any of them。 And the I didn't love the portrayal of the female characters， though I heard that it gets better as the books progress。 I'll definitely read the next books and I enjoyed reading this one， but this isn't a top tier book for me （yet）。 。。。more

Leon Laffredo ，

Different。 While I finished the book， it really was， in my opinion， slow。 One might even go so far as very slow。 Not likely that I will be picking up the second book。

Hugo Rojas Madrigal ，

4。5/5Un libro que requiere tiempo。Desconozco cual sea el ritmo en los libros de Joe Abercrombie y qué tan distinto sea GOT del libro a la serie de HBO pero este en especifico no da cuartel， de inicio a fin no perdona distracción alguna。 Ya dependerá del tono que cada lector disfrute si hace match con el libro o no， personalmente diré que me costó trabajo adaptarme y aunque parezca contradictorio me costó mantenerme atento e interesado en un principio。Dioses que miran a los hombres como piezas en 4。5/5Un libro que requiere tiempo。Desconozco cual sea el ritmo en los libros de Joe Abercrombie y qué tan distinto sea GOT del libro a la serie de HBO pero este en especifico no da cuartel， de inicio a fin no perdona distracción alguna。 Ya dependerá del tono que cada lector disfrute si hace match con el libro o no， personalmente diré que me costó trabajo adaptarme y aunque parezca contradictorio me costó mantenerme atento e interesado en un principio。Dioses que miran a los hombres como piezas en un tablero de ajedrez o marionetas que pueden controlar a placer para la consecución de sus caprichos y hombres con el ideal de concebir un mundo mejor， un hombre que pretende realizar su cometido con convicción， honor y valentía y en la otra cara de la moneda uno que intenta simplemente hacer el bien en el camino a descubrir que es "el bien"。Es emocionante cuando el autor casi te obliga a elegir un bando pero sin que sea posible dejar de empatizar con el que no has optado， a medida que se acercaba el final y sentía el libro adelgazar más se me estrujaba el corazón… ese final。Esta es una historia llena de batallas， traiciones， estrategias， principios e ideales encontrados entre sí。 Con ideas de la política， guerra， educación， principios， incluso del amor y en general de la vida bien interesantes， Ken Liu realmente tiene una mente brillante， las analogías que utiliza realmente requieren que cierres el libro y medites acerca de lo que acabas de leer。 Un detalle diferencial con otras novelas de fantasía es que Ken Liu ha decidido mirar a sus orígenes y los ha transportado correctamente a los terrenos de su novela。 Solo hay un tema que me ha chocado y es una inclusión sobre exagerada con el personaje de Gin， cada vez se me hacia mas molesto y no por razón de mentalidad， más bien por que deja de tener sentido。Solo el tiempo determinará cuan grande es mi necesidad de volver a Dara pero al menos me reconforta saber que la secuela ha tenido una mejor acogida que esta primera entrega y realmente la he disfrutado 。。。more

Sarah ，

*****4。5*****

Michael ，

I just finished listening to this very well narrated audiobook and yet I already can't recall very much of its content。 Game of Thrones has a lot of characters and a lot of plot yet I can still remember a lot of it。 I probably should have listened to a non fiction history book of China instead of listening to a fantasy adaption。 It didn't matter to me who won in the end。 I just finished listening to this very well narrated audiobook and yet I already can't recall very much of its content。 Game of Thrones has a lot of characters and a lot of plot yet I can still remember a lot of it。 I probably should have listened to a non fiction history book of China instead of listening to a fantasy adaption。 It didn't matter to me who won in the end。 。。。more

Pamada ，

3。5 starsI really enjoyed this book。。 but it took a while for me to enjoy it。 I rarely DNF anything so please know that it takes like a good 40% of the book to warm up。 However， after the mark I found myself really enjoying the characters and story。 I think the problem is that there's just entirely too much set up needed and the individual stories are broken up too often。 I think it would have been better to dedicate longer segments to one character's story line before switching to another。 Beca 3。5 starsI really enjoyed this book。。 but it took a while for me to enjoy it。 I rarely DNF anything so please know that it takes like a good 40% of the book to warm up。 However， after the mark I found myself really enjoying the characters and story。 I think the problem is that there's just entirely too much set up needed and the individual stories are broken up too often。 I think it would have been better to dedicate longer segments to one character's story line before switching to another。 Because of how segmented it was it took a while to warm up （or even remember） the more important characters。But again， I did enjoy this story and will be picking up the second one to read。 This is not an emotionally written book。 It feels more distant， almost like you're reading a documentary。 While I prefer to be more emotionally invested， I do appreciate reads like this from time to time。 I didn't really hate how the women are depicted in this。 But I did find myself disappointed。 I really enjoyed Jia's character and now it seems like she will be whittled down to stereotypical jealous whims。 I was REALLY hoping it was go the route of a three way relationship， but alas。。 we'll see how it all goes down in book two。 。。。more

Ashley Erin ，

Gorgeous

Megan ，

3。5

Matt ，

Pretty Average Young Adult Lit fit for ESLFairly average young adult lit。 A spirited reimagining of a famous event in Chinese history， though with plenty of cringeworthy moments that will have adults and experienced readers alike rolling their eyes。 Simple， mostly unimaginative prose， a constant revolving door of stock characters and genre tropes， predictable plot devices， and frequent naked exposition also make it easy enough to follow for middle school + ESL students， with a world just imagina Pretty Average Young Adult Lit fit for ESLFairly average young adult lit。 A spirited reimagining of a famous event in Chinese history， though with plenty of cringeworthy moments that will have adults and experienced readers alike rolling their eyes。 Simple， mostly unimaginative prose， a constant revolving door of stock characters and genre tropes， predictable plot devices， and frequent naked exposition also make it easy enough to follow for middle school + ESL students， with a world just imaginative enough to hold their attention through the surprising length of the book 。。。more

Scott Potter ，

I struggled to finish this book。 While the setting was fantastic （I loved the Chinese culture and the way the Gods were portrayed）， the book ended up being mostly battles。 Not only did I have no attachment to the characters， but the battles were almost always won by Deus Ex Machina （the underdogs came up with a improbably strategy that allowed them to rout the more numerous foe）， which made them boring and repetitive。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Grace of Kings

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Grace of Kings&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

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