What do you think?
Rate this book
The Rising Tide #1
Anji Kills a King
The unlikely assassin of the king flees from a group of ruthless mercenaries as the country falls to ruin, in this gripping, gritty and action-packed fantasy adventure from a Booktok and podcast sensation. Perfect for fans of R.F. Kuang, H.M. Long and R.J. Barker.
Anji works as a castle servant, cleaning laundry for a king she hates. So when a rare opportunity presents itself, she seizes the chance to cut his throat. Then she runs for her life. In her wake, the kingdom is thrown into disarray, while a bounty bigger than anyone could imagine lands on her head.
On her heels are the fabled mercenaries of the Menagerie, whose animal-shaped masks are magical relics rumored to give them superhuman powers. It’s the Hawk who finds Anji first: a surly, aging swordswoman who has her own reasons for keeping Anji alive and out of the hands of her fellow bounty hunters, if only long enough to collect the reward herself.
With the rest of the Menagerie on their trail, so begins an alliance as tenuous as it is temporary―and a race against death that will decide Anji’s fate, and may change the course of a kingdom.
Anji works as a castle servant, cleaning laundry for a king she hates. So when a rare opportunity presents itself, she seizes the chance to cut his throat. Then she runs for her life. In her wake, the kingdom is thrown into disarray, while a bounty bigger than anyone could imagine lands on her head.
On her heels are the fabled mercenaries of the Menagerie, whose animal-shaped masks are magical relics rumored to give them superhuman powers. It’s the Hawk who finds Anji first: a surly, aging swordswoman who has her own reasons for keeping Anji alive and out of the hands of her fellow bounty hunters, if only long enough to collect the reward herself.
With the rest of the Menagerie on their trail, so begins an alliance as tenuous as it is temporary―and a race against death that will decide Anji’s fate, and may change the course of a kingdom.
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 13, 2025
349 people are currently reading
19353 people want to read
About the author
Evan Leikam
2 books292 followersEvan Leikam is a co-host of the Book Reviews Kill podcast, and a book influencer on TikTok and Instagram.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 913 reviews
May 12, 2025
A pissy laundress murders one little tyrannical king and all hell breaks loose. She’s immediately caught by a grumpy bounty hunter who spits, like, a lot, and they make their way across a frozen tundra while fighting off cultists, endless bugs, fantasy-meth, and being cold literally all the time. The plot dips and weaves but doesn’t leave any holes, just a lot of “oh my god”s from all the trauma strewn around like so much confetti. Should Anji have killed the king? I’m not really sure (and neither is she) but we got this book out of it, so probably.
May 10, 2025
File Anji under: Main Characters Who Desperately Need A Hug
I was locked IN to this book. I’ve been in what we’ll graciously call a slump for…a long time, and this is the first book I’ve actually finished in WEEKS.
Brutally intense, occasionally gut wrenching, and at times gut churning (I may never look at spiders the same), AKAK is an action packed ride from the moment Anji slits her king’s throat in the first sentence to the very end.
I also can’t say enough good things about the audiobook. Moira Quirk, as always, kills it with the narration 👌 I did this book about half and half physical and audio and both were great experiences.
(Bias check, Evan Leikam is a friend of mine.)
I was locked IN to this book. I’ve been in what we’ll graciously call a slump for…a long time, and this is the first book I’ve actually finished in WEEKS.
Brutally intense, occasionally gut wrenching, and at times gut churning (I may never look at spiders the same), AKAK is an action packed ride from the moment Anji slits her king’s throat in the first sentence to the very end.
I also can’t say enough good things about the audiobook. Moira Quirk, as always, kills it with the narration 👌 I did this book about half and half physical and audio and both were great experiences.
(Bias check, Evan Leikam is a friend of mine.)
April 17, 2025
formal review to come but
WHEN I CATCH YOU EVAN YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES HOLY COW THAT WAS GREAT
WHEN I CATCH YOU EVAN YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES HOLY COW THAT WAS GREAT
March 25, 2025
Thank you Macmillan audio for this ARC. The narrator is excellent and really made the story come to life.
The story starts strong, with the point of view of main character killing the king.
I loved the dynamic between her and the Hawk, and how their relationship grows organically and is not too forced.
There is a lot of action and humour, as well as feelings, and I loved the ending.
It's an entertaining and easy read, and I hope we will see more of this world.
The story starts strong, with the point of view of main character killing the king.
I loved the dynamic between her and the Hawk, and how their relationship grows organically and is not too forced.
There is a lot of action and humour, as well as feelings, and I loved the ending.
It's an entertaining and easy read, and I hope we will see more of this world.
November 18, 2025
“The wind had died to a whisper, whistling through the boulders and crags and outcroppings like an icy chorus with neither beginning nor end.”
i had no idea what to expect from this book and it ended up really surprising me. Anji is an assassin who becomes reluctant allies with the bounty hunter that’s sent to capture her. i was so interested in hawk (the bounty hunter), she’s not even someone who’s the most likable but i found her that more interesting because of it. she’s struggling with addiction, on the brink of death and has a million secrets of her own. the mercenary groups have masks that are based on animals, hawk being a former member. Anji was so unfiltered and chaotic, the dynamic between these two was very entertaining. i enjoyed the ending and the way it painted Anji in a different light than how she’d be portrayed up until that point.. i’m actually really looking forward to reading the next book whenever it does comes out.
i had no idea what to expect from this book and it ended up really surprising me. Anji is an assassin who becomes reluctant allies with the bounty hunter that’s sent to capture her. i was so interested in hawk (the bounty hunter), she’s not even someone who’s the most likable but i found her that more interesting because of it. she’s struggling with addiction, on the brink of death and has a million secrets of her own. the mercenary groups have masks that are based on animals, hawk being a former member. Anji was so unfiltered and chaotic, the dynamic between these two was very entertaining. i enjoyed the ending and the way it painted Anji in a different light than how she’d be portrayed up until that point.. i’m actually really looking forward to reading the next book whenever it does comes out.
May 12, 2025
Anji is an orphaned servant who shoved a letter opener through the king’s throat. Then she is captured by the Hawk, one of the most hardened warriors in the world for a large bounty to be executed.
I liked Anji - she was cheeky and doesn’t know when to shut up. The best predicament for a captive and an old woman who just wants to collect her bounty and maybe not get killed by fellow hunters.
“This isn’t a gods-damned story, you stupid girl! You think a little suffering makes you innocent? You think you’ve earned something? What good is your pain if you learn nothing from it?”
What hampered my enjoyment was that this was primarily a travel book which I always find gets too repetitive for me. Travel, horse interaction, event, travel.
I never felt an emotional connection to the characters and Anji started to get on my nerves and I love a chatty heroine usually.
There was magic, drugs that turn you into creatures but I could just never visualise anything as nothing was properly explained.
The prose was simple so it was quick to read, but to me, the reveals were obvious so it felt like I was plodding through just to reach the end.
Whilst my my predictions were right, we then get the ending. BAM and I was not expecting that.
I have to admit it was cleverly done and book two can take a whole new direction and tone.
The characters also didn’t feel consistent in their actions, perhaps that is why the ending took me by surprise…
Arc gifted by Titan books.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
I liked Anji - she was cheeky and doesn’t know when to shut up. The best predicament for a captive and an old woman who just wants to collect her bounty and maybe not get killed by fellow hunters.
“This isn’t a gods-damned story, you stupid girl! You think a little suffering makes you innocent? You think you’ve earned something? What good is your pain if you learn nothing from it?”
What hampered my enjoyment was that this was primarily a travel book which I always find gets too repetitive for me. Travel, horse interaction, event, travel.
I never felt an emotional connection to the characters and Anji started to get on my nerves and I love a chatty heroine usually.
There was magic, drugs that turn you into creatures but I could just never visualise anything as nothing was properly explained.
The prose was simple so it was quick to read, but to me, the reveals were obvious so it felt like I was plodding through just to reach the end.
Whilst my my predictions were right, we then get the ending. BAM and I was not expecting that.
I have to admit it was cleverly done and book two can take a whole new direction and tone.
The characters also didn’t feel consistent in their actions, perhaps that is why the ending took me by surprise…
Arc gifted by Titan books.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
May 9, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan.Audio for the arc.
“I can’t believe they sent the Menagerie after me.”
“You murdered a king.”
“A shit king,”
This one was a miss for me, so take my review with a pinch of salt. As always, your mileage may vary.
I’ve been complaining about sff book covers for the traditionally published books for two years now but I have no complaints with this cover. It has an excellent cover that immediately drew me in. Take a bow Oliver Barrett and Shreya Gupta. And another bow to Moira Quirk. What a narrator. She is excellent, brings more to the book, and is instrumental in me finishing the book.
