10/10, 5/5 Stars -- This is better than the first book in everywhere and I LOVED the first book. I have a 2 page review posting soon on my community tab for Wicked Good Books that I will repost here too soon!

Full Review Coming soon!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I flew through the first book of this series, but I have to admit I had a harder time with this one.
It’s for fan of more politically focused fantasy.
I like how everything had a purpose and mafe sense in the bigger scheme of things.

While the book did wrap up nicely, I hated the road it took to get there. The other world is sooooo boring and senseless. Much of the otherworld scenes could have been cut without much impact.

I feel like nothing important happened in the first half of the book and because of that I really atruggled to keep going.

I’ll probably pick up the third book because I want to know how everything unfolds.

Either this book suffers from second book syndrome or I really wasn’t in the mood for it, I don’t know.

You should still pick up the book if you liked the first one because some interesting things happen later on and you get to know the world better.

Not quite as good as the previous installment, but the characters and narrative are all still so engaging that, quite honestly, I didn't mind that much. Swan's orldbuilding is solid and some of the most subtle and interesting I've seen in quite some time. It (the magick, specifically) is very reminiscent of Miura's Berserk in many ways, which is a huge plus in my eyes. Helena is a great lead and reading the story through her POV is what really makes these books. I can't imagine them without her singular voice. Only gripe is the progression of Vonvalt and Helena's relationship. I wasn't a fan.

Still, I'm eagerly awaiting the next one! Can't wait to see how it all ends.

I'm certainly a tad late on this review but I personally found it just as enjoyable (maybe a tad more) than the first book in the series. I'm a sucker for fantasy and I think the characters, the plot, and the world-building in this series are well-written and done well. I personally still struggle with high-fantasies and keeping up with everything, but the author did a good job of making things cohesive and somewhat easy to follow along to.

Now this is how you write a sequel.

I read the first book in the Empire of the Wolf series, The Justice of Kings, last year and I really enjoyed it. It wasn't my favorite book (it didn't make by Top 20 of 2022 list), but I thought it was a fun mashup of Law and Order with epic fantasy. Then I started to see The Justice of Kings appear on a bunch of "End of the Year" lists from reviewers I really respected, and I was wondering if I missed something.

Well, whether I was too harsh on The Justice of Kings or not, The Tyranny of Faith is a superb sequel that raises the stakes in every conceivable way. It ups the ante in terms of plot, character, and magic, while also further exploring themes of empire and colonialism. There is no "second-book syndrome" here.

The Tyranny of Faith picks up pretty quickly after the events of The Justice of Kings. Claver, the religious fanatic with unheard of magical powers, is still on a quest to conquer the Empire of the Wolf, while Vonvalt, Helena, Radomir, and Bressinger are seeking the power to stop in. Almost immediately our favorite characters are confronted with new troubles - Vonvolt has a mysterious supernatural illness, and a very important character goes missing. These new plot developments introduce new mysteries that allow Richard Swan to continue to flex his legal muscles, but in a way that feel like a natural continuation of the plot of The Justice of Kings rather than just plot filler to pad out a second volume in a fantasy series.

If you really enjoyed the legal actions and ponderings of The Justice of Kings, you will find so much to sink your teeth into in The Tyranny of Faith. Swan further explores big ethical questions: What is the nature of law? What is the purpose of law and justice? Who benefits from the law? Is it better to follow the letter of the law or the spirit of the law? Who gets to be the final adjudicator? None of these thematic questions overwhelm the plot, but the characters are forced to grapple with these grey areas. As many nations in our world, especially the U.S., continue to question the theories and policies of criminal justice, The Tyranny of Faith feels particularly prescient. This is what I absolutely love about the fantasy genre. It allows authors to explore, think about, and comment upon our real world through fictional rules and circumstances. How does justice change when you can use magic to force someone to tell you the truth? When does that violate someone's rights? And what is someone doesn't know if they are lying? Vonvalt particularly has many tough choices in The Tyranny of Faith, and readers won't always agree with what he ultimately decides.

In addition to exploring legal ethics, Swan pushes tough decisions about the nature of empire onto his characters. Vonvolt is a high-ranking official within the Empire of the Wolf and is at least marginally successful for its success of subjugating new peoples (for better or for worse). The characters in The Tyranny of Faith are confronted with both the benefits and horrors of colonialization and empire expansion. Swan pushes them into ethical corners where they need to consider what their place in the Empire actually is, and how much they want to support it. These ethical quandaries helped deepen and develop Swan's characters; they allow the reader to understand that these are complex, three-dimensional people with oft-contradictory thoughts, beliefs, desires, and goals. This made Swan's world complex and messy in the best possible ways.

