An interesting new voice in fantasy. Some interesting world building here, but the protagonist wasn't always the most engaging. If you're looking for more, new fantasy authors to try, then you should certainly give ANJI KILLS A KING a try, but there have been other, better debut of late.

Thank you to Tor Books & Net Galley for letting me review this in exchange for an e-ARC.

I have been following book_reviews_kill on #booktok for a long time. He was one of the first booktokers I ever followed on social media, and hearing about his debut novel made me very excited. The beginning really hooks your in with Anji killing a king right in the beginning. Hawk, our famous bounty hunter, finds her first and thus begins their journey.

I found the story easy to follow and the banter was a delight. Although, I am sad to say that it wasn't able to keep my attention part way through and I had to slowly move along. I think many of the plot points were fairly predictable though the ending was a surprise. It was also a very traditional going-on-a-quest type. I want to be more invested in the characters than finding out things that happen to them on their journey. It's only the first book, so I am keeping an eye out for the future to see how it all sets up. I definitely want to see how Anji evolves as a character too! Overall, a really great and strong debut. This is great for fantasy fans in general and those who like their heroine a little complex.

There were certainly things I really enjoyed about this book. I loved the mystery at the start of the bounty hunter group and then why Hawk had gone out on her own, as well as the dynamic between Anji and Hawk. But overall, outside of these interactions, I didn’t really like Anji. For someone who plotted to murder a king and successfully pulled off the assassination, she very much was too impulsive to be someone that could have succeeded in this. Especially since the only reason she was caught was because of something Hawk knew about her already.

“You want people under your control? Divide them. Fill them with fear. Then point that fear at something to hate and they'll do whatever you say."

The audiobook was great, however, and definitely kept me engaged.

3.5 stars

Thank you to @torbooks for the eARC and @macmillan.audio for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.

Anji Kills a King is a fast, bloody, and gripping fantasy debut that starts with a bang (literally) and never lets up. Anji is a fierce, messy heroine, and the tension between her and the Hawk keeps things sharp. If you like gritty worlds, fast-paced plots, and morally complex characters, this one’s a blast!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review!

This was one of my most anticipated releases on 2025 especially because I have been followed the author on social media for years now. Then I saw this cover and was even more excited about it.

This book was a wild ride from page 1 and had several twists that I was not expecting! The main hook for me was the character development of Anji and Hawk. I am always a fan of morally grey characters and wow, were both Anji and Hawk so flawed.

Best part of this fantasy book, all the feels the author was able to make me feel. One second, I'm mad and frustrated, next, I'm devastated. Overall, loved it and I can't wait for the next book.

2.5
Things I liked:
-By the end of the book, the 2 central characters felt fleshed out and their dynamic felt like it had grown naturally.
-Some of the worldbuilding elements, like the wild creatures, the magic, and the dredgers, were interesting.
-One of the reveals at the end added some interesting extra layers to the dynamic between the characters.

Things I didn't like:
-I found both of the main characters to be pretty annoying. They are designed to be unlikeable so this wasn't out of character for them, I just didn't enjoy it. I don't usually have trouble connecting with an unlikeable protagonist but I just found them both frustrating, especially the Hawk. I really didn't understand why she acted the way she did for so long.
-There was a lot of repetitive language in this book. The amount of times a character was told to stop talking or a character made a (usually empty) threat was so high. I counted 6 instances of the Hawk saying "shut up", or something similar" in one short chapter.
-A lot of the reveals were pretty unsurprising. They were a small part of the book so this didn't bother me too much, I'm just usually a person who doesn't see things coming.
-I went into this book thinking it was a standalone and I was surprised to hear it was a series. There just doesn't seem like there's enough in this first book to warrant that much story. The first book seemed too long as it was and it wasn't that long to begin with.

This was a fun and fast-paced story, with interesting characters and world building. I enjoyed the thrilling adventure this book provides as well as its satisfying ending. My library will be purchasing this title.

I enjoyed the fact that this book was fast paced, action packed, and had some good banter/bickering. But I found that it lacked in a lot of areas. I know there’s inspiration from character driven books such as Abercrombie’s work- but the character motives and wit weren’t enough to carry it along. I think it needed to add more depth earlier on, or have more plot and backstory. Without more of those elements, it did feel like a mini-boss-to-mini-boss traveling story. I just wanted to know MORE. It was intriguing though and I’ll probably read the next installment.

Anji Kills A King is Evan Leikam’s debut novel, and what a debut it is! This book opens with what would typically be the culminating event: the death of a tyrant king. And so Anji flees the castle, pursed by an elite group of mercenaries called the Menagerie. This book surprised me more than once and the conclusion really cemented this as a series I will continue to read.

If a book podcast about Fantasy / Science Fiction novels interests you, Evan is the host of the podcast Book Reviews Kill. This is the podcast that first made me aware of his impending debut and I am so happy to have discovered it.

Anji Kills a King is the debut of a sweeping new fantasy series by Evan Leikam. The characters were charismatic and easily distinguishable, even in audio format. The biggest strength of the novel is the flowing writing style and the beautiful landscapes that Anji and her companions travel through. While a bit more worldbuilding would be helpful, I'm sure we'll see more from subsequent books in the series, and I'm curious to see where Anji goes next. Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the eARC and audio ARC!

Wow!!! It's so cool when someone you've followed for years writes their own book AND when it's AWESOME!!! This was so remniscient to so many of my favs and I had a blast reading this but also Evan when I catch you.......

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Books, Tor Publishing Group, and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy! You can pick up Anji Kills a King on May 13, 2025.

After following Evan's journey for years, I'm so glad to report that his debut novel was a really wonderful fantasy entry. His voice was clear, his world-building complex and well-rounded, and the characters absolutely leaped off the page.

We're thrown into this book with Anji murdering King Rolandrian, prompting her run from the law and the zealous Sun Wardens hunting her down. Little did she know that the Hawk, a member of the renowned Menagerie, was also on her tail. At first, the Hawk and Anji's relationship is fraught, with Anji being the most unwilling prisoner to ever exist and the Hawk sick of putting up with her antics.

But as the duo continue to evade death and capture from other bounty hunters, they begin to open up to one another and develop a closer bond. We learn more about Anji's rebellious parents and the Hawk's history growing up in a gang, as well as her addiction to a debilitating drug, Rail. Similar to The Witcher or The Mandalorian, what started out as a lone wolf figure putting up with this kid for duty's sake turns into something much more meaningful.

Which makes the ending that much more devastating. No spoilers, but the choices made by Anji and the Hawk hurt the reader just as much as the characters. I'm curious to see where Book2 goes, and excited for Evan's progression as an author!

Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me. It had a similar vibe to "The Daughter's War" by Christopher Buehlman. While I appreciated the sarcastic dialogue, I found the plot lacking and the pacing slow. I think this book would be better enjoyed in audio format. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review it early.

While I enjoy fantasy romance, I also really love epic fantasy, so I was excited when I saw Tor coming out with this debut fantasy novel. It sounded like an odd mix of classic fantasy tropes (a quest-based story featuring various monsters/challenges along the way) paired with a bit of wackiness (that mostly came from this cover, which I like, but is definitely unique!) And honestly, those impressions were pretty spot on!

The story definitely strikes an interesting tone. The world itself is violent, grim, and full of danger. But at the same time, there is a comedic dash to much of the writing, giving the entire thing a strange feeling of chuckling through horror. To speak further to the grimdark nature of the story, in many ways the story highlighted the often understated discomfort and misery that would accompany quests like this. Our characters spend the majority of their time freezing, tired, and often underfed. Nothing about this sounds like a good time. There are no grand shots of a line of characters making their way through majestic mountain-scapes. Instead, it is much more realistic portrayal of the sheer misery that would make up much of a journey like this.

On top of that, the story doesn’t shy away from darkness. No character is safe from horrible outcomes, so definitely don’t go into this one with any expectations of invisible safety nets around main characters, animals, or children. There was crying, I’ll say that much.

But, again, this story isn’t just a slog of depression. For one thing, the action and pacing was nonstop, so even if dark things were happening on the page, everything was moving along so fast that the reader is already swept into the middle of another action set piece before they’ve had a chance to truly feel the effects of the previous scene’s action. On top of that, our main character and secondary main character were so strong that they easily balanced out some of the rougher bits of grimdark action (this last point is a preference thing to some extent, as grimdark has never been my favorite subgenre in fantasy fiction, but is very popular on its own for other readers!)

Anji was fantastic. Here is a character who truly embodies the concept of “too stubborn to die.” The world kicks her down about a million times, and yet she keeps fighting, even in the face of odds that are severely stacked against her. Hers is also a story of confronting the realities of the world and the trade offs found in every decision, even if it was the right one at the moment.

Anji’s impulsivity and, to a weird extent, naivety about the world is balanced by the Hawk, the legendary warrior tasked with bringing Anji to justice for her crime of killing the king. As the story unravels, we learn more about the Hawk’s background and her own complicated moral code. Here, again, is a imperfect character who is living with the results of her choices. Dealing with the consequences of one’s choices and actions, be those known or unknown consequences, was a big theme of the book, and I think the author did a great job of mostly presenting questions to the reader, without preaching any simplistic answers. Instead, the reader is left to grapple with the fact that sometimes there are no fully “good” answers to the problems of the world.

Overall, this was a fantastic read! There are definitely elements of the story that will be familiar to epic fantasy fans, but everything is tied together so well as to make the entire thing feel like a breath of fresh air. And, like I said before, the odd balance in tone between incredibly grim events alongside a more light style of storytelling made for a very unique-feeling read. I definitely recommend this one to epic fantasy fans!

Rating 9: An incredible debut and a breath of fresh air to epic fantasy fiction!

Link will go live May 21 on The Library Ladies

I really enjoyed this book!! This is such a fun adventure from beginning to end. Anji and the Eagles banter and growth throughout the book was so much fun to read. Every single character in this book was written so well. Looking forward to more from this author!

This one hooked me early and kept me tense all the way through. Anji Kills a King is the kind of fantasy I’ve been missing. It’s tight, grounded, and not remotely interested in being precious. The world is dark, the stakes are real, and nobody is safe.

It was refreshing to read a fantasy that didn’t center romance and still kept me fully invested in the characters. The relationship between Anji and Kit was nuanced, layered, convincing, and one of my favorite parts. Almost all of the central characters are women, and the story never treats that like a novelty. It just is, which made the whole thing feel even more lived-in and real.

The world building is seriously creative, especially the magic system, which feels both strange and grounded. I do wish we’d gotten more explanation about how some of it worked. It wasn’t confusing so much as light on detail and I just wanted more of it. There were moments where the tension was so sharp I caught myself holding my breath. And while I guessed some of the ending, I didn’t mind. The twist at the end still hit hard and left me genuinely stunned.

Also, just a quick note: this book does not shy away from violence. It’s gory and gritty, but in a way that feels earned rather than gratuitous. The author isn’t afraid to let his characters suffer, and it works.

The epilogue was everything. I’ll be watching closely in hopes of a sequel.

4.75 rounded up to 5.

This was a dnf for me at 20%. Unfortunately the main character just felt too whiny and couldn't seem to understand that she couldn't get away from her captor due to magic. She tried 3 times to escape despite evidence that she physically couldn't and would be hurt trying.

I do really love the idea of masked mercenaries who track bounties down and have different animal aspects and never show their faces. That's a very fun concept similar to Mandalorians and a novella coming out soon called Brighter than Scale Swifter than Flame so if you loved that aspect check out the other!

Anji Kills a King is kind of like if the side quest in your favorite fantasy became the whole story. We're on a journey, but not sure why or what for. The stakes were incredibly high, and the deaths/loss along the way were violent and sad, but again, I wasn't sure why. In order for the traumatic events to make sense, we need to truly believe in our hero, support their cause, and root for their success. But with Anji, I just didn't know enough to say with confidence, yes, the deaths of these innocents are worth ensuring our hero's success.

I also think this book should be a stand alone. We didn't get enough world building or history to justify a continued storyline. I don't even know what the hero is fighting against. General corruption? Religious extremism? There just wasn't enough plot for me to know who the bad guys are and why they need to be toppled.

But all that being said, I had fun with this book. It was a very fast, fun read. A really impressive debut from Evan. I'm just not craving any more of this universe or this character.

Anji Kills A King is quite action packed; we spend most of the book wondering why, and by the end question if it was the right thing to do or not. Anji is cheeky and spirited while Hawk (the bounty hunter after Anji) is gruff and determined. A lot of the story is spent traveling between places with short chapter, and very fast pacing. I felt like it was a bit predictable.

Please note the book is rather gory and full of bodily fluids and it made it hard to read at times. I really wanted to know and understand the characters more in this story, and I wish they had been fleshed out more. However, it was still very well written and I, for the most part, really enjoyed it and appreciated the advanced copy!

I really wanted to like Anji Kills a King, but it is not a story for me. The story starts off incredibly fast paced, with the title mentioned King dead before the end of the first page. Unfortunately the story slows down after that and I started to lose interest in what was happening. While I enjoy morally grey and vaguely unpleasant characters, I just could not get interested in these characters. I do think that there is an audience for this book, it was simply not for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.