Coming to the book, it is similar in plot to The Blacktongue Thief definitely. It follows a quest narrative with two MCs traveling far and wide but my main problem was that I wasn’t able to be invested in either of the two. There was not enough wit, emotion, or character development to endear the two characters to me. Anji especially fell very flat for me and I would have enjoyed the book significantly more if I had endeared her. Even after 50% of the book, I was feeling no intrigue in her journey and might have stopped reading if it weren’t for Moira Quirk and it being an arc. And this lackluster character work also extends to all of the side characters, none of them are the least bit memorable.
Another major stumbling block for me is the way these two MCs interact. Hawk does something and then Anji asks her why she’s doing that thing and Hawk tells her to shut up and then no information is revealed at all. This keeps happening throughout the book. I have read books that have this kind of behavior between the MCs but it is not done well here. I don’t like Hawk enough to enjoy it when she’s being haughty and I don’t sympathize enough with Anji to feel for her when she gets no answers from Hawk. Specifically they get into a big fight in the second half of the book after they are separated from each other briefly and the way this argument went drained all of my interest. And I learnt nothing new about the characters, the journey, the world, the magic, the lore, anything… Hawk kept going on about how Anji doesn’t understand the consequences of her action but refused to elaborate for no reason. It is only after 80% of the book this is revealed and at that point I was just waiting for the book to end. There were also other inconsistencies but talking about those would venture into spoiler territory.
The action scenes did not grab me too. I felt like there was potential for a lot of good action because the book literally had people taking drugs and becoming monsters as a side-effect and yet I didn’t get to enjoy it. I also did not learn enough about the world, the religious order, why the king had to be killed, the magic system, how the mercenary group became so feared, and what little I learnt was toward the very end of the book. I understand that everything cannot be expanded in the first book of a fantasy series but even allowing for all that gradual unfolding I still sincerely feel what was present is not enough. I definitely need more depth than this in the first book for me to build enough momentum and pick up the sequels.
In conclusion, this book was not for me and I did not find many redeeming qualities to end on a positive note. As I read more books I have realized that any of the deficiencies I find in different aspects of the book like plot, world-building, action scenes, magic systems can be overlooked if I just liked the characters enough. Conversely, poorly developed or uninteresting characters completely kill the interest in the story and that’s what happened to me here.
“I can’t believe they sent the Menagerie after me.”
“You murdered a king.”
“A shit king,”
This one was a miss for me, so take my review with a pinch of salt. As always, your mileage may vary.
I’ve been complaining about sff book covers for the traditionally published books for two years now but I have no complaints with this cover. It has an excellent cover that immediately drew me in. Take a bow Oliver Barrett and Shreya Gupta. And another bow to Moira Quirk. What a narrator. She is excellent, brings more to the book, and is instrumental in me finishing the book.
Coming to the book, it is similar in plot to The Blacktongue Thief definitely. It follows a quest narrative with two MCs traveling far and wide but my main problem was that I wasn’t able to be invested in either of the two. There was not enough wit, emotion, or character development to endear the two characters to me. Anji especially fell very flat for me and I would have enjoyed the book significantly more if I had endeared her. Even after 50% of the book, I was feeling no intrigue in her journey and might have stopped reading if it weren’t for Moira Quirk and it being an arc. And this lackluster character work also extends to all of the side characters, none of them are the least bit memorable.
Another major stumbling block for me is the way these two MCs interact. Hawk does something and then Anji asks her why she’s doing that thing and Hawk tells her to shut up and then no information is revealed at all. This keeps happening throughout the book. I have read books that have this kind of behavior between the MCs but it is not done well here. I don’t like Hawk enough to enjoy it when she’s being haughty and I don’t sympathize enough with Anji to feel for her when she gets no answers from Hawk. Specifically they get into a big fight in the second half of the book after they are separated from each other briefly and the way this argument went drained all of my interest. And I learnt nothing new about the characters, the journey, the world, the magic, the lore, anything… Hawk kept going on about how Anji doesn’t understand the consequences of her action but refused to elaborate for no reason. It is only after 80% of the book this is revealed and at that point I was just waiting for the book to end. There were also other inconsistencies but talking about those would venture into spoiler territory.
The action scenes did not grab me too. I felt like there was potential for a lot of good action because the book literally had people taking drugs and becoming monsters as a side-effect and yet I didn’t get to enjoy it. I also did not learn enough about the world, the religious order, why the king had to be killed, the magic system, how the mercenary group became so feared, and what little I learnt was toward the very end of the book. I understand that everything cannot be expanded in the first book of a fantasy series but even allowing for all that gradual unfolding I still sincerely feel what was present is not enough. I definitely need more depth than this in the first book for me to build enough momentum and pick up the sequels.
