Ruination: A League of Legends Novel
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- Create Date：2022-10-01 09:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Anthony Reynolds
- ISBN：0356519775
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Summary
The first ever novel set in the blockbuster universe of League of Legends， one of the most popular video games of all time， Ruination is an epic tale of magic， revenge， and an empire on the verge of ruin。
Camavor is a brutal land with a bloody legacy。 Where the empire’s knights go， slaughter follows。
Kalista seeks to change that。 When her young and narcissistic uncle， Viego， becomes king， she vows to temper his destructive instincts， as his loyal confidant， advisor， and military general。 But her plans are thwarted when an assassin’s poisoned blade strikes Viego’s wife， Isolde， afflicting her with a malady for which there is no cure。
As Isolde’s condition worsens， Viego descends into madness and grief， threatening to drag Camavor down with him。 Kalista makes a desperate gambit to save the kingdom: she searches for the long lost Blessed Isles， rumored to hold the queen’s salvation， if only Kalista can find them。
But corruption grows in the Blessed Isles’ capital， where a vengeful warden seeks to ensnare Kalista in his cruel machinations。 She will be forced to choose between her loyalty to Viego and doing what she knows is right–for even in the face of utter darkness， one noble act can shine a light that saves the world。
Camavor is a brutal land with a bloody legacy。 Where the empire’s knights go， slaughter follows。
Kalista seeks to change that。 When her young and narcissistic uncle， Viego， becomes king， she vows to temper his destructive instincts， as his loyal confidant， advisor， and military general。 But her plans are thwarted when an assassin’s poisoned blade strikes Viego’s wife， Isolde， afflicting her with a malady for which there is no cure。
As Isolde’s condition worsens， Viego descends into madness and grief， threatening to drag Camavor down with him。 Kalista makes a desperate gambit to save the kingdom: she searches for the long lost Blessed Isles， rumored to hold the queen’s salvation， if only Kalista can find them。
But corruption grows in the Blessed Isles’ capital， where a vengeful warden seeks to ensnare Kalista in his cruel machinations。 She will be forced to choose between her loyalty to Viego and doing what she knows is right–for even in the face of utter darkness， one noble act can shine a light that saves the world。
Reviews
Bethany （Beautifully Bookish Bethany）
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3。5 stars rounded upFor reference， I know basically nothing about League of Legends and am coming at this as a fantasy reviewer rather than a fan of the franchise。 As a fantasy novel， Ruination was enjoyable and has a relatively interesting plot， accessible world-building and decent characters。 I didn't have a problem understanding what was going on and you can definitely pick this up without knowing the game。 That said， while this is competently written， I wasn't particularly impressed with it 3。5 stars rounded upFor reference， I know basically nothing about League of Legends and am coming at this as a fantasy reviewer rather than a fan of the franchise。 As a fantasy novel， Ruination was enjoyable and has a relatively interesting plot， accessible world-building and decent characters。 I didn't have a problem understanding what was going on and you can definitely pick this up without knowing the game。 That said， while this is competently written， I wasn't particularly impressed with it as a fantasy novel。 I got the feeling it would be more fun if I had familiarity with the world and the characters already， because then you get to see things you love on page。 If you're a fan of League of Legends， this is probably worth a read。 It's a pretty solid novel for a game tie-in and the book itself is of very nice quality。 If you aren't familiar with League of Legends， you could probably take it or leave it。 But if you want something fun， fantastical， and easy to follow you might give it a try。 I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher， all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Dustin Johnston （dragonarmybooks）
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I have a BookTube channel where I review books， give reading suggestions， and more！ Check it out here: https://www。youtube。com/dragonarmybooks---League of Legends dominated my life for a good year before I decided the rage and toxicity wasn't good for my soul。 I gave it up back in 2015 or so， but continued to watch my friends play （and rage） for many years after。 I always respected the world and characters and lore that Riot created， so I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to read an early I have a BookTube channel where I review books， give reading suggestions， and more！ Check it out here: https://www。youtube。com/dragonarmybooks---League of Legends dominated my life for a good year before I decided the rage and toxicity wasn't good for my soul。 I gave it up back in 2015 or so， but continued to watch my friends play （and rage） for many years after。 I always respected the world and characters and lore that Riot created， so I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to read an early copy of the first official League of Legends novel， Ruination。Through two primary POVs， we are introduced to a thriving Camavor along with a happy king on the throne， his beautiful new bride， and a loyal military general in service to both king and kingdom。 