an absolutely solid ending to a fantastic series.

I loved all the necromancy elements and how the story develops - can't wait to read his new series!

My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for a free DRC of "The Trials of Empire" by Richard Swan, the conclusion to the "Empire of the Wolf".
I am incredibly sad with the direction of this series. "The Justice of Kings" was one of my favorite reading experiences of 2022 and while "The Tyranny of Faith" went into a disappointing direction, I had hopes for the conclusion to "fix" the direction of the narrative.
Not only a disgusting relationship resulted from grooming continued, but the story got so disjointed, repetitive, rushed, the portrait of the female main character got weaker and weaker, transforming her from a clever youth into a petty woman.
The drop in quality from the first volume was so stark, an absolute disaster.
I don't think I'll read anything else from this author in the future.

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

This is most definitely my least favourite book in the trilogy but it is still a pretty solid one with a very well done ending.

I once again didn’t get around to rereading the previous books but dived in after giving the series recaps a read (thank you Mr Swan for providing these on your website 🫡) and the story pretty much jumps right in where The Tyranny of Faith left off and doesn’t let up for one second.

Its another action packed story and I believe the most violent, grim and dark of the three but one reason why I liked it the least is because unlike Justice and Tyranny which had a big mystery element woven into the primary plot, much of the plot of this instalment reads more as your typical grimdark fantasy with a focus on the threat of the dark magics at play and the big final battle between the two sides in the story. Not that any of it was bad, Swan is a phenomenal writer who really engages you into the story and I enjoyed the discussions on morality. Its just that there was less of what gave the previous two books their distinctiveness.

The other thing which bogged down the story for me and was a worry I carried over from reading Tyranny was the relationship between Helena and Vonvalt.. It was definitely resolved in a suitable way by the end so my concerns were alleviated however, Helena’s constant fixation on the matter did make their interactions quite often feel awkward in this book.

What I loved though was the expansion of the worldbuilding. We journeyed with Helena, Vonvalt and Co outside of Sova for some time predominantly into Kasar, the land of the wolfmen which was really interesting. We also got to see more of the spirit realm and become more familiar with the religious elements and arcane and eldritch figures that have been playing a part in the wider conflict. You had characters from various corners of this universe being (re)introduced to join in with the fray but a lot of the plot here was then pretty much the assembling of allies and preparing to take a final stand against Claver.

For much of the book I was sitting on a 3.5 star rating but then I decided to bump it up once I read the ending because it was actually one of the most fitting endings for a series that I have read recently, perfectly bringing the overall story back to its routes. That final court scene was so good!! And then the epilogue was a really good one as well, not unnecessarily dragging anything out but closing Helena’s account in the perfect way.

I doubt I would have picked up this series if Orbit hadn’t sent me the arc of the first book and I’m quite grateful that they did. I’m glad to have read this and experienced Swan’s brilliant storytelling.
Looking forward to more!
Final Rating - 4/5 Stars

Me quedaba pendiente la lectura de The Trials of Empire cuando se anunció la futura publicación de Grave Empire, situada en el mismo universo que la serie Empire of the Wolf, pero varios siglos en el futuro. Para estar preparada para cuando se publicara me leí The Trials of Empire, que mantiene bastante bien el tono descarnado de las dos entregas anteriores y se centra mucho tanto en el sistema legal que permite seguir funcionando al imperio como en la lucha moral que significa que los “buenos” tengan que recurrir a herramientas “malas” para conseguir su objetivo, so pena de que el mal triunfe.


Como el resto de los libros, seguiremos siendo testigos de la vida de Sir Konrad Vonvalt, a través de los ojos de Helena, su adjunta. En esta ocasión Richard Swam hace muchísimo más hincapié en los juicios de valor morales a los que se han de enfrentar ellos y sus aliados intentando que se mantenga el Imperio, no porque sea un buen sistema, si no porque es el más justo al que ha llegado la humanidad y cualquier otro estaría sujeto a las veleidades de los superiores. Este constante debate sobre la superioridad moral o la búsqueda del mal menor es la base que sustenta todo el libro y me parece que está muy bien traído. Además, hay algunas escenas de juicio que harán las delicias de los seguidores de los procedimentales judiciales, de los que debe haber muchos porque nunca dejan de sacar series de abogados.

También es cierto que el autor decide abrazar directamente la crueldad, la violencia y casi el gore en las muchísimas escenas de batalla que trufan la novela, que con casi 500 páginas no es precisamente corta. Y es que claro, cuando las fuerzas infernales toman cartas en el asunto, no quedará títere con cabeza o soldado sin evisceración narrada en directo. Esta parte quizá sea demasiado truculenta para los estómagos más delicados, pero es que nos encontramos ante una fantasía que se toma muy en serio las consecuencias de los actos, ya sean legales o físicas. Y es imposible que una batalla campal donde la magia es eterna protagonista y hay tanto thralls como cañones y pólvora y dominación mental, no se convierta en un baño de sangre. Esto es una fantasía adulta con todas sus consecuencias.

Algunos elementos que me parecen peor resueltos son la historia romántica (por llamarla de alguna manera) entre Sir Konrad Vonvalt y Helena, que prometía mucho más de lo que acaba ofreciendo. Tampoco el ritmo de la primera parte del libro me ha parecido correcto, sobre todo porque la búsqueda de aliados para la lucha, aunque entiendo que es necesaria, me parece que se salía un poco del modelo de “investigación y resolución” marcado en las anteriores entregas de la saga. Algunos reseñadores han comparado The Justice of Kings con Sherlock Holmes y no es una idea descabellada, pero en The Trials of Empire cualquier similitud desaparece.

The Trials of Empire es un muy digno final para una trilogía que empezó ciertamente titubeante, pero que creo que vista como un todo merece la pena.

Sincere apologies to the Author and Publisher for my delayed review. I received an ARC of this book and failed to realise I haver published my review.

The Empire of the Wolf trilogy has come to an end, and I am all the sadder for this. There are 2 main reasons for this. The first being that this series is one of the best I have ever read and I will miss my time with Helena, Vonvault & co. The second is that unfortunately, this climax was probably the weakest of the trilogy, but I will go into more details on this.

To start with the positives, I believe that Swan's writing has improved massively since the start of the series. The prose within Trials of Empire far outdoes its predecessors. The line "I saw him then as a prisoner of circumstance, a once proud member of the Chivalric Order of the Autun, now stuck down a dead-end tributary of the temporal pathway, locked in his role as a purveyor of abominations by chains wrought of finest gold." blew me away when I read it. I am far from a "prose snob" but I have to appreciate it when it's done well. The conclusion of the book was also epic in every sense of the word. The "BIG BAD" was in full show and the battle sequence was immersive, heartbreaking and exhilarating. The inclusion of the Kasar was also an exciting inclusion to the series.

The main concern with this book, which has also been noted by multiple other reviewers, is the pacing in the first half of the book. This series has been noted for it's slow yet entertaining pace. In Justice of Kings and Tyranny of Faith, we were sent along long journeys with our cast where the pace was slow but the we got to use this time to know the characters and discuss the world, the magic and the story so far. In Trials of Empire, we travel to the Kasar via boat, but the majority of the travel takes place "off-page" which is a strange choice, given how profoundly well received the previous books have been. This whole sub-plot felt rushed, just for the Kasar's inclusion in the final battle.

Overall, the book is still a triumph, it just falls slightly shot of the high standards set by the previous 2 books. I would still 100% recommend this series to all fantasy fans and I eagerly await Swan's next book.

The Empire of the Wolf is one of the most complex and satisfying fantasy series you will find to read. When I first read The Justice of Kings, I immediately knew this would be like no other story. It is not just due to its originality, it is the complexity of our characters decisions and emotions. There are no heroes. Vonvalt and Helena are no heroes, they aren't the perfect characters we look for or find in books. They are inherently flawed, good and bad, and they are fascinating to follow along.

It's a privilege to receive an advance copy of an all-time favorite series, and it is a privilege to see Richard Swan's evolution in his writing and in the genre. We need more series like these in fantasy.

As to my rating, I would say it's a slight disagreement with the author. I respect everything he has written, but as a reader there are things I wish had happen and would have made it a better book for me.

I'm sad to see this trilogy be finished but I look forward to more books by Swan.

A satisfying conclusion to the overall story. The book was very fast paced with a lot happening so did feel a bit overwhelming. Nonetheless, looking forward to the following trilogy.

Not as good as I had hoped. After loving the first two books, I felt like this final volume was a little less focused and spent too much time gathering armies for a massive battle that we didn't really see. Full review on YouTube.

A fantastic finale to an outstanding series!

What a story, what a journey! What started as a simple murder mystery in the first book exploded exponentially into an ultimate saga of power, politics, justice, morality and religion.

I think this finale was near perfect. This is a pretty fast paced book with quite a lot of events happening back to back but that never hindered my reading experience. The second half had me on the edge of my seat. It was the perfect brand of close quarters combats that I love - full of tension, grit and violence.

I love the characters and I loved how the relationship development between characters happened in this book. I was a bit sceptical on the progression of Vonvolt and Helena's relationship into romantic territory because of the previous book but thankfully, that was solved pretty quickly. And at the end, I love how their relationship transformed. It made perfect sense.

What more can I say but I am really looking forward to see what the author writes next.

I'm grateful to Orbit for giving me access to an advance e-copy of The Trials of Empire to consider for review.

Well, here is the end of the Empire of the Wolf trilogy.

And. It. Has. Been. A. JOURNEY.

Not only for Helena, Sir Konrad and the rest - though they have both travelled endlessly, and developed across the books - but also for the reader, as Swan, like a magician, has revealed ever deeper layers of story to us.

To recap, in Justice of Kings we pretty much had straight fantasy - Judge Sir Konrad Vonvault and his small party of retainers travelling the Empire and administering justice. Yes, Vonvault had access to one or two magical powers, used to help establish the truth in his more tricky cases. Yes, there were machinations from the religious order the Templars, who seemed a bit too zealous for everyone's good, leading to outright, if limited, rebellion. But overall - except for a couple of incidents - this seemed like a military-oriented fantasy.

Then in The Tyranny of Faith things got weirder, with cosmic horror overtones, and some episodes taking place is a sort of netherworld - but the accent was still very much on the threat to the Empire. (From the framing of the story as the memoirs of Helena Sedanka in her old age, we already knew that it did in fact fall, the issue would be how and when).

Now in The Trials of Empire - WHAT???

Again, here, Swan seems to be pivoting this trilogy, which is now clearly about the danger of those dark magics, an existential peril to the universe from... well, I think it's probably safer not to name that entity, you never know if it might be listening? We still see the coils of politics and religious fanaticism, which are centred on the militant priest Bartholemew Claver. Fortuitously I recently read Three Fires by Denise Mina, an account of the renaissance priest Girolamo Savonarola - a man who really did take over governance of a city (Renaissance Florence) and imposed his own authoritarian rule, designed to usher in a literal City of God. The parallels between this figure and Claver - both starting out as sincere, if austere, churchmen, both denouncing the religious authorities as lax, both playing on popular disquiet with the civil powers and on prejudice, both eventually corrupted by power - are striking and I think show how Swan has really got under the skin of his rather unattractive antihero and the potential route to power of such a person. (The parallels with modern politics also write themselves).

In Florence, however, there was no Vanvault.

There was no Helena.

Both play crucial roles here, indeed Helena probably the greater one. There is a concern throughout this book that Vonvault himself will be tried beyond what he can bear and fall victim to the dark magicks which alone, it seems, can provide a means of fighting back against Claver. And indeed we see him make some evil choices and cosy up to some dubious allies. At the same time Helena has to walk her own path, and faces her own darkness. I'd felt throughout this series that she might be capable of a lot, and it's wonderful here to see her come into her own as it were, not as an adjunct to Vonvault but as a player in her own right. And not as an improbable result of a moment's choice, but as the culmination of a process of gruelling challenge has tested and strengthened her, if at some cost (at one moment in this book Helena is chained to an executioner's block, the axe about to fall, and that's rather the least of the dangers she faces in this story).

If we see Helena face danger, we also see her develop as a person, see her juggle her attraction to Vonvault and her concern for ethics and principles - something she learned from him - and grow up in the process. As well as that, she's learned to be a redoubtable fighter. All this may however not be enough when she has to confront that darkness, which she must of course do alone, the more so as Vonvault seems to have gone astray himself.

The later part of the book therefore crystallises some moral dilemmas when, confronted by seemingly inevitable defeat and unstoppable evil, the two need to consider what is and is not justifiable. And what is and is not justice.

Readable from first page to last, exciting, with twists, surprises and betrayals, this final volume of Swan's trilogy finishes the story in grand style.

A good end to the trilogy! Quite intense, and sometimes crawls with too much effort to wrap up all the consequences from acts before. Still, enjoyable with the stark ideological differences stemming from rigid religious perspectives, and the way Helena grows throughout this story, telling it like she must from the future.

3.75⭐

A satisfying conclusion.

The final installment of the trilogy was full of action, emotion, and horror. The characters are tested like never before, and the challenge before them seems insurmountable. The finale was worth all the setup.

The character work was, as always, exquisite. Helena really grew so much through the trilogy. She became her own person and not just Volvalt's shadow. As her idealization of Vonvalt is broken down, we see more and more of what kind of person he actually is. He becomes a more complex character, thanks to that. I had some small disappointments with Cleaver and the Trickster not playing as major a role as I would have liked.

The horror of the magic of this world reaches new highs. I really enjoyed the world-building as it's something really unique. As much as I enjoyed learning more about the other world, though, I also felt that it was more interesting when it was shrouded in mystery.

As before, this book asks a lot of questions about morality. For example, can someone fight evil without using the same means?

While I was a bit divided on some elements of the book, I was very pleased with the ending itself. It really felt like the story came full circle.

I received an ARC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review of book one: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4549213962
Review of book two: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637938868

I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing the two preceding books in this series (The Justice of Kings and The Tyranny of Faith), and I was excited to read and review this final volume. Based on the previous two books, I also had the hardback on order a year in advance of publication.

Sadly, this book didn’t hit the mark for me, which is a shame. Where I had been highly entertained by Justice and Tyranny, I found The Trials of Empire to be a slog. The pacing was really uneven, and for a large section of the first act it was literally the same events, just with different characters. Travel to a place, meet a person, person says “I have something to show you”, travel to secondary place, have a discussion, person says “I have something else to show you”, more travel, another discussion, then some action. Wash, rinse, repeat. I felt bored and frustrated. By the midpoint of the book, this had improved and our protagonists were infiltrating the city of Sova, which they hoped to liberate, which was an improvement on all the travel. Unfortunately, I found the rest of the book to suffer from this continued uneven pacing and I found it a real struggle, with the ending also being anticlimatic.

That said, Helena’s character arc in this book was huge, and I feel that she did a lot of maturing over the events in this story — actually, I think this maturing was triggered by the significant character death at latter end of Tyranny, but that could be painting that character in a two-dimensional light, which I don’t want to do, because they were brilliant and I really miss them. The current cohort of “heroes” doesn’t really cover the gap that character has left behind, except maybe Heinrich! But anyway — Helena. She grows both a backbone and a compass in this book and is often the voice of reason. Thankfully, a certain trope I was concerned about in book two does not come to pass, for which I was relieved.

Sir Vonvalt, though… I feel his character development went downhill in this book. He came across as more and more unhinged, and I wonder whether this was intentional — as the kingdom unravels, so does he. Intentional or not, he was a lot more self-centred and patronising in this book, and a lot more liberal with the concept of being judge, jury, and executioner versus his moral standings in Justice and Tyranny.

What doesn’t disappoint, however, is the worldbuilding. The same rich world, with all its nuances and cultures, still greets the reader and encourages exploration. However, the enemies facing our cohort — and the world at large — have become more and more eldritch and horrific, and some of the action sequences are pretty graphic. Others, however, fall flat — for instance, there is a detailed description of the travel to a battle, but then the battle itself is over within a matter of paragraphs. There’s that uneven pacing again.

Perhaps I expected too much of Trials based on how much I enjoyed Justice and Tyranny. Setting my expectations high is certainly worth considering here, and I would say that the series as a whole has been an enjoyable read. I do like the author’s prose and would definitely read more from him, but I did find this lacking.

Oh, and an extra shout out to Martina Fačová for the excellent cover art on all three books -- I hope to see more from this artist, as well.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, Orbit, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A strong punch conclusion of the epic trilogy. Finally we are at the end of Judge Sir Konrad Vonvalt, his secretary and apprentice Helena.
The plot is tight with so many things happening at same time. It is also relay heavily into long travelling plot and almost never ending journey to gather allies to save Sova and fight their enemy who can wield mysterious powers and psychologically war.

Actually I missed the part when Sir Konrad doing the mystery and procedural investigation. Book third gave me totally different character. I knew he must strengthen his mind and emotions to take over. But I also missed the chance of romance at here. Personal growth from Helena is remarkable. Although I still felt that everything feels rush. I find my self want more development from this story. The writing is addictive and filling with luscious prose. I learn alot colorful vocabularies from this series.
This is not the perfect ending I want but realistic one and brilliant enough to close such amazing trilogy. Cant wait to read another books from this talented author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Publisher from Little Brown Books UK for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting Publication : 8 February 2024

The Trials of Empire is contains a satisfying end to a series that has been a breath of fresh air for modern fantasy. However, it is not perfect.

My main criticism of this book is that the first act feels rushed. We are introduced to several new characters and a new part of the world that should, in my opinion, be covered over many more pages. The way it is structured makes it feel like the first half of the book is more like side quests before we continue to advance the main plot. Perhaps this should have been a four book series rather than a trilogy. But I still enjoyed it overall.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an outstanding conclusion to what has been an excellent trilogy. The arc that both Helena and Vonvalt have gone on is absolutely fascinating and I loved the direction the plot went in. There were a lot of forays into horror in this installment, which I really appreciated and overall, I was so impressed with how Richard Swan was able to draw all of the threads together so well. I highly recommend the trilogy and will definitely be picking up whatever he comes out with next.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected

Started pretty much from where it left off in Tyranny of Faith, however that said it still took me quite the while to get into it (about 30%). There was a lot of world building and scene setting but maybe overdone considering it was book 3. It ended up dragged out and unnecessary in the overall context. It was certainly not the engrossing fast pace I had come to expect from books one and two.

This instalment, as with the previous books was told from Helena’s POV which was good, I enjoyed it, but this then of course meant the perspective and story telling was limited as a result. I found myself desperate for another POV to mix it up a bit and generally take a break from the often self righteousness of Helena’s thoughts. Where Helena was perhaps naive previously, here I found her still naive but also somewhat grating with her high moral code especially in the face of dire adversity.

However it was clearer in this instalment why the POV was as such. Helena was very much key to the overall plot against Claver and the demons. The writing style also added to the mystery and a certain person’s ending, which leads me to wonder if there is more to come from this world.

One of the story lines I loved from the earlier instalments was Helena’s and Konrad’s relationship. I love a ‘will they won’t they’ entanglement and this was well done if a little drawn out. I expected it to be as it was but that did not mean I didn’t want a little bit more spice along the way. The resolution felt very much an afterthought on some occasions but it did resolve successfully if a little timid and disappointing.

The ending was very well done with time and care taken over what happened next, an extended epilogue if you like. Again, leading me to wonder if there may be more to come. Overall I loved the story from book one, the characters were well considered and had depth and some development along the way and the ending was quite satisfying.

I have eagerly awaited this third novel in the Empire of the Wolf trilogy and it has lived up to all my expectations. Helena and Vonvalt despite being outlawed by the Emperor and the Magistratum dismantled continue in their search for allies to bring down Bartholomew Claver. You can feel the exhaustion as they travel with their small party of allies from the Draedist pagans seeking troops for the war with the Kasar wolfmen. All does not go to plan and many trials beset the group, not only on the mortal plane but also the spiritual.
Delving into the spiritual aspect of the empire provides greater clarity on the root of the conflict . It also brings into question whether the afterlife is as people believe a paradise or a purgatory were souls fight for survival as denizens of the afterlife see them as food. Claver with his demonic connections wants to bring this to the material plane, to stop this Vonvalt and even Helena will have to cross the lines of what is good or ethical to save the peoples of the Empire.
The stage is set for the final battle in both Sova and the afterlife, can Vonvalt and Helena ensure that the Empire is reborn? Well you will have to read the book to find out - it is worth it.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC. All views are my own.

The Trials of Empire didn’t quite end the way I expected. I expected a battle, which I did get but then there is almost a coda at the end which is far more subdued than I thought was going to happen.

The book continues on from the previous two books, dealing with the religious nutter, Claver, as he tries his best to bring down an Empire and Vonvalt, Helena et al have to stop him.

I really liked this book, much as I liked the trilogy as a whole. I enjoy Helena’s narrative and the book is well written. You only see Vonvalt from Helena’s perspective but he always comes across as a compelling and principled character and I have enjoyed following him around as he dispenses judgement.

Even though the ending was a little more subdued than I was expecting, it was a very good ending. It fits perfectly with the overall tone of the book and it is a fitting end for all the characters involved.

The series definitely ends with the potential for more stories to be set in that world with the characters you’ve come to know and love but it rounds the series off in a very enjoyable fashion.