**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**
Title All the King’s Traitors
Author Keylin Rivers
Release Date September 26, 2019
Description from Amazon
Over a thousand years have passed since the first Godstones ripped through the skies and mangled the earth. With their fall came centuries of chaos and destruction, but also immense power. Power that separates humans from Gods. Now, in the Kingdom of Azanthea, two adoptive brothers flee from unjust conscription. A fugitive heiress of a slaughtered people struggles to truly be free. A double-crossing warrior must choose where his allegiances lie: with his wife or with his daughter. A traitorous heir to the Kingdom’s throne roams the lands in search of an army to call his own. A prodigy in the House of Historian competes in a grueling trial to prove her loyalty. And one God-King rules over them all.
Initial Thoughts
I saw this book on NetGalley and thought the tag line looked cool – it was pitched as something for Game of Thrones fans (and I’m a huge GOT fan), so I decided to give it a read (despite the other books that have been in my queue for months).
Some Things I Liked
- Large cast of POV characters. I really enjoyed the diverse cast of characters whose perspectives we get to see. Since the reader gets to see so many opinions, it made distinguishing villains from heroes that much more difficult and interesting.
- World building. I thought the setting was really well done and I like the subtle introduction of the actual time frame in the middle of the book. The reader is gradually given hints about when this story takes place and I thought that gave the world building a richness that can’t be found by just saying, “it’s 2019 – let’s do this thing”. Please note, this book does not take place in 2019, that’s just an example 😂
One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
- Romance. The romances explored were a bit forced. Some were underdeveloped and others felt like they came out of nowhere. Since this is the first in a series, I can forgive this because I want to believe these issues will be rectified in future volumes of this story.
Series Value
This story sets up a lot of moving parts, numerous characters and their relationships, and a complex political landscape. There is a ton of material to work with for future installments and I would like to read them. This series has a ton of potential.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed this book. It was much closer to “high fantasy” than I usually read and I welcomed the change. The story and characters are filled with potential and I can’t wait to read what Keylin Rivers does next.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
Recommendations for Further Reading
- Rook by Sharon Cameron – if you enjoyed the time setting and revolution elements of this book, try Rook.
- Fireborne by Rosaria Munda – if you like the political intrigue and the POVs, give this new release a try.
- Furyborn by Claire Legrand – if you liked the mysterious villain and the rebellion in this book, try Claire Legrand’s Empirium Trilogy.
Books Over Everything 