All is good until all is not。 A poisoned assassin's blade strikes the flesh of Queen Isolde which， in effect， pierces the heart of King Viego。 The Sad King turns Mad King as he recklessly seeks ways to heal his dying wife。 Viego sends his general and niece， the warrior Kalista， on a daring mission to the fabled Blessed Isles in hopes of finding the rumored cure there。 Little does Kalista know， corruption is already spreading in the underground vaults of the Blessed Isles' capital。 Warden Erlok Grael is concocting a plan of revenge and Kalista's arrival might play perfectly into the evil warden's waiting hands。Even stripping this story out of the League of Legends universe， this is just solid fantasy at its core。 The story is fairly straightforward， the characters we've all seen before and don't have too much depth but have just enough to keep them interesting， and the world is accessible while remaining fantastical and historied。 Plopping the story back into its rightful universe just makes the book that much more interesting for fans of the IP。 It was so much fun coming across characters like Hecarim， Ryze， and Soraka。 Even with my somewhat limited LoL knowledge， I got excited when we came across a certain tome that Grael would one day carry on his person across Summoner's Rift。 There are TONS of surprises and shoutouts for true fans of the series。 I caught a lot but I'm sure there was plenty that I missed。While the story and worldbuilding are both fairly straightforward， the conclusion was truly unique。 I'm obviously not going to go into detail here because that would be major spoiler territory， but the events of the final chapters give the book its name。 I had enough hints that I could tell something was coming， but I didn't know how catastrophic it would be。 And with an ending like this， it really leaves the reader wanting more。Finally， the book's physical presentation is top notch。 From the character portraits at the end of the novel to the art on the inside of the dust jacket to the holographic bookmarks featuring some of the main characters， the presentation is stunning and made it all the more fun of a reading experience。Notes on the Audiobook:This was more of a dramatized performance than your standard audiobook， which makes sense when you realize that many of the characters in the book are voiced by their video game counterparts！ That being said， some of the voice actors did much better than others and it was noticeable。 Furthermore， the audio wasn't balanced well。 Sometimes it was incredibly difficult to make out what was being said even at max volume。 I think they made the right choice by using VAs from the video game， but I'm not sure it was my personal favorite decision。I received a review copy of this book from the publisher， Orbit， in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Ash
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I highly recommend the audio for this one！
Elise
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Incredible book！
Bells
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As someone who fell in love with League of Legends' lore rather than with the game itself， I think I can confidentely say that I absolutely hate Viego ever since he was first teased as a champion。 I hated the Sentinels event， I hate that his design's purpose is mostly to be eye-candy and I was extremely dissapointed that he wasn't the old， mad king everyone was expecting; but I do like what they did with his story in "The Ruined King" game。 So when the book was first announced， I didn't let my e As someone who fell in love with League of Legends' lore rather than with the game itself， I think I can confidentely say that I absolutely hate Viego ever since he was first teased as a champion。 I hated the Sentinels event， I hate that his design's purpose is mostly to be eye-candy and I was extremely dissapointed that he wasn't the old， mad king everyone was expecting; but I do like what they did with his story in "The Ruined King" game。 So when the book was first announced， I didn't let my excitement set my expectations very high。Now， after finishing the book， I think it's only fair to analyse it in two separate ways: on the one hand as a fantasy novel and， on the other hand， as a League of Legends story - because that's what I enjoyed the most about the book， that it can be read even if you know nothing about the game。 Reynolds manages to create an intricate story about loyalty; Kalista's struggle to keep the kingdom， and therefore her family， afloat is immaculately written， and all three parts of the book become more intriguing as the story unfolds。 I also believe that the artists who worked on this project should be praised: the cover and the illustrations in the book are of excellent quality， and one can easily see the work and effort put behind them。However， this is also a story set in Runetetta。 For any fellow lore fans out there， I promise that "Ruination" came here to deliver the answers to this tragic， yet crucial event that everyone was looking for。 Some of them， though。 While I wished it covered certain characters more， we can finally get a glipse of what life at Camavor and the Blessed Isles looked like。 Furthermore， witnessing the events through Kalista's eyes was a much needed breath of fresh air， and I'm very happy that my favourite spirit of vengeance is finally getting the recognition she deserves。Even if you are not interested in anything related to the game， "Ruination" is an exceptional novel I would reccomend to anyone who likes fantasy novels。 Nevertheless， those who are at least a bit familiar with the lore can read in between the lines， and even recognize some fan-favourite champions along the story。 And to any lore enthusiast such as myself out there: we may not have gotten any hints to the Black Rose's role during the Ruination， but at least Yorick got a small cameo。 。。。more
