I appreciate the opportunity to read this but unfortunately I was not able to finish this one. The beginning was really hard to get into and follow.

Thank you NetGalley and author Daniel Thomas Valente, for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book has one of the best and most intriguing covers I’ve ever seen. Truly fitting for an epic fantasy.

I received an e-arc of this book, which I read on my kindle but even though I also tried reading it on my Ipad, the map was never clear enough. I hope this will be improved or maybe it’s just better to read this book as a physical copy. Some maps are only clear in paperbacks or hardcovers. It does look like a simple but effective map.

The acknowledgements at the start, were a nice touch, I loved reading them. I think the author is a good person and grateful he had the change to publish a book and for people reading it.

In chapter one, we meet Darrin, an 18 year old boy who joined a group of rovers called The Eyes of the Forest, 3 months ago and is out on his first mission after taking The Oath of the Eyes.

He is accompanied by 2 fellow rovers called Bart and Haron and they come across something peculiar and quite gruesome. And they are soon in a lot of trouble.

In chapter 2 we meet 16 year old princess Edlen, in the midst of a lessen taught by her grandfather Laustair, although she would rather be outside preparing for the King’s tournament but she’s a girl so she is not allowed to compete or even learn to.

I had a really hard time to keep reading at this point. Because chapter one was very adult, unfortunately it dragged but it was engaging enough. It was adult, gruesome and it had a hint of a paranormal being at the end which I loved. But then we get to chapter two and this is 100% young adult fantasy. And unfortunately our main girl wasn’t the strong heroine to be but a very very naive girl who wanted to be one of the boys and felt trapped in her priveleged life but didn’t seem to mind their benefits. It didn’t get better when we’re introduced to a friend of hers, a giant who has the most inconstant character. He goes from being nice and normal to crying, to raging to being calmed down by someone he doesn’t even trust (anymore), almost in a blink of an eye and al this because of a very unbelievable plot line.

I kept reading for 5 chapters, every chapter having a different POV and many new characters. As a reviewer I noted down every name and physical traits of every character to not get confused and this usually works like a charm but not in this case. Too many is too many.

I had to DNF at 20% because it was becoming too much of a chore to keep reading, which I am really sorry for because I am grateful I received this arc and I did enjoy some parts.

The best part for me was the intriguing start, the gorgeous cover and an amazing character called The Iron Woman. She was the former Primacy of the Realm and she’s an incredibly
wise and funny tough cookie. I enjoyed reading about her so much!

This book wasn’t for me but I am sure someone else might enjoy it or at least parts of it.

Rating: DNF

Review: I dumped this sucker at the 30 percent mark after jumping to the end. Started off so promising and then......fooking YA's as central to the theme. Throw in a rebellious princess with lesbian tendencies and away you go!!! The scenes shift and fail in a constant susseration. Oooooh my, little scamps with rocks take everyone out including the kings guards!!!! Mr. Giant stomping around angry then crying but Miss Mwuffins Pwincess Douche Nozzle defwends her champion (but is attracted to strange gurls within a second of meeting them).

I scanned the whole novel and the story line goes nowhere.

Sweeping fantasy with mystery, political scheming, giants and magical gods. Complex writing with a wide array of characters and locations. With a conflict at the center of the story that keeps you interested and guessing.

Pros
- beautifully written with immersive world building.
- plot and story line have a lot of potential- has the same vibe of Game of Thrones, especially with the opening scene parallels of finding a horror in the woods.
- suspense keeps you turning the page and the mystery at the heart of the story is intriguing

Cons
- the first 100 pages move slowly, which normally is not an issue but because this book is fairly short the unveiling of the story and especially the conclusion does not feel fully fleshed out. The ending felt abrupt and unresolved, but does build interest and suspense for forthcoming sequels.
- multiple character POVs: again not generally an issue but because this book is so short it feels hard to connect with any one character or POV and it is a task to track and connect all the characters across the board.

Overall I would recommend this book to lovers of epic fantasy, it is clear to see this story is leading to exciting and intriguing places in upcoming books.

My attention was captured within the first chapter of this book, and it never relented throughout the rest. Immediately action packed, this book was full of secrets, politics, and all things mythical that makes good fantasy good. I found the writing style to be very interesting to follow, as each new chapter provided a new character POV, along with all of the puzzle pieces that comes with each perspective. Although some of the geographical points got a bit muddled, I was still very able to understand major plot points associated with such, and enjoy the storyline as it progressed. Overall, I really enjoyed this read and would recommend to anyone looking for a fantasy read.

NetGalley And Daniel Valente, Thanks for the opportunity to review this great novel for an honest review.

Sins of Kings by Daniel Thomas Valente is a roller-coaster of political intrigue, betrayal, and power struggles. Valente's narrative prowess and well-crafted characters keep you hooked from start to finish. The story's unpredictable twists and turns make for a thrilling read, leaving you hungry for more of this dark and enthralling fantasy world.

This book is action packed, full of danger, adventure, excitement and romance. Great beginning of a very promising series I will keep my eye on.

Thanks Netgalley for a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book. The cover is exquisite and intriguing to say the least. However, I found the beginning to be a bit slow and hard to follow. I did lose track of the story and which character was doing what a couple of times…. There are multiple POVs throughout. As the story and world built though I will admit that the characters were very compelling. I could relate to their emotions and wanted to cheer them along in their struggles. There are some thought-provoking themes in the story as well – race; prejudice; power. I liked how these were presented in such a way you had to think about your views versus the characters views versus the books plot and story-line. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I most likely will read book number 2 when it comes out so I can learn how the story proceeds.

This was such an incredible read!

I typically read fantasy, but this was different than others I’ve read and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It had my attention from the very beginning.

I loved the political aspect of it, which shocked me.

I loved the multiple POV and getting to know each character, there wasn’t a lack of character development which is so important to me.



I will be reading the next one in the series!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the e-arc!