The Justice of Kings (Empire of the Wolf, #1)
About the book
Author: Richard Swan
Publisher: Orbit
More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.
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My review
I picked up The Justice of Kings on the recommendation of a good friend whose taste is a lot like mine and whom I trust very much. I was super drawn in by the story and the characters, and I'm eager to keep going.
The story takes place in an empire that has been expanding through conquest and colonization for generations. The main character is a young woman who was once a gutter rat orphan plucked from the streets by one of the emperor’s justices to serve as his apprentice. The two may not be the biggest fans of the empire, but they do believe in the importance of common law applied consistently and fairly, which keeps them dedicated to their life on the road as they travel from town to town to uphold it. The action kicks off when they arrive at one town where a nobleman’s wife has just been murdered.
The story of this book is pretty tight. It's almost got more of the feel of a murder mystery whodunnit than a fantasy novel, although it certainly is also a fantasy novel. The emperor’s justices have the ability to wield the Emperor's Voice, which has many properties, including compelling people and sometimes being able to commune with the dead. And by the end, the political storylines that had only begun to peek through in the first half of the book are playing out in full force.
I can tell that the stakes of this story are about to get much bigger and that I've only scratched the surface. My friend who recommended this actually put the second book on his best of the year last year, so I can't wait to see where it goes from here. I'm already half in love with all of these characters, and I can only hope that my heart won't be wrenched out by the end of it (or that it will).
Content and trigger warnings
War, violence, gore
Murder
Animal death
Child death (in the past)
Rape/sexual assault (discussed)