Megan Coad
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Give me more books in this world！I'm not a player， but I loved Arcane and I love all the cinematics and the lore of the world。 Bought this on a whim and it did not disappoint！ Epic magic and spirals into madness？ Yes please！I would recommend watching the cinematics on youtube and checking out some of the champions on the league of legends site to catch some easter eggs and get a feel for where things go， but I think this could still be good going into without any prior knowledge。 Give me more books in this world！I'm not a player， but I loved Arcane and I love all the cinematics and the lore of the world。 Bought this on a whim and it did not disappoint！ Epic magic and spirals into madness？ Yes please！I would recommend watching the cinematics on youtube and checking out some of the champions on the league of legends site to catch some easter eggs and get a feel for where things go， but I think this could still be good going into without any prior knowledge。 。。。more
Angelina
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I had super high expectations going into this book。 I adore Arcane （the Netflix show set in this same world）， so I went into Ruination expecting the same level of character development， world-building， and intriguing plot。 AND THIS BOOK DELIVERED！！The plot was fun but also twisty！ It did a lot of things I wasn't expecting it to， and while the ending left off on a cliffhanger， I think it was perfect for the story itself！ I was so deeply attached to the characters， and I felt way too many emotions I had super high expectations going into this book。 I adore Arcane （the Netflix show set in this same world）， so I went into Ruination expecting the same level of character development， world-building， and intriguing plot。 AND THIS BOOK DELIVERED！！The plot was fun but also twisty！ It did a lot of things I wasn't expecting it to， and while the ending left off on a cliffhanger， I think it was perfect for the story itself！ I was so deeply attached to the characters， and I felt way too many emotions （many being of the sad variety in the last part）。 I am already obsessed with this book and I just know it's one that I'll be rereading soon！Buddy read with my Arcane obsessed friend！！Rating: 5 stars 。。。more
Anaïs
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⭐️ Overall: 5/5 ⭐️🗺️ Plot: 9。0 /10🧭 Setting: 8。0 /10⚔️ Characters: 9。0 /10✍ Writing （style）: Excellent。📚 Would I recommend it？ Yes。"Death to all betrayers！" 👍 Up's: 1） Interesting and amazing characters2） Fantastic world/worldbuilding 3） Intriguing plot & Good pace4） Epic EndingI have known the League since its beginning and I started playing the game in 2015， so yes， you can assume I will be bias for this book。 League of Legends， had always had an amazing fictional world - Runeterra。 It's a uni ⭐️ Overall: 5/5 ⭐️🗺️ Plot: 9。0 /10🧭 Setting: 8。0 /10⚔️ Characters: 9。0 /10✍ Writing （style）: Excellent。📚 Would I recommend it？ Yes。"Death to all betrayers！" 👍 Up's: 1） Interesting and amazing characters2） Fantastic world/worldbuilding 3） Intriguing plot & Good pace4） Epic EndingI have known the League since its beginning and I started playing the game in 2015， so yes， you can assume I will be bias for this book。 League of Legends， had always had an amazing fictional world - Runeterra。 It's a unique and creative large world， full of different stuff and with incredible stories and characters。 Yes， I'm a lore sucker。 And it's funny because Kindred was （and is） my favorite characters， when they were released， at that time， they were connected to the short story of the Ruined King。 That story was my favorite。 So this book was a treat for me and I knew pretty much what to encounter。 1） I fell more in love with Kalista， our main protagonist。 She's loyal and noble， what I normally would find boring， but she's so much more than that。 She's a proud General， who is brave and fair; a princess， with duties and responsibilities， and aside from that， she's a niece， who loves her uncle and always tries to bring the best out of him and she's also a sister （not by blood） to a woman she failed to protect。 Apart from her titles， Kalista is a caring， curious and honest woman。 What I admire so much about her， is that， she never breaks or complains。 She admits her mistakes and tries to correct them， always does what it's the best for her kingdom， takes care of her love ones and is always by Viego's side， like she promised。 Viego， the tragic King with a tragic fate。 People like to joke about Viego， saying he's a "simp" and "crazy" and that's he's only personality。 Reading about him， was very surprising and interesting。 From a moment he's a little boy crying in Kalista's arms or a husband in love and in another， he's an angry king that could kill anyone， even his niece and a man so obsessed with his wife that makes him toxic。 He has much more flaws than good traits， but it's great how he's not portrait as villain。 Also， cheers to: There's no villain。