The Justice of Kings

An odd thing about this book is that the only character on the cover and the character mentioned in the book's description as an “unforgettable protagonist destined to become a fantasy icon” is not the main character of the story! It's certainly an interesting choice and I'm unsure whether or not it is an effective one. Helena, our actual main first-person POV character, is likable and authentic. We see Sir Konrad Vonvalt (the aforementioned coverboy/man) and the story itself through her eyes. It was a tad distracting trying to puzzle out how this served the greater narrative, and I can't say I ever arrived at an answer.

Luckily, Richard Swan's writing flows nicely and made for a pleasant reading experience. The murder mystery nestled inside the larger, empire-spanning conspiracy was compelling and left me curious to explore this world beyond what is shown in this specific story. I'm on the fence over whether I'll continue on to book #2, but this was a solid start to an intriguing new series.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.