In conclusion, this book was not for me and I did not find many redeeming qualities to end on a positive note. As I read more books I have realized that any of the deficiencies I find in different aspects of the book like plot, world-building, action scenes, magic systems can be overlooked if I just liked the characters enough. Conversely, poorly developed or uninteresting characters completely kill the interest in the story and that’s what happened to me here.
October 30, 2024
This is an excellent debut, with one of the most satisfying endings I've read in a very long time. I can't wait to see where the story goes from here! Well done, Evan!
January 11, 2025
“You want people under your control? Divide them. Fill them with fear. Then point that fear at something to hate and they’ll do whatever you say.”
THE WOMAN WAS TOO STUNNED TO SPEAK.
I received an arc of this book and decided to pick it up at 10pm to read the first chapter or two….. I was finished entirely by morning.
Anji Kills a King starts off with a bang. I mean seriously. We start off with Anji…. Killing a king.
And the story that unfolds from this decision is truly one of the best, grittiest and most original fantasies I’ve read in a long time.
Anji and the Hawk felt like real people, and this is not a slight to the genre, but sometimes fantasy novels can feel like I’m riding the same ride over and over. Characters in magical worlds can become stale when they make choices you’ve read a hundred times before in some other book… but Evan truly deviated from this completely. These two women made and suffered real life choices. I truly felt as though I was watching two living, breathing souls, tirelessly working toward goals; ones that shifted and changed and moved with reasoning.
They tackle grief, anger, religious trauma, and addiction. It all was so very earnest. I’m deeply impressed.
This book does not spare you on its heartbreak. The stakes are HIGH. They remain so throughout. Grab a box of tissues.
I am absolutely gobsmacked that this is A DEBUT!????? I will henceforth read anything by Evan.
Anji Kills a King was a brilliant story, one that I will carry with me for a long time.
THE WOMAN WAS TOO STUNNED TO SPEAK.
I received an arc of this book and decided to pick it up at 10pm to read the first chapter or two….. I was finished entirely by morning.
Anji Kills a King starts off with a bang. I mean seriously. We start off with Anji…. Killing a king.
And the story that unfolds from this decision is truly one of the best, grittiest and most original fantasies I’ve read in a long time.
Anji and the Hawk felt like real people, and this is not a slight to the genre, but sometimes fantasy novels can feel like I’m riding the same ride over and over. Characters in magical worlds can become stale when they make choices you’ve read a hundred times before in some other book… but Evan truly deviated from this completely. These two women made and suffered real life choices. I truly felt as though I was watching two living, breathing souls, tirelessly working toward goals; ones that shifted and changed and moved with reasoning.
They tackle grief, anger, religious trauma, and addiction. It all was so very earnest. I’m deeply impressed.
This book does not spare you on its heartbreak. The stakes are HIGH. They remain so throughout. Grab a box of tissues.
I am absolutely gobsmacked that this is A DEBUT!????? I will henceforth read anything by Evan.
Anji Kills a King was a brilliant story, one that I will carry with me for a long time.
Read
April 6, 20254.0 Stars
This was an enjoyable fantasy story filled with memorable characters and plenty of adventure. This one had plot points and tropes I've seen before yet I found them comforting, rather than tired.
I think this one worked because the character interactions were so magnetic. I loved the back and forth, playing either the characters motivations and allegiances.
I would definitely love to read more set in this world or another book by this author. I would recommend this one to readers looking for a fun new fantasy story.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This was an enjoyable fantasy story filled with memorable characters and plenty of adventure. This one had plot points and tropes I've seen before yet I found them comforting, rather than tired.
I think this one worked because the character interactions were so magnetic. I loved the back and forth, playing either the characters motivations and allegiances.
I would definitely love to read more set in this world or another book by this author. I would recommend this one to readers looking for a fun new fantasy story.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
April 14, 2025
4.25/5
Imagine killing a king and being captured and dragged back to face a brutal justice, even when killing the king was the right thing to do.
Anji is an annoying MC, I couldn't stand her, but seeing the Hawk almost losing her shit trying to take her back to face her crimes was so funny and it made the book feel shorter than it is.
There's something happening towards the end giving me high expectations for the road the plot will follow in book 2.
I'll admit I didn't get the feeling the MC was as tough as she's supposed to be, but maybe it was the comparison with these other great killers.
A fun and quick debut!
Imagine killing a king and being captured and dragged back to face a brutal justice, even when killing the king was the right thing to do.
Anji is an annoying MC, I couldn't stand her, but seeing the Hawk almost losing her shit trying to take her back to face her crimes was so funny and it made the book feel shorter than it is.
There's something happening towards the end giving me high expectations for the road the plot will follow in book 2.
I'll admit I didn't get the feeling the MC was as tough as she's supposed to be, but maybe it was the comparison with these other great killers.
A fun and quick debut!
Read
March 25, 2025Mixed feelings on this book. It started really strong - with an intriguing and entertaining relationship between Anji and Hawk, the famed bounty hunter who has caught her after killing a king. The novel is easy to read, there's good banter, and the dystopian fantasy world is interesting. However, I never felt connected to the characters in the way I wanted to. While we get flashbacks to Anji's past, the emotional arc for her wasn't really there for me. It felt very arms length and driven by the plot and information about the world. Anji is often impulsive to the point of stupidity and never felt like a fully formed character that I was rooting for. And for the most part, things are just happening to her and she often doesn't have a lot of agency. Sometimes very violent things that seem to come out of nowhere.
Meanwhile Hawk at the end of the book felt really discordant with her character through the rest of it. For me the ending didn't feel earned and I'm scratching my head a bit at how we got there. I went into this hoping to love it but ultimately it was disappointing. It has potential as a story but in my opinion needed additional editing and work on the emotional arcs of the characters for it to reach that potential. The audio narration is done well though. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
Meanwhile Hawk at the end of the book felt really discordant with her character through the rest of it. For me the ending didn't feel earned and I'm scratching my head a bit at how we got there. I went into this hoping to love it but ultimately it was disappointing. It has potential as a story but in my opinion needed additional editing and work on the emotional arcs of the characters for it to reach that potential. The audio narration is done well though. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
August 3, 2025
Anji Kills a King kicks off with a bang. Literally. A palace servant slits the king’s throat in the first few pages, and from there, it’s full-throttle chaos. Anji, our bold and “stabby” heroine, finds herself on the run with a massive bounty on her head. Her pursuers are no joke - The Menagerie is a group of masked bounty hunters with powers, sharp weapons, and zero chill.
The story quickly zeroes in on the uneasy dynamic between Anji and the Hawk, the grumpiest (and most interesting) member of the Menagerie. She’s old, dangerous, and addicted to a magical drug that’s slowly turning her into a monster. She also decides not to kill Anji right away, and it results in a gritty road trip through a broken kingdom. Expect lots of fights, narrow escapes, dark secrets, and a ton of bickering.
Let’s be clear - this book is fun. It’s fast, bloody, and never dull. Anji is mouthy and impulsive, while the Hawk is a professional on the edge of snapping, and their back-and-forth carries the story with crackling tension (and occasional laughs). The grimdark vibes are strong (there’s death, trauma, magic addiction, and religious zealotry), but the banter keeps it from getting too heavy.
What worked best for me were the characters. Anji is not a chosen one or a noble freedom fighter -she’s angry, reactive, and full of regrets. But it;s the Hawk who is easily the standout of the book. She’s dangerous, damaged, and intriguing enough that you want to learn more about her every time she shows up. Watching these two slowly develop something resembling mutual understanding (not quite friendship) is the heart of the novel.
Now, what didn’t fully work? At times, the humor didn’t quite land. The irreverent tone is part of the book’s charm, but there were a few moments where the jokes felt out of place given the stakes. Also, while the plot is always moving, it sometimes repeats itself - run, fight, escape, repeat. And for a book with such a cool world, we only get glimpses of it. A little more depth to the lore, the magic (Maxia), and the political system would’ve gone a long way.
That said, this debut still hits more than it misses. It’s fast-paced, character-driven, and has just enough heart beneath the grit. If you like scrappy heroines, morally grey characters, and action-heavy fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, Anji Kills a King is worth your time.
The story quickly zeroes in on the uneasy dynamic between Anji and the Hawk, the grumpiest (and most interesting) member of the Menagerie. She’s old, dangerous, and addicted to a magical drug that’s slowly turning her into a monster. She also decides not to kill Anji right away, and it results in a gritty road trip through a broken kingdom. Expect lots of fights, narrow escapes, dark secrets, and a ton of bickering.