Every character is complex， with their own desires and reasons。 All of them are unique and unpredictable。 I loved Erlok Grael， he's just done with everyone and wants chaos lmao （view spoiler）[ So good to see how Tresh was born！ （hide spoiler）]2） It's predictable that this topic would be a bless。 This corner of Runeterra， was very well explored and detailed， Camavor was never shown on the map of Runeterra， so learning about it was very interesting。 It is true that I would have liked to know more。 Like other traditions， customs， and facts， but I guess there was no space for it。 Reading about the famous Blessed Isles was my favorite。 The island is mysterious and fascinating， （view spoiler）[and I loved to finally see how it become the Shadow Isles。 （hide spoiler）]3） The plot it's simple， but the different characters make it enjoyable and intriguing。 It's also not predictable， for someone who doesn't know the lore。 I really liked the pace of the book， it was direct and dint't waste any time on foolish things。 There was time to like and study the secondary characters。 However， I wish Hecarim had more screen time， I was quite surprised how I ended up liking him so much and hating him at the same time ahaha。✨ Final thoughts:Little Side Note: You don't need to know the game or Runeterra to read this。 It's a great story for fantasy fans。In fact this book would be a 4/5， but like I said， I was a "little" bias x） 。。。more
Lel
，
I really enjoyed this。 Not knowing much about the world of 'League of Legends' other than the Arcane TV seroes wasn't a problem。 It read like a good solid stand alone fantasy book if a little leaning toward more YA than adult for me。 The characters were quite simple but enjoyable。 The majority of the book was predictable but not in a bad way。 I didnt think the ending was particulary great but I'm hoping that there will be more coming from this author in this world。 I really enjoyed this。 Not knowing much about the world of 'League of Legends' other than the Arcane TV seroes wasn't a problem。 It read like a good solid stand alone fantasy book if a little leaning toward more YA than adult for me。 The characters were quite simple but enjoyable。 The majority of the book was predictable but not in a bad way。 I didnt think the ending was particulary great but I'm hoping that there will be more coming from this author in this world。 。。。more
Steven Rousta
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This was quite literally one of the best books I have ever read！ The story was immaculate， and while I already did possess a connection to the characters prior to reading this book （because I play league） ， you don’t have to be well versed in league to read this book！ This story holds up very well on its own。 I just want a million more books like this oh my goodness！！ Kalista has my heart！！！ AHHHHH I’m sad it’s over。 Will re read soon probably HAHA。
Alex Kostek
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Great read if you like LeagueAwesome story if you are into league of legends。 Seeing the champions you play unfold their backstories is an awesome thing to see！
Nemo Lockeheart
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As a long-time fan of League of Legend and their universe， I'm devasted to say this story didn't fully live up to my expectation I have been playing league for 10 years and been a fan of their universe for at least 7 years。 I have devoured their stories， their music， their masterfully animated short cinematics， and most recently， the world-wide acclaimed Netflix series， Arcane; in a way， I consider myself a semi-expert lorehead when it comes to this world， Runeterra。 As an avid fantasy reader， As a long-time fan of League of Legend and their universe， I'm devasted to say this story didn't fully live up to my expectation I have been playing league for 10 years and been a fan of their universe for at least 7 years。 I have devoured their stories， their music， their masterfully animated short cinematics， and most recently， the world-wide acclaimed Netflix series， Arcane; in a way， I consider myself a semi-expert lorehead when it comes to this world， Runeterra。 As an avid fantasy reader， I have always wanted Riot Games to release a full-length novel set in the world of Runeterra; so， suffice to say， when they announced the release of Ruination， I was stoked！ Especially after how much the narrative team fucked up the Ruination's in game storyline; I wanted a good story about the Shadow Isles， about the characters/champions I have grown to love over the course of a decade。 But it saddens me to admit that Ruination didn't live up to my expectation。Anthony Reynolds is a capable writer， for I have read some of his work in short stories。 However， his strength doesn't seem to carry well over to longer form of storytelling。 The prose suffers tremendously， especially the dialogues which are 90% very "modern"。 To give him the benefit of a doubt， I have a feeling the reason to why the story is written this way is because Riot Games wants a story that is more accessible to everyone， book readers and non-readers alike。 This resulted in a very mix-match prose which ends up hurting the story more。 There are many archaic words which don't fit very well at all considering how pale the rest of the writing is。 Don't get me wrong， I love these words， but they only work if the rest of the prose is also in that level （like that of Steven Erikson， Mark Lawrence， or R。 Scott Bakker）。 Another aspect of the writing which bothers me was how "telling" it is。 