Outside of the thematic explorations, this is just simply a compulsively readable sequel. I was in a bit of a reading slump before this book and Swan pulled me right out of it. Did you think there weren't enough politics in The Justice of Kings? Well, here the characters travel all around the empire, dealing with everyone from the most colonized and oppressed to the Emperor himself. The conflict between the different powerful institutions of the Empire continues to rage and clash. Did you think there wasn't enough magic in The Justice of Kings? Well, here there are creepy demons, purgatory dream worlds, necromantic zombies, and more. Did you think there wasn't enough action in The Justice of Kings? Well, here there are more battles (big and small) with swords and magic and more.

And Swan does this all while avoiding plot sprawl. The world and story here feel so much more expansive, while still pretty much just focusing on the characters we already knew in Book One. Our favorite characters are not sidelined just to introduce new characters and plot arcs. This book is perfectly paced and tightly plotted in a way that keep you tearing through the pages.

I’m always down for a book about necromancy, and I really liked how Swan uses it as part of the worldbuilding this series. I’m going to be careful in my notes here because I want to avoid spoilers, but whenever magic in fantasy books involve death – necromancy, traveling to the afterlife, etc., I always get a bit hesitant. Usually these kinds of magic are just a “get out of jail free card” for authors to bring back dead characters at their own whims. This cheapens the emotional stakes of many fantasy books. I’m not saying what does or does not happen in The Tyranny of Faith, but Swan doesn’t ever feel like he cheapens his own narrative with necromantic powers. Everything that happens feels earned and makes sense in the context of the narrative.
I also love Swan's prose style and his decision to make this series a journal or memoir by Helena. The first reason I like this is because it keeps Vonvalt - probably the most complex and interesting character - a bit at arm's length. I talked about this phenomenon in my review of the Tide Child Trilogy by RJ Barker, and Swan uses it to equal success. Making Vonvalt a POV character would be too easy, as we would know exactly what he is always thinking. By filtering Vonvolt through Helena's eyes, as readers we get to be intrigued by Vonvalt as Swan slowly peels back Vonvolt's many layers. We also join Helena in the slow process of disillusionment; as we slowly learn more about Vonvalt we stop seeing him as a perfect and impenetrable figure, and see him for the conflict and vulnerable man he really is. The other thing I really like about Helena's narration is that we get the story distilled through someone who is older, more experienced, and knows what is coming next. Swan doesn't over-use this narrative device, but I like the small hints we get of what is to come later in the story, or even future books in the series.

Helena is also just an amazing POV character in her own right. She's at a transitional state that we don't often see in fantasy fiction. She's old enough that she's already completed her "coming of age" narrative, and now she's entering into that stage of adulthood where we become disillusioned with the world. Where we are actually at the point where we have to question everything we thought we were fighting for. Helena is on the other side of "the coming of age" narrative. This puts her in a transitional or liminal state. She is still in her training to become a Justice of the Magistratum in her own right, while also wondering if that is the best or even most ethical path. In The Justice of Kings Helena sometimes didn't feel like a fully complex character; at time she felt like a vessel for the story to be told rather than a character Swan was interested in her own right. None of these concerns exist in the Tyranny of Faith as Helena truly comes into her own.
The Tyranny of Faith improves on The Justice of Kings in every conceivable way. I highly recommend this sequel.

Concluding Thoughts: An exciting and propulsive sequel, The Tyranny of Faith takes everything that worked in The Justice of Kings and ratches it up. From the dark, religious threats to the ethical quandaries of the characters, Swan expertly weaves a world that feels deeper and bigger while avoiding an overstuffed and drawn out second volume. This book took me from "liking" to "loving" this series. I'm ready to slam my credit card down for Book Three.

Richard Swan you've done it again....

It's great that a follow up novel can bring such intrigue, from twists and turns!

Sir Konrad back again, and this time up against a darker force and kidnapping in the capital.

Thanks for a great book to review. ..
Pacing is great, adventure, and Konrad!

Second book syndrome? Never heard of her.