Let’s be clear - this book is fun. It’s fast, bloody, and never dull. Anji is mouthy and impulsive, while the Hawk is a professional on the edge of snapping, and their back-and-forth carries the story with crackling tension (and occasional laughs). The grimdark vibes are strong (there’s death, trauma, magic addiction, and religious zealotry), but the banter keeps it from getting too heavy.
What worked best for me were the characters. Anji is not a chosen one or a noble freedom fighter -she’s angry, reactive, and full of regrets. But it;s the Hawk who is easily the standout of the book. She’s dangerous, damaged, and intriguing enough that you want to learn more about her every time she shows up. Watching these two slowly develop something resembling mutual understanding (not quite friendship) is the heart of the novel.
Now, what didn’t fully work? At times, the humor didn’t quite land. The irreverent tone is part of the book’s charm, but there were a few moments where the jokes felt out of place given the stakes. Also, while the plot is always moving, it sometimes repeats itself - run, fight, escape, repeat. And for a book with such a cool world, we only get glimpses of it. A little more depth to the lore, the magic (Maxia), and the political system would’ve gone a long way.
That said, this debut still hits more than it misses. It’s fast-paced, character-driven, and has just enough heart beneath the grit. If you like scrappy heroines, morally grey characters, and action-heavy fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, Anji Kills a King is worth your time.
December 16, 2025
That was so crazy… and gripping!!
April 26, 2025
I think there is a lot to enjoy in this debut. Leikam has a strong voice that is fast-paced with strong imagery, character-building, and fight scenes. The main reason this is a three-star read and not higher is because I found almost every plot beat to be predictable. With every moving piece introduced, I felt like I knew exactly where it was going to end up. The only thing that felt new and fresh was the very last reveal during the final few pages of the book. This leads me into the second reason this is a three-star read for me: Anji Kills a King feels like the first act/half in a much longer book. I feel like I was only just being introduced to the interesting world before the book ended, but without leaving me longing for more. If the more conventional/predictable set-up was in service of a twist half way through a larger book before having the second half explore a very fresh perspective, then I would have appreciated the generic nature much more. Nevertheless, I think fans of fast-paced, action-oriented, travel fantasy will find a lot to enjoy. I will be interested to see the direction of the series moving forward and wouldn't be surprised to find the next entry be a couple of hundred pages longer.
April 5, 2025
“If you’re willing to kill for a cause, you should be ready to die for one too.”
Advanced readers copy was gifted to me by Tor, all opinions are my own.
ANJI KILLS A KING is a fantastic debut novel!
Spoiler alert but Anji does kill a king, and she does it in the first couple sentences. Afterwards, she flees the castle and a large bounty is placed on her head which draws the attention of bounty hunters and mercenaries alike.
A group of these fabled mercenaries are called the Menagerie, who wear these animal-like masks that reportedly give the wearer superhuman abilities. One of these members, named the Hawk, is the first to find Anji and takes her into custody to turn her over for the bounty which she needs.
Along the way they run into others from the Menagerie and other groups who would want nothing more than to turn Anji in themselves and get the money prize. Along the way, Anji starts to trust the Hawk but why is the Hawk so interested in getting the money for herself and cutting down anyone who stands in her way?
This is a VERY fast paced fantasy with quick chapters which will appeal to a lot of readers. For me the fast pace made it difficult to keep up. I couldn’t connect to the characters like I wanted to because we didn’t spend any time with any side characters before the plot advanced. Because of this when there were some twists or emotional moments it didn’t land like if we had like 100-200 more pages to develop the characters and ideas.
Also this book was weird. In like a good creepy way!
The ending of this book was a treat. I did see the twists coming but regardless it was thrilling and felt very satisfying in a dark way. It’s an amazing set up for book 2 and I am definitely in it. I’ll be waiting to continue this tale and can’t wait for others to read it! Congrats Evan!
Advanced readers copy was gifted to me by Tor, all opinions are my own.
ANJI KILLS A KING is a fantastic debut novel!
Spoiler alert but Anji does kill a king, and she does it in the first couple sentences. Afterwards, she flees the castle and a large bounty is placed on her head which draws the attention of bounty hunters and mercenaries alike.
A group of these fabled mercenaries are called the Menagerie, who wear these animal-like masks that reportedly give the wearer superhuman abilities. One of these members, named the Hawk, is the first to find Anji and takes her into custody to turn her over for the bounty which she needs.
Along the way they run into others from the Menagerie and other groups who would want nothing more than to turn Anji in themselves and get the money prize. Along the way, Anji starts to trust the Hawk but why is the Hawk so interested in getting the money for herself and cutting down anyone who stands in her way?