Everything is spelled out， and nothing is left for the readers to interpret or speculate。 One great thing about Reynolds' writing is his skill in painting a battle scene。 He knows how to put you into the field， knows how to make you feel each swing of the blade and each impact of the axe。 But considering how little combat this book has， it left me wanting more。 Character-wise， this book falls flat too。 Everyone， and I mean everyone， is very one-dimensional。 As a fan of the universe， I have known what Viego and Thresh are like post-Ruination。 So， as I went into this book， I was hoping to see something more， something to help me see them as humans。 Everything was left much to be desired。 Thresh， even though his whole shtick is a borderline psychopath， should have been given more。 Viego， as always， based his whole identity around his wife。 There was so much more to be explored about him and his responsibility as a kind， but we didn't get any of that。Kalista has the most page-time but she， too， came off very cliché。 I see her struggle， but I can't feel it。 I think the problem is because the book is long where it doesn't need to and short where it should have been more developed。 The rest of the cast （I won't spoil who they are） suffer from the same problem。 Underdeveloped， cookie-cutter traits， and awful dialogues （so many unnecessary exclamation marks）。 The plot is sound but poorly executed with sloppy pacing。 Settings are cool but don't give the readers more than what they already knew。 Comparing this whole novel to another short story written by Reynolds， The Echos Left Behind， which also features Kalista and Ledros， the latter does a much better job of showcasing and establishing who these people are/were。 One more reason to why I think Riot Games is partially to blamed for the quality of this book。 Overall， I'm disappointed。 I will still read and look forward to the future books （which I hope there will be）。 My only hope is that the quality will be better; I know they can be better。 。。。more
mscoolcat
，
To maintain one’s morals and goodness， even at the very end， even when there’s no hope or no point， is such an honorable trait。 Kalista stan wholeheartedly， even as a wraith ！
Fabio D'Amato
，
Poche aspettative trattandosi di un libro che ha alla base la lore di un videogioco， ma devo dire che mi ha preso， anche se troppo sbrigativo， consigliato anche a chi non conosce il mondo di Runeterra。
MyMoonlightBird
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* Without knowledge of the League of Legends game I think this book will be a bit harder to go through。In the ancient lands of Camavor a boyking descends upon the throne， but his ever-dutiful niece Kalista has been with him through everything and this time it will not be any different。 But when on campaign in one of their neighborly lands the queen， the boykings most fabled treasure gets poisoned， Kalista will be send out to find a cure。 On the blessed Isles， a hateful man named Erlok Grael want * Without knowledge of the League of Legends game I think this book will be a bit harder to go through。In the ancient lands of Camavor a boyking descends upon the throne， but his ever-dutiful niece Kalista has been with him through everything and this time it will not be any different。 But when on campaign in one of their neighborly lands the queen， the boykings most fabled treasure gets poisoned， Kalista will be send out to find a cure。 On the blessed Isles， a hateful man named Erlok Grael wants to everyone who has ever hurt him or looked down upon him to pay。 Finding out the Masters most hidden secrets has been his life's mission， but still he will be denied。 Then two path's cross and will cause more destruction than one could ever imagine。Pro's:+ If you like League of Legends， I think this book will be a good way to learn more about the events of the ruination and the events that set it in motion。 You will recognize a lot of loved characters and learn more about their origin stories。 + I like that there are multiple perspectives in this story， I feel like between Erlok's and Kalista's stories we get to see the story from more than one angle， deepening the dread you will feel going into the ending of this book。 + The hardcover version I have of this book is absolutely gorgeous， usually I'm not really into aesthetics but this book is so pretty， with a lot of foil and a print on the inside of the dustjacket。 Great attention to detail， this is how books should be。+ As someone who usually reads books with happy endings， it was nice to not have that for a change。 This ending is not happy and actually really sad and depressing。Con's:- I wonder how readable this book is if you're not familiar with League of Legends and how much you will enjoy this if these characters don't mean anything to you。 The story is very easy to read， but I have to wonder how much impact it will have on the people who do not know anything about this。This book is a great example on what books based on game lore could be if people got from their high horses and try to make lore stories easy and accessible。 This was a great read， with tons of familiar characters and one of the biggest stories in the LoL universe at it's core。 Yes， it is kinda sad and depressing， but I found this very entertaining and easy to read。 It also helps this is one very gorgeous book， a true present for the fans of the game and it's universe。 Yes Riot， give me more of these and I will buy actually all of them。 。。。more
Mike Larson
