The Justice of Kings

I picked this book up because everybody loved it. So I was curious even though the series is not yet finished.

It follows Emperor's Justice Sir Konrad Vonvalt and his small retinue as they travel through the empire and solve crimes. It's told through memoirs of his clerk Helena but the story is very much about Vonvalt himself and, as she often says, fall of the empire. This book is only setting it all up, though.

I was wondering what is so amazing about this book for 120 pages. Nothing was happening, mediocre mystery story that was progressing slowly. Then came the first quality spikes. Two scenes in span of two chapters (I think), one after another, where I couldn't breath, so tense the scenes were. I was finally hooked.

Then the book returned to its routine and then amazing scene again. Rinse and repeat basically until the end. To me it's very inconsistent. There are moments that are on the level of the best of the best authors and then there are whole chapters that are boring. There is one whole chapter dedicated to Vonvalt's opening speech in front of a jury. Like 15 pages of his monologue, going through the case he's been investigating. If you like TV shows Matlock you will enjoy this. I did not.

The good parts of this book are amazing. But for some uncomprehending reason Helena, the main character and Vonvalt's clerk, steps out of her character for one scene towards the end of the book, then back to herself, then behaves completely differently again. It's during the action sequence. I just couldn't understand why would she be written in such sloppy way in such crucial moment of the book. I suspect this comes from one of the first scenes Swan had written for the book and since then the character evolved but he did not adapt the scene sufficiently. That's entirely a guess, though.

Another thing that pissed me off is that the main villain was spared solely for the reason that he could be utilized in the sequel. Vonvalt had him but didn't kill him despite giving him judgment and punishment of death. He's also incredibly one dimensional religious zealot. Another disappointing thing.

And aside from that, what the hell is this?!

“(Knights) smashed bodily into [retracted] and his men. This was no arcane, elemental power drawn from ancient magickal tomes or siphoned off from the astral planes; it was naked force, raw, powerful and brutal. I found the effect enthralling. I felt as though I were at the centre of a storm, the thunder exploding through me, energising my blood as powerfully as any herbologist's concoction. I was filled with a bizarre urge to laugh, as though I had been overstimulated by excitement.”

Surely a 4.5 but I'm rounding up.

I can't remember when exactly this book came onto my radar but it was a tweet about a review, and I was immediately fascinated by this story as soon as I finished reading it. The cover of the book also hadn't been revealed then and I just had this fascinating premise and a glowing review but I was sure that I had to read this book and I knew that I would love it. I kept checking for the book on netgalley periodically and I'm so glad I was approved because I didn't wanna miss this one.

As much as I always say that it's hard to write reviews for books I really love, I somehow manage it decently. But today I find myself without words to describe this book. So pardon me if I'm not articulate enough. The writing in this book was very accessible (I don't know why I thought it wouldn't be) and I found it very easy to feel engrossed in the story and not notice how much time passed. The writing also has a detached quality to it because the narrator is remembering these events while writing a book in her old age, decades after the events took place - and this detached style made it less anxious for me to handle the very high and dangerous stakes of the story. The pacing was mostly very fast, with things happening quickly and decisively, not always giving us enough time to process them. There is also a tone of sadness, regret, melancholy and some amount of sarcasm throughout because that's how the narrator is feeling while reflecting back on the happenings of her past, and I thought this was an interesting choice for the author to make - I definitely feel I enjoyed this style of storytelling and it probably wouldn't have been as effective if told in the present. There is some action but primarily this is an investigative novel, with lots of trying to find out the truth and culprits, detangling empire wide conspiracies, peppered with much philosophizing about the importance of common law and Justice. The world building isn't extensive but we get enough information about the history of the empire and it's hierarchy, as well as the various gods and it's main religion - it's just enough that we feel like it's a lived world where things are changing constantly, but we also realize that there's much more we don't know and will find out soon.

As many of my fellow reviewers have pointed out already, the premise makes it look like the story is being told through Justice Konrad Vonvalt's POV but what we get is his story being told by his young clerk and protégé Helena. She is a resourceful young lady who has suffered a lot in her childhood and should technically be thrilled to be on her way to become an Imperial Magistrate herself in the future. And while she is grateful for everything Konrad has done for her, she is still unsure about the path she wants to take in life; however, she definitely enjoys the investigative process and isn't squeamish about many things but loathes violence. I also felt like I couldn't always get a handle on her character, except that she is smart and brave and will survive almost anything the cruel world throws at her. But she does have an air of innocence about her at the beginning which gets shattered violently towards the end and I'm curious to see how that will change her.

Konrad on the other hand is an impeccable Justice of the empire who believes in his work and the certainty of the law. He can be stubborn and dismissive when others tell him things he doesn't want to hear, but isn't a bad person - just someone used to his way of life and clinging to a view of the empire and it's hierarchy that may be on the wane. And he does cut a Sherlockian figure with his adamant sense of finishing his investigations despite any dangers that might be chasing him - but Helena with her narration manages to create a more fuller perspective of his personality - a flawed man who is set in his ways, maybe has a high opinion of himself, is relentless in his methods even if it's hurting his companions, coming across as unfeeling and unsympathetic to their plight, but ultimately a loyal and maybe even compassionate man. But the changes we get to see in him as the story progresses are fascinating in real time and if the ominous words Helena uses to describe him towards the end are an indication, it's only going downhill from there.

While there are many small characters here and each have significant impacts on the story, there were only a few whom I really liked. Dubine is a brute of a person but an efficient taskman to Konrad and despite his gruff demeanor, someone who cares about Helena. Sir Radomir was another character who I thought would be more antagonistic but turned out to be a brave and upright person with a keen sense of right and wrong. Claver may have been present in person for very few pages but this religious fanatic with excessively growing power and connections is an enigmatic figure who is always in the back of our main characters' minds and I can't wait to see what more havoc he will wreak.

In a nutshell, this book was everything I expected it would be. It has its share of brutality and gore but it's not an action packed novel - this debut is a highly engrossing investigative fantasy novel featuring enigmatic characters, with enough depth to let us think on about the good and bad of imperialism in this story and the affects of religious fanaticism, as well as the importance of enforcing the law equally and dispassionately, while also questioning if law and morality can always go hand in hand. And if you are a Sherlock Holmes fan like myself and love the fantasy genre, this one is right up your alley. I'm just glad that it ended in a way which deeply satisfied me and while I'm very excited for the sequel, I'm feeling more composed about the long wait.