Cover Image: The Ruin of Kings

The Ruin of Kings

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Member Reviews

This book was received as an ARC from Netgalley and Tor Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

What automatically attracted me to this book was the sci-fi fantasy cover with a big dragon on it. Mortal Kombat meets Game of Thrones. Then, when I started reading the book, I was intrigued by the character of Kihrin in which as you read the book, you automatically think that he is the hero, then as you continue on your mind is blown right away and just when you thought you had the story figured out, you jump in a new twist and a different direction. Reading this book I compare it to taking a hike in the woods and you see an unexpected hill that jumps out of nowhere and you have to climb it to get through the path. An exciting read that will definitely leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more.

We will consider adding this title to our Sci-Fi/Fantasy collection at the library. That is why we give it 5 stars.

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An excerpt, not the whole book. I liked the part I read but I hated the fact that I wasn't told it was only part of the book! I can't really give a good review until I know the ending.

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Wow wow. I really enjoyed this - to the point that when it ended I actually said aloud, "What? NOOO!" Of course it doesn't help that it ends on a bit of a cliff hanger. The characters are intriguing, the narrator's voice(s) have a tinge of sarcasm and humor that appealed to me, and the world is... interesting - I wanted to know more about it.

I saw this compared to Rothfuss, though, and I have to say that the only similarity I saw was the telling of the tale. Rothfuss' main character is too lucky, too blessed, too....everything, to the point that I got sick of hearing about it and never finished the last book in his Name of The Wind series. But Khirin? Not exactly living a charmed life. I rooted for him. Now I'll have to wait for the next one to continue discovering more about all the gods, the magic, the blue eyes, the demons. But when it comes, I'll be there waiting to read on.

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This was a great story, but there were too many methods. I like the idea of a conversation with flashbacks, but to add the idea of a written reporting on top of that starts to confuse the story. It’s almost like they couldn’t pick, and then had other things they wanted to say but didn’t know how to add in without detracting from the story. I feel like this would have been served much better to have been one or the other, but not both. Personally, I’d prefer the written account, but I also like the snark of Talon in the scenes we see of her speaking directly. I liked the story, However, the jumping made it difficult to follow, so I feel like I lost an important chunk of what the author was trying to say.

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I am always incredibly skeptical when a book claims to be like that of Patrick Rothfuss or Brandon Sanderson and I was very hesitant to pick up this excerpt - but I couldn't have been more wrong. This new fantasy series DOES rival that of Rothfuss, Sanderson & Lynch. I cannot wait for this new gem to come out! Go preorder it no (and Goldsboro is doing a numbered, stained page edition!)

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I was excited to read this from the cover, but I really had trouble with this book. Obviously in fantasy novels you expect for their to be made up words to describe things that don't exist in the real world. But I found this book didn't provide enough context around those words for me to figure out what it was supposed to be. Also, I found the foot notes to be distracting and mostly unnecessary.

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This excerpt was remarkable. I loved the bits of banter between Talon and Kihrin while they were telling their stories. It was also fascinating to see just how quickly events can change a person. The Kihrin in Talon's story isn't much younger than in his own tale, yet he has a naïvety about him. Whereas in his own tale he is much more bitter, almost without hope. The book itself contains a variety of footnotes in most chapters that really help build up the world. My favorite part was learning about the different historical, cultural, and religious aspects present throughout the lands. And of course the personality of the footnotes author was great! I loved how exasperated they would get, such as with Kihrin's comment about there being three realms -- which the footnotes authors is quick to sigh at and point out that there are clearly only two. I definitely plan on reading the whole thing when it is released.

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Okay so excerpt says ''Uniting the worldbuilding of a Brandon Sanderson with the storytelling verve of a Patrick Rothfuss'' so yeah i want to read this. It was perfect. Now i want to read the whole book and pub date is 2019. I can't wait.

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This was such an interesting and unique teaser to the story! I’m really enjoying the character development and writing so far and can’t wait to continue. Definitely going to preorder!

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I've been dying to read The Ruin of Kings ever since I first saw the cover and read the synopsis in an email from Book Riot some time ago. I must say that this excerpt doesn't disappoint!

I was immediately drawn into Kihrin's world, where the action starts from the beginning and doesn't let up. Jenn Lyons writes an epic fantasy with the perfect mix of humor and beautiful prose. Her talent speaks to an experienced author, making it even more surprising to find out this is her debut novel.

I'm now even more excited to read the book in its entirety and have placed Jenn Lyons on my list of must read authors!

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Preview excerpt only - thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Tor/Forge for the eGalley.

The cover is what grabbed my attention. I'm a sucker for dragon stories and that's what this series is going to be about - naturally I wanted to read the excerpt. However --- I've discovered that I'm not terribly thrilled with non-linear stories and this one is told with backstories galore. Well, not really that many but since I get irritated by constantly changing times and perspectives it *seemed* like there were a lot. I stayed with this long excerpt (thanks, publisher people, for the length of this excerpt!) until I found my dragon, so now I will have to read the whole book when it is released in February 2019.

This is a long-lost-prince story with demons and magicians lined up against Kihrin, sixteen in this story, to keep him from finding out his past which would then lead to his future. This world is filled with slaves and the people who profit by their sale or benefit from their labor. Even after reading this extended excerpt I'm not too sure where this first book in the series is eventually going to end up. I suppose that's why I need to read the entire book. I will give this one a try when it is released because I feel that I've done enough reading to understand how the author has constructed the tale. It won't be a surprise to me when the monster asks Kihrin to tell her a story.

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I adored this excerpt and then proceeded to pre-order the book immediately. The story is about one character’s history told by both himself and by his jailkeeper and at different points in his life. It has similar world building footnotes like Nevernight does. I cannot wait for more

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What a preview! THE RUIN OF KINGS by Jenn Lyons looks to be a fabulous fantasy read with all of the action, the quests and the outstanding characters that have hit every one of my must read buttons!

My only regret is that I didn’t realize this was only a preview but I do appreciate the length of it! There is enough to be more than just an info dump.

I received a complimentary PREVIEW edition from Tor-Forge! Expected publication date for the entire book is February, 2019.

For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

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I never ask to receive book excerpts because I hate not being able to read the whole thing, but I couldn't say no to this book. I've been reading about this book for months, and I really wanted to get my hands on it, even if it's just an excerpt. It did not disappoint! I'm so excited about this book, and I'm so glad it lived up to the hype surrounding it. From the first page, I was immersed in the world Jenn Lyons created, and I didn't want to leave. It's everything fantasy should be. The world is fascinating, the characters are memorable and unique, there's danger, dragons, and demons! I can't wait to see how it ends!!

Thank you for letting me read an excerpt from this amazing book!!

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Gorgeous! The characters are so compelling and the writing sucks you right in. The worldbuilding is impeccable and this book makes me remember how much I love footnotes. Can't wait for the full book!

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Sorry, I've had issues with my Kindle and the file did not work correctly. I also apologise for the single-star - I could not submit this information without it. I look forward to reading the book upon release, though!

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I'm Rooked. I mean, hooked!

"...but i knew what he held: silver hawk, stained black from salt air. A part of my soul, trapped in metal: my gaesh."

Wow, this story just pulled me right in. The banter between Kihrin and Talon right off is witty and engaging. The digital version had footnotes scattered through the story, which was fun, like being let in on a secret. I am enthralled and cannot wait for the rest. Also, very pleased that the publisher offered 177 "pages" for this one, as I was feeling greedy and didn't want to stop reading. . . but now I have to wait. Wish i could look beyond the First Veil to find the rest of this book right now!

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Thankyou to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/ Forge, Tor Books and the author, Jenn Lyons, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers preview copy of The Ruin Of Kings in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I honestly don't know what to say regarding this excerpt preview. I really wish I had not read it.
Unfortunately, for me, I now have to wait until the February 2019 release date to read the whole book. I loved it!!!. I was hooked from the start and have been left hanging. Will definately be buying a copy of this book.

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The Ruin of Kings is high-quality fantasy from a noteworthy publisher. The text takes us right into the thick of another world and paints a clear picture of interesting characters. Conflict is created from the very beginning, and the result is a compelling read. I look forward to enjoying the book in full.

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