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3。3
Komal Lokesh
，
Kalista - added to the list of my favourite characters。
Michael Norden
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Note: Review will most likely be completely biased as I have been playing LoL since the beta。I came to Ruination only expecting a bit of fanservice but ended up reading it in 3 days and put all other books on hold。 If you are even a little curious of the extended league lore （and after Arcane， who wouldn't be？） I think you will enjoy this book。I was grabbed and pulled along by Thresh's sickle by the external promise of playing Lol for so long， that I had to see the payoff for how these champions Note: Review will most likely be completely biased as I have been playing LoL since the beta。I came to Ruination only expecting a bit of fanservice but ended up reading it in 3 days and put all other books on hold。 If you are even a little curious of the extended league lore （and after Arcane， who wouldn't be？） I think you will enjoy this book。I was grabbed and pulled along by Thresh's sickle by the external promise of playing Lol for so long， that I had to see the payoff for how these champions came to be。 The biggest for me not being Kalista or Viego， but Erlok the Thresher and Lord Hecarim; and I left completely satisfied with the payoff。I can see why some people feel certain champions were shoehorned in （I am looking at you （view spoiler）[ Soraka （hide spoiler）] and Ryze） but overall it did not detract from the world being built around Helia and Camavor。Overall an easy and entertaining read made all the better for extending the story of Runeterra。 。。。more
The Wulver's Library
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Ruination by Anthony Reynold first caught my eye with its brilliat cover and it wasn't until I looked into it， I found that it was set in the world of League of Legends， recently made popular by the Arcane Netflix series。 I have limited-to-no knowledge about this but that didn't take away from enjoying this as much as I did。Camavor is a brutal land with a bloody legacy。 Where the empire’s knights go， slaughter follows。Kalista seeks to change that。 When her young and narcissistic uncle， Viego， be Ruination by Anthony Reynold first caught my eye with its brilliat cover and it wasn't until I looked into it， I found that it was set in the world of League of Legends， recently made popular by the Arcane Netflix series。 I have limited-to-no knowledge about this but that didn't take away from enjoying this as much as I did。Camavor is a brutal land with a bloody legacy。 Where the empire’s knights go， slaughter follows。Kalista seeks to change that。 When her young and narcissistic uncle， Viego， becomes king， she vows to temper his destructive instincts， as his loyal confidant， advisor， and military general。 But her plans are thwarted when an assassin’s poisoned blade strikes Viego’s wife， Isolde， afflicting her with a malady for which there is no cure。As Isolde’s condition worsens， Viego descends into madness and grief， threatening to drag Camavor down with him。 Kalista makes a desperate gambit to save the kingdom: she searches for the long-lost Blessed Isles， rumored to hold the queen’s salvation， if only Kalista can find them。But corruption grows in the Blessed Isles’ capital， where a vengeful warden seeks to ensnare Kalista in his cruel machinations。 She will be forced to choose between her loyalty to Viego and doing what she knows is right–for even in the face of utter darkness， one noble act can shine a light that saves the world。This was a thrilling read that really held my attention throughout。 The story itself was just as engaging as Arcane and the suspense throughout was enough to keep my head filled with thoughts constantly。 Reynold's world-building was so dynamic and realised and the lore made me want to check other media available set in this world。 The battle sequences were top notch and genuinely got me excited for more novels in this format。 This was an easy read which is just what I was looking for。 It was full of thematic layers that gave us a broader look at the vision for League of Legends。The writing style of Reynolds was reminiscent of Martin and Lynch where the narrations are flowing and enriching but it does require a lot of patience。 There can be complicated parts where things get going and the characters are complex and diverse。 The plot may have been surprisingly simple， but this is an epic fantasy adventure that really ticks all the boxes needed。 。。。more
Rebecca Hartshorn
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I enjoyed the audiobook！
Marien
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I never expected myself to read a book based on a video game and actually enjoy it。 It’s a tragic story which is accessible to read， but sometimes the writing style feels kind of bland。 3。75 stars
Aaron
