The Justice of Kings

The Justice of Kings

  • Downloads:9658
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2022-10-16 09:51:34
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Richard Swan
  • ISBN:0356516407
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

The Justice of Kings, the first in a new epic fantasy trilogy, follows the tale of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor’s Justice – a detective, judge and executioner all in one。 As he unravels a web of secrets and lies, Vonvalt discovers a plot that might destroy his order once and for all – and bring down the entire Empire。 

As an Emperor's Justice, Sir Konrad Vonvalt always has the last word。 His duty is to uphold the law of the empire using whatever tools he has at his disposal: whether it's his blade, the arcane secrets passed down from Justice to Justice, or his wealth of knowledge of the laws of the empire。 But usually his reputation as one of the most revered—and hated—Justices is enough to get most any job done。 

When Vonvalt investigates the murder of a noblewoman, he finds his authority being challenged like never before。 As the simple case becomes more complex and convoluted, he begins to pull at the threads that unravel a conspiracy that could see an end to all Justices, and a beginning to lawless chaos across the empire。 

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Reviews

La Crosse County Library

4。5 Stars Rounded UpHe is Judge, Jury, and Executioner。 He is Sir Konrad Vonvalt who strikes fear into the hearts of all with mysterious powers。 I won’t lie, the premise had me hooked from the start。 I had this on my TBR list from various blogs and even Goodreads lists as an anticipated Fantasy debut for 2022。 The synopsis does a good job of painting a glorious picture of Konrad who will be our main character, right? Well, that isn’t really the case。 The story instead follows Helena who is appr 4。5 Stars Rounded UpHe is Judge, Jury, and Executioner。 He is Sir Konrad Vonvalt who strikes fear into the hearts of all with mysterious powers。 I won’t lie, the premise had me hooked from the start。 I had this on my TBR list from various blogs and even Goodreads lists as an anticipated Fantasy debut for 2022。 The synopsis does a good job of painting a glorious picture of Konrad who will be our main character, right? Well, that isn’t really the case。 The story instead follows Helena who is apprenticed to Sir Konrad, and we see the story through her eyes alone。 We follow her, Konrad, and Bressinger (an old friend of Konrad’s who is now employed by him) as they fulfill all of the duties expected of being a Magistrate of the Emperor including dealing with heathens and religious zealots。 A murder case brings the party to a bustling town where underneath the calm exterior lies something that could cause an upheaval for the Empire and Sir Konrad himself。 Our party must navigate the case delicately before political strife rumored to be at the center of the Empire can interfere。 World settings based on the Roman Empire seem popular for debut fantasy books in the last few years。 The empire in this book felt more of a cross between the Ancient Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire since it contained aspects of both。 This is the third book I have read this year that uses the conflict between religious leaders wanting to usurp control over the Empire opposed to mages or other power users。 The magic used in the book was only teased, but it felt unique in its own right。 The religion of the empire reminded me of Judaism and early Christianity in how some books would borrow stories and characters from religions in the surrounding areas (Like Samson and other parables as well as naming demons after Sumerian deities)。 I would say that is where the similarities end as the religion was a unique beast of its own。 It consumed religions of conquered kingdoms wholly and had numerous gods and creatures as a part of its mythos。 Supernatural creatures existed such as a demon in another plane and a clan of people known as wolf men mentioned in the book。 The characters in the novel were fleshed out especially considering the novel only followed one point of view。 Helena was a complex character fueled by her tragic past and aspirations for a better future for herself。 The reader gets to follow her journey as she develops in the face of harsh realities。 My slight gripe with Helena is how at times she seemed naïve and squeamish considering she was a war orphan。 The relationships between characters really shined through the pages especially Helena’s relationship with Konrad as she struggled to define it。 The act of making Helena the point of view we follow allowed the author to slowly reveal parts of Konrad’s history while still keeping him mysterious and powerful。 The novel was written well especially for a debut novel。 I could feel the conflict rising that continually built up my anticipation。 The book elicited different emotions throughout due to the engaging writing。 Different events and plot lines that didn’t seem connected at first were brought together, and a mystery was at the bottom of it all。 The plot was dark without getting too dark like other stories tend to do in the grimdark genre。 The ending of the book hinted at exciting things to come in the series。 I liked this book and didn’t really have anything negative to say except maybe with the synopsis。 Konrad would have been great to follow as the main character since the synopsis made it seem like he was the protagonist。 I understand in the end why he wasn’t the main character though。 I ended up really enjoying this book。 I thought the entry was a great debut, and a great start of a series。 It was mainly a fantasy book with mixes of a mystery thrown into the plot that set up future books to come。 I would recommend this book to fantasy fans and especially those who are fans of grimdark fantasy。 Find this book and other titles within our catalog。 。。。more

Loren

An amazing read! The plot was fantastic and I really enjoyed reading the story。 I can’t wait for the rest of the books to come out and see where the author takes us。 4。5 stars。 I really really loved this book。 Didn’t rate it 5 stars because I would have liked some more characterization on some certain characters。 I didn’t mind the romance, very small part in the book。 I think the author did a wonderful job! A new favorite for me。

Vir - Física Lectora

4。5/5"Powerful men are closer in mind to wild beasts than they are to their supposed human inferiors。"Sir Konrad Volvat es un magistrado del emperador, con el rol de detective, juez y verdugo para llevar al imperio la Justicia del emperador。 Aunque seguimos su historia mientras resuelve crímenes en diversas ciudades, la narradora es Helena, su secretaria/ayudante/aprendiz。 Los personajes son interesantes, con un toque muy sombrío, aunque en algunos momentos la personalidad de Volvat me resultó i 4。5/5"Powerful men are closer in mind to wild beasts than they are to their supposed human inferiors。"Sir Konrad Volvat es un magistrado del emperador, con el rol de detective, juez y verdugo para llevar al imperio la Justicia del emperador。 Aunque seguimos su historia mientras resuelve crímenes en diversas ciudades, la narradora es Helena, su secretaria/ayudante/aprendiz。 Los personajes son interesantes, con un toque muy sombrío, aunque en algunos momentos la personalidad de Volvat me resultó irritante。 La atmósfera de la novela es inmersiva, y acompaña a la personalidad sombría de nuestros personajes, y de alguna forma me imaginaba casi todo en color gris。 Esto no implica que me haya aburrido, todo lo contrario, sino que me daba esa sensación de "gris"。 La forma en que está escrito me enganchó de principio a fin, y acompañado por la trama súper interesante de la historia, resultó en un libro que no podía parar de leer。Las descripciones son bastante meticulosas, aunque el sistema de magia no queda del todo claro。 Dado que es una trilogía, espero que en los siguientes libros revelen más detalles al respecto。 En mi opinión, resalta de otros libros del género porque hay una gran componente del género policial que a medida que avanza la historia se va complejizando, mezclándose con intrigas políticas (algo que me encanta)Definitivamente es una historia de la que quiero saber más, y va a ser un autor que voy a volver a leer。 。。。more

Jen

I followed this story with great interest。 I liked Helena, although she was an old woman by the end of this book。I also liked Volvat。 And I followed his case with great interest!I read this book on October 9-10, 2022。 Lucy Patterson did a really good job performing this story! I thoroughly enjoyed her narration。

Stanislas Sodonon

Yes。I could end this review right there and be done with it。 But I guess that's a bit too flimsy。 So let's do the usual thing。 This book is grimdark, so be warned。-- The Good --Everything。 And I'm barely exaggerating。 Tone, voicing, plot, subplots。。。 Everything on point。 Throughout the whole tale, absolutely nothing pulled me out of it。 I felt the grit and the grey of the sky as if I were there in the flesh。 The author does not shy away from hard topics (grimdark), which brings a lot of authenti Yes。I could end this review right there and be done with it。 But I guess that's a bit too flimsy。 So let's do the usual thing。 This book is grimdark, so be warned。-- The Good --Everything。 And I'm barely exaggerating。 Tone, voicing, plot, subplots。。。 Everything on point。 Throughout the whole tale, absolutely nothing pulled me out of it。 I felt the grit and the grey of the sky as if I were there in the flesh。 The author does not shy away from hard topics (grimdark), which brings a lot of authenticity to the tale。 I particularly enjoyed the commentary on war, on how thin and easily stripped away civilisation's veneer is。I generally enjoy first person narrations, even if it's riskier because of the limit in focus。 I don't know many series where the narrator is NOT the protagonist。 In this book, I find the setting works really well。 Talking about narration, Lucy Paterson is good, really good。 I was hooked all the way。 -- The Bad --Nothing。-- The Ugly --Are you joking?-- The Conclusion --This was an amazingly satisfying experience, and a welcome dip back into grimdark waters。 Absolutely loved it。 。。。more

Ren

Dnf, I got about 3/8 of the way。 It's just so dull and boring。 Dnf, I got about 3/8 of the way。 It's just so dull and boring。 。。。more

Nicole

3。5/5 stars~It took me a while to finish this book since it had several parts where I rolled my eyes and face-palmed, but it otherwise wasn’t too bad

Jean

bro why are we going so fuckin FAST

Neil Herbert

Couldn't put it down。 Can't wait for Book 2 in the Empire of the Wolf trilogy。 Couldn't put it down。 Can't wait for Book 2 in the Empire of the Wolf trilogy。 。。。more

Kami

As much as I wanted to like this book, unfortunately it felt very flat and dull。 For such an epic world and interesting concept, the choice of the narrator for the story was completely out of place。 The fact that it was written in first person from the perspective of a 19-year old girl had a ton of flaws, emotional depth being one of the most significant ones。 Most chapters ended with a vague statement about how things were about the change and it did not build up the suspense as the author migh As much as I wanted to like this book, unfortunately it felt very flat and dull。 For such an epic world and interesting concept, the choice of the narrator for the story was completely out of place。 The fact that it was written in first person from the perspective of a 19-year old girl had a ton of flaws, emotional depth being one of the most significant ones。 Most chapters ended with a vague statement about how things were about the change and it did not build up the suspense as the author might’ve expected it to。 The villains of the story were nothing more than cardboard cutouts since their deeper motives were glossed over。 The detective elements of the story aligned all too perfectly and seemed too obvious or plain to make an interesting case。 I can only imagine how good this book might’ve been if it was written from a 3rd person limited point of view… 。。。more

Aysearase3151

https://www。hemenhizmet。com https://www。hemenhizmet。com 。。。more

Fred

Can't put the book down。 What a page turner。 You can really feed off the characters and right off the bat the world-building was incredible。 It was like the book has written itself。 Can't wait for the 2nd book。 A-mazing! Can't put the book down。 What a page turner。 You can really feed off the characters and right off the bat the world-building was incredible。 It was like the book has written itself。 Can't wait for the 2nd book。 A-mazing! 。。。more

Laura

3。5So viele Aspekte haben total gut gefallen。 Das Setting, die Charaktere und die Magie (wenn auch zu wenig darüber)。 Aber die Mordermittlung an sich fand ich total langweilig und teilweise war mir auch der Plot an sich zu langsam。 Und zu wenig Fantasy! Trotzdem will ich die Reihe weiterlesen。

Sharon

This book follows the POV of the apprentice to the Justice of Kings and whilst it’s a medieval setting it has paranormal elements and magic。 This is a mystery and law enforcement and a lot of religion。I liked that our main POV was a women’s view in a man dominated world。 It started off slow for me but really picked up as many twist and turns happened。

Kerry

Don't waste your time。 Don't waste your time。 。。。more

Adrienne Engel-Dare

Well done with timely parallels to attempts at tyranny in our timeThis is a very original and well written story。 The historical issues are extremely relevant and reflective of today’s wealth and power-driven political realities。

Alyss

Loved this! I can't wait for the second book。 Loved this! I can't wait for the second book。 。。。more

Veronika Boušková

4,5

Ole Sørensen

Prose is first class IMO。 Plot and action well paced and interesting。 I have high expectations for the continuation of this series and Richard Swans future works。

Darryn

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review。This was a great story to fill that political fantasy itch I get every so often。 The story was engaging although not wholly unique。 The characters are what really makes the story as they are complex and flawed, which are my favorite kind。 A great start to a new series。

Liz C

Very good start to a series。 Enjoyed the characters and world building。

Snowy

So, the MC is a girl who has been working as a clerk for a Justice of the Empire since she was picked up as a pickpocket orphan two years before。 Justices are agents of the Emperor and travel throughout Empire and impose the law。 They have special powers and also have discretion in their judgements。 They are allowed to execute someone without question for breaking the law。 But the MC's boss is very fair and the same can't be said for other Justices。 The book starts out with the MC, the Justice, So, the MC is a girl who has been working as a clerk for a Justice of the Empire since she was picked up as a pickpocket orphan two years before。 Justices are agents of the Emperor and travel throughout Empire and impose the law。 They have special powers and also have discretion in their judgements。 They are allowed to execute someone without question for breaking the law。 But the MC's boss is very fair and the same can't be said for other Justices。 The book starts out with the MC, the Justice, his assistant, and a priest going to a small village。 The events that happen in the village leads to the Empire getting upended。The novel is the MC writing it as an old woman and there's a lot of sinister foreshadowing that make me excited for the sequel。 Everyone in the story gets character development, some good, some bad。 I loved the suspense, the battle scenes, the descriptions。 There were quite a few times where I was literally shaking with anticipation。The thing that really held the book back for me was the romance。 Oh。 My。 Goodness。 The romance was AWFUL and I think the author knows that and tries his best to justify its existence。 (view spoiler)[They meet literally once and the MC falls in love with him。 He's a handsome rando guard in a little village and I get the insta-lust with him。 The MC even admits that if she were her previous pickpocket orphan self, she would've been dismissive of him, but still falls hard。 To the point where other people notice and ask her about it。 Literally only met once, traded a few lines, and when the Justice asks if she can question him about a girl who used to live in town, she refuses to "manipulate" him because she cares for him。 She runs off and still ends up talking to him about it。 I think the third time they meet she meets his dad and they just fuck。 She's a virgin who's "always protected her maidenhood" and it goes out the window with a dude she met 3 times。 She again admits she hopes she doesn't regret it, but I regret it。 Next she decides to leave her lucrative job and marry this rando, with everyone around her telling her she's a dumbass for doing so。 I。。。understand that she is young enough to make rash decisions and old enough to decide what she wants for herself。 But also。。。the ENTIRE ROMANCE is just a motivation, a plot point for the climax。 She gets caught and imprisoned and before they even TRY to torture her for information, they decide to drag his ass in and torture him。 She doesn't even give useful information before they kill him and of course while he's on the ground, bleeding to death, he gives her the way out of the dungeon。 He dies painfully a few days later。 Fuck this romance。 It was pointless and showcased the MC's every fault and shortcoming。(hide spoiler)] 。。。more

Kate J。

One of the best and most refreshing books I’ve read in a while。

Dustin

5⭐️I haven’t been this enthralled by a book in quite a while。 I thought the writing was excellent, the pace kept up nicely, and the story has me wanting more。

Alex Lazar

Rating: 4/5 stars Thoughts:Did not see the appeal of the story's premise at first when reading, but over time, The Justice of Kings somehow blossomed into a delightful fantasy adventure。 Awesome debut。 Rating: 4/5 stars Thoughts:Did not see the appeal of the story's premise at first when reading, but over time, The Justice of Kings somehow blossomed into a delightful fantasy adventure。 Awesome debut。 。。。more

thereadingbanshee

I'm just really frustrated with this book。 The premise was really cool and it just fell flat。Everything fell flat。 The characters, the plot, the pacing。 I was worried because I don't usually reach for books written by white men without research but a video really sold me on it so i got it。WELL, I'm not making that mistake again! I'm just really frustrated with this book。 The premise was really cool and it just fell flat。Everything fell flat。 The characters, the plot, the pacing。 I was worried because I don't usually reach for books written by white men without research but a video really sold me on it so i got it。WELL, I'm not making that mistake again! 。。。more

John Derek

ReviewThe Justice of Kings is a sort of a mixed bag of a book, in which it is a part murder mystery and part fantasy。 Blending the two together to form an intriguing and intelligent addition to the fantasy fiction genre。The description covers a great deal of the book's general story, but it doesn't really do it proper justice。 For instance, it doesn't cover any of the serious political machinations going on in court。 The skulduggery behind the scenes or the religious hysteria。The more compelling ReviewThe Justice of Kings is a sort of a mixed bag of a book, in which it is a part murder mystery and part fantasy。 Blending the two together to form an intriguing and intelligent addition to the fantasy fiction genre。The description covers a great deal of the book's general story, but it doesn't really do it proper justice。 For instance, it doesn't cover any of the serious political machinations going on in court。 The skulduggery behind the scenes or the religious hysteria。The more compelling and fascinating part of the book, especially early on, was the murder and its investigation。 The suspicious circumstances surrounding the event, and the conspiracy that it unearths, make for classic reading。The world-building is good, and it is easy to visualise the various locations。 The writing is okay if a little drawn out in places, but it fits in well with the legal and political dialogue。 The novels pace relied upon the events as they take place, as you would anticipate, but don't expect a roller-coaster, all action, thrill of a ride。Nevertheless, there is plenty of excitement when the need arises, and some of it is a shade colourful。Characters had depth and development, even if not all were exactly likeable。 Sir Konrad Vonvalt is your typically flawed individual who lacked any subtlety or charm。 I did enjoy following Helena as one of the main protagonists。 She is the apprentice clerk to Sir Konrad Vonvalt。 A slightly naive type who performs her duties admirably and survives to narrate this tale。 There is also plenty of room for further character development in some cases。All in all, The Justice of Kings is an impressive start to what is sure to be an excellent series。Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, & Orbit, for the arc。 。。。more

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Krista Wallin

A great choice if you like historical fiction but not sure if you like fantasy。 This reminded me of reading A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss and The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco。 Looking forward to more of these characters and this world。

Avi

Bit too ponderously paced without clear stakes, or dear stakes…