This is a VERY fast paced fantasy with quick chapters which will appeal to a lot of readers. For me the fast pace made it difficult to keep up. I couldn’t connect to the characters like I wanted to because we didn’t spend any time with any side characters before the plot advanced. Because of this when there were some twists or emotional moments it didn’t land like if we had like 100-200 more pages to develop the characters and ideas.
Also this book was weird. In like a good creepy way!
The ending of this book was a treat. I did see the twists coming but regardless it was thrilling and felt very satisfying in a dark way. It’s an amazing set up for book 2 and I am definitely in it. I’ll be waiting to continue this tale and can’t wait for others to read it! Congrats Evan!
October 6, 2024
Full RTC, but this was great! Don't sleep on this one, folks.
May 30, 2025
"Give up? What is there to give when you have nothing? You want to sue for change? Sue. You want to kill for peace? You'll kill for years, until your dying, pitiful last day, one hand wrapped round a rose and the other using the thorns to gouge the eyes of those you deem unfit to lead."
King Rolandrian of Yem is dead and Anji has killed him. Now she faces a life on the run, always watching her back, always looking for a place to hide. The Menagerie, The Sun Warden’s bounty hunters, are sent forth to retrieve Anji and bring her to be publicly tortured and executed. The Menagerie are infamous throughout the kingdom, they are ruthless hunters each having a given animal persona—the Ox, the Lynx, the Goat, the Bear and the Hawk—they work day and night together in service of The Sun Warden’s religious decree. So when the Hawk captures Anji, she’ll do anything she can to escape. Yet why is the Hawk working alone?
Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam is a thrilling debut that immerses readers into a deadly journey across a hostile grimdark world.
At first I thought that Anji and the Hawk may share a mentor/mentee relationship much like what we see in Wesley Chu’s Art of Prophecy, where we have a grumpy seasoned older warrior charged with looking after a spoiled, incompetent, loudmouthed youngster. Leikham does give us this dynamic but more in a captor/captee capacity instead. The Hawk is a formidable weapon, she’s also a crotchety older woman who seems rather weary with Anji fairly early on, and Anji, can be difficult to say the least.Yet one of the themes I found rather compelling was that of the lesser evil. Once Anji realises that compared to the other members of the Menagerie, the Hawk is much less insane, she sees her in a somewhat better light. This isn’t to say they become close or even friendly to one another but they certainly begin to understand each other. This is then carried through when the Hawk makes Anji realise that actually, Anji killing the king, didn’t magically or automatically make the kingdom a fairer, better, more prosperous place. In fact she made it far worse. Anji’s narrow view, her own anger and grief couldn’t allow her to see that even a bad king who allowed poverty, starvation, outlawed magic for the lower classes and banned schools in the poorer areas, was actually the lesser evil ruling. This notion I particularly enjoyed because our Anji is not some noble hero of this tale, in fact her character shows that you can have all the good intentions in the world, all the right ideals and motives, and you can still be wrong.
Now having two characters bickering throughout the entire book can become tiresome, particularly as the novel reaches its final hundred pages, but what I thought was done well was their reasoning for this. I wouldn’t say that Anji is unjustified in her anger and smart mouth given that the Hawk is leading her to her execution, but sometimes she enrages the Hawk for no apparent reason. Sometimes Anji could be petulant for petulant's sake, but this is a dark fantasy, strongly fitting into the grimdark genre, and so Anji is subjected to much cruelty and violence along the way, so you can understand her retaliation, even when it wasn’t wise. The Hawk also has her reasons for her harshness, we learn early on that she is an addict, hooked on the magical drug Rail, which gives users enhanced abilities but the more you use the closer you become to transforming into a Dredger, a feral creature. I thought this was explored fantastically because yes, any kind of an addiction can drastically change your temperament and when the drug itself is literally turning you into a monster, well you become unrecognisable. There is more to the Hawk though, more turmoil that we discover by the end and I felt Leikam did a superb job of showing how both these women, having come from disadvantaged and traumatic backgrounds, were shaped by it.
"I still the body, and the mind follows. The still mind may do anything. I can tear through anyone, I can win mismatched fights. With a mind unclouded, pain is nothing, fear is no one."
