Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Justice of Kings

"Vonvalt tended to deal with entirely alone, on account of my inexperience and relative youth. And as an impertinent young woman, I resented this."

The language used in this book carried the story telling so well. I will be reading the rest of the series and possibly more from this author for sure. The gore and violence is strong at times, as is expected in a story about justice, conflict and empires, but it fits the narrative.

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thecriticalreader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Context:

I borrowed The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan from my library through the Libby App.

Review:

The Justice of Kings worked for me, due in large part to the refreshingly unique way Swan frames the novel. The obvious choice would have been to follow Vonvalt’s perspective, but instead, the book follows the retrospective POV of his clerk, nineteen-year-old Helena. This choice would have been disastrous if he had used Helena merely as a device through which to focus on Vonvalt; however, in my opinion, her character is well-written and adds considerable texture to the story. Helena is a realistic example of what would happen if you follow a nineteen-year-old clerk in a fantasy novel rather than the stereotypical protagonist with “main character syndrome.” She’s smart and eager to please, but also self-centered, moody, and occasionally rash. She makes a lot of mistakes due to her youth and inexperience. She’s limited by her gender, emotional vulnerability, and social position, but she also demonstrates agency and initiative. I also liked that she responded to situations of danger and violence with a realistic level of terror and horror; it's not often that we get to read about a protagonist who panics instead of automatically acting like a hero. While I can understand why some might consider her character to be sexist, Helena reminds me of myself when I was a nineteen-year-old girl—especially in how she confuses the overwhelming awe, affection, and dependency she feels toward the older male figures in her life for potential romantic feelings.

Her whirlwind romance with the first attractive boy she befriends made sense to me in the context of her upbringing and situation.

Helena is a fascinating character in her own right, but her perspective allows us to gain a unique understanding of those around her, particularly Vonvalt. The depth of love and admiration she has for him—despite an intimate knowledge of his flaws—provides new layers to his character development as he faces a new world in which his nearly overwhelming power is suddenly threatened. Through her eyes, the themes of justice and power that this book explores gain added meaning.

Beyond the wonderfully crafted character development, Swan demonstrates competent worldbuilding and plot development in The Justice of Kings. The magic system is limited, and the world is not as expansive as some epic fantasy series, but Swan smartly focuses on building a strong story instead of throwing a large number of names, places, and exposition at the reader. As the plot gradually builds to a gripping crescendo, Swan opens the door for greater worldbuilding and plot development in future books. Overall, The Justice of Kings impressed me, and I plan on picking up the second book soon.

The Run-Down:

You will probably like The Justice of Kings if . . .

· You want to read a story with well-written characters and a gripping plot

· You like medieval-inspired fantasy

· You want to read a fantasy story through the lines of a non-traditional protagonist

You might not like The Justice of Kings if . . .

· You are not in the mood for a very dark and violent book

· You don’t want to read a book from the perspective of a moody teenage girl

· You want to read a fantasy story with epic, colorful worldbuilding

Content Warnings

fran's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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rheagoveas's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

blacksphinx's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Content Warnings

ohmage_resistance's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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dogearedbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

claireisagrisha's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Pros:

Political Intrigue - was very interesting how this was discussed and how Helena, the narrator, talks about it
Fantasy
Murder Mystery
The Narrator, Helena !!

Cons:

Bruh it was just long and I get that it takes a while to build a world, but it just dragged on.
It didn’t always captivate me. I was bored sometimes, but I will not give up on books I’m reading.

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