Published: March 29, 2022
Publisher: Orbit Books
Series: Hostage of Empire #3
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 640 (Paperback)
My Rating: 4.5/5.0
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
A richly detailed epic of ambition, honor, and sacrifice, The Bloody Throne is the masterful conclusion to Hostage of Empire, a medieval East Asia-inspired fantasy trilogy.
The great Zhaon empire is in turmoil. The emperor is dead and the crown prince has fallen to hidden schemes, leaving the most dangerous prince to assume the throne. The imperial court is seething, and whispers of war grow to shouts. The once vanquished kingdom of Khir marches again to regain their honor, the savage Tabrak raid the borders after ravaging the South, and assassins lurk in the shadows seeking imperial favor.
Komor Yala, her position deeply uncertain, finds shelter in marriage to the cunning Third Prince―but there is little safety in Zhaon. Death and destruction mount as a blood-drenched summer ends, and to the victor will be left an empire—if it is not turned to smoking ruins first.
The wheel of destiny is turning, and all will be caught under its weight…
The Bloody Throne is the conclusion to one of the best political fantasy series I’ve read in ages, though I hesitate to label it as fantasy at all. This is set in a fictional world, has essentially no magic whatsoever, and is fantasy in the sense that many of Guy Gavriel Kay’s books (aside from Tigana and Fionavar) are fantasy. But oh my goodness, the court politics and subtle intrigue truly shine in this book! Plus, if you’ve ever wanted to read about the gory cruelty of a horde of “barbarians” or the backstabbing tendencies of royal siblings this totally has you covered.
Komor Yala is alone in Zhaon yet she still searches for the hand behind the death of her beloved princess Mahara. With Zakkar Kai returned to the Northern Army, her only protection is her engagement and impending wedding to the surliest of princes, Third Prince Takshin, and even that may not be enough when the newly anointed Emperor Kurin begins cleaning house. Knives in the dark, poisonings, and the ever looming threat of the Pale Horde have the royal family of Zhaon in turmoil as Zhaon itself suffers.
Yala remains a sympathetic and strong character, and though she isn’t a traditional badass fantasy heroine it’s impressive to see her small rebellions and intelligent moves she makes within the bounds of her societal role. Her skill with her yue blade and horses do make her stand out from the Zhaon ladies at court, though those are simply skills all Khir girls are taught. I appreciate that so many other perspectives are thrown into the mix, as it gives so much insight to events that might otherwise be mentioned in passing. A brief chapter is given to an assassin who just wants to leave the city with his beloved, several chapters are given to the First Queen’s maid Yona, and a few to a slave in the Pale Horde.
I greatly enjoyed the rather proper, courtly romance between Zakkar Kai and Yala and was quite sad they were separated during this final installment but it was lovely to see Takshin admire Yala so caringly. I honestly hated rooting for either Takshin or Kai because I liked both of them for different reasons and loved the respect and care they showed to Yala!
The ending was bittersweet yet satisfying and thoroughly wrapped up the tale. This could be considered spoilery, but MAN I felt so bad for Takshin at the end. Poor guy 😦 Overall, this was an amazing conclusion to the series. These aren’t exactly fast paced books, and I took my time up until Friday night when I stayed up until midnight finishing the story because I really, really didn’t want to put it down. So much of the actual action was saved for the concluding third of the book as so many events came to a boil and it was awesome!
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