I love fantasy books where travelling and going through journeys are at its centre and I feel Anji Kills a King embodied this so well. As Anji and the Hawk traverse through the kingdom of Yem, we see various towns lying in squalor, the starvation of the people, the lands in ruin and we discover the firm hand of the Senate, the religious faction of The Sun Wardens and their harsh, unjust laws and punishments, first hand. Leikam drip feeds us the worldbuilding, creating a clearer picture the more towns we visit. The magic system is similarly explored as we are slowly introduced to more characters. We learn of objects infused with Maxia and people trained in the use of this sorcery which was fascinating but I felt we only scratched the surface of its concept in this book. Then there was the Menagerie themselves who were the most notable characters as their imposing appearance, their faces covered with magically infused masks, and their twisted, sadistic and fanatical nature was pretty memorable. The Menagerie were historically lauded as just, noble and worthy to keep the kingdom free of criminals but the truth is far from that. Alongside this savage physical journey, Anji and the Hawk go through personal emotional ones too, where many other truths come to light, and this makes for a very cleverly played out if heartbreaking ending.
Although Anji Kills a King is the first book in a planned trilogy it does very much read as a standalone with a good sense of closure. Leikam weaves a grisly, gripping story that’s infused with bloodshed and political tension. It’s a story of adventure, of survival and finally, at its end, facing harsh truths.
“The world won't make space for you or your ideals." She weighed her hands. "There's the reality you wish for, and the one which exists. Try to remember which will keep you alive.”
ARC provided by Bahar at Titan Books in exchange for an honest review - thank you for the copy!
King Rolandrian of Yem is dead and Anji has killed him. Now she faces a life on the run, always watching her back, always looking for a place to hide. The Menagerie, The Sun Warden’s bounty hunters, are sent forth to retrieve Anji and bring her to be publicly tortured and executed. The Menagerie are infamous throughout the kingdom, they are ruthless hunters each having a given animal persona—the Ox, the Lynx, the Goat, the Bear and the Hawk—they work day and night together in service of The Sun Warden’s religious decree. So when the Hawk captures Anji, she’ll do anything she can to escape. Yet why is the Hawk working alone?
Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam is a thrilling debut that immerses readers into a deadly journey across a hostile grimdark world.
At first I thought that Anji and the Hawk may share a mentor/mentee relationship much like what we see in Wesley Chu’s Art of Prophecy, where we have a grumpy seasoned older warrior charged with looking after a spoiled, incompetent, loudmouthed youngster. Leikham does give us this dynamic but more in a captor/captee capacity instead. The Hawk is a formidable weapon, she’s also a crotchety older woman who seems rather weary with Anji fairly early on, and Anji, can be difficult to say the least.Yet one of the themes I found rather compelling was that of the lesser evil. Once Anji realises that compared to the other members of the Menagerie, the Hawk is much less insane, she sees her in a somewhat better light. This isn’t to say they become close or even friendly to one another but they certainly begin to understand each other. This is then carried through when the Hawk makes Anji realise that actually, Anji killing the king, didn’t magically or automatically make the kingdom a fairer, better, more prosperous place. In fact she made it far worse. Anji’s narrow view, her own anger and grief couldn’t allow her to see that even a bad king who allowed poverty, starvation, outlawed magic for the lower classes and banned schools in the poorer areas, was actually the lesser evil ruling. This notion I particularly enjoyed because our Anji is not some noble hero of this tale, in fact her character shows that you can have all the good intentions in the world, all the right ideals and motives, and you can still be wrong.
Now having two characters bickering throughout the entire book can become tiresome, particularly as the novel reaches its final hundred pages, but what I thought was done well was their reasoning for this. I wouldn’t say that Anji is unjustified in her anger and smart mouth given that the Hawk is leading her to her execution, but sometimes she enrages the Hawk for no apparent reason. Sometimes Anji could be petulant for petulant's sake, but this is a dark fantasy, strongly fitting into the grimdark genre, and so Anji is subjected to much cruelty and violence along the way, so you can understand her retaliation, even when it wasn’t wise. The Hawk also has her reasons for her harshness, we learn early on that she is an addict, hooked on the magical drug Rail, which gives users enhanced abilities but the more you use the closer you become to transforming into a Dredger, a feral creature. I thought this was explored fantastically because yes, any kind of an addiction can drastically change your temperament and when the drug itself is literally turning you into a monster, well you become unrecognisable. There is more to the Hawk though, more turmoil that we discover by the end and I felt Leikam did a superb job of showing how both these women, having come from disadvantaged and traumatic backgrounds, were shaped by it.
"I still the body, and the mind follows. The still mind may do anything. I can tear through anyone, I can win mismatched fights. With a mind unclouded, pain is nothