This book was perfection. I loved every single chapter and page. I was on the edge of my seat towards to end, crying with sadness and then happiness!
This book has it all, empires, magicians, smothering religious beliefs, who-dun-it, coming of age, found family. Honestly got to be the best book I have read in a while. If you loved game of thrones, you will love this book. So easy to read, none of the waffling and unnecessary words. It's a refreshing change in the dark fantasy genre. Well worth picking up

Good but not great. I definitely enjoyed the writing style, but overall felt it was lacking a certain something to make it memorable. Maybe it was due to the fact it was compared to A Song Of Ice and Fire? But this didn’t feel as Epic. Like I said previously, Good… not great.

Stars: 2 out of 5

Well, this was a disappointment. Do you sometimes happen across a book that should, by all accounts, be right up your alley, but realize that it's a complete miss? This is what happened to me with this book.

First, I didn't like the worldbuilding itself. The world is too reminiscent of the Roman Empire with a little bit of magic added for good form. Oh and a monotheistic religion that mirrors what Christianity became at it's worse - intolerance towards other religions, Inquisition, and witch hunts. Though in this case, we should probably say mage hunts. Other than those parts, the world itself has no originality. There is nothing that makes it unique or memorable, or even "fantasy".

I am still fuzzy about the geography of this world or the different people who live in it. We talk about the forest tribes and the Empire, but it's mentioned that the Empire conquered a lot of other people as well... yet I don't see this diversity in the book. Even the tribes looked like a monolithic block to me, despite the fact that Emlyn mentions several times that each tribe is unique. We are told that, but we aren't shown it.

Same with the Empire itself. It's just an homogeneous mass of soldiers to me. I can't even tell you what the main characters look like. Kyron is supposedly descended from the tribes, so does he look different than another citizen of the Empire? One descended from the original invaders that came from overseas? No clue. Speaking of that, why is the capital of the Empire on this new continent if the Empire originated elsewhere? Who governs that part of the Empire? Are they aware of the death of the Emperor and all the drama that follows? There is no mention of that. It's hinted that it's a big territory, yet it's not important enough to even mention more than once in the story?

This moves into the second problem I had with this book. There is no sense of scale. The author hints at a huge continent and the Emperor is somewhere north of it with his army... yet it takes them what, one or two weeks to get back out of the forest and almost to the capital? Considering that they were moving on forest trails and with heavy carts full of with provisions, as well as the Emperor's body, they weren't moving very fast. Probably even slower as than a normal march. So if this was a big continent, it would have taken them a month or two to get out of the forest and into proper roads. And the author mentions that it took the Princess and her retinue a week to sail to the city with the bridge... yet they were back in the capital rather quickly after that battle. This creates such a confusion about geography and distances. I don't "see" this world at all, thus I'm not interested in it.

Finally, I didn't click with the two protagonists either, though I liked Bogan better than the whiny Kyron. Yes, the kid does some growing up in the course of the story, but he is still as selfish in the end as he was in the beginning. And his actions at the end of the book only prove it. His grandfather begged him to leave and do nothing. His master begged him to leave and do nothing. Heck, a lot of other people who know what they were talking about begged him to just save himself. Did he listen to any of them? Of course not. And by acting against the wishes of the person he is trying to save, he makes things so much worse...

Also, if found that the ending was at least 60 pages too long. The battle at the bridge was a very nice climax to the story with a great emotional payoff... but then the story kept going... and going... and going. Frankly, I lost interest and started just scrolling to the end, reading a word here or there. Even the twist and the big reveal didn't manage to recapture my attention. I think it's because that twist is so out of character for the actual villain of the story. Either that or Bodan can't read people to save his life. 

If this book is a standalone, then the story isn't wrapped up by the end. If it's the first in a series, unfortunately, it didn't make me interested enough to wait for the next one.

PS: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I shy away from Fantasy that has a plethora of viewpoints. Seven Deaths of an Empire brings me out of my cage, and keeps me entertained from beginning to end. Matthews narrows the scope of the narrative as two view points are used to describe a world that is teeming with characters while still maintaining the focus I enjoy.
The story itself follows the old patterns of rebellion and new kings, but with a unique spin on it. I found it to be refreshing - which is extremely hard to do in 2022 with the Fantasy genre.
Will certainly be picking up more of Matthews offerings.

This is one of the first books set up in a Roman-ish setting and I loved everything about this. It has been the main attraction for me and it delivered.
I loved the fact we were following different generations of the same family, this added a lot of diversity to the process.

Job well done!

This was an incredibly fascinating book and I really enjoyed it. I was a tad confused with the world building but as I continued to read the book, it became more clear as to what the world was like and the characters were fairly likeable. My only dislike is that it took me till page 50 to really get into the book and start enjoying it.

A fun and well-concieved fantasy novel. My one real issue is that the world building felt somewhat shallow and the side characters were a little meh.

Overall the story was good, if a bit underwhelming. However I couldn't stand Kyron ; all his dialogue seemed to be 'he complained' or 'he whined' which just made him unlikable and seem like a whiny kid. The Emperor also became quite cliche and unbelievable.
I enjoyed General Bordan more, the aging general of the empire, and the themes of family. There was also a mystery element to his storyline which was not too predictable.
All in all I liked it enough to finish it. Apparently it is a standalone, so for that the ending is unusual and definitely does not leave things neatly tied up. Thanks to Netgalley and Rebellion for the arc!

If one wanted to make a brief summary of this book, one could speak of the history of the Roman Empire with the addition of magic. Apart from this skeleton, the story encompasses a bit of all human feelings, from friendship to filial piety, from ambition to betrayal, from pride to a sense of duty. The protagonists are Bordan, a general of the empire, and his nephew Kyron, a magician's apprentice, united by what can only be called extreme trust in their fellow man, something that will ultimately lose them both, although Kyron will somehow find salvation by distancing himself from everything he knows.
All in all, a good book, with some long-windedness, and the particularly irritating detail of passages of past history at the beginning of each chapter.

I just DNFed this book. It's not that it's bad, I actually think this is one of those epic fantasy books with complex political systems. My only problem with it is that, I don't feel any connection towards the book. I feel like I will just read it to review, not to enjoy it. I don't feel any inclination to pick it up again if I put it down. And I don't want to hate the book if I keep continuing it. I really think this book has a potential. But for me, I don't vibe with it.

Thank you to Netgalley, G. R. Matthews, and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book!

G R Matthews https://www.grmatthews.com/ is the author of a dozen novels. Seven Deaths of an Empire was published in 2021 and is the first work in his Six Kingdoms Series.

Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as ‘R’. The novel has two primary characters. General Bordan commands the army of the Empire and is living in the capital. Apprentice Magician Kyron is far from the capital and is still learning his craft.

The Emperor died while on a campaign in the far North. His body is being escorted back south to the capital. There, the heir will be crowned as the new Emperor. Kyron and his master are with the honor guard. The road home is long and dangerous. Rebels in the surrounding forest would like to see them all dead.

Bordan is about to retire but feels it his duty to see the the heir crowned as the next Emperor. Rebellion, assassins, and political intrigue threaten the Empire. He must do what he can to protect the heir to the throne.

This is a story of intrigue and betrayal. Bordan has dedicated his life to supporting the Empire. He would rather die than see it fall. Kyron can barely control his magic. He is thrust unprepared into a dangerous world.

I enjoyed the 14.5 hours I spent reading this 471-page fantasy. The novel hops back and forth between Bordan and Kyron, giving each a chapter. The chosen cover art is a little plain. I give this novel a rating of 4.4 (rounded down to a 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

The book started slow for me but I slowly got immersed into its beautiful writing and plot. There is a dual point of views in this book and if you have read anything of the likes of GRR Martin, you'll definitely like this grim and dark fantasy creation. Absolutely recommended.

Seven Deaths Of The Empire is a grim-dark epic fantasy that any fan of G.R.R. Martin would enjoy reading.

The story focuses on its two POV characters the aging General Bordan who is trying to keep the empire from crumbling and a young magician Kyron who is charged with protecting the emperors body as its returned to the capital.

While the story has a very interesting magic system in Kyron’s POV it was Bordan’s story that kept me reading until the end. His constant struggle of trying to protect the royal families from ultimately themselves as much as from outside forces.

The empire is an interesting world but thankfully the book is not bogged down with info dumps or any description that’s not needed. It’s a very character driven narrative and that’s where the book shines.

I was gifted an A.R.C. to read for an honest review and the book was fantastic so thanks Rebellion Publishing.

DNF at 20%:
This book just wasn't it for me. Neither the plot, the characters, nor the world gripped me. The world wants to be Roman inspired, but Roman terminology like for example "Legion" was used wrong. And it didn't feel like a conscious decision with any meaning behind it. There was no depth to the world (do these "tribes" have names?), and also sadly no depth to the characters. I couldn't connect with any of them, and they didn't feel like inherently logical characters. That the general killed the messenger intrigued me, like it was supposed to do, but this action doesn't fit at all with the rest of his character. It just felt like the author wanted to make the character morally grey, which he actually isn't. The magician character really bored me and also the Joffrey-like heir was nothing new. I sadly cannot recommend this book.

The thing that drew me to the book was the inevitability of destruction promised in the title. I like tragedies, I like books where you know the ending but still hope for something else to happen even as the plot inexorably marches towards its conclusion.

The book does absolutely deliver on that. Not sure I could quite lay out which the seven deaths are (I counted five that seemed significant in my mind) but we absolutely do get that relentless progress towards the end of the empire, despite Bordan's best efforts.

Bordan is the main character of the book by far. He is the one I was rooting for, wincing as he had to deal with <em>the most hopeless</em> heirs. I wanted Bordan to succeed, to stabilise things, even though I knew he was going to lose. And that's what makes tragedy work so well. I invested in the character and his struggle despite knowing he would fail.

Kyron is an interesting character. He's mostly an observer in the book, giving us a view of what's happening with the Emperor's body. We see him slowly see more, his views slowly challenged, but the core of him - his personal loyalty, rather than Empire loyalty - stays the same. If anything it strengthens. It means that, when he does become very active in the finale, it makes perfect sense that he'd do what he does. Also, once be becomes and active character, he is a whirlwind.

The little snippets from the past at the start of chapters are very interesting, telling a story of their own that steadily marches toward the present. I did work out their "purpose", how they linked to the main story very early on (it was the only solution I could see that explained their inclusion) but that worked well for me, not needing to wait for the reveal. It added another layer of inevitability to it all for me.

The author has said that, while this is a standalone, he has ideas for other books in the world, and I really hope that happens, because I'd love to see more. Particularly a story about what happens next (not necessarily from the leads of this one, as their story is over) but I think a Borus book post this one would be amazing.

Political dramas and the tensions between army, church and state as well as magic interweave in this slow burning story that creates a world both complex and filled with danger.

The story contrasts a life of duty and service with the desire for power at all costs, it tells of the demise of empire through the eyes of an elderly general and a young magician.

In some ways the main character was the Empire itself created with a strongly Roman feel and beautiful depth. I really enjoyed the world building and sense of place.

I found it an enjoyable read though slightly lacking in emotion and character development.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written with a dual narrative, an engaging storyline and well developed characters. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and the book was full of vivid descriptions and rich imagery. I also loved all the allusions to the Roman Empire. A really good read.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Rebellion for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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This was terrific! I was not sure if this had a Roman military setting until I started reading and that was the first of many pleasant suprises!

The pacing is immaculate and likely to keep you anticipating the start of each chapter. The writing was a bit lacking in terms of description and character interactions, it was quickly remedied by around the 5% mark. The rest of the book had a consistently vivid and smooth writing style.

I truly loved the characters and how developed they were. The action sequences was really well-written and explained military maneuvers and terms without infodumps.

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for an amazing start to a new series focusing on Roman politics and military.

Overall rating: 5/5 stars!

Oh my, this was a ride! Initially, it felt slow and I wasn’t sure I’d last but the action and pace really picked up, racing to an exciting end.

The basic story arc is that the body of the emperor must be driven through the woods and back to the city. Meanwhile a traitor plots turmoil.

The story is told through two POVs: the General who is responsible for guiding the emperor and a Magician learning his craft.

The world is similar to a Roman setting: Emperor, army, conquering the heathens. We also visit the ‘less civilised’ Tribes who are based in the Woods. One of my favourite characters is a tribes woman who has some of the best lines.

After an initial start where I wasn’t enamoured of the leads, I found myself completely invested in their health and story arcs. The pacy second half delivered so many exciting plot elements that I found myself reading far too late into the night. I’m glad to report that rumours of a sequel abound, I particularly want to learn more of the Tribes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for providing this E- ARC in exchange for an honest review.

