The Justice of Kings (Empire of the Wolf #1) by Richard Swan is a great epic fantasy series opener. This was very close to earning a full five stars and I'm lucky to have had the chance to give this novel a chance. Just based on this, I have a feeling this dark political fantasy series could become a favorite. The world-building is detailed, the characters are absolutely fascinating, and I liked following the investigations, mystery, and conspiracy elements as well. As interesting as I found Vonvalt, Helena, his protégé who provides the first person narration throughout, is the really the one to watch. It's refreshing to hear her perspective in an otherwise pretty masculine novel. It's very easy to get pulled into the novel although it is fairly slow-paced. One of my minor issues with this story goes back to Helena. I wish she was truly the main character telling her own story rather than her essentially telling Volvalt's story. Overall, I really enjoyed The Justice of Kings (Empire of the Wolf #1) by Richard Swan and if you enjoy The Witcher (and lawyer stories) I have a feeling you'll enjoy it too.

What first interested me about this book was the cover art. It’s beautiful,

The official premise and advertisements mislead me into believing this would be Sir Konrad Vonvalt’s story - and even though this is still partially true, he does not have a single POV chapter in the book. The story follows the account of Helena Sedanka as she retells events from the past, mainly the details of a murder. Honestly I’m pleased the story was from her perspective; I couldn’t see it any other way.

Also, fantasy books tend to have tons of magic in them, but the world in The Justice of Kings is more realistic, similar to our own. There is magic in the world, but it’s not a main focal point and it’s not the magic you will be thinking about. Justices can use magic to command people into telling the truth and to speak with the dead - and these powers shouldn’t be used carelessly and are used as a last resort.

To summarize, this book was a strong introduction into a trilogy.

I will do a bigger review in a few weeks on my blogging website.

The Justice of Kings is a completely different style fantasy book than I’m used to, but it was compulsively readable. The way we follow Helena and Vonvalt as they take on the mystery of a murder reminded me of being in a fantastical Sherlock Holmes novel. It had the same coziness and enticing manner to the reader.

I love novels that have magic systems that you could see being realistic magic in our own lives. Vonvalt’s use of the Voice is amazing, I’d love to be able to get criminals to confess to their worst deeds by the use of this compelling magic. Also, who among us wouldn’t be tempted by talking to someone who was recently deceased? Swan does a fantastic job of describing the downside to the use of this feared magic, though.

I did a buddy read of this book with a co-blogger, Maggy, and we discussed how we wished that Helena had a bit more of her own story. Helena is used as a device to follow Vonvalt, but I do think that this book is a stepping stone to more focus on her own story. One thing I do like about seeing Vonvalt’s story through Helena’s eyes is that we are able to see him the way others see him; formidable with a strict moral code. Things happen to shift the person that Vonvalt is and instead of slowly feeling that shift within him, we are able to see the moment that it happens through Helena’s eyes. I thought this was interesting because through Helena, we get her biased opinion instead of forming our own through an emotional attachment that would have been formed if we were privy to Vonvalt’s thoughts and point of view. I am curious to see how her opinion of him keeps shifting as the novels progress and I hope to see her own story evolve a bit more.

I was able to switch between an advanced audio copy and a physical copy. The audio narrator, Lucy Paterson, did a fantastic job. They were engaging and easy to follow along, and their voice was quite soothing.

Thank you to Orbit Books for the physical copy and to Hachette Audio for the audiobook! The Justice of Kings comes out February 22, 2022.

The Justice of Kings is told through the eyes of Helena, a clerk to Justice Sir Konrad Vonvalt. As a Justice of the Empire, it is Vonvalt’s job to patrol the Empire’s provinces—particularly the smaller, outlying cities and towns—to ensure that the law is being upheld and meted out fairly to its citizens. What appears as another “normal” murder case draws Helena, Vonvalt, and their friend Dubine Bressinger in for an extended stay in the city of Galen’s Vale. As they dig deeper, the roots of this murder branch out from the Vale and threaten the foundation of the Empire itself.

