Blood of the Old Kings (The Bleeding Empire, 1)

I loved the world and the magic system in this world. Besides that fact that there are sorcerers, we learn through one of our POV characters, Arienne, that many parts of the world function off of the power of the corpses of sorcerers as power generators. Depending on the strength of the sorcerer, depends on how much they can do when they are dead. These generators power many things in the empire, leaving it vulnerable if something were to ever happen to them.We had two other POVS: Loran, who is ready for revenge against the Empire for everything they took from her - so much so that she makes a pact with a dragon and gets badass powerful sword to help her in this quest; and Cain, who is often getting into some trouble, but really just wants to find out what happened to his friend, who mysteriously died. We find out how connected these three characters may already be along the way as they get into some very sticky situations.Anton Hur nailed the translations on this story because I never felt like any part of the story did not flow the way it should have done. Everything felt smooth and perfect.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫Thank you to @torbooks for the ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Blood of the Old Kings had me intrigued from the very first page. Heck, the first paragraph.A dragon with too many eyes locked away by magic in a volcano, a desperate woman willing to make a deal for the salvation of her people, and a promise of vengeance against an all-powerful conquering Empire.For Loran, the deaths of her husband and daughter are the only thing driving her to take up the dragon’s sword against the Empire. She will cut her way through their armies, defeat their magic, and destroy their mightiest creations—and in so doing, become the Princess and ultimately the King her people need.Her story is the most compelling of the POV characters, and the most dynamic. She begins fighting alone, but through her courage and resilience, winds up joining forces with a ragtag band of rebels that may have a chance at becoming an army. Spitting in the face of the Empire could cost her everything—but the price is worth paying to free her people.Cain is an ordinary-seeming young man working for an oil vendor, but there’s so much more to him than meets the eye. Sort of a grifter/spy/smuggler combination, he finds himself drawn into a quest for revenge against the ones who murdered the woman who saved him and kept him alive during his earliest days on the streets of the Empire’s capital city.His story feels smaller, but it gives us a fascinating look into the “Ministry of Intelligence”, the shadow arm of the Empire’s police force. He is drawn into their tangled web by the chance to unmask his friend’s killer. But what he discovers could lead to the death—or salvation—of the Empire he has good cause to hate as an outsider.Arienne is a mage, gifted with the ability to control magic and trained in the Empire’s most prestigious school. Only that school doesn’t actually teach her anything except ways of keeping her body and mind in shape to be a “Power generator” after her death. Because of course the Empire runs on the corpses of their mages—that’s what powers everything from their lights to their most advanced weapons.But a mysterious voice in her head leads her to break free of the mage school and sets her fleeing into the farthest corners of the Empire. She and her new companion are hunted by the “Order of Truth”, those tasked with keeping mages firmly in line, and have to cross desolate terrain, dense forests, and icy mountain passes in the desperate hope of finding somewhere safe from their clutches. Though she has no understanding of magic to begin with, every trial and test she endures will teach her more—and more about herself, too.Blood of the Old Kings is a fascinating story of a fight for freedom–freedom from oppression, from control over magic, from being told how you have to live your life. I particularly loved the message inherent into Loran’s story: it doesn’t take blood to make a princess or King, only the courage to stand up and show the people what it means to lead.The world is rich and colorful, with so many fascinating cultures and customs that shade each captured kingdom with wondrous nuance.Fans of K.S. Villoso’s Chronicles of the Wolf Queen and R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy War will feel right at home in this story!

This novel follows Loran, Cain and Arienne — three very different protagonists that unknowingly (but sometimes intentionally) dictate the future of their people. Loran seeks the power and strength of the sleeping dragon to gain freedom and a voice for her people. Cain wishes to learn the truth behind his generous friend’s death and how to avenge her. Arienne seeks a way to free herself of the academy and the ultimate sad end for sorcerers who become living batteries in death. As their stories unfold and knit together the fate of the entire Empire is at stake.This audiobook’s cast of narrators did an excellent job. Each character had its unique voice, so it was very easy to follow along at 1.5x. The narration truly brought the novel to life with no distracting voices or overtones.This was a very interesting novel following a few influential and dynamic characters that all serve a role in dictating the future of their people to give them a better life under the rule of the Empire but also the possibility of freedom. The greater world building is well done and adds that extra layer of epic-ness that draws the reader into the world and makes you hold on for the ride, wherever it takes us. Great character building. A just plain great novel. 5 stars.Review based on an Advanced Audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. Thank you!

3.5⭐️I liked this book, but it didn’t really engage me or pull me in like I had expected it too. I enjoyed the 3 POVs and how they all converged together at the end. However, separately they felt a little slow a lot of the time. Cain was the one who had me intrigued from the start and I think it is because there was a murder mystery to catch my interest. His big moment at the end was almost anticlimactic, but I think that was the point and it suited him well. Loran’s story had a lot of potential, but felt a little bland for the first half of the book. She definitely took on more character and strength after leaving the underground castle. Arienne, I think, had the most consistent arc and was interesting the whole way through the book. Especially with Eldred in the mix. The final battle(s) are really exciting and definitely what made this worth reading in the end. The final chapters don't give a HEA but they do give us a hope for the future.Overall, I think I was a good story that fell a little flat. I would recommend it to the right person for sure. It just was not quite my thing.