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Where do I even start with this。。。Somehow a book with all the building blocks to be really interesting with one of the most anticipated stories from the lore of league manages to leave me exactly where I started information wise before I read the book。 Camavor， which is a brand new place is barely expanded upon at all apart from it being a background to character dialogue and is used cheaply to move character progression along （if I have to hear about some random ass city that we dont care about Where do I even start with this。。。Somehow a book with all the building blocks to be really interesting with one of the most anticipated stories from the lore of league manages to leave me exactly where I started information wise before I read the book。 Camavor， which is a brand new place is barely expanded upon at all apart from it being a background to character dialogue and is used cheaply to move character progression along （if I have to hear about some random ass city that we dont care about is being invaded one more time I'll scream）The entire plot is just: Assassination by ？？？ （not elaborated on apart from the 147 times its used to once again say that somewhere is being blamed / invaded to make viego look like a mad king which is already more than set in stone at this point so I don't know why it keeps being brought up。 It could have been a nod to zeds order with the shadows etc but its just left there）Kalista goes on her magical journey and just stumbles around until she ends up in Helia。。。This could have been literally anything else and would have been more interesting。 Burhu just thrown in there because why not， same with soraka for like what 1 page？ And then they just happen to find Ryze and Tyrus and then are off to Helia just like that like come on its so cheap and boring。 Have them meet ryze instead of soraka and go on some sort of quest to gain their favor， anything else but "oh in the vast ocean we stumbled upon you because destiny willed it and now we're friends :）"The only part of this book that was somewhat enjoyable was seeing what Helia was like before the ruination even if Grael was portrayed as a one dimensional "evil because wronged" character。 At least the ending was ok despite it being very anticlimatic as THE event in league lore。Dont even get me started on vennox as a character I almost stopped reading at a point because of how unfathomably cringe her dialogue is at some points and the rest is porn acting tier of dialogueMaybe I was just too overhyped for this book but it feels like all the potential content of this book was skimmed over and was condensed into 400 pages when it could have been a lot longer with more meaningful character progression， lore building and general plot。 Only Kalista （and Thresh and ryze but its more for plot than character） gets some time in the limelight but why not any other chapters from major characters？ Random chapters of viego slowly descending into his madness， Hecarim plotting his grand schemes hell even some Ledros chapters would have been nice when kalista was gone where he goes over camavors decline and viegos progress。Overall pretty disappointing but will still do well as a primer for non league fans 。。。more
The Escapist
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3。75 rounded up Super entertaining and very easy to read。 This is the type of book that could get someone out of a reading slump， however quite predictable the whole way through IMO。
shikari
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4。5This book just made me love Kalista。 The writing just sucks you in and it's a page turner， but as fantasy story， it was a bit underwhelming。 4。5This book just made me love Kalista。 The writing just sucks you in and it's a page turner， but as fantasy story， it was a bit underwhelming。 。。。more
Chris The Lizard from Planet X
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League Of Legends: Ruination By Anthony Reynolds， is video game tie-in novel based on Riot Games’s League Of Legends video game franchise。 The book focuses on warrior general Kalista， the niece to the young king Viego， who has been a close advisor to him and is helping to steer the ruling of the land of Camavor。 This task has become easier since his ill-advised marriage to a foreign commoner， a seamstress named Isolde。 With Isolde on her side， Kalista has been able to work with the king， Viego， League Of Legends: Ruination By Anthony Reynolds， is video game tie-in novel based on Riot Games’s League Of Legends video game franchise。 The book focuses on warrior general Kalista， the niece to the young king Viego， who has been a close advisor to him and is helping to steer the ruling of the land of Camavor。 This task has become easier since his ill-advised marriage to a foreign commoner， a seamstress named Isolde。 With Isolde on her side， Kalista has been able to work with the king， Viego， to help their country become something even better。That is， until an assassin's poison touches Isolde， leaving her deeply ill with the incurable affliction。 As she dies， Viego becomes more and more volatile， so when he sends her on a quest to the fabled Blessed Isles， Kalista knows she will do what she needs to do to help him in order to keep their country safe。 However， this quest proves to be more dangerous than she ever could have expected。 As she becomes the unwilling pawn in a vengeful plan against the leaders of the Blessed Isles。 As for the story， I came to it with practically little knowledge about League of Legends universe。 Surprisingly， this wasn’t a problem at all。 The writing and world-building are straightforward and easy to follow。 The prose was easily accessible， almost a bit too basic at times， but it still managed to keep me engaged and set the tone of the world and characters well。 The pace was steady and built to an explosive finale， and I never felt bored， even in the slower moments， because it always seemed like I was learning some new tidbit about the magic or history of the civilizations。The characters all had clear motivations and interesting arcs。 