Seven Deaths of an Empire by G.R. Matthews

Title: Seven Deaths of an Empire

Author: G.R. Matthews

Published: June 22, 2021 by Solaris/Rebellion Publishing

Genre: Grimdark Fantasy

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy for review.

What's It About: Seven Deaths of an Empire is a grimdark fantasy story that chronicles the power struggle after the death of an emperor. Inspired by the real life Roman Empire this story is told in duel perspectives. General Bordan is trying to ensure that the succession of the empire goes smoothly to prevent civil unrest and political upheaval. While Apprentice Magician Kyron is assigned to return the emperor's body safely to the palace. These are not easy tasks with the forests full of rebels, and there are people hungry for power, plotting to take control.

My Thoughts: This book has one of my favorite fantasy elements where a young inexperienced person is sent on a very important mission and learns a lot along the way in the main character Kyron. This is not your typical fantasy story though. It is most definitely grimdark. It is full of death, ulterior motives, war, and betrayal. The plot is really great. It has a great mix of heart, mystery, nail-biting anticipation, and dread.

The writing is good with great character development. The story would have benefited from more descriptions especially in the first half. There are some really well described action scenes. Other parts depended too heavily on dialogue to give the information of the world. More description of the setting and actions would have shown a clear picture of the world instead of only through dialogue.

The world is well fleshed out. There are interesting social divides between the people of the empire and of those living in the forest tribes, as well as between priests and magicians. These conflicts are fascinating to read about.

The characters are wonderful. Full of people to love and love to hate. I was left dreading that some of my favorites would be one of the seven deaths mentioned in the title.These are characters to become attached to as you follow them on such a long journey.

Overall, this is a great story with high stakes for really great characters that is definitely worth a read. I would recommend it to fans of grimdark fantasy with plenty of mystery, political intrigue, and dastardly plots.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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