Ruination

“All may be dark right now, but there is still an ember of hope. And one day soon, that ember will become a flame, and the darkness will finally be banished.”

This was fine. It’s a decent enough plot with some interesting stuff going on, but it definitely felt like they expected you to know who a lot of these characters were and be excited for them. There were so many scenes where it was like watching a Marvel movie when they throw in some cameos of random characters to make an appearance later. I don’t regret reading it, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re already a fan of League of Legends which maybe should have been obvious.

The book becomes predictable halfway through, as you can already tell how it will end. However, the audiobook's exceptional production adds a significant plus. The story consistently prioritizes real decisions and power for the same characters, leading to a lack of shift in the balance of power. This predictability might lessen the excitement, but you'll still be curious to see how the story concludes, like watching a ship sink.

The world and lore of League of Legends is a brilliant cauldron of stories which could revalue entirely the infamous reputation of the MOBA videogame. We have seen something like this in Arcane, where the incredible story of Vi and Jinx has the ability to forge a vibrant world in which Silco and Vander, Jayce and Caitlyn, Ekko and Heimerdinger, Viktor and his limits are couples full of contrast, heroic and archetypical alliances or fights. The setting of Piltover and Zaun evolves since the incredible influence of the “Legends” who act inside them.
Ruination arrives in a moment for the Riot franchise in which everything appeard at his peak. The season of the Ruined King brought us the first RPG spin-off, which narrative quality is really surprising, the quoted Netflix original series and some of the best Champions the game ever had. The novel created by Anthony Reynolds could be seen as the last of a series of great ideas with the twist that after that success nothing happened, waiting for another incredible period.
This fantasy book created by the Riot Team with one of their best storyteller is an interesting tale of loss and transformation, in which revenge starts from the world of the lost souls than on the living one, where the mutilation and bestiality are ways for struggling against the egoistic narcissism of an oppressive ruler. The entire plot is seen from the perspective of three different protagonists. Kalista, a brave warrior searching constantly for peace for his reign, Camavor; Grael, a mischievous and evil Keeper of the Blessed Isles which searches for a way of destroying his native lands; Ryze, an apprentice of one of the best masters of the Blessed Isles which is hardly hoping for anctient scrolls useful to increase his power. These three different heroes are fundamentally great and immortal warriors, which changes are more like radical modification of morals, etichs and powers. As in the Arcane series, here we have strong champions changes the ambience around them, fighting against violent traitors (which I would not quote for avoid every spoiler).
Obviously the incredible evolution of this setting requires a strong worldbuilding, but here I have to say that the development of the entire Runeterra is the only negative thing of the entire operation. The location visited are too simple, and the medieval quotes, the honorful messages behind the existence of Viego or Hecarim feels like something seen in the past. Something not so problematic, because of a functional style with a beauty artistic feature of the novel towards the first of a series of periods of success of one of the most interesting universes the entertainment could give us.

STYLE: 3
STORY: 4
WORLDBUILDING: 2,5
RHYTHM: 3,5
PROTAGONISTS: 5
ANTAGONISTS: 5
ARTISTIC FEATURE: 3,5
ATMOSPHERE 3,5
EMOTIONAL IMPACT: 3,5

FINAL VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I never played League of Legends, nor did I know anything about the lore. I decide to pick this up to give it a try. The audiobook was the way to go, since the production value is excellent. The story was beautifully done. The ending made me emotional!