TJOK has an exciting world, with layers of lore and a treacherous political backdrop. Much of the book’s plot follows the murder case, with the larger events coming into play later on, but this format didn’t work so well with me. While the murder case was intriguing, I found myself losing interest in it as it dragged itself out. And when the larger plot did poke its head through every now and then, it did not grasp me as much as I wish it had. I wanted a little more from this book, and I attribute its faults to the use of first-person narration.

Helena is a likable character, who is observant of the world around her, but she narrated as if speaking to someone living in this world. This seems like it would work, but I found this made the world building quite restrictive. I’m certainly fine with learning about the world as the book progresses, but even at the halfway point there was a crucial lack of explanation for the workings of the Empire’s institutions and political set-up. I felt like I was expected to know who certain people and groups were beforehand, and I didn’t really get the chance to find out. That’s not to say there isn’t any world building done, but the way in which it was executed left a barrier between story and reader and lessened my connection to the world. This potentially could have been aided with third person narration, but who’s to say?

Aside from that, I did like this book. The world, despite said barrier, was still compelling; it drew on classic medieval fantasy tropes but still attained an aura of newness and originality. The order of Justices is enticing—particularly the magic system—and I sincerely hope Swan expands upon this in the next installment. As for the characters, they had depth and personalities, but unfortunately none of them stood out as amazing and unforgettable to me. The real lure for the second book is the political machinations being set up. I am definitely going to give the Empire of the Wolf trilogy a second chance in hopes that Swan delivers on expanding his world and fully inviting the reader in. The plot and world are promising, and could end up being really great.

A three-star book for me and one I’d recommend to fans of bitter, cold fantasy worlds and murder mysteries.

4/5 stars. Great start to a trilogy. Full review to come on fanfiaddict.com and instagram closer to release date.

Link to fanfiaddict review added!

I was given a free copy of Justice of Kings by Richard Swan (author), Orbit (publisher) and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Justice of Kings is the first book in the Empire of Wolf series.

This review will be spoiler free.

Trigger Warnings: A little necromancy, torture, and executions

I would characterize Justice of Kings as squarely within the high fantasy genre.

The story takes place in an empire that is expanding that similar to a pre-industrial European-type setting that is the backdrop between representatives of the empire who support the rule of law versus a contingent of people who believe religion should reign supreme.

The magic system is based on the study of old tomes by justices that have been maintained for a long period of time and meant to be kept secret. The justices are able to speak with the recently dead, compel someone to tell the truth, and some other abilities.

The main character is a young woman who is the law clerk of a justice that travels the circuit of a part of the empire and hears cases, investigates, rules on cases, and metes out justice. She has been with the same justice for approximately two years. The justice and another assistant are major secondary characters. All of three of these characters are fully developed, interesting, and engaging. Another minor character is the sheriff of the town, where a good portion of the story takes place, who is as compelling as the three primary characters.

The antagonists are not developed, and I had difficulty in understanding their motivations. One of the primary antagonists is traveling with justice, law clerk, and the other assistant in the beginning of the story. I did not understand why he stopped traveling with the three primary characters nor his machinations that are referred to throughout the story.

For the most part, the story flowed from beginning to end. Mr. Swan, the author, does a commendable job of featuring the larger story of the conflict between the conflict between the representatives of empire and the people who believed in religion above everything else percolating in the background while the main story deals with a murder mystery, fraud, and a trial.

I did find the story to somewhat slower during the part of the story that is about the trial because I thought there is only dialogue about legal theories and did not propel the story forward.

I would recommend Justice of Kings to readers who enjoy high fantasy and epic fantasy stories that deal with large issues such as rule of law and religion. I look forward to reading the sequel to Justice of Kings.

I rate Justice of Kings 4 stars.

I would like to thank Mr. Swan, Orbit, and Net Galley for the free ARC.

4.5/5 stars

I've been nodding off early lately, despite best efforts to stay awake, but I made a determined stance to finish this book last night as it has absolutely captivated me from page one. Based off the title I thought this was a book focused around royalty (I barely read summaries so I have no expectations haha), but was pleasantly surprised to find that the focus was on Sir Konrad Vonvalt, a Justice of the Emperor mean to enforce and uphold the laws of the land, and his two employees. Even more surprising is that the story is not told from Vonvalt's POV, but from Helena Sedanka, his clerk - who is young and both naiive and not.

Having the story told from Helena's POV was really interesting, and not a narrative I see too often. I really enjoyed viewing Vonvalt from her eyes, her conflicting feelings towards him and the work they do, and the clashing morality of what she's been taught vs what actually happens. I love the interjections of her older self, foreshadowing things yet told in her narrative. There is much of the regret and sadness in her tone, your heart breaks a little at certain scenes.

I loved the investigative nature of this book, the application of law mixed with magic, the grumpiness and brashness of almost all the characters, and the brutality of events.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the e-Arc!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The magic system was well-thought-out and added just enough to the fantasy element. Although the mystery was fantastic, it was clear that everyone involved in Sir Konrad's entourage had strengths that helped solve this murder. I also really liked Helena's thoughts on her future and if she would like to continue on her current path to be a Justice.
Helena is really relatable as the main character. She is a strong young woman that at 19, is struggling with her gratitude to her employer and leaving his employment.
I didn't really enjoy that was written as a retrospective years later. Any time Helena said, "if I knew then, what I know now..." it took me right out of the story. I also felt that there were too many side stories. I would have preferred reading this as a physical book so I could easily flip back to read more details from previous scenes. I know that I'm a speed reader which doesn't always lend itself to a mystery. Because of this. I had a hard time connecting the dots. That is on me and how I read, not how it was written.

I felt a little bamboozled by the description of this book. Sure, it follows the tale of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, a King’s Justice. But it is told from the perspective of Helena, his scribe. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I don’t understand why the main narrator doesn’t even get a mention in the blurb. Vonvalt, along with Helena and Bressinger, travel the outer edges of the empire handing out the Emperor’s justice. But then they stumble across a plot that aims to take down the the order of Justices and maybe even the Empire as it is. This story has interesting world building, political intrigue, and even magic. It explores morality and power. I can’t wait to continue reading this series.

The Justice of Kings tells the story of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, the Emperor’s Justice, who is judge, jury and executioner in this world. I enjoyed the way this story was told from his clerk, Helena’s, point of view. It added an extra layer to the story that I found very interesting. In this first book, Vonvalt is trying to solve a murder case while also dealing with corruption in the empire.

This was a strong start to a new fantasy series, but it didn’t quite live up to the hype for me.

First a big thanks to Orbit for approving my first arc on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had heard a lot of good things about The Justice of Kings on Goodreads and YouTube so it has been on my radar for a few months. But even with really high expectations going into this book, I was impressed with this debut novel from Richard Swan. That is not to say that it was all good, I had to struggle through the first quarter of this book before it really found its stride near the middle.

I enjoyed the main cast of characters Vonvalt, Helena, and Bressinger the most but some of the side characters were done really well too. I think my biggest problem with this book is that there was a lot of meandering, parts where I thought is this scene even necessary to progress the story? But some people like those quite moments of just being with the charcters the best so that is subjective. I think the ending left me wanting more and it is clear that the author had more than one book in mind when writing this one so I will be on the lookout for the sequel in the next few years.

Justice of Kings is a really strong introduction in a new dark fantasy trilogy. Swan dives deep into morality and justice in a way that really draws you into the complexity of the characters and the world around them. Can’t wait to continue on!

It's more like 2.5 stars

This book reminds me of The Pariah by Anthony Ryan because of the downtrodden orphan who gets an education, the dreary setting, the religious upheaval, the mystical-y magic, and the use of retrospective first person narration. This book is better, though not great.

Unlike The Pariah, this one starts with the narrator already living the better life, her miserable time on the streets a receding memory. I think that’s a smart choice; no one wants to sit through past misery when they could be reading the real story. She’s traveling with Justice Vonvalt, a man who is a judge/jury/executioner and holds almost as much power as the Emperor. Vonvalt travels the countryside dispensing the law in small towns and cities far from the capital. When a murder occurs, their investigation transforms into a web so tangled, it may lead to the downfall of the empire.

I assume the narrator’s purpose in sharing this story is to talk about Vonvalt and the empire; so why is she, her name’s Helena, wasting paper on what the cities look like and how she forgot to put on a cloak one time? First of all, why does she remember that info decades later? Secondly, why wouldn’t she trim the mundanities to get to the important parts? She sprinkles her hindsight throughout the book, so it seems like every word is what she’s actually writing in the future. That’s dumb. If it needs hints about the future, have brief interludes, and the rest of it can be like she’s currently living it. Then she could say things like, “It surprises me that such terrible, cruel events can fit in a single paragraph.” I don’t want to be constantly reminded that none of this stuff is worth being invested in because it all ended years ago. And because it’s all long over, Helena’s realness is nowhere in sight and any worry or tension regarding her and Vonvalt is completely gone.

If Helena disappeared, or her narration was replaced by omniscient third person narration, almost nothing would change. That’s bad. It’s extra bad because all Helena does is cry, mope, get angry, do some secretary work, and cry again. I think she’s unlikable. She has one major solo mission, but then it’s back to her talking about Vonvalt, and me not caring about her. Funnily enough, the book’s description on Goodreads doesn’t give a hint of Helena’s existence. Even they don’t think she’s important.

However, Vonvalt isn’t what I’d call a vast improvement. He’s supposed to be wise, imposing, strong and admirable. He has his moments, but to me he’s too emotional and capricious to earn my respect. Those with true wisdom are not governed by emotions, but they can be compassionate, friendly, and sorrowful. They have a tamed fire and an inner strength that is never shaken. I should feel fear and admiration when I observe Vonvalt. I don’t.

One other guy travels with them and he’s the type who drinks, laughs and loves women, a.k.a. the comic relief. I don’t dislike him, but I didn’t get any real positive vibes from him either.

The other characters, both heroes and villains, are…there. One guy has promise, but not enough to keep me around.

Another similarity to The Pariah is the people are zealots, cultists or not religious at all. Where are all the other religious types? Maybe the author doesn’t understand that with religion it’s not just all or nothing. A bit of nuance would be appreciated.

I can always visualize a book’s locations, no matter how they’re written. As I write this review I can clearly see the pictures I made for this book. Does that mean the description is really good? I honestly don’t remember it, so take that how you will.

As for the dialogue…I saved some quotes, but I really like conversations and when I can’t remember much of what a book says, that makes me sad.

Other reviewers say they couldn’t put the book down. I disagree. The third quarter has the best action but the rest of it is the equivalent of molasses in January. I didn’t care who murdered the lady or what kind of schemes are afoot and the reveals didn’t make it any better. The thing that truly kept me reading is my interest in justice being upheld. That’s good, since it’s kinda the point of the book, but even that didn’t satisfy me in the end. Again, I know things aren’t looking up for the trio, so the fleeting victories they have are tainted by the bleak horizon.

And yet. And yet…I think the author isn’t a bad writer. My previous words may make that seem like a contrary statement, but some people can write, they just choose the wrong story. Murder mysteries and political intrigue are sides of different coins. One should clip from clue to clue and build in excitement, whereas the other takes time to unravel and may not greatly impact the story for several books. Blending the two doesn’t quite work because it starts/stops so often it feels like it isn’t going anywhere. So if the author stuck with one main storyline—or wrote something else entirely, I don’t really care at this point—it would probably be better.

I know what you’re thinking: If this book is so-so, why didn’t I quit? Looking back on it, I don’t know. I guess some part of me refused to accept that it’s a peanut butter sandwich: dry, bland, and full of regret. If this wasn’t an ARC—I tend to finish those unless it’s absolute garbage, which has happened—I wouldn’t have finished it.

Thank you to NetGalley and orbit books for providing me with an e-arc of this book!

I was curious about this book because the premise was so unlike other fantasies I’ve read before. In this story we follow Helena Sedanka and Sir Konrad Vonvalt. Sir Vonvalt is a Justice, a member of an order charged with upholding the emperor’s law. Helena is his clerk she accompanies him on his missions and performs tasks he requires of her. The story is written from a first-person perspective as Helena retells the tale of Sir Konrad’s adventures as she witnessed them. Therein lies my main hang-up with this book. Helena.

The problem for me what that the characterization of Helena was executed in such a way that I constantly forgot that she was the one telling me this story. I would literally forget she was even in the room until someone addressed her directly and gave her something to do. There are some moments when she is more present but nearly every single one of those moments has to do with a man in her environment. Helena does almost nothing of her own volition. Her rare moments of self-actualisation have to do with men. The story happens *to* Helena for the most part and this left me wondering over and over again what the point of her role in the story was. Which I horrible! I don’t ever want to feel that way about the one female character in a story.

Beyond my disappointment with how Helena’s character was written, I found the story ok. I was intrigued by the magic system and found the main conflict believable. In terms of pacing the book was a bit slow for my taste but this seemed purposeful and well executed. The relationships in the book were alright I didn’t connect to any of the characters so I was unmoved by their interactions with one another or by their fates. The writing style was interesting as the author chose a rather academic tone and robust vocabulary for this story. I didn’t mind it, I found it appropriate given the characters are in many ways scholars and lawyers.

I found the world-building here lacklustre. I couldn’t distinguish one town from the next nor one culture from another. I also felt uncomfortable with the brief discussion in an early chapter of the book about racial diversity. It felt off. There are no characters of colour in this story. They are simply noted as a group of people who exist in a far away land. It was as though the author included a reference to BIPOC people in the book as if this alone constitutes inclusion. Odd.

All in all this was not a hit for me. There isn’t anything precisely wrong or bad about this book. It simply didn’t work out for me. This was a well written and thorough story about legal proceedings in a fantasy world.

The Justice of Kings is the debut novel for Richard Swan, and it is a wonderful debut! The story revolves around a travelling lawman who is judge, jury, and executioner and how events around him affect his morality and how he dispenses justice in the name of the emperor.
Justice Konrad Vonvalt is a traveling Justice for the emperor, his duty is to go from town to town and apply the common law to the situations he encounters. Then events start unfolding around him that threaten his order and the empire itself. The store revolves around Sir Konrad and his retinue that includes Dubine Bressinger, he is the muscle of the group, and Helena Sedanka from whose perspective the story is told. I loved the social interactions between the three main characters Helena has a good relationship with both men, Dubine is more of the protective brother to her, while Konrad has the role of a father figure to her. The events roll out in memoir style with occasional reflections from Helena as she relates the story about how some events where larger than realized when they occurred.
The world that has been crafted for us to enjoy is fleshed out very well. It has a rich back story that is laid out small bits at a time without large sections of history lessons. The setting for this tale is based in the wilder edges of the empire, where it is not fully turned to the ways of the empire. The author did a wonderful job showing how delicate things can be on the edges of the empire were old traditions meet the rules of the empire.
I really enjoyed this book, much of the tale has the slow methodical pace of an investigation. The ending goes by so fast compared the rest of the story.

"The Justice of Kings" is a captivating debut novel by Richard Swan and the first book in the "Empire of the Wolf" trilogy.

The story follows Sir Konrad Vonvalt, a formidable Justice in The Empire of the Wolf, who holds that no man is above the law. This is one of the main themes of the novel, and Sir Vonvalt is committed to upholding the law by any means at his disposal, and those are many and include his sharp intellect, magical powers, and an impressive skill with the sword.

While Vonvalt is quite clearly the focus and the main character of the novel (indeed, the title character), the story is told through the first-person perspective of Helena Sedanka, once an orphan and currently Vonvalt's clerk and protégé. I was at first taken aback to hear the story from Helena's point of view, and not the titular character's, but her narrative voice turned out to be quite compelling. It is quickly made clear that Helena is telling her account from the perspective of many years, which infuses her account with quite a bit of weariness and regret, as well as foreshadowing. For all the awe that Sir Vonvalt inspires, Helena reveals his flaws as well, humanizing the formidable figure, instead of idealizing him.

