The Empire's Ruin is the start of a new series called the Ashes of the Unhewn Throne. Since it is the first book of a series, you should prepare yourself be to flooded with numerous names, places, and kingdoms. It took me roughly a quarter to half of the book to keep the different storylines apart and figure out what is going on. It's also roughly the time when the story picks up, and you finally understand what a grand world Brian Staveley has created. It's filled with multiple fascinating character arcs, but each one has its unique story, character traits, and hardships to endure.

It's going to be amazing once the story finally unfolds in the upcoming books. It's a must-read book for anyone who generally enjoys epic fantasy stories with vast and intricate storytelling.

3.5 stars

THE EMPIRE'S RUIN is the second ridiculously thick book I've read this book - and yes, it's hard to get our hand around the spine to hold it, so ridiculous is the right word. It means I have an interesting and immediate comparison point for another really long epic fantasy with multi-POVs.<

The pacing and writing was SO MUCH better in this book than the previous. It did not feel like a slog to get through almost 750 pages, the pages turned themselves easily enough and I could actually remember who everyone was. A pretty important part of enjoying a book!

Apparently it's set in the same world as his previous series (Unhewn Throne?), after the events of that book. Not sure how long after, as I've never read those books, but I didn't need to read them to follow what was going on. Sure, there are probably lots of easter eggs and history I'm not getting, but they would be bonus features. The only thing I didn't understand where the '[name] exclamations/curses (the apostrophe is deliberate.) I'm guessing they were related to gods/belief systems I hadn't been introduced to. Or maybe slurs based off historic enemies? That's a TINY thing in a ~750 page book.

It's a multi-POV book, with three POVs, and it does do the thing I'm not a fan of with multi-POVs: have them very much unlinked beyond the world and "the mysterious people in this POV might be the missing people from this other POV." One side character from one POV turns at the very end of another POV. The problem is that this story telling style, particularly when the POVs don't even meet up at the end, is that it feels like I'm not reading one cohesive story, but three separate stories that have been smushed into one ridiculously large book.<

Honestly, it would not have made any less sense or been any less of a reading experience to split it into three books, each POV getting their own story. THAT is how unconnected and irrelevant to each other the POVs were during the book. If anything, it would have been a better reading experience as my wrists wouldn't have been aching from holding such a thick book.

I had no idea "The Empire's Ruin" was the start of a series that followed on from a previous trilogy that I haven't read... I can safely say that not reading the first trilogy didn't matter one little bit! It is absolutely epic, and I loved it! The characters, the writing, the plot, the setting - all are a teensy bit* mind-blowing and no fantasy fan should miss this book.
*teensy bit = quite a lot

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Staveley really cements his writing with this book as an epic fantasy writer. The characters had a lot of depth even without knowing the tie in's to his previous works in the Annurian Empire. The different POV's really complement and extricate the monotonous of having to portray things always in one view or trying to relieve tension or inflict certain emotions and feelings becomes easier. This thrived in every aspect of survival and romance. The lore just felt that amount of right and being this immersive was key to take a shine to the opening.

Overall this book sometimes dealt into the heavier side of reading with words and phrases not always being attuned to those of everyday life however this was not enough to deter me particularly from an amazing read.

Firstly I'd like to thank the publisher Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy of the book. This does not affect my opinions and overall rating of the book in any manner.

The Empire's Ruin is the first book in the 'Ashes of the Unhewn Throne' which itself is the sequel series to the author's previous trilogy 'The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne'. Taking place years after the events of 'The Last Mortal Bond', Staveley brings us an Annurian empire that is stagnating, the cost of their past victories finally caught up with them. Territories they'd previously held have begun breaking off and the Kettral (The imperial Assassins, also referring to the giant birds that the assassin's employ), the most deadliest weapon the in Annurian's possession are all but decimated. Empress Adare hui’Malkeenian stands atop it all watching helplessly as the slow disintegration of her Empire unfolds. She charges Gwenna Sharpe, the current leader of the Kettral with the task of travelling to the most remote and dangerous corner of the world to retrieve Kettral eggs so that the Empire may restore their Kettral population.

