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The Ruin of Kings

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The Ruin of Kings

By: Jenn Lyons
Narrated by: Feodor Chin, Soneela Nankani, Vikas Adam
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About this listen

In this thunderously good listen, prophecy and magic combine in an incredible epic fantasy of imperial politics, gods and demons. The Ruin of Kings is the first book in Jenn Lyons's extraordinary series, A Chorus of Dragons.

When destiny calls, there's no fighting back . . .

As a bard’s apprentice, Kihrin grew up with tales of legendary deeds. He also steals, desperate to buy a way out of Quur’s slums. But when he raids the wrong house, he’s marked by a demon and life will never be the same again.

Kihrin’s plight brings him to the attention of royalty, who claim him as the lost son of their immoral prince. But far from living the dream, Kihrin’s at the mercy of his new family’s ruthless ambitions. However, escaping his jewelled cage just makes matters worse. Kihrin is horrified to learn he’s at the centre of an ancient prophecy. And every side – from gods and demons to dragons and mages – want him as their pawn. Those old stories lied about many things too, especially the myth that the hero always wins.

Then again, maybe Kihrin isn’t the hero, for he’s not destined to save the empire. He’s destined to destroy it.

Continue the epic fantasy adventure with The Name of All Things and The Memory of Souls.

‘What an extraordinary book . . . enthralling and deeply, deeply satisfying. I loved it' - Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians

‘A fantastic page-turner with a heady blend of great characters' - John Gwynne, author of A Time of Dread

'A virtually un-put-down-able read' - Kirkus Reviews

Action & Adventure Coming of Age Dragons & Mythical Creatures Epic Fantasy Genre Fiction

Critic Reviews

What an extraordinary book. The Ruin of Kings is everything epic fantasy should be: rich, cruel, gorgeous, brilliant, enthralling and deeply deeply satisfying. I loved it (Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians)
It was one hell of a ride (Glen Cook)
A fantastic page-turner with a heady blend of great characters, fast-moving action and a fabulously inventive magic system . . . I loved it
The Ruin of Kings is a fascinating story about a compellingly conflicted young hero in an intriguingly complex world (L. E. Modesitt, Jr.)
The Ruin of Kings revs up with the glitz of a high-speed, multi-level video game, with extreme magic (Janny Wurts)
In a sprawling, magic-filled world populated by gods, dragons, krakens, witches, demons, ghosts, shape-shifters, zombies, and so much more, Lyons ties it all together seamlessly to create literary magic. Epic fantasy fans looking for a virtually un-put-down-able read should look no further (Kirkus starred review)
Though the hero’s journey structure and classical fantasy elements are familiar, the complex mysteries and revelations feel novel and offer plenty of room for rereading and analysis. There’s more mystery than action in this tightly plotted tome, and its lore and memorable characters will leave epic fantasy fans eager for the second volume (Publishers Weekly starred review)
All stars
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Must listen to this, or at least read it! I can’t wait already for book 2, I guess I can pass the time listening to this a few more times. Also, at over 20+ hours of narration, it is definitely worth the money

Amazing

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I had these books for a while. Getting the first 3 on here and hard copies and then the final 2 hard copies. I struggle reading long series as I with only mild dyslexia so it takes me a bit to get stuck into a book. However finally after 2 years of reading and sticking to it quite well. This series had be captivated through and through with the last book and the final scene taking me by surprise and still wanting more. Definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good story to read.

The final plot of the series.

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Omg I enjoyed this so much!! I was a bit hesitant listening to this massive 700+ page book as an audiobook as I worried I couldn't keep track of all the worldbuilding, but that wasn't the case because of the three amazing narrators. I loved all of their voices: they really brought this enigmatic world to life. I'm so excited (and scared) for the sequel!

WOW!

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The narrators were great...engaging tone and performances...I really didn't like the jumping around of POV's and the over narrations and interjections by the omniscient character at the time or in the chapter...whatecer you want to call it. It left me irritated, implying I couldn't follow the story or make my own reader assumptions. It felt like being babied through a fantasy novel where it just made things more distracting and less interesting... yuck!

I got to the point where I wasn't even trying to follow the story I just listened chapter by chapter and forgot about trying to tie it all together...it could've been two books. overall I head high hopes and was left incredibly wanting.

Performances were awesome, too many POV's

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Very well read characters come to life , can’t wait o listen to the rest of the series

An enthralling listen/read

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