The novel follows Vonvalt, Helena and their friend and guardian Dubine Bressinger as they investigate the murder of a wife of a provincial nobleman. All the while, darker clouds are gathering over their heads, and over the vast Sovan Empire, as rebellion brews among powerful aristocrats who want to challenge the power of the imperial thrown, and the Church set to reclaim arcane magical knowledge from the Order of Justices.

Speaking of magic, it IS a component of this fictional world, but it is not a major one. In fact, while Vonvalt has two magical abilities at his disposal (to assist him with his investigations), the world of the novels feels very similar to our own, if set in the late middle ages.

If the narrative of the novel has a larger implication, I would say it is a rumination on power. The way Sir Vonvalt wields his power plays a huge part in that examination, and we view it through Helena's rich observations. As the story progresses, our characters struggle with the overall questions of: should the law be upheld completely, or is there wiggle room? Where is the line between justice and vengeance, honesty and corruption?

The foreshadowing expressed in Helena's voice is unrelenting, and by the end of the story our characters are thrust into utter chaos, priorities change, some of them fundamental. Swan’s debut is no mere murder mystery with a supernatural element, before all else it is an introduction into a larger conflict, both in the vast scale of the empire, and the intimate scale of personal values.

I was riveted.

I'm having a bit of a hard time reviewing this one. I wanted it to be a five-star read but it wasn't quite there for me. Some parts worked really well for me and then there would be parts that were so slow and unimportant that I started not caring, then there would be an exciting part that would draw me back in, then repeat. The pacing didn't work well in my experience. The main plot kept getting sidetracked right when it got interesting to go do these "side quests" to introduce some character or to see a political reasoning for something.
The writing is compelling, especially during the exciting parts and the magic was interesting, although there is not much magic at all and not a whole lot of world building, it just seemed like Medieval Europe?
Overall, there were lots of interesting aspects, but it didn't work quite as well as I would have liked. I will probably continue the series because what I liked about it was captivating enough to make me want to know the rest of the story.

This was a rather awesome read and really good story. The focus on the law and what the law is supposed to be and do is something that I don't see in most fantasy books. The debate over the morality and ethics of the actions of some of these characters could be found in the history of the real world. People using religion to seize power for themselves is something that has happened in this book and in our world as well. They are willing to kill, torture any of those who don't agree or don't submit to their views. The same could be said for the political aspects in this story with those who just want to take what they want just because they feel entitled because they feel they are from the noble class and think themselves better than everyone else. Power makes them right in their eyes until they find out it's not in the end.
The action a combat was brutal and realistic but so entertaining. The characters will make you feel for them and hope to see more of them and how their story continues. Learning about the magic systems did not overload you with information and leaves enough to be learned about in the future. This book is definite page turner and will find a many that will give it a 4 to 5 star rating. I myself will give it a 4 and half. So happy for the chance to read this book with many thanks to publishers and netgalley.

While the concept and language of this book are certainly captivating, unfortunately it falls short of what fantasy books should be. If this were written by Gene Wolfe in 1980, I could at least understand the blatant sexism and call it a "product of its time." But it's 2022. There are plenty of fantasy series that have much more representation and don't rely on outdated tropes to feel more "historical." I hope this author continues writing, but I hope he does so with more awareness.

4.5 out of 5 stars. This story follows Konrad Vonvalt, a Justice of the Empire. He's sworn to uphold the law as judge, jury, executioner to the far-flung regions of the empire. His absolutist, lawful view is his strength and burden to bear. This internal struggle unfurls as he investigates a murder in a quiet town that broadens into impact the fate of the empire.

This book is fantastic. A tightly-knitted story that reads quickly, yet takes its time with the important points. Through the eyes of Helena, Vonvalt's clerk, we witness his grandeur and despair, ultimately forcing us to consider the question: "Can justice truly be served by the sword?"