The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

Kihrin was raised in the slums of Quur. As Kihrin, he is the golden-voiced son of a minstrel. But Kihrin is also the self-named Rook, a highly skilled thief capable of stealing just about anything. Upon a seemingly chance encounter with a powerful demon in the middle of the street, Kihrin discovers several truths about himself. He finds that he is a long-lost prince, that the necklace he wears around his neck is far more than a trinket left from his dead mother, and that he has a destiny more fantastic and more devasting than he could ever have imagined.

Jenn Lyon’s The Ruin of Kings is a powerful opening novel of a new epic fantasy series. The story is mostly told in two parts from Kihrin’s prison cell. Both trace the path of how he wound up in his present circumstances from alternating points of views, Kihrin’s and his jailer, Talon. Lyons skillfully keeps both narratives moving along while defining a rich, diverse and truly epic world. A world filled with gods, demons, sorcerers and everything in between. The characters are more than simply good and evil. There are complex motivations on both sides. Lyons slowly spills out information on their actions that keep you continually evaluating which side of the ledger the many well-developed characters belong on. Questions of morality and balancing the greater good abound. The novel depends as much on the compelling mystery as it does the action to propel the story along.

There are similarities to Patrick Rothfus’s Kingkiller Chronicles in terms of narrative structure, but the story is very much it's own. Lyon’s has constructed a book that is a complete chapter but in a world that feels like it has a lot of story left in it.

The audiobook is narrated by Vikas Adam, Soneela Nankani and Feodor Chin. Together they do a fantastic job at elevating the story. Given the many mysteries that the characters in the story conceal, it is a delicate job of conveying their personalities while also maintaining the uncertainty of whether the characters can truly be trusted. The story involves intricate, intersecting plots, alternating narratives and a large cast of characters. Adam, Nankani and Chin never leave you confused as to what is going on or who is speaking. At least not any more uncertain than the author intends you to be.

This is an outstanding debut and a welcome beginning to an epic new fantasy series. The audio version complements the storytelling and even at more than 25 hours, never lags. Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher.

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