9.5 / 10 ✪

<i>“There is no right and wrong, no black and white. Life is not such a simple thing.”</i>

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2022/03/27/seven-deaths-of-an-empire-by-g-r-matthews-review/

General Bordan was born into nothing, but after a life dedicated to the Empire, he has achieved what little thought possible. He governs the army, the might of the Empire. Other than the Emperor and his kin, he may well be the most powerful man in the Empire. But he is also its most loyal servant.

When the Emperor is killed fighting the tribes in the north, Bordan must do all he can to protect the heir to the throne until the Emperor’s body is returned to the city. Then, with the amulet of office in hand—and the powerful magics within under their control—the heir can ascend the throne and assume control of the Empire. But until then nothing is guaranteed. Rebellion is brewing in the countryside. Assassins lurk in every shadow. And worse, politicians surround the royal family, hiding forked-tongues behind their honeyed words and silky smiles.

Apprentice Magician Kyron and his master are assigned to the late Emperor’s honor guard, tasked with seeing the body home to the capital. Mistrusted and feared by many of their own folk, the magicians are both revered and hated in equal measure. But magic is necessary for this task, for keeping the body from decay requires it. And so their presence is tolerated, if little else. But with many leagues between them and the capital, Kyron and the guard face the greatest danger of all. For whomever controls the Emperor’s amulet controls the succession—and the Empire is not lacking in those hungry for power, be they foe, or friend.

—

Seriously, Seven Deaths of an Empire reminded me so much of <i>Gladiator</i> that I often found my self picturing events from the book overlaid with scenes from the movie. The battle against the tribes in the forest. The legion’s return to the capital. While there’s no fight in the arena, the novel does include a Colosseum, even though we never get a good look inside. Fact is, Seven Deaths of an Empire was ripe for the picturing beneath scenes of <i>Gladiator</i> in no small part because—as you will see once you read it—the world was inspired heavily by the Roman Empire.

Only with magic.

The magic system is quite a basic one, but as enthralled as I found myself with the story, its lack of creativity never really bothered me. This adheres to the law that the only ones who can wield magic are those born with it. This in part seems to be why magic users are hated, feared. Jealousy breeds resentment, they say. And the church and magic never really gets along—in this world or any other.

The two POVs were quite good at getting the story across, each in their own way. Kyron is a bit young, a bit whiny—but this is his coming-of-age tale, and he’ll grow on you once you get used to him. His character might even develop over the course of the story. Bordan, on the other hand, is an old hand. He’s guided the heirs to the Empire for years, as he once was like kin to their father. He is patient and humble, and though his faith is not what it once was, he has faith in the Empire above all else. This is his true strength, but also his greatest weakness. Unlike Kyron, this story does not serve as Bordan’s beginning. It is his swan song. But will he live to see the Empire crumble, or die keeping it intact?

There are a lot of questions that come up over the course of the story, as the past is hinted at and slowly revealed; as loyalties are tested and friendships forged; as the Empire is caught in the wind, and teeters on its foundations. There are many vines in this, and not all will end up bearing fruit. Still, it was quite a thing to see them all come together at the end—and, while not all is cleared up, the overwhelming majority of my questions were answered. All the big and burning ones are, at least. In writing this review a week or two later I was able to come up with a couple that weren’t returned (though I really had to think about it), but none kept me up at night after finishing the story.

TL;DR

Seven Deaths of an Empire may be 550 pages, but to me it went by in a blink. Although it did take a little while to get going. But where it took me 3-4 days to read the first hundred pages, it took me one day to read the rest. Two very strong leads (though they’re both men; it didn’t bother me, but then I typically connect better with male characters, being a guy and all) made the story no effort at all to get into. It’s so reminiscent of <i>Gladiator</i> that I found myself overlaying scenes from the film with the world I’d constructed in my mind. The forests of Germany. The roads of the Empire. The obelisks and Colosseum and wonders of the capital. It really is quite like the Roman Empire but with magic. A thoroughly engrossing read, almost the whole way through. I took a couple points off for the build-up, but clearly nothing that ruined the story for me. Thoroughly recommended! Just don’t expect a happy, sunny story—as this is a dark fantasy, very occasionally bordering on grim.