Gwenna Sharpe is the first of the three point of views that we follow in this book. The commander of the Kettral is stripped of her rank after botching a mission she was in charge of which resulted in the death of her comrades and permanently crippling the Kettral. Gwenna must travel to the continent of Menkiddoc, a largely unexplored land filled with dangers and a poison that twists and deforms all its inhabitants. Gwenna was a relatively minor character most of the time in the previous trilogy, it was only in the last book that she finally got the spotlight she needed. I had mixed feelings for her character initially, it's hard to relate to a character if all their personality consists of is cursing and blowing shit up once the novelty wares off. It was only after 'The Last Mortal Bond' did I finally begin enjoying her character. Depressed and broken after her failure, she is determined to complete this mission. We get to see how much of a badass she is and we hope for her success. But life is cruel and redemption is never easily earned. Gwenna's story is the struggle she has to endure between holding on to life or loosing herself to past regrets. She walks a thin line and each subsequent event pushes her to either side. The supporting characters work around this balance beautifully with some trying to push her off the edge whereas others try to pull her back. These include Kiel, the imperial historian and a reoccurring character who is not what he seems (you'll know if you've read th previous series) and Rat, an orphan girl found in Menkiddoc whom Gwenna is given responsibility over. Then there's admiral Jonon lem Jonon, who acts as a barrier to Gwenna's progress at every turn. This dynamic results in scenes of badassery and emotional gut punching moments that finally elevated my views on her character.


"To destroy is to swim with the current of reality. Once a thing is shattered— and this applies to people”— he glanced down at his withered hands—“ as well as to castle walls— once a thing is broken, the world rarely allows for it to be put back together. Not the same way, at least.”


The second POV is of Ruc, a priest of Eira (goddess of love) and a resident of Dombang, a city that has freed itself from the Annurian empire after two hundred years of occupation. Dombang follows in the bloody practices of resident divinities called 'The Three'. This includes violence, blood and human sacrifices they conduct in the name of the Three. The aftermath a certain "incident" leaves Ruc and fellow priest Bien having their whole world turned on its head. Trapped in a prison, destined for sacrifice in a city that loathes them, they must find unexpected alliances in order to escape. Ruc's arc deals with his struggling belief. Born into a life under the gods of violence and then abandoning it for the patronage of another, Ruc struggles to hold on to his new belief in a world that constantly threatens to pull him back to his old savage self. Ruc's fellow priest and lover Bien is all that holds him back but Bien has her own demon's that she cannot bring herself to face. Together with allies which includes new and reoccurring faces, they must escape their prison as ominous threat looms in the distance.


"Half the people in this city would gut us on sight, and the other half would only hold back in order to feed us to their blood-hungry so-called gods."


The third and final POV is of Akiil, a reoccurring character with a minor role in the previous series. A friend to the late Kaden (previous heir to the empire) and a thief. Akiil's story deals mostly around the empress and his services to solve one of the Empire's growing problems. Although he doesn't have the same amount of focus as Gwenna and Ruc, it's clear that the author has set up his character in such a way that he will play a more important role in the sequel. This was the weakest storyline in my opinion simply because there wasn't enough focus on his story but I have a feeling that this was intentional.

Worldbuilding is one of Staveley's strengths, he takes us on a journey across lands unlike any that we've known in previous series. Be it Dombang the city built upon a river delta or the toxic wastes of Menkiddoc, the author has a way of keeping our attention while he also unveils the world to us. More information is shed about the elder races that present in the world. The ominous threat mentioned earlier is also brought into light as we piece together bits and pieces of information received from the three point of view's.


“People go everywhere,” Kiel countered. “It is one of the fascinating, inexplicable things about people. Bring word of an island of fire lost in a poisonous sea and someone will build a ship to sail there, just to stare into the combustion with their own eyes as they burn.”


All that said, there are issues. The pacing drops quickly after that explosive start and it takes a while for it to get back in track. Some of the secondary characters felt flat. The ending was really well done for one plot line, rushed for another and for the third one it just more of an abrupt stop (I didn't even know that plot line ended until I finished the book). Personally I would have liked to space the ending of the second plot line a little bit more (I don't have much of a solution for the third one).

This was indeed a strong start for a sequel series that didn't have the advantage of centering around the protagonists of the earlier series. Even though I had my issues with it, the things I liked way outweighed the things I didn't. This has been one of may favorite reads of 2021 and I will be waiting patiently for more.