The Tyranny of Kings is the perfect continuation of The Justice of Kings. The stakes are higher, politics more complex and relationships are strained.

We’re back in Konrad Vonvalt’s world, and it is brutal and unforgiving. Vonvalt, Helena, Bressinger and Sir Radomir return to Sova after the events of book one. Vonvalt is immediately pulled into the politics of the nation and is commanded by the Emperor to act harshly and quickly. When the young prince is abducted, their plans to stop Claver and his knights get put on the back burner.

There are so many twists, fights and betrayals that keep the book fast paced and engrossing. I couldn’t believe the sheer amount of action within the first third of the book!

One of the real great parts of this book is the storytelling aspect. I continue to love Helena Sedenka’s narration and think it’s so great to have the story told from the apprentice’s view. Through this we get an almost outsiders POV instead of following the “hero” archetype.

Anyway, I’m sitting here shocked that book two was better than book one and I really think that it’s becoming a new favourite series!

Read this if you like:
- High Fantasy
- Politics! Scheming! Murder!
- A lil bit of necromancy as a treat

The Tyranny of Faith has just about everything I want out of an epic fantasy. A cool gothic city, shadowy creepy AF monster gods, holy war, political machinations, lawyering, high stakes, in depth conversations about the applicability of common law, and more. If you liked The Justice of Kings, definitely pick this up ASAP, and if you've been unsure about The Justice of Kings, read it! The only caveats I have is that the pacing in the first half is a bit slow, but once you get moving, by golly does it ramp up and is a firecracker of a second half. And my other caveat is that there's a decent bit of expository worldbuilding either in the prose or in dialogue. I think it's well done, and neither of these things were a problem for me, but if those are sticking points for you, be warned. I'm very much looking forward to the conclusion of this trilogy! 4.5 stars

Thanks to Orbit and to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review! I finished the book on audio and overall really enjoyed the audio.

Richard Swan's THE TYRANNY OF FAITH is a fantastic follow up to THE JUSTICE OF KINGS. One of my favorite things about second volumes in a secondary world is that they expand the world you see in the first book. THE TYRANNY OF FAITH does that, and more.

In the first book, we met a lawman, his clerk, and a man-at-arms who were embroiled in the periphery of a political struggle that was undermining the very foundations of the empire they served. In this book, the move from the periphery to the empire's heart, and discover the rot they thought they'd addressed ran far deeper than they possibly imagined

Interestingly, the nominal antagonist, power mad priest (sorry, "patria") Bartholomew Claver is simultaneously present and absent from the story. His malign influence touches everything, but the real force of antagonism that Justice Konrad Vonvalt, narrator Helena Sedanka, and their small-but-expanded retinue confront is--to put it blithely--bureaucratic bloat. They arrive in the imperial capital and find an administrative state that is corrupt, inept, and immobilized by inertia. They see an imperial governance riven by factionalism that runs on familiar lines (secular vs religious) and new ones (political factions in a senate). They are tasked with righting the ship, but the ship itself seems reluctant to be righted. And as they struggle, each of them continues their transformation from idealized to pragmatic, possibly all the way to corrupt. To what lengths could one go to save an empire for itself?

Similarly to the first book, this volume draws fascinating historical analogies and raises complicated questions it leaves to the reader to answer. It is not hard to see the Roman Senate in the years before Julius Caesar crosses the Tiber in the Sovan Imperial Capital. It is not hard to see the corruption inherent in the Crusader States established in 11th and 12th centuries in the Sovan Templar's wars on the frontiers. It is not hard to see the twisted incentives of our own modern politicians... shall we say... dubious relationship with the truth in the Sovan senate. What is more complicated is trying to discern what choices the characters make that were wrong?

Where, when you begin to walk a path of expedience or necessity do you cross over into being an agent of the corruption you ostensibly set out to combat?

Putting aside the cerebral aspects of the book, it kicks ass and is fun to read. The dark eldritch magic and cosmology is expanded and explored (and is freaking gruesome in the coolest ways, also to avoid spoilers I won't describe the cerebral-philosophical implications of these explorations save to say they raise very interesting questions about mortality the nature of reality). Battles are fought, blood is spilled, lives are lost, people grieve and suffer and endure the consequences of doing these things.

Also there's a dog. I'm reliably informed that people like dogs.

TL;DR

The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan continues the adventures of Sir Konrad Vonvalt and his retainers as they seek to save the Sovan Empire from itself. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.

!!!SPOILERS BELOW!!!

In the review below are spoilers from the first book. The fallout from The Justice of Kings sets up the story here. Go read the first book, then come back and read this review. Then go read this book. Deal?

Review: The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan

The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan blew me away. I couldn’t put it down. Helena Sedanka returns to chronicle the adventures of Sir Konrad Vonvalt. Readers, once again, get to explore the Sovan Empire in its declining days. The Justice of Kings set a high bar to start this series off. The Tyranny of Faith cleared that bar easily as it explores Helena’s world.

Helena Sedanka is back chronicling the further tales of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, Justice, Veteran, and all around BADASS. Helena, Vonvalt, Bressinger, and Sir Radomir are heading towards the imperial capital, Sova. Vonvalt is suffering from some sort of sickness that seems to come and go. It makes their travel slow, but since Vonvalt sent word about the rebellion in the North in the first book, preparations have already been made for the Empire to quell the rebellion. However, Vonvalt’s mind is focused on the revelation that the Master of the Magistratum, his mentor, has betrayed the Order. He knows the ambitious priest, Claver seeks the eldritch and forbidden knowledge kept by the Order of the Magistratum. Upon returning to Sova, Vonvalt and crew go straight to the Master of the Magistratum. He acts as if nothing’s amiss, blaming the problems on rogue Justices. Vonvalt isn’t convinced, and a visit to the Emperor confirms his fears about his mentor. Vonvalt is instructed to cleanse the traitors from the Order of the Magistratum. While there, the Emperor hands down a new decree changing the law regarding traitors. These changes sit uneasily with Vonvalt. Helena thinks they’re wrong, but Vonvalt plans to enact them regardless of his personal feelings. It’s another task he must complete before turning his attention and the empire’s to the danger Claver represents. Before he can accomplish that, the Emperor’s grandson – third in line for the throne – is kidnapped. Vonvalt must find the child before he can pursue Claver. But while he’s playing politics in the capital, Claver is in the South, increasing his abilities with forbidden magics. The race is on to save this declining empire.

The Tyranny of Kings is book two of The Empire of the Wolf series. It’s a fast paced story set in a secondary world fantasy that reminds me of Germany and Eastern Europe. Swan balances the political, the personal, and the magical to give readers an entertaining ride. The book continues the first person point of view of Helena Sedanka.

Once Again, The Real Star Is...

Helena. Helena is the star of this series. She’s a bit more mature in this book, which makes sense after all she’s been through. But Swan keeps her on the naive and idealistic side. This makes her the perfect foil to Vonvalt’s world-weary pragmatism. Helena has hidden depths of strength that continue to surface as Swan puts her through increasingly deadly tests. Throughout The Tyranny of Faith readers get to see the whole of her. She’s smart; she’s tough; she’s vulnerable; she’s petty; she’s jealous; and she’s wounded. Despite the horrors that she experiences, Helena continues and somehow maintains her idealism. It’ll be interesting to see if she can maintain that as the Sovan empire continues to decline.

Political Support

The Justice of Kings concerned itself more with the Sovan legal system, and it was as much a fantasy legal thriller as it was a fantasy adventure. The Tyranny of Faith, however, delves more into the politics of the Sovan Empire. In the countryside, Vonvalt is the law, but in the capital, he’s less lawman than political player. By virtue of the Emperor throwing him into a political maelstrom, he’s embroiled in the necessities that high level politicians engage in. Swan shows us how politics really works, though. Vonvalt is just the face of the machine. Bressinger, Sir Radomir, and Helena do all the legwork, research, and unofficial meetings. (These support personnel are in turn supported by the housekeepers, cooks, and attendants that the upper crust depend upon while disdaining.) This reflects politicians in the our world. The politician is really just the public face of a team. Swan gives readers a look into how that works. We don’t follow Vonvalt into the high level meetings; we follow Helena and Sir Radomir as they do whatever errand Vonvalt thinks is a priority. Vonvalt’s promotion isn’t a welcome one, and it further removes him from the traveling lawkeeper that he seemed to enjoy being. Now, he’s wrapped up in the machinations of empire, and he’s unable to save it from itself.

