this was fucking amazing, pardon my language. I LOVED it, absolutely devoured it. I could not put it down, the entire world enthralled me from the beginning and it was so well written it felt like I was there.

First of all...can we just step back and admire the cover art? I mean...come on! Gorgeous! And the outside lives up to what is in the inside. The story is compelling and the unique magic system is top notch. Please give this a try!

I was hooked from the cover and so glad I was able to read this, it had everything that I enjoyed about the genre. I was invested in the world and thought the magical elements worked well overall. I thought the idea of a empire that run on necromancy was a unique concept and enjoyed what I read in this story. Sung-il Kim has a great writing style and was hooked from the first page. The characters worked in this universe and glad it worked well overall.

This was a bit of a slow burn, and it took a while to flesh out the world and the plot, but I was nevertheless fascinated. The book demands a lot of your attention but I was very satisfied by the end! I have never read a non-American fantasy novel before so I found myself hooked by the unique choices made by the author.

I had a decent time with this book. Found the characters and world building interesting but some of the plot dragged.

I didn’t care for the prose, personally. I stopped after chapter 1 (only 2%). That said, I felt it was more a matter of the translation than a matter of the work itself. I can see it being 3 to 4 stars for the target audience, based on topic and writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

The very first thing that attracted me to this book was the outrageously stunning cover artwork. I mean, it's absolutely gorgeous. So I guess you could say I judged this book (initially anyway) by its cover. Then I read the summary and the first line says something about the corpses of sorcerers being used to power the Empire and I knew that I wanted to read this book as soon as humanly possible. Couple that with the fact that this was written by a new author (for me anyway) from South Korea Sung-Il Kim, who I had not heard of up to this point, and there were just too many things pointing to the fact that me and this book were just meant to be together. Turns out it was quite a good match in the end and I thoroughly enjoyed so many aspects of this story and these characters.

Before I get to the cool and original magic system in this book, let's talk about the characters a bit. There are three main POVs in this story and they all have a unique background and varied motivations. As stated in the blurb, Loran is hell bent on avenging what the Empire so brutally took from her, that being her beloved family. She will stop at nothing to see that vengeance quenched, even if it means utilizing an all powerful sword bestowed upon her by a dragon to wipe out her enemies. The problem is there's a lot that she doesn't realize she's up against and there are powers that even a dragon-charmed sword might not be able to beat. Then there is Cain who is somewhat of a loose cannon. He knows a lot of seedy individuals and also has his own issues with the Empire. His POV chapters were very fun to read as he always seems to find himself in the most sticky of situations. Finally Arienne who hears the voice of a dead sorcerer in her head, which reminded me of the whole Rand al' Thor/Lews Therin situation. It is through Arienne that we get introduced to the brilliant magic system in this book as she is coaxed into discovering it through that mad inner voice.

And that's where I will segue into what I thought was a beautifully constructed magic system that in and of itself kept me turning the pages feverishly. I was so entranced by the concept of using the mummified corpses of sorcerers as power generators. And depending upon the skill level of the sorcerer, those on the high end are used for the most important aspects of daily life in the Empire, while those of lower skill power the more menial elements. Needless to say these dead sorcerers would need to be guarded very carefully (especially those connected to major infrastructure and essential defense) because if anything should happen to any number of them, the entire Empire could collapse resulting in utter chaos and potential disaster. Honestly, I couldn't get enough and this is just one of the more inspired and creative magic systems I have ever read. The closest thing that comes to it I think is David Farland's Runelords series. But even then, Sung Il-Kim does something quite different with his magic and it is all his own construct.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the wonderful translation by Anton Hur. Being an English reader I was wondering if there would be any points in the book that might feel a little bumpy to me as this book was originally written in Korean. I have to say that this story flowed so seamlessly and there was never a second where I sensed any hiccups or moments where certain words or sentences got lost in translation so to speak. It's a testament to Hur's proficiency at translation that the prose never stumbled but rather soared, ultimately carrying my enjoyment of the engaging plot right along with it.

I'm glad that I took a chance on this book because it was one of the more rewarding reads I've had in a while. The intense moments of action, impressive magic system, compelling characters, and magnificent worldbuilding really held me in their grip throughout and I breezed through this book at record speed because of that. The author also doesn't shy away from touching on some serious topics/themes such as the negative effects of colonialism and how living under oppression can shape the person that you are and eventually become. I really hope that everyone gives BLOOD OF THE OLD KINGS the readership it so rightly deserves because I believe it to be an outstanding debut by an author who I will definitely be looking to read much more from in the future. The good news is this book is the first in a trilogy, so there are a lot of cool things ahead to look forward to. Sung Il-Kim has written a story that should delight readers who have been searching for something outside of the usual predictable trope-filled fantasy.

Genius! This was a good book. I really love the world building and the characters. The pacing was really good and it was an interesting story to read

Blood of the Old Kings was a fun read. It had a good mix of interesting characters and the story was intriguing. Thankfully it doesn’t suffer from sequel syndrome, meaning that I felt satisfied with the story by the end and it didn’t end with “to be continued.” That said, I hope to see more stories set in this world as there are still unanswered questions. And I want to see where these characters go next.

Takeaway: Blood of the Old Kings starts off strong and hooks the reader within the first page. Kim manages to set up great worldbuilding without taking away from the main plot. With intriguing characters, badass FMCs and a seven eyed dragon, Blood of the Old Kings will reel you in and keep you wanting to read until the end.

The Good: I thought the characters were well written and I loved following along their story. I loved the way Kim began the story. It gripped me right away and got me really excited to be reading the story. I didn't want to put the book down and just wanted to keep reading. I really loved how Kim was able to establish immersive worldbuilding without sacrificing the main plot and character development. Sometimes stories can get lost in excellent worldbuilding- but Kim was able to merge the two beautifully and successfully; which is also impressive for a shorter style book (under 400 pages).

The "Bad": I don't really have any negative comments to make, only that I did find myself dissociating a tad, despite the immersive nature. Although, I find that more of a personal response, rather than anything actually against the book, or the writing itself. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was due to that fact and that I was simply satisfied by the end of the story; rather than being absolutely emotionally wrecked or buzzing to chat about it.

Overall Thoughts: The book was beautifully written, the plot was thorough, the world building was established, the character development was satisfying and I overall just really enjoyed the book. I look forward to reading more from Sung-il Kim and I will definitely be recommending this book to fellow readers!