What a fantastic debut novel!!

I loved every minute of this read. It was a quick and easy to follow read that I couldn’t put down!
The fate of the two main characters felt intertwined from the start. There were moments of laughter and also great peeks into the characters backgrounds. The back and forth between Anji and Hawk was so good!! I loved the sass of both characters, they almost seemed to echo each other in some ways.
Moira Quirk was the perfect narrator to give voice to Anji, she encapsulated all of Anji’s attitude and inner thoughts.
The ending did a great job tying up this part of what will clearly be a much larger journey. I can’t wait to listen to book 2 and see what happens next!!

Anji Kills a King on audio is a must-read/listen! Anji and Hawk's personalities are a perfect match for their adventures, and lead to a lot of humor and heart-felt moments. Anji is so lovable and snarky that you cannot help but root for her. The narration was fabulous, and the book was so much fun that I cannot wait for more from this author! Well done!

This was an excellent fantasy debut! Fast paced from the very first page and honestly didn’t guess where it would go at all. The world building was both interesting and detailed. Full of adventure and wit, I highly recommend Anji Kills a King for any fantasy lover.

While this is newcomer Evan Leikam's first novel, Anji Kills a King has easily matched the caliber of some huge names in the grim-dark fantasy space. From the very first page, this world leapt into being with every detail, from whispers of political uprising to the blood-curdling effects of addiction ravaging the body. For a debut fantasy, I was blown away by the scope of everything. Bravo! And Moira Quirk was an inspired choice for this audio presentation. Anji felt so alive through her voice.
As a fairly long time follower of Evan (book_reviews_kill), this book is an insanely high return on investment: as in, I clicked one button a few years ago and now I am witnessing the launch of a very talented writer. I am so excited to champion this book!

♡ 𝙰𝚗𝚓𝚒 𝙺𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚊 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚢 𝙴𝚟𝚊𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚒𝚔𝚊𝚖
𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢 • 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜

♡ Thank you @macmillan.audio for the complimentary ALC.

The opening action scene hooked me. However, plot then took a backseat to bloody battles & rampage. Needed more story to keep me engaged. It’s giving an increasingly forgettable menagerie of villains. Every chapter characters will die. I loved Moira Quirk’s narration and bumped my rating for her stellar performance which kept me pushing to the finish line. Less action and more context for the characters' motivations earlier on would have improved my enjoyment.

We follow Anji, who is on the run after she assassinated the king. She is caught by a member of the Menagerie, a group of highly skilled mercenaries who are tasked with tracking her down to return her home to be executed.

I had a good time with this story, although it moves at a slower pace. We spend a lot of time with Anji and the Hawk on the road. They stop at various towns and run into different issues, like other bounty hunters or wild beasts. There are some fantastic fight scenes, however, they never last very long. I do think this book could have been a little longer to show us more of the world and some of the characters.

I will definitely read book 2. Moira Quirk did a phenomenal job of bringing this story to life—she is a top-notch narrator and made me feel for Anji. I will listen to anything she narrates.

If you're a fan of grimdark fantasy, Anji Kills a King delivers in gut-wrenching fashion. While on the run for regicide, Anji is quickly captured by the Hawk, one of the most well-known bounty hunters in the kingdom. What follows is a gripping tale of hope and despair as captor and captive struggle with what it truly means to live and die for a cause.

Gritty and grim, Anji Kills a King is the story of a young woman on the run with a notorious bounty hunter, Hawk, on her tail. Both Anji and Hawk are stubborn and unwavering in their goals, one wishing to escape towards freedom and the other to turn in her bounty and reap her reward. Leikam drops the reader right in the middle of the story and takes them on a journey at break neck speed. A journey in which we discover Anji's motives for killing the king and why Hawk is so determined to bring her to justice.

Evan I was familiar with your Booktok game, but I was not familiar with your writing game. This was AWESOME! A wanted criminal and a badass milf go on a quest. Loved it!!

Thank you MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook ALC.

First, round of applause for this cover because it’s stunning and encompassing of the journey in this book.

Evan Leikam writes a compelling debut of exploring the aftermath of choices.
Anji impulsively kills the king. I think this impulsivity sums up a lot of Anji’s choices in this book. She brash, unlikable and under the skin of Hawk and readers alike, but I did like her arc in this story. We get to see her start to process her choices and how it impacts others in the book. Her relationship with Hawk is a highlight: a slow build for the characters themselves and readers. I found myself not always attuned to the story but did realize toward the end that I surprisingly cared more for characters than I thought. The plot is repetitive with the cat and mouse chase and I did wish certain sections breathed a bit more to bring the characters development (rebellion/people’s involvement, intersection of past/present relationships) throughout and showed vs told in the story. I will admit I do need to go back to refresh some of the world building and magic that I think bypassed my retention aurally.

I didn’t realize this was a first in a series, but this can read as a standalone with an open ending.

Audiobook wise, Moira Quick brings character and flavor to the narration. She brings tension, volume, and emotion to her voices with a natural conversation feel without the listener needing to toggle the volume button drastically; applaud also goes to the editors.

I was so excited to read this book and was unfortunately let down. While I really liked the overall storyline, I think there were certain plot points that weren't developed enough. The title of the book is Anji Kills a King but we hardly get any backstory into why she wants to kill him. I don't feel that we went enough into the Menagerie and their background. The world didn't feel fleshed out enough and I don't think we're left with enough main characters by the end of book one to keep me interested in book two.

Character deaths need to mean something in any form of media- there were a couple of deaths in here (one in specific being a child) that I thought didn't add anything to the plot and felt senseless. Also, can we please stop using the words "slut" and "whore" to describe any female character? There are so many better derogatory words than those in the year 2025 to call women.

On the plus side, I greatly loved the narrator.

This did not work well for me as an audio book. I think the story is there but the characters didn’t grab me. I think I may need to give this another shot on physical before I make a final decision

Evan leikam is truly an amazing author. They have to be to have me invested and finish a book where I absolutely hate the main character. Anji is stupid, annoying and I felt sympathy for anyone that had to endure her presence. But the Hawk and the writing kept me with this book to the end

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for gifted access to this audiobook. All opinions below are my own.

Anji is a servant in the castle living a life she never wanted. In a moment of impulse, she kills the king, this happens in chapter one (and is in the title) so I'm not giving you any spoilers LOL. She escapes but is not exactly well versed in violence or evasion and she is quickly captured by a mercenary hoping to get the bounty. The story follows their journey where they cross paths with others who would love to turn Anji in or even kill her themselves. During the journey, we learn more about Anji, the Hawk who has cpatured her and about the kingdom in this dystopian society.

I love a good fantasy novel about revenge, vengance and revolt. This story has good storybuilding balanced with witty banter and a hell of a lot of action. It made for a real fun listen. The ending was jaw dropping and fabulous! I'm glad this is a series but honestly you could read this as a standalone and enjoy it easily.

This was a unique fantasy pick, and a really excellent debut. The book was fast paced, quirky, brutal, dark, with horror elements (the spider tornado, iykyk).

The world building was done in a really thoughtful way - the author gave us only the relevant details and didn’t “dump” the whole world on to the reader, which made the setting feel more natural. The characters and the political intrigue were excellent.

At the same time, the book could have been longer, especially to let some of the action breathe, but I'm expecting that this is a great setup for the rest of the series! The author really packed a lot into just over 300 pages. This feels like a book that I will revisit to really absorb all the details.

Moira Quirk is always a top-tier narrator, and I really enjoyed her performance in this one. Highly recommend for fantasy, sci-fi and horror readers, or more specifically, grimdark fans!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advance copy of the audiobook. It’s out now - opinions are my own!

*4.5 stars*

Anji is not having a good time. This was nonstop action and suspense with a sassy main character who’s just trying to survive.

I loved Anji and Hawks banter. The world was full of danger and monsters. I would have liked a little more world building, the pacing left little room for anything but action. I will definitely be picking up the sequel.

The audio was fantastic, though I might be a little biased because Moira Quirk is my favorite narrator. She always delivers and this is no exception.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book review: 4/5 ⭐️
Genre: fantasy series, book 1
Themes: revolution, assassin, bounty hunters

Anji is an orphan relegated to being a castle servant, working for a man she despises. When opportunity strikes, she decides to take matters into her own hands and kills this most loathsome man. As she runs for her life, the largest bounty on record makes her a prime target for everyone. What’s more, she is unknowingly pursued by the deadly band of mercenaries called the Menagerie. Their animal masks are imbued with magic that gives them strength beyond measure making them a deadly foe.

When Hawk seizes Anji she will begin to understand the true cost of living for a cause. An aged swordswomen with fowl manners and a disgruntled attitude she is not pleasant company, but her Menagerie companions are even worse. As Anji is tossed from one to another she will be tortured and beaten, dragged and drugged into obedience.

This is not a feel good story, but one of retribution and the cost of rash decisions. It is horrible, but gives a new perspective on the inherent brainwashing of soldiers and on how toppling a corrupt institution takes more than knocking over one figure, even the one at the top. Anji and Hawk’s relationship is full of teeth. It has hatred, but also unexpected tenderness. This unlikely duo will forge a bond that is not quite friendship, but one that will tie them together nonetheless. The twist at the end was great and left me wanting more for the next instalment. This is a refreshing adult fantasy that was hard to put down. The POVs were interesting with several flawed and damaged characters. There was also a nice edge of humour glazed over the gore to make it all more palatable. Overall, it was entertaining and easy to read.

🎧 Thank you to @Macmillan.Audio for a copy of this audiobook. The narrator was perfectly able to give variation and life to the naive girl and the curmudgeon solider. Even the religious fantastic and the other deadly Menagerie member were given their own twist. It had an old world air with the story easily coming to life.

Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 4⭐️
Plot: 4⭐️
Themes: 3⭐️
Personal enjoyment: 4⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4⭐️
Overall rating: 4/5⭐️

In this grimdark fantasy Anji assassinates the king and is on the run from ruthless mercenaries when she is found. The hawk, a member of the menagerie, captures her. Instead of turning Anji in, the Hawk has other plans.
Action packed with epic battle scenes and witty dialogue. I especially enjoyed the audiobook. Moira Quirk does a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and adding to the humorous dialogue.

I loved this story and the characters! Great balance of action, humor, and character development. I will definitely be recommending this book to people who enjoyed books like the Poppy War series.

This book immediately thrown you into the action. The stakes are high, the banter is there, and the action is at sonic speed. I liked so much of this book, and I LOVED Moira Quirk's narration.

My biggest issue with this is, since the action and stakes started on page one, there was 0 time for character building and I just didn't have any emotional attachment to any of the characters. I'm interested incontinuing this series, however, because Anji stays being a mess.