Eldritch Magic

The Tyranny of Faith sees Helena explore more of the magic of her world. For all the harshness and cold-hearted horrors that she experiences, her journeys into the so-called holy dimensions sound worse. In the first book, Swan showed us a little of the magic of that world. The Order of the Magistratum regulates the use of magic, limiting it to the Justices. But the knowledge was once the church’s. The church, in general, and Bartholomew Claver, in particular, seek to repatriate that knowledge from the Order. However, those books contain danger at an existential level. In book one of The Empire of the Wolf, we see Vonvalt use the Emperor’s Voice and have a seance to solicit testimony from the dead. An entity, The Trickster, showed up to say hi and scare them. In The Tyranny of Faith, readers learn that there’s so much more to the magic. It’s reminiscent of eldrith horror tales because the first danger is to the practitioner’s sanity. Beings beyond the understanding of humanity exist just a ritual away.

I loved this exploration of the magic. Swan balances it with the rest of the story, and he got the mix right. The struggle for the heart of the empire is a struggle for who controls this magic. It’s a wonderful bit of storytelling that the political, the existential, and the magical all feed into one another creating a plot that drives straight to the very end of the book.

While magic always adds to the wonder of a fictional world, in Swan’s hands, it made Helena’s world feel small and insignificant. This is a good thing. This magic felt like its a knowledge humans are better off losing than actually being out in the world. The ‘holy dimensions’ that exist beyond Helena’s daily reality are alien and compelling, but they’re also a danger that humans only partially comprehend. Swan makes them seem enticing yet clearly conveys the danger they and their magic possess to humans. Helena’s tutelage in the eldritch arts makes me worry for her. She’s dipped her toes into waters that’s much, much bigger than she understands, and the consequences are yet to come.

Conclusion

Richard Swan’s The Tyranny of Faith is an excellent sequel. It builds upon and expands the established world. Helena continues to remain the focus on this series, and thank goodness because she’s awesome. Swan found the right mix of action, philosophizing, magic, and character growth. Highly recommended.

This book series is great to me. It mixes magic and fantasy worlds into a detective and his team trying to solve a case. Last book featured a murder, this book features a missing prince. Swann combines two of my favorite things to read about and essentially combined them.

We begin with a continuation from the last book. Our characters are together and going through the process of dealing with the blows dealt in the first book. The pacing could feel off, but it was never in a way that took me entirely out of the story. There was consistently something that had me hold on and continue.There is depth to the characters as they go about this investigation and build relationships along the way. I think you’ll love this one if you loved the first one. I don’t quite know which I prefer, I think they’re both on solid ground.

As for things people may not like, the perspective is the same in the first, so be aware if that was one your complaints then. There is also a relationship developed that I saw someone else mention they were unsure how people would feel and I agree. It didn’t bother me too horribly. Great next installment to me and I am excited to read the next one.

This was such a strong sequel to The Justice of Kings, which was one of my favorite books of 2022. The dynamic between Helena and Vonvalt continues to grow and is also tested in the most fascinating ways, as Vonvalt's faults and morally ambiguous decisions are shown throughout The Tyranny of Faith. I loved it! I will be anxiously awaiting book 3. I have a full review on my YouTube channel, which I have linked below.

Shit is going down my friends! I mean I knew it was going to happen, since book 1 was so strong and you could tell the story was going to be leading to some epic showdowns, but nothing is guaranteed and second books can be so iffy sometimes. Let me tell you, this book did not disappoint!

This is the kind of sequel that leads a reader to searching Netgalley every day after finishing book one. When it finally shows up you SMASH that request button and proceed to pray to the book gods that you are granted that precious ARC. Well I got it, and immediately re-read book one purely so I could steep myself in the world in preparation for starting this new volume.

Vonvalt and Helena are such wonderful characters. I am in awe of how the author writes this young woman. She’s so beautifully realized. Book 1 struck me with the relationship between the two, father-daughter with all the complexity of feeling and resentment that goes with that. Now enters a whole new dimension with Helena’s misguided attraction. Oh god, I wanted to hide my face sometimes, having been that young woman some decades ago.

Besides the relationship drama there is so much to find her in the advancing destruction (not a spoiler since it has been explicitly mentioned since the first book) of this society. If you are an epic fantasy fan then this series delivers in spades. If you haven’t read the first book you really do need to pick that up first. This is not the place to jump in, but you will be so glad you invested the time into this.

Now it’s time to start refreshing my Netgalley page in search of book 3. My watch begins.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Netgalley

The Justice of Kings was a great fantasy novel. But with The Tyranny of Faith, I'm convinced that Empire of the Wolf is a great series, and Richard Swan has vaulted into the top ranks of active fantasy authors. This book is even better than the first.

