"Beware the idiot, the zealot and the tyrant; each clothes himself in the armour of ignorance "

Reading this book felt so effortless, I literally breezed through this in less than 2 days. Lately, I have been really enjoying fantasy books with intense political and religious themes inspired from our own world and this one is a clear favourite.

The writing is just chefs kiss! The plot and the pacing is great. There's so much happening throughout the story - there's a murder mystery, a huge political upheaval, religious fanatiscm and a constant discussion about law and justice but it never feels overwhelming. In fact, the world felt so grounded in reality. There's a bit of magic but it isn't a huge part of the story, the little that we saw of it was very interesting.

The characters are awesome. I wouldn't call this book very character driven but all the characters have a very distinct and authentic voice. They never overshadow the plot but rather complement it. I loved them and I loved the relationship that existed between our main characters. Vonvalt, Helena and Bressinger our three main characters have impeccable chemistry. Especially, Helena and Vonvalt - their relationship is so complex but it also felt so organic. Helena being an orphan has never had a parent figure in her life and her conflicting feelings towards Vonvalt felt so genuine. Helena was such a great character, she is sneaky and brave but she is also a 19 year old who is afraid and unsure of a lot of things in life and we truly got to see all her imperfections, mistakes, desires and vulnerabilities throughout the story. Her inner struggle of which path to follow was done really well. I wasn't a huge a fan of the little romance subplot which we got for her- it was rather insta lovey and wholly unnecessary but aside from that she truly impressed me.

Vonvalt on other hand is a very complex and flawed character. He has been a soldier and he is now a justice for the Emperor. He has seen the horrors of war and therefore understands the importance of laws. For him the law is above all else and everyone is equal in the eyes of the law. It was truly interesting to see his stance on justice being challenged time and again throughout the story and how the events of this book changed him - for better or worse, we will have to wait and see.

Honestly, there's just so much good to talk about this book. The political and military aspect of the story is barely scratched in this book and yet it feels so present throughout the book. I truly can't wait for our characters to reach the capital and see how the little snippets of politics, treachery and war that we got in this book play a much larger role. There's also a huge religious arc to the story which is so interesting and again felt very authentic in terms of how there will always be people who will commit atrocities in the name of religion and also to further their own agendas and power.

I was so fortunate to get the the advance readers copy for this but this also means that the wait for the next book will be that much longer. Also, I truly hate hate Patria Claver and its the testament of how amazing Richard Swan's writing is that he made me hate a character who is only present for a few albeit key scenes throughout the book. Truly can't wait for the next book already.

"Justice is not vengeance, and vengeance is not justice. But the two often overlap. The state is as capable of vengeance as any individual, for what is the state if not the people that comprise it?"

ARC provided by publishers via Netgalley!