REVIEW: The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

The Ruin of Kings
by Jenn Lyons
Review by Bronwyn Eley

Can I just start by saying: WOW! What a read that was. The Ruin of Kings is exactly what an epic fantasy should be: there’s adventure, betrayal, incredible magic and a quest, of course.

Our story revolves around Kihrin, a street thief and musician who grew up living in a brothel. Despite his upbringing, Kihrin manages to maintain a loving, loyal and respectful persona. There are a lot of cute little scenes with Morea at the beginning – the girl he fancies – before everything gets turned upside down.

Author Jenn Lyons isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Prepare yourself for magical twists, wild turns and the occasional sucker-punch.

A lot of things happen to poor old Kihrin but the gist of it is this: Kihrin’s life gets turned upside down when he is firstly marked by a demon and then claimed as the lost son of a royal household. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end up being as great as it sounds.

When Kihrin enters his new life, he enters a den of liars, manipulators, abusers and killers. My favourite part was to discover that Kihrin has a serious backbone! The kid does not back down from a fight, instead he jumps into it with an eagerness and fierceness that was sometimes frightening to witness. 

As his story progresses, we realise that Kihrin’s past isn’t as humble as we first thought. It’s even more complicated than being the lost son of a royal household. Way more complicated. 

There are dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, endless challenges and heartbreak. Kihrin goes from street thief to royal son to slave to castaway to… I’m not going to spoil it, duh!

If epic fantasy is your thing, you need to get your hands on a copy of The Ruin of Kings. It even has great little footnotes that add so much depth and richness to this already deep and rich world. It’s a big book full of big ideas, brave characters and thrilling plots. Don’t miss this!

Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons will be published by Pan Macmillan Australia on the 5th of February 2019 and is available to order from Booktopia.

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Kihrin grew up on tales of long-lost princes and grand quests - despite being raised in a brothel, making money as a musician and street thief. One day he overreaches by targeting an absent noble's mansion, hunting for jewels. There he witnesses a prince performing a terrifying dark-magic ritual. Kihrin flees but he's marked by a demon and his life will never be the same again.

That night also leads to him being claimed as a lost son of that prince's royal house. But far from living the dream, Kihrin finds himself practically a prisoner, at the mercy of his new family's power plays and ambitions. He must also discover why his murderous father finds Kihrin more valuable alive than dead. Soon Kihrin attempts to escape his relative's dangerous schemes, but finds himself in far deeper waters.

He becomes tangled in a plot to kill the Emperor, rob the Imperial Vaults, claim a god-slaying sword and free bound demons to wreak havoc across the land. Kihrin also discovers the old tales lied about many things: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, true love - and the hero always winning. But maybe Kihrin isn't fated to save the empire. He's destined to destroy it.

The Ruin of Kings is the first book in Jenn Lyons's epic new series.

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About the Contributor

Bronwyn Eley

Before entering the exciting world of books, Bronwyn served in the Royal Australian Air Force, travelled extensively and worked (still does!) as a barista on the weekends. Books are her true passion. Bronwyn's debut fantasy novel Relic is coming out in 2019 with indie publishing house Talem Press. They are to publish her entire trilogy called The Relic Trilogy. In her spare time, Bronwyn writes, reads and enjoys keeping fit (which she undoes by eating loads of chocolate) with Martial Arts and personal training. She can't answer what her favourite book is but she has a soft spot for Peter Pan (J.M Barrie), Outlander (Diana Gabaldon), Stardust (Neil Gaiman), The Illuminae Files (Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman) and Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo). Fantasy, sci-fi and YA make up the majority of her bookshelves.

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