The Ruin of Kings

Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons was one wild ride! Almost the entire story is a flashback, told by two people. We also get a third, present day, timeline, which is rejoined by the end of the book. Each section is clearly labeled, and the narrators speak in different voices. Kihrin’s parts are in the first person, and Talon speaks in the third person.

This is a complex story, with brilliant world-building. It’s full of intrigue, action, and introspection that spans millennia and involves gods, demons, and dragons! Just don’t get too attached to characters. They aren’t guaranteed to stick around. Quur, especially the Court of Gems, reminded me so much of the drow city Menzoberranzan, from RA Salvatore’s Legend of Drizzt series, set in the world of Forgotten Realms.

I will certainly continue this series. It’s wonderful in its own right, but I feel it didn’t quite live up to the hype heaped upon it. I think the author certainly has the potential to reach the caliber of Sanderson, Weeks, Rothfuss, and other current heavy-hitters of fantasy, but Ruin of Kings itself isn’t quite up there. Recommended if you enjoy fantasy, epic world-building, rich myth, and lots of intrigue. Oh yes, and DRAGONS!