This one took me a little while to get in to, but I'm putting that down to the fact I haven't read the previous trilogy (my own fault!) I've seen from other reviews that there will be a few things I may have missed the significance of, but I really enjoyed Staveley's writing so will definitely be going back to read those!

However The Empire's Ruin still delivered on all the action, adventure and drama I hoped it would when I read the blurb and first requested it, so I would definitely recommend it (though perhaps after picking up Staveley's other books!)

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor UK for sending me an e-arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, so here it goes.

Short version: I loved this book and it seemed to have found me in a moment that was just too serendipitous to call it anything other than fate.

Long version:
This follows after the Empire's Blades trilogy and I don't believe you need to read those books to follow this new trilogy, although I would recommend them just because they are actually really good. If not, there are full synopsis of them in Brian Staveley's blog and I read them before starting this book, because this is complex worldbuilding and I needed the refresh.

The book is split into 3 story lines: Gweena, who is maybe the most recognisable character of the ones that are returning from the previous trilogy, Ruc and Bien 2 priests of Eira, goddess of love and fully new characters, and Akiil, a quite secondary character in the first trilogy, a Shin monk trying to con an Emperor.
The set up is rather simple, and I believe that is the genius of it. Gweena's story begins when she is plummeted into a new terrible reality by her own mistakes. Ruc and Bien's when they are plummeted into a terrible new reality by no fault of their own, and Akiil gets himself into a terrible new reality by greed.Now the interesting thing is that the book does not waste any time in judgement of how these characters got there, but more on the fact that however we get into unattainable situations, the process of climbing back out of them is virtually the same for all of us.And that is the thing I absolutely loved about this book. There is a theme that underlines all 3 plot stories, which is basically "who are we?" Who are we when we lose everything that made us "us"? Who are we when in order to survive, to move forwards, to achieve our goals (surviving or thriving), we have to let go of those things we thought made us "us"?
It is an 800 page study on the deconstruction of the self (regardless of the causes) and the work, the effort, the resilience necessary to reconstruct ourselves one piece at a time.
I said that due to some very difficult things happening last year (and I believe after 2020, we can all relate to having different levels of "a difficult time") I found Gweena's story the most compelling.Her mistake is enormous and it is never minimised in the story. It continues to be a huge mistake, compounded later by a second one (which I was mad about originally, but then I remembered what a chain reaction of bigger mistakes one mistake can detonate) to the very end. This makes Gweena's descent into despair understandable. Her breaking is never unexpected.
Bien's loss of faith in the face of her temple being burned, her friends killed, her lover the adopted son of destruction gods, is also understandable.Akiil is a con and thief, but in trying to tell an Emperor how to forget everything that she is and become nothing, he has to come to terms with what he is and why it is so, himself.
But again, this is the set up, the interesting thing is how they rebuild their own characters, how they decide to keep going, how they find what makes them themselves.And not only would I not detail it here because I hate spoilers, even hidden ones, but also because I believe that is not the point of the book. Its point is to provide the tools.
It's a manual, not a recipe.
Some characters are absolutely fantastic, Talal continues to be one of my favorites and Ruc and Bien are great additions to that dynamic, I want to see so much more of this trio.
Rat and Kiel form the two counterbalances that give Gweena reasons to come back to herself, one reminds her of the child she was and the other of how that child became a legend.
Joron is just the worst and that makes him an excellent focal point for all contained rage, both the characters' and the readers'.

As to what actually happens in the book, it is a beautifully detailed adventure that takes us across a detailed world building of continents and cultures, magic, gods, lost cities, shipwrecks, monster fighting.
It is sincerely super fun as well if rather violent and gruesome.There is a certain humour that comes from hitting rock bottom and it is present in this book. In my experience sometimes it is the only thing that can remind us we are still human.

All in all is a well rounded book that comes to extremely satisfactory emotional endings of the characters processes and otherwise leaves us in the middle of the actual action as it is very much the first book in a trilogy. But this first act has done nothing other than make me expect the next with great anticipation.

One thing I would mention, I am not new to grim dark fantasy, but some scenes are absolutely brutal in their violence, so I advise caution and I do believe this should be a Content Warning.

Brian Staveley’s The Empire’s Ruin is a solid and enjoyable return to the dark and vivid world of the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series. In the first novel of his new trilogy, Staveley follows old and new characters as they fight for survival in an increasingly hostile world. I received an ARC of The Empire’s Ruin in exchange for an honest review.

“Half the people in this city would gut us on sight, and the other half would only hold back in order to feed us to their blood-hungry so-called gods. If we wanted to be safe, we would have taken up brewing or farming or fucking haberdashery.”

The Empire's Ruin by Brain StaveleyThe Empire’s Ruin is satisfyingly hefty at 752 pages. Within these pages are 363 individual instances of the word “fuck,” so foul-mouthed readers will feel right at home with the constantly cursing characters. Readers unfamiliar with Staveley’s earlier novels are strongly encouraged to read those before picking up The Empire’s Ruin. This review contains spoilers for the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne original trilogy and stand-alone work, Skullsworn.

Five years after the explosive events of the original trilogy, the Annurian Empire is still reeling in the wake of devastating war and civil unrest. The tools it once used to dominate the breadth of its lands, including the airborne fighting force of Kettral, have been severely compromised. The Emperor sends one of the few remaining Kettral on a quest beyond the end of the known world to find the mythical nesting ground of the giant war hawks that could turn the tide to save the Empire. Meanwhile, an ancient and powerful enemy is rising once again and seeks to threaten the balance of the world.

All of Staveley’s full-length novels have the same setting and excellent world-building: a rich, interesting, and dark world with many unexplored corners. Constant returns to the same setting can feel repetitive or diminishing in the wrong hands, but Staveley finds a way to deepen existing mythology and setting. Staveley’s continued depiction of Dombâng, likely inspired by Southeast Asian culture, feels deeply developed, especially considering Dombâng’s fraught experience with imperialism and subsequent difficulties that echo the real-world history of the area.

The pace throughout the novel is satisfying and consistent, while the prose is vivid. Constant battle scenes can wear on a reader, but Staveley’s strength lies in painting a picture while leaving enough room for the reader’s imagination to fill in the gaps. The action and battle scenes in The Empire’s Ruin feel stylized and cinematic, similar to those of Joe Abercrombie.

“To destroy is to swim with the current of reality. Once a thing is shattered—and this applies to people as well as castle walls—once a thing is broken, the world rarely allows for it to be put back together. Not the same way, at least.”
The Empire’s Ruin alternates from the point of view of Kettral fighter Gwenna Sharpe, priest Ruc Lakatur Lan Luc, and lapsed monk Akiil. Staveley admirably peoples his stories with diverse characters of varying backgrounds. Each POV character has to remake themselves in some way in order to move forward. Much of this novel and indeed the rest of the series is devoted to identity and the destruction and rebuilding of the self. One of the most intriguing depictions of this theme is in a jungle where a mysterious disease has been released that mutates all living things within its borders. Some trees have grown fruit in the shape of humanoid corpses, while others have eerie sheaves of flowing hair. Fans of the alien settings of Annihilation will enjoy this similarly unusual setting.

As other reviewers have noted in the past, Staveley’s handling of female characters can be uneven. In the original trilogy, Gwenna is written as a bit of a stereotype of a red-headed woman: hot-tempered, impulsive, and brash, she’s even a master of explosives. The newest novel gives Staveley room to expand Gwenna’s personality. Indeed, Gwenna’s story arc aligning with a traditional hero’s journey feels the most compelling of the three perspectives in the novel.

Gwenna’s scenes in the mutated jungle—young girl and military companions in tow—while being hunted by a horrific beast, strongly evoke beloved sci-fi classic Aliens. Gwenna, like Ripley, is a strong woman who has been broken down and built back up. Gwenna must protect a young girl, nicknamed Rat, as they fight for safety and their companions are picked off one by one.

However, Gwenna’s story does have problematic aspects. Gwenna is “not like other girls,” elevated to often-superhuman levels. She frequently survives the unsurvivable, kills the unkillable more than once, and curses with the best of them. At least she doesn’t remain unrealistically good-looking throughout or have a shoehorned love interest.

The most glaringly problematic issue is when Gwenna is the only woman selected by Emperor Adare to go on a dangerous mission that involves a lengthy sea voyage. Though Gwenna is accustomed to being “one of the guys,” Staveley frequently draws attention to the fact that many of the large crew would not hesitate to rape and/or injure her if given the chance. The implausible, bordering-on-offensive plotline that a female emperor would casually place such violent, misogynistic men on a vital mission with a lone strategically important woman may alienate readers.

In any case, instances of female characters’ interactions with each other are often disappointingly brief or shallow. The main relationship explored between women is that of the reluctant mother figure of Gwenna and the girl Rat who she has been saddled with but grows to love, another trope that may irk readers. This trope, in which loving the child often somehow redeems the woman, feels even more egregious in context with Gwenna’s characterization and experience.

Like the great George R.R. Martin, Staveley often kills off important characters in a devastating, satisfying way. However, as good as some of his character deaths were in his previous novels, the new book’s deaths (or lack thereof) were often jarring. The inclusion of so many “actually, they’re not dead after all” moments in The Empire’s Ruin cheapens the real deaths and opens up the idea that anyone could come back as long as we didn’t see the body. The trope might be forgiven once or twice, but it is pervasive in the novel, from POV characters, side characters, to nearly a whole continent’s worth of people.

In contrast with the tight, near-perfect character and story arc of Staveley’s previous novel Skullsworn, The Empire’s Ruin may have a little too large a scope. As the series develops, perhaps the connections between these stories and characters will deepen. The problematic treatment of female characters and worn-out tropes undermine an otherwise entertaining and well-executed novel. Hopefully, Staveley can take a more considered approach as he moves forward with the series. Superb world-building, well-written action scenes, and cohesive handling of the literary-classic theme of identity make The Empire’s Ruin a fast-paced and enjoyable read.

I had no idea that there was a sequel to the Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne being written but when I saw The Empire’s Ruin appear on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it. I enjoyed the first series a lot and I really wanted to continue the story in that world.

And what a world it is. To put it mildly, the Empire is going to hell. Dombâng has revolted for its independence and there’s something bad coming.

It starts with a bang, and a massive disaster as Gwenna, a Kettral who we met in the first series. It’s a very action-packed opening which draws you in immediately and Gwenna’s rash actions have very real consequences as she is forced to make a dangerous journey to try to restore the Kettral. This part of the story reads very much like a horror story. There’s a mysterious creature hunting everyone and killing them brutally along with a country where the air is poison and drives people murderously mad. If this had been a film, I would not have been able to sleep after reading it. It is dark and rather brutal. Gwenna is put through the ringer in this book and I loved every minute of it because, as we all know by now, I love it when characters are physically and emotionally tortured to their absolute limits.

The Empire’s Ruin also follows the characters of Ruc and Akiil. I did enjoy Ruc’s arc from the beginning, it doesn’t feel as grand or epic as Gwenna’s but it was well written and I enjoyed how he interacted with the other characters, especially Bien. It took me a little longer to warm to Akiil, a monk who is also a con artist and thief and it wasn’t until about half way through, when his role in the story became more apparent, that I started to enjoy his POV. I think I needed to understand his history before I could like his story.

I feel like The Empire’s Ruin ups the game from the first trilogy. It is a hell of a lot darker and brutal. It feels more confident and I really liked how it was written. The story takes its time and it builds nicely throughout, until all the pieces start to come together. I am really looking forward to reading what happens next.

This book took some getting into and not because it was badly written. I don't know why I expected anything else from Staveley but beloved characters are not in a good place during this! It took me awhile to get used to that but I was soon gripped by the story, pleased to be back in this world. One of the aspects that I loved the most about this book was Gwenna grief and how it was explored. It was done so well!
I'm really excited to see how this series is going to progress. I will say though that you definitely need to read the first series before this!

The Empire’s Ruin opens a new chapter in the Unhewn Throne world’s history. It follows separate (but converging) plotlines for three characters, all (except one) known to Staveley’s fans. The story opens in the middle of the action and never slows down.

The world is a mess, and the Annurian empire is in shambles. Wherever you look, things are going from bad to worse. And for Gwenna, things turned disastrous. After failing both her team and her empire, she’s stripped of rank. Because of her unique skills and training, The Emperor sends her beyond the edge of the known world to find the nesting ground of the Kettral (giant war hawks). And, perhaps, to redeem herself.

Staveley’s characters are distinct, fleshed-out and memorable. Gwenna’s struggles with self-loathing and apathy felt nuanced and convincing. She’s a badass, but everyone has limits and in The Empire’s Ruin Staveley crossed them. No, not crossed. He scorched them with napalm. Gwenna’s deconstruction and the amount of pain she went through would destroy lesser characters.
The other two POV characters, Ruc Lakatur Lac Lan (a child of a killer raised by apex predators, turned the Priest of The Goddess of Love) and Akiil (a shin monk and a thief) have compelling arcs too. Ruc wants to share love but has to fight for survival in the arena (with other warriors and his violent instincts). Akiil proves that monastic discipline can serve as the perfect foundation for a life of crime.

Staveley's characters have origin stories rooted in trauma and violence, and he captures it all masterfully. He writes violence with a distressing matter-of-factness and graphic detail without luxuriating in it. No one really thrives in this brutal world, and perhaps one way to survive it requires losing sensitivity? But that's the easy path and his characters rarely take the easy way.

As the plot of The Empire’s Ruin unfolds, more and more information about the past and the Csestriim’s heritage seeps in. They have eradicated the Nevariim, but have you ever wondered at what price? The answer may lead to the undoing of the world, especially if the inconspicuous weapon falls in the wrong hands.

There is much in The Empire's Ruin that follows the conventions of the fantasy genre, but Staveley finds a way to make it feel fresh. I mean, we get fantasy BlackOps flying on giant birds (Kettral) and godlike members of ancient races fighting for power (Nevariim) or understanding (Csetriim). Thanks to his imagination, great prose, as well as twists on familiar cliches, Staveley's work stands head and shoulders above the mass of multi-volume fantasy series.


Besides providing action, drama, and perilous adventures, The Empire's Ruin explores deeper themes – love and death, humanity, and the meaning of life.

In theory, The Empire’s Ruin opens a new trilogy with new players and new stakes. In practice, readers who haven’t read The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne or Skullsworn will lose a lot of nuances and probably won’t enjoy it as much as those who already know the world and the characters. I strongly advise you to start at the beginning and enjoy the wild ride.

CONCLUSION: The first book in a series has the difficult job of being a compelling novel in its own right while preparing for what will follow. The Empire's Ruin delivers on both fronts. This ferociously gripping, blood-soaked, and character-driven epic is outstanding.

ARC provided by the publishers—Tor Books & Tor UK—in exchange for an honest review.

The Empire’s Ruin is a scintillating explosive epic fantasy with multiple legendary scenes that rivaled The Way of Kings.

It’s been four years since Staveley’s previous book—the spin-off prequel to the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne trilogy—Skullsworn was published. The Empire’s Ruin marked Staveley’s return to the Annurian Empire and beyond. Yes, this is a continuation of the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series by Brian Staveley. I’ve read all of Staveley’s books; I’m a fan of the main trilogy, but I became a HUGE fan of his books because of Skullsworn. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and Staveley exceeded my expectations as high as a soaring kettral. Before I get down to what made The Empire’s Ruin so amazing, I will first answer the question: can this be read without reading the previous books? It depends on each reader, but I personally say no; you will be missing out on so much important context, nuance, and character development even if the main story itself is technically a new storyline. To give a few popular examples, are you okay with reading Iron Gold by Pierce Brown without reading the first trilogy? Are you okay with reading The Tawny Man trilogy by Robin Hobb without reading The Farseer trilogy first? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you can start reading from here without reading the previous books. I honestly can’t and won’t do it; as a reader, I need to read everything in publication/series order. This is not just for completion’s sake, but also to make sure I get every meat of the story and character’s journey. I will elaborate more on this below.

“There were times to lie low, to watch and wait, to play the long game. And then there were times when you needed to light the world on fire and watch it explode.”

The Empire’s Ruin is the first book in the Ashes of the Unhewn Throne trilogy. More than five years have passed since the end of The Last Mortal Bond, and the Annurian Empire is disintegrating. The number of kettral—giant war hawks—that the Kettral has in their arsenal has dwindled, and the kenta gates that allow instant travel across the vast empire can no longer be used. In order to save the empire, Gwenna Sharpe received a mission from the emperor to take a journey beyond the Annurian Empire—to Menkiddoc, a dangerous land that warps and poisons all living things—to find the possible nesting ground of the giant war hawks. Then there’s also Ruc’s survival story in Dombang, and in the meantime, Akiil—a monk turned con artist—may hold the secret to using the kenta gates. If you crave a new epic fantasy tome with a darker tone, this should be right up your alley. Clocking in at more than 300,000 words and almost 800 pages long, The Empire’s Ruin is a character-driven epic fantasy that magnificently displayed the themes of life, death, faith, leadership, loyalty, and overcoming failures. The three main POV characters have storylines that were mostly separate from each other, but I found all of them to be almost equally captivating; they can’t be equal due to Gwenna’s storyline being too top-notch.

“Gwenna Sharpe was hardly the most skilled among the Kettral. Her own wing included stronger fighters, more proficient archers, superior tacticians. What set Sharpe apart, what made her the Wing’s true commander, was her unconquerable heart.”

Gwenna Sharpe, oh Gwenna Sharpe. I honestly thought Staveley wouldn’t be able to craft a character that outshined Pyrre Lakatur, and I was proven wrong. Don’t get me wrong, I have always been a fan of Gwenna from the first trilogy, and I’m sure that sentiment has been echoed by a lot of readers as well. However, Staveley’s achievement in building Gwenna’s character through the brutal voyage in The Empire’s Ruin should earn him an award or two. It was so good. It was insanely good. Gwenna’s grand character arc was redolent of reading Kaladin’s story in The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson; this is not acclaims I give lightly. In fact, the words “The Way of Kings” were mentioned in this book; whether that’s intentional or not, I think it was so apt.

“A path unfolded slowly. If you followed a path too far in the wrong direction all you had to do was turn around, start walking back the other way. What had happened to her felt more like a breakage. The right force had been applied at the right time in the right way, and something inside her had snapped, something that could not be put back.”

Gwenna’s role and appearances in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne were not infinitesimal in impact; she was practically one of the main characters, and she indeed became one in The Last Mortal Bond. That’s why I say it’s a necessity to read the first trilogy to fully appreciate the immense character’s development and growth that shaped Gwenna in this novel. She’s badass, foul-mouthed, unconquerable, and utterly inspiring. The Empire’s Ruin is not for the faint of heart; Gwenna encountered torment—both physically and mentally—numerous times. But I’m enthusiastic about reading broken characters that try their best to survive, rise from their failures, and fight no matter what. I have a soft spot for characters who have lost all hope but find something to fight for, usually sparked by unforeseen circumstances or relationships. And Gwenna’s relationship with the ragtag band of semi-strangers—Kiel, Rat, Cho Lu, Pattick, Bhuma Dhar—she met was a bright highlight of the book for me. After reading The Empire’s Ruin, I will say this: Gwenna has seriously become one of my favorite characters of all time, and she’s Staveley’s most well-crafted character.

“You are the unfolding, Gwenna. You are the change. You are whatever it is that, in the face of misery and bliss and bafflement, keeps going.”

As I‘ve mentioned, Gwenna’s story was just too spectacular, and from my perspective, she’s THE main character of this novel, but this doesn’t mean that the other character’s storylines were boring. The second main character is Ruc Lakatur Lan Lac; he’s a brand new character, but if you’ve read Skullsworn, you’ll know who he is. Ruc’s POV was quite likely the only one that you can read without reading the previous books first, but you would still benefit from reading Skullsworn because Ruc’s entire storyline takes place in Dombang—the setting of Skullsworn. Dombang is a terrifying place, and Staveley utilized Ruc’s POV chapters to show the decimation and conflicts that can be brought by faith. I loved reading the characterizations of Ruc and his development with Bien; their romance and survival stories always felt engaging to me.

‘“Every people has a story of their golden age. How it was different. Better. More noble. It’s funny how those golden ages are always in the past, always eclipsed by some more recent catastrophe. You think Dombang was better two hundred years ago, but go back two hundred years, and I promise you, the people then were just like us. They were angry, confused, afraid. And they thought that they’d already missed it, some golden age that took place two hundred years before them, or five hundred, or a thousand…” He turned from the stars to look at Ruc. “Instead of worshipping the past, I’d like to work on the present.”
“By murdering people.”
“Some people need murdering.”’

Akiil, on the other hand, didn’t have many appearances compared to Gwenna and Ruc. Akiil was Kaden’s friend and a side character in The Emperor’s Blades; similar to Gwenna’s POV chapters, reading the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne first will enhance Akiil’s POV. The reason behind this is that his story is intertwined heavily with one of the main characters from the first trilogy, and the Shin Monk, kenta gates, the concept of vaniate, and Csestriim are crucial elements of Staveley’s world-building. I wish there were more of Akiil’s chapters, and fortunately, judging from the convergence that occurred at the final chapters of his plot, I think we’ll get to witness that more in the sequel.

“When had that ever not been true? She was no historian, but you didn’t need to be in order to see that the chronicle of the world was a chronicle of things going wrong, of plague and famine, slaughter, rebellion, greed and cowardice, human misery wide as the sea.”

Venturing beyond the Annurian Empire to Menkiddoc and Dombang, then learning more about the Nevariim, Csestriim, monsters, leach, kettral, and more was a terrific reading experience. I’ve always felt that Staveley’s world-building could be expanded further, and he delivered what I wanted here. The Empire’s Ruin is both epic in scope and battle sequences. Praising Staveley’s action sequences in The Empire’s Ruin can be considered a challenge on its own. Why? Well, he didn’t just create one unforgettable scene, and he also didn’t create two; he wrote at least THREE incredibly iconic scenes that are on par with The Immortal Words scenes from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. There’s the blood-crazed and pulse-pounding aerial battle; the bloodsoaked keelhauling scene; lastly, the entire final chapter that left me literally breathless.

“Pain is a gift… It keeps the weary soldiers awake. It reminds the irresolute warrior that there is work still to finish. It whispers in the ear of all who feel it something they might otherwise forget: You are not dead.”

The culmination of emotions, stakes, unpredictability, and intensity poured into the final chapter was absolutely mind-blowing. Additionally, I want to also briefly say that Jonon lem Jonon is one of the most despicable characters; I love to hate him. Every confrontation that involved Jonon was brimming with fury, chaos, and tension. I frankly don’t think this book would’ve been this awesome without the conflicts between Gwenna and Jonon. Staveley’s characterizations and actions were deadly precise, and this book shows once more why he’s—in my opinion—one of the best fantasy writers when it comes to prose’s quality.

“You couldn’t think about it, all the world’s suffering, or it would choke you. If you stopped to ponder all that misery, you’d never start moving again.”

Ever since I finished Skullsworn a few years ago, I’ve constantly praised Staveley’s prose; philosophical, memorable, and also beautiful and destructive. Staveley’s prose is exemplary, a gift to the fantasy genre, and I’m truly grateful I get the chance to read another epic fantasy novel from him. Sometimes, I believe that the greatness of prose in a fantasy novel can be measured by how many passages we end up highlighting. Well, I’ve certainly executed that course of action here; I’ve shared some of my favorites on this review, and I’ll present you with one more:

“Life is an unwinnable fight, Gwenna Sharpe. If ends are all that matter, then we are all fools and failures.”

I love epic fantasy so much, it is my favorite genre of books, and it’s always a blessing to me to be reminded just how excellent new fantasy releases can be. The dark brilliance of The Empire’s Ruin is inestimable. The ambitious blade of imagination that Staveley manifested in this novel surpassed my expectations in every possible way. Whether it’s the heart-hammering onslaughts, the savage battle sequences, the superb character development, or the enviable prose, everything about The Empire’s Ruin is undoubtedly a precious work of art. For almost a year now, my list of all-time favorite authors hasn’t increased, and it is with temerity and happiness I can include Brian Staveley as a worthy addition to the list. There’s still a few months before The Empire’s Ruin is officially released, and if you haven’t done it, I urge you to read the four books in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne ASAP. Ashes of the Unhewn Throne is guaranteed to be a superior epic fantasy series compared to its predecessor. And I want you to experience The Empire’s Ruin—Staveley’s newest masterwork—at its height without missing any crucial development or details. Read the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, then read The Empire's Ruin. Thank me later.

Official release date: 8th July 2021 (UK) and 6th July 2021 (US)

You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping) | The Broken Binding (Use my code: NOVELNOTIONS121 for discount!)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions