Through a trio of characters on separate paths of survival and resistance to an empire's control, South Korean author Sung-il Kim creates a world of intrigue and heart-pounding drama in Blood of the Old Kings, the first volume in an epic fantasy trilogy.
Loran is determined to avenge the deaths of her husband and child at the hands of the imperial prefect who governs the former kingdom of Arland, and she begs assistance from the dragon sworn to protect the realm. Meanwhile, Cain, an Arlander sent to the capital after his parents were charged with treason, stumbles into a ring of conspiracy while investigating the death of his friend Fienna. And 16-year-old Arienne accepts guidance from a dead sorcerer to escape the Imperial Academy, where sorcerers are forced to enroll so the Empire can harness the power from their bodies after they die. Each character's motivation is personal, but all three become part of something larger as rebellion brews among groups with competing ideologies and methods. The paths they are thrust onto force each of them to make impossible choices and decide what kind of person they are--or are willing to become.
Kim emphasizes plot over character yet still conveys emotional depth, and his focus on ordinary people becoming reluctant heroes is a fresh contribution to the fantasy trope of rebellion against an imperial power. Exciting plot twists and nail-bitingly narrow escapes crescendo as passion for revolution ignites. --Dainy Bernstein, freelance reviewer