**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**The Ruin of Kings is the first book in the Chorus of Dragons series by author Jenn Lyons. The Chorus of Dragons series is a high fantasy series, and I have to say, I really loved this book. I am so excited to continue on. I just know this is going to be a series that I will completely love! (hopefully from start until finish!) The Ruin of Kings is Jenn Lyons debut novel and she certainly created a big and complex world to start off with. This novel is a large undertaking. It is not a book that you can speed through, but rather this is a book that is meant to be explored and savored. If you read it too fast, you may be confused or overwhelmed by the sheer amount going on in the plot and the multiple timelines that are present, but if you slow down The Ruin of Kings is a very well crafted story.

In the Ruin of Kings we meet our main character Kihrin, who starts off the story in Jail. (at least in the present timeline) but soon the reader sees that this novel is told in multiple different timelines, jumping back and forth between them, which is an interesting story telling technique because we get to see some of the events that led to Kihrin being imprisoned, but not necessarily all is revealed in order. And then to make matters more complicated, we don't actually start out the story with Kihrin's perspective, but rather with this perspective of his jailor. Really cool if you are paying attention, but it can get confusing. Especially at first. I found myself wanting to map out a timeline of events as they were revealed so I wouldn't get lost. While I liked that there was a lot going on in this story, I am kind of hoping that in the next book we keep the multiple perspectives, but that we limit the timelines to one linear timeline (maybe with sporadic memories from the past) rather than jumping back and forth between 3 timelines. 

Kihrin is such an interesting character. Just like everything else with this novel. He has a huge destiny to live up to. I don't want to get into too much because it is something that is revealed gradually, layer by layer as the story progresses, but Kihrin wears many hats, and he is a very complex character. The Ruin of Kings has everything I love in a fantasy; a crazy world, a crazier plot that will really mess with you head at times (in both good and bad ways!) political intrigue galore, battles and plenty of adventure. 

Fans of epic fantasies will really like the overall complexity of the world. I think once you really get to know the characters and the world, you will fall in love with the book. I loved the story line of this one so much and I can't wait to see where it goes. I know it can seem daunting at first (and trust me, i was right there with you feeling confused at first) but stick with it! It gets easier to follow along with, and this really does become an unputdownable adventure. I can't wait to see the next installment from Jenn Lyons. 
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs