I've been on the look-out for a really good epic fantasy, and BLOOD OF THE OLD KINGS absolutely satisfied what I was looking for! it's immensely rich with worldbuilding that I desperately what to know more about. The three POV characters, Loran, Adrienne and Cain, are so fresh and interesting and. have such particular voices; Arienne in particular, who feels so relatable and uncertain she could have been dropped from our world into the book. I can’t wait for the next book!

Unfortunately this book really didn't work for me and I ended up DNF at about 25% in. I just didn't get on with the tone of the book and found myself not caring about any of the characters enough to want to continue - the tone itself felt very dated and I was disappointed by it overall.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.

I was first drawn to Blood of the Old Kings by the stunning cover. Reading th blurb, I knew this was a book for me. I was right - I loved the world building, the characters and the magic system.
The book is split amongst 3 people's point of views; Loren, Caine and Arienne.
I enjoyed all three points of views, wanting to find out what happens next for each character on their respective journeys.
I, 100%, would love a sequel. I want to know what happens next in ththis world and to these characters.

A powerful, bewitching and action packed story from a new to me author. The writing style was so captivating and I felt like I couldn't put it down for even one moment.

Something which is becoming increasingly prevalent within the current literary market is a boom in demand for translated fiction; after all, Han Kang’s winning the Nobel Prize for Literature this year had led to her novels, such as THE VEGETARIAN, receiving another boost in popularity, and with the surge in readership of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD, a trip to any English-speaking bookshop with leave you falling over translated Japanese fiction about cats or coffee shops - or both. However, while this is a trend dominating literary fiction - look no further than Mieko Kawakami, Nam-Joo Cho or Sayaka Murata - this trend is broaching into the SFF sphere, very much denoted by Sung-il Kim’s BLOOD OF THE OLD KINGS.

In a world dominated by a powerful Empire, which uses the power of dead sorcerers to power its rampant colonisation, three protagonists begin to resist its machinations. Loran, a swordswoman of humble origins, seeks the help of a slumbering dragon to get revenge after the Empire killed her family, and soon, armed with a dragon-fang sword, begins a mission to free her homeland. Cain, an immigrant who had built a new life in the Imperial Capital, finds himself delving into the dark depths of the city and treading the line of starting a war when his friend is found murdered. Arienne, a sorcerer, is destined to become a Power Generator, but when she begins to hear the voice of a long-dead necromancer in her head, she becomes determined to escape for her chance at her own freedom. Soon, the Empire threatens to destroy both their shared homeland, and their lives…

BLOOD OF THE OLD KINGS is the first entry in a new epic fantasy trilogy, and it’s one which begins with a bang: there’s both excellent worldbuilding and character-work in play, and in a market which tends to rely on repeated tropes and narrative cliches, it’s fun to encounter something that does something different with classic fantasy tropes such as sorcerers and dragons - something which might be due to its translated origins. The worldbuilding becomes its best in discussions of the Empire’s colonial efforts and their usage of sorcerers to power their literal machines of colonisation; there are repeated questions of autonomy and strong ethical dilemmas, which make Arienne’s subplot all the more interesting. When writing about those who have power over the magical and ethereal, it is difficult to find a way to effectively place them in a disempowered situation compared to the non-magical, and so this becomes an increasingly dark representations of efforts to constrain individual bodily autonomy.