TJOK introduced us to the Sovan Empire and a growing conflict between the Justices and the priests of Nema. The Tyranny of Faith takes us from the provinces to the great city of Sova and the emperor's palace. Justice Vonvalt intends to end the collusion between justices and the power-hungry priest Patria Claver, but the emperor has different concerns, and afflicts Vonvalt with priorities that take him further and further from ending the true threat. As before we have the Sherlock-and-Watson dynamic vs Lovecraftian eldritch powers, but with much more emphasis on the eldritch powers this time.

Worse yet, there's a magical affliction at work, and as Helena Sedanka seeks to save her boss from it, she is drawn deeper and deeper into the world of necromancy and horrors from outside the mortal realm.

The Tyranny of Faith has so many things I love in a great fantasy - social realism, vivid sensory details, a deep setting, clueless rulers, palace intrigue, mysterious powers, border clashes, a massive battle, interpersonal tension, and conflicts between principles and pragmatism. Heck, there's even a war dog who's a very good boy. I tore through this book as fast as I could, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the final installment of Empire of the Wolf next year.

Recommended for fans of:
A Song of Ice and Fire
Malazan Book of the Fallen
dark and twisty fantasy stories

Many years ago, a fairy appeared over the crib of newborn child Richard Swan and whispered “show don’t tell” in his tiny ear, and lo and behold another epic fantasy writer was created

This is a review of the first 2 book of the Empire of the Wolf Trilogy, Justice of Kings and Tyranny of Faith. The second in this unfinished trilogy, is without a doubt one of my favorite reads of the year, and the day I wrote this was February 8th.

This series described, not a spoiler, the fall of the Empire of the Wolf. We follow a magistrate’s apprentice, Helena, as she travels around with her employer/adopted father Justice Konrad Vonvalt, a veteran of the violent wars that brought the Empire together, and a practitioner of legally-approved magiks including but not limited to compulsion and necromancy.
Gods I love necromancy in a story, and in this one it does some WORK!
Matters that seem small quickly escalate, and we realize that a lot has been going on inside of the Empire while the Justice and his retinue were traveling the outskirts that we are only just now learning about.
Swan seems to have a special flair for describing violence, and as the girl who rewatches Henry Cavill’s witcher fight scenes, it was my exact cup of tea.

There are some concerns I will be sending to the publisher, mainly about anachronistic male gaze from our teenage girl narrator and the uncomfortable power dynamics in a certain relationship, but I literally cannot talk about that without spoilers. I’ve tried. 
If you are a frequent flyer with epic fantasy, you’re not shocked or outraged by these themes.
We will go forward as we always do with a conscious acknowledgement of bias within even our favorite works (Tolkien I still love you) and continue being mindful readers.

Overall I give the first book 3.8/5, and the second a 4.6/5. High up on my list of favorite epic fantasy reads, this easily sits beside Martin, Gwynne, and Suri for me.

Could not put this sequel down!

The stakes are high and the story has gotten bigger with this second installment of Richard Swan’s Empire of the Wolf series. I did not think it would be possible to top the first book of this series, but I am so glad I was wrong because this book was incredible and already a contender for book of the year for me.

We start this book with our main cohort of characters traveling to the Empire’s capital city of Sova where it appears the Empire as they know it is crumbling. Konrad Vonvalt, the most powerful Justice in the realm, is suffering a mysterious ailment that could lead to his death. However, a dark, mysterious, and very powerful force is growing, which will ultimately lead to the destruction of everyone in the empire if Vonvalt cannot be cured in time.

This book is darker and with much higher stakes than the Justice of Kings. There is definitely the fantastical element that is more prominent in the plot, which is so well done and is integrated so well to the bigger story at work here. What truly continues to be incredible, however, is the character-work in this book and series. The characters and their relationships are so poignant and well-done which is remarkable to me given that the narrative is told from the perspective of Helena Sedanka’s past recollection of these events.

Although this book starts off a little slow, it is non-stop intensity, drama, and action from around the 50% point until the end. I will certainly be highly anticipating the third and last book in this trilogy to see how this amazing set up to the conclusion plays out. Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book. My opinions and thoughts are my own.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed Tyranny of Faith a lot more than the first one, and I’m glad that I gave this series a second chance.

In the layer, the writing was stupendous, and I found myself enthralled with the vocabularies and the word choices. Mr. Swan is really a wordsmith who can craft a prose into a beautiful writing. Not only were the descriptions of the events and places in the story so vivid, but the writing transported me into this medieval fantasy world filled with grim magic and political intrigue. The action scenes were also very descriptive, the characters felt more real, and I found myself liking Helena, Bressinger, and Sir Radomir a lot more than in the first book.

Helena’s character became more developed in the Tyranny of Faith. Not only was her narrative became more prominent, and more suited for her voice and personality, but her growth as Sir Vonvalt’s protege and her values makes her a very likable character. Tyranny of Faith is HER book. Her overall role in this book leads us to a significant role in the Empire of the Wolf and the conclusion of the series.

I also loved how this book is much more progressive and developed than the first book. My main problem with Justice of Kings was that the characters moved back and forth between different settings that it was difficult to keep track of the events of the story. In the second book, the plot builds up, stacking one on top of the other, each one better than the last, so it was difficult to even put the book down. I’m surprised that I figured out the mystery of the plot earlier on, but I enjoyed the build-up nonetheless.

I received an ARC of the book for review, and I’m considering purchasing the physical hardback of the books now. I can’t wait to read the next installment of Empire of the Wolf.

The story of the fall of the Empire of the Wolf continues to unfold in The Tyranny of Faith and in this installment, the stakes were higher, and no one was spared. Helena was once again a compelling narrator, and this time Swan had no issues finding her voice. The best parts of this book were the character interactions. I love, love, love Vonvalt and Helena together and all of my notes are regarding their relationship. What really shines here though is Helena and Dubine. Helena had mentioned they were best friends in the first book, but here in Tyranny we really see that relationship and their interactions were some of my favorite parts of this book.

I had some minor quibbles about The Justice of Kings, but Swan fixed all of those issues and provided a wonderful compelling story. Helena's characterization was solid. Vonvalt was enigmatic as always, but wonderfully human. The plotting was excellent, and I never felt that there were any issues with pacing. The secondary characters were better with actual characterization this time. It's going to be so hard to wait for book 3 next year.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for this arc for review purposes.

I thought book one of this series was one of the best books I read I. 2022 and I think this one is likely to be one of the best I read in 2023. It’s very grim and dark series so it’s not going to be the book for everyone. If you want light reading try Legends and Lattes…
The action in this book doesn’t let up. And it’s the second book in a trilogy? So you know things are going to get very very bad…. The characters are all very well done with human failings and you’re going to find yourself wanting to read it as fast as you can to see who lives, who suffers horribly and who doesn’t make it. It’s quite a long book but I finished the ARC ina single weekend because I couldn’t put it down!

In this sequel to the Justice of Kings, Richard Swan goes bigger as he brings back Sir Conrad + Helen and co to the capital of the empire, Sova - intrigue, betrayal and political machinations ensue. Our heroes face multiple threats, from the kidnapping of the emperors grandchild to the betrayal of Sir Conrad's order to dealing with the rebellion in the south by the corrupted Obenpatria Claver and the story follows their attempts to save the empire and make it out alive.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book (I finished it in 3 days). I loved the addition of politics and worldbuilding that came with the move towards the capital. It was reminiscent of the great low fantasy/grimdark books like GRRM, Mark Lawrence and Joe Abercrombie and really added to the epic feel you get when reading a book about empires and magical orders.

Another thing I really enjoyed was that this was a very character focused book. Swan took care to have his characters discuss (in a natural not exposition dump way) what was happening around them and to show how it affected each one of them in turn. The evolution/deterioration of Sir Konrad's character was a particular highlight throughout the novel.

The few qualms I had about this book was that it could be a bit slow sometimes, particularly the kidnapped grandchild arc. Sure it later tied into the ending of the book and drove the overarching plot and direction of the saga in a meaningful way but it almost seemed like an imposed side-quest which wasn't as interesting as the main plot. Additionally, the Emperor as a character didn't 100% sit right with me as he was described as a piercingly intelligent (albeit impatient and difficult) man whose most trusted subordinate was Sir Konrad but he still ignores and dismisses him. A rare case of show and tell mismatch....

However, these are but minor gripes and I definitely would highly recommend this book to low fantasy / grimdark lovers and I eagerly await the final book of this saga!