I appreciated the multiple POVs as they provided looks at parts of the kingdoms and history that wouldn’t have been possible with only one point of view。 I honestly wish there had been even more of them， maybe from the eyes of Viego or Hecarim。 They were both fascinating characters that got relegated to the sidelines， especially in the middle of the book。 Kalista’s journey was a fascinating one， though， and it was sad to see her unwavering loyalty be answered time and time again with betrayal and destructive duplicity。 The ‘villain’ of the book was probably my least favorite character。 His actions and their justifications made sense， but he felt a bit too cartoonishly one-dimensional for me to really relate to him。 Ryze， on the other hand， was one of my favorite characters。 He was an impetuous youth that learned some really difficult lessons， and I found his character growth to be the most compelling。 Another favorite was Vennix。 I just loved her sassy attitude and her ability to steal any scene。In general， I think the major lesson of this book is the danger inherent in selfishness。 Every bad thing that happens in this book does so as a result of selfish action。 Whether it was lust for power， desire to hoard knowledge， the wish to avoid loss， or hunger for revenge， selfishness was at the heart of all the chaos， devastation， and ruin。 Many character moments in this book， especially of Ryze and Viego， reminded me of Anakin from Star Wars。 There were even a couple lines that felt like they were pulled directly from those movies， which was a fun thing to come across whether intentional or not。 The level of self-destruction in this novel is definitely on par with Anakin’s undoing， and the general lesson was much the same。Overall， this was an excellent introduction to the world and lore of League of Legends。 Whether you are a fan of the game or not， I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy epic fantasy。 It was filled with interesting magic， political conspiracies， and fascinating characters while managing to maintain accessibility to readers unfamiliar with the games。 。。。more
E Loveless
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I was mostly looking forward to this book because I want the rich universe Riot created to not be locked behind games so I was more than happy to support this release even if it was about a lore story I cared very little about。That being said， I grew to find the novel quite enjoyable。 I was surprised that despite knowing the ending due to it just being an extension of established lore， there were parts that actually got an emotional response from me。 The story moves quickly and the characters ar I was mostly looking forward to this book because I want the rich universe Riot created to not be locked behind games so I was more than happy to support this release even if it was about a lore story I cared very little about。That being said， I grew to find the novel quite enjoyable。 I was surprised that despite knowing the ending due to it just being an extension of established lore， there were parts that actually got an emotional response from me。 The story moves quickly and the characters are never really allowed to be beyond what we know them in the game as but they serve their purpose。I thought there was maybe one or two too many established champions that showed up but none of them felt too out of place。 Except for the one。 You all know who。 。。。more
Julie Janis
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Overall， not a bad story。 I enjoyed most everything about this。 It had a good plot， intriguing characters， and interesting world building。 That ending made me realize the whole book was an origin story， which isn't bad at all。 Although after reading that ending， I want to know what happened next。 I don't think there will be a sequel though。 Besides that， it's an overall enjoyable read。 It didn't blow my mind and I wasn't as sucked into it as I'd hoped， but that's okay。 I still had a good time wi Overall， not a bad story。 I enjoyed most everything about this。 It had a good plot， intriguing characters， and interesting world building。 That ending made me realize the whole book was an origin story， which isn't bad at all。 Although after reading that ending， I want to know what happened next。 I don't think there will be a sequel though。 Besides that， it's an overall enjoyable read。 It didn't blow my mind and I wasn't as sucked into it as I'd hoped， but that's okay。 I still had a good time with this。 。。。more
Kash Dass
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3。5 ⭐️The beautiful jacket drew me to this， after which I learned the story is based on the League of Legends video game。 You do not need to be a fan of the game to follow this story and enjoy it。 Although if you are， I am sure it will be a treat。It was an entertaining read with a kickass heroine， you'll love from the very start！ This will no doubt be the beginning of a series。 3。5 ⭐️The beautiful jacket drew me to this， after which I learned the story is based on the League of Legends video game。 You do not need to be a fan of the game to follow this story and enjoy it。 Although if you are， I am sure it will be a treat。It was an entertaining read with a kickass heroine， you'll love from the very start！ This will no doubt be the beginning of a series。 。。。more
Robert
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A really fun a thrilling story if you know the characters or not a good read。
KKC
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