Loran makes for an excellent leading characters, and in many ways is reminiscent of Orka from John Gwynne’s THE BLOODSWORN SAGA: both are older women who get to be formidable in the narrative spotlight, and subvert expectations of the heroic in fantasy fiction. It’s interesting how the term ‘King’ is translated as a gender-neutral title within the narrative, and Loran’s drawing together a resistance force against colonial power before becoming increasingly draconic echoes some classic narrative arcs within a new context. Alongside this, the imagery and thematic work in her chapters are very enjoyable to read, and throughout, it is increasingly fun to see how the dragon, beautifully rendered on the cover, is incorporated. Within Arienne’s narrative sections is Eldred, a long-preserved necromancer from a Power Generator, who is sincerely very creepy even from his inception in the novel: combined with the presence of sorcerer corpses in the Power Generators, not to mention his role as a narrative foil to Arienne to convince her of the stakes of not escaping the Empire’s forces, gives the novel some seriously sinister undertones. In terms of the main three protagonists, Cain is the one I personally found the least compelling: he spends much of his perspective chapters being pummelled in the Imperial City in what is meant to read as a pseudo-noir narrative, but he has a level of narrative invincibility which can become a little tiring - as the novel progresses, we get less and less of an idea of the possibility that he might have serious damage done to him at some point. Similarly, it can be a little off-putting with how Fienna, Cain’s deceased friend, is lauded throughout as an almost ‘perfect’ dead woman - in a novel which has two really compelling female protagonists, it is narratively jarring to see this textbook fridging at work (for reference, ‘fridging’ is a term used to describe when a woman is killed in a piece of fiction solely to propel the narrative of a male protagonist, which is essentially what Fienna does in this novel).

As is signified by its short page-count for an epic fantasy, this novel is one which moves at a breakneck speed, which can result in several plot points being solved very quickly, and seems to fit nicely in a market which is increasingly demanding shorter word counts in new publications. While this may be a personal preference - the more doorstop-like the epic fantasy, the better, in my opinion - this is a novel which, due to its aspiring scale, might have done better to have been allowed to breathe a little more, but upon my realisation that BLOOD OF THE OLD KINGS is the first in a trilogy - titled THE BLEEDING EMPIRE - this eased my understanding of the pacing a little more: there is a lot of world at work in Kim’s writing, and it would be a shame if this one novel was the only aspect we got of it. Overall, BLOOD OF THE OLD KINGS is a compelling first entry in an epic fantasy series, with interesting questions raised about kingship, colonialism, autonomy and respect for the dead, and which seems to fit beautifully into a market demanding complex and different translated fiction. I just hope, having read this first novel, that the rest of the trilogy will follow in translation.

Thank you to Orbit for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. BLOOD OF THE OLD KINGS was published in the UK on the 10th of October, so remember to support your brick-and-mortar bookshops, especially indies!

I found the world building to be very limiting and the overall plot to be very confusing. At the 50% mark I still wasn't sure what was going on. The three main caharects are also really lacking any substance with no backstory to really allow the reader to get to grips with them. The plot, when it does appear, also feels a bit obvious and done before.

Overall I was pretty let down by this one, but I appreciate the fast pace and that this is a translated fantasy - something which is distinctly lacking in the genre in the UK.

There were parts of this, such as the worldbuilding and the magic system, that I really enjoyed and loved, there were other parts like the pacing that I really struggled with. The pacing is pretty uneven and quite slow at times considering it's a fairly short book, and I think I just ended up enjoying the concept more than the execution. I liked the characters, but honestly at this point after finishing the book, I couldn't tell you the difference between any of them, they fell pretty flat. The ending could be open for more books, but it does wrap up nicely, which I appreciate because I don't think I would carry on with any more books in this world. It's such a shame with this book, it just feels like the emotion behind the story isn't really there?

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't on my radar until I saw it here, but I will be recommending it to people. It had some unusual worldbuilding aspects, that came together to make a compelling story.
There was maybe a bit too much deus ex machina, especially for Cain's plotline. However, I couldn't put it down.

Blood of Old Kings is an intriguing fantasy with a dark twist. I really enjoyed the unique magic system and the unraveling of the empires secrets.

The narrative was split between three different POV’s that provided another layer of interest to this magical world. I particularly loved having an older FMC Loran; her life experiences shaped all of her decisions and her character arc was fantastic. I also liked Cain and Arienne, but feel we didn’t quite get the same insight into them just yet.

I can’t wait to see how this series will progress and felt this was an excellent stepping stone into this realm. I would definitely recommend this to people starting to get into epic fantasy due to its simple world building.

Thank you so much for sending me an advance copy of this book, now that I've finished it, I want to share my deepest apologies for not reading it as soon as I received it. This IS ONE OF MY BEST BOOKS OF 2024!
I'm grateful for the alchemy that conspired to bring this book to my line of sight, I don't even have the words to describe how good this book is. The world building is exquisitely done, the character development is top notch, they are proper 3D. I enjoyed the narrative style a lot too. I love everything about this book.

I absolutely loved this story from the opening line and devoured the story.
The three pov's were so different, Loren, a woman who makes a deal with a dragon to seek vengeance become king, Cain who is investigating the murder of his friend and Arienne, a young sorcerer trying to escape her fate to be used as a battery (though I truly loved Cain's pov the best) . To top it all the entire thing had such final fantasy vibes I felt right at home

Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim is a dark fantasy novel that has enchanted many readers with its fascinating world and captivating story. From the beginning, its sinister premise captures attention: an empire fueled by the mummified bodies of sorcerers. This quirky detail sets an intriguing tone that keeps readers hooked throughout the story, and the concept of magic is innovative and refreshing for fans of the genre.

The plot moves quickly and presents multiple points of view, something that gives it dynamism and variety. The story follows three main characters: Loran, a woman seeking revenge; Cain, a rebellious spirit; and Arienne, who deals with the voice of a dead sorcerer in her mind. Each has their own motivations and struggles, and Kim manages to develop deep and complex female characters, something that stands out in the fantasy world.

Overall, Blood of the Old Kings offers a unique experience, full of action, magic and endearing characters, as well as touches of deep themes such as colonialism and its effects. This first installment promises a lot for those who want a fantasy story that moves away from the usual clichés.

Thank you very much Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5/5

Some very mixed feelings on this.

The story is split between 3 main characters who are entirely unique with their own motivations and their own distinct personalities. They only briefly cross paths which does make it feel like almost completely seperate stories and is a struggle to connect the greater impact of their actions.

The magic system is unique and the setting feels great (although a little tried and tested). The main issue I have with this book is the length as it creates several problems. The magic system, while unique and intriguing, is under-developed and never quite explained leaving you unsure of what is actually happening. The characters and their personalities, as mentioned are all unique and there is a definite distinction when changing chapters, but for me the chapters are too small and change too often. They don't allow much room to develop and when something interesting does happen you're quickly taken away to the other characters before getting back to the action, which often hinders the pacing. It doesn't feel like we quite get the chance to fully flesh out the characters and their personalities leaving you a bit uncertain towards their motivations and lacking in some character development and growth.

The length being so short means there is a often a lack of detail in the descriptions of characters, places and action leaving you feeling like you're racing through the story at an abnormaly fast pace. This coupled with each characters being at a different stages in their story means the pace is off until around 3/4 the way through when the whole story ramps up for the conclusion. The lack of detail means large plot points are left unexplained, seemingly important characters disappear and the action gets cut short.

What the book does well it does very well. Despite the short descriptions I found some of the locations to feel right at home in a fantasy setting and was thoroughly intrugued throughout the build up to and during the action scenes (if only to be left slightly disappointed).

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an arc all opinions are my own.


Firstly, I completely enjoyed the world building, it was at a perfect pace throughout the book. However, I wasn’t able to connect to the characters? It felt like the prose was monotonous, which is unfortunate because I would’ve given this book a five star review otherwise! We follow three characters, Cain, Loran, Arienne; all of which are interesting in their own right, but I wasn't able to get into their perspectives.😥😞

Secondly, the magic system was captivating, I loved it! I can’t wait to see what else Sung Il-Kim writes! I will be waiting for a potential sequel or other series written by the author! 😊

"Nobody conquers the world with insincere lies".

Blood of the Old Kings is dark than I thought it was going to be, and I'm talking about Lysandros. I needed a fantasy, since I was coming off a five star fantasy read and I wanted to keep the momentum going and boy did BotOKs deliver.

There was such a wider range of representation throughout the book with POVs alternating between Loran, a widow in her mid thirties, to Arienne a young scholar and Cain, a young man trying to solve the murder of his friend. I say wide range even though it may not seem like it because one of our protagonists is in her mid-thirties and I never really see books with this. Loran is a window, having lost her husband and child to the Imperial Prefect, she decides to see out the dragon (who looks amazing on the cover) for aid against the empire in the process becoming princess of Arland (that's not a spoiler btw).

I thought the magic system was great, it felt new and creative as did the execution, The concept of power generators and a dial of destiny was fun as was the exploration of magic, especially for Arienne. But also, dragon magic. It's fun.

"Victory or defeat matters less than the fact that we fight".

Obviously, BotOKs is translated from Korean to English, so there's probably alot of the origonal magic that got lost in that translation but I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to read BotOKs, thank you to Anton Hur for the lovely translation.

I am awaiting my hard copy of the book and very excited to see what the next book brings.

Thank you, Sung-il Kim, Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise sounded so good, but the execution lacked in terms of characters and worldbuilding. I wish the book was longer and a little more complex. The book isn't that bad, but there's plenty of room for improvement. I really had higher expectations but unfortunately, this was not it for me.

This was such a disappointing read to me! I can't quite put my finger on why, but the writing felt very plain and like a first draft. The characters were interesting at first, and I really liked the necromancy aspect, but everyone felt so suddenly overpowered and like action heroes in a video game. I also prefer more detailed and nuanced worldbuilding, but this was all very basic. Sadly this didn't work for me at all, but I can see it work for people that don't mind fast paced and more tropey fantasy stories!

I really enjoyed this book with its unique magic system and the premise that some sorcerers are essentially batteries for power which runs their empire!

This is told in multiple POV, the main protagonists in the story. Caine the informal detective/spy, Arienne the runaway sorcerer and Loran, widow and mother on a revenge mission. Add in a mystical sword, a deal with a dragon, supernaturally gifted powers and brewing rebellion and you have an exciting epic fantasy that grips you from the start.

Whilst the story was definitely engaging, it did feel a wee bit flat in places but that may be caused by the translation losing some of the nuances from the original Korean.

There are a lot of big themes and issues dealt with in the book such as abandonment, unwanted power, Oppression/rebellion, revenge, grief and loss and finding your way to your best life.

This was a great book to introduce you to the world and there are another two books to come! I'm on a binge of fantasy reads by non Western/European centric authors at the moment and this is a new author to add to my list!

I was attractive by the cover, and then realised it was translated and I love light novels so was intrigued by Korean fantasy being traditionally published. This was good, a solid fantasy book with some fun new concepts and an interesting magic system. Loren stole the show at the beginning, and it definitely achieved a gripping opening scene. Arienne's story was body horror and I suppose cultural loss too as all magic users are henned in by the Empire awaiting their death to serve, all the different types of magic are being lost as a result. Cain's starts off as a murder mystery but quickly starts to show how it's no less important to the unravelling of the Empire.

We need some more epic fantasy of this level and I enjoyed it very much.

There are two things I look for in a fantasy novel which ultimately decide whether or not the book works for me: detailed world-building and well-drawn characters. For me, both were somewhat lacking here. We’re introduced to a world under the rule of an evil Empire in which dragons are dead and sorcerers serve the realm only in death – but the author provides very little flesh to those bones. The tale is told from the perspective of three characters: Loren, a woman who makes a deal with a dragon to seek vengeance upon the Empire for the death of her family and to become king, Cain, an orphan investigating the murder of his friend and Arienne, a runaway sorcerer. The characters weren’t developed enough for my tastes. None have an ARC, there’s no peril, all obstacles are easily solved. No knowledge of warcraft or battle? Never ridden a horse before? No problem! Legions will inexplicably follow your lead anyway!

Not a book that resonated with me, unfortunately, and not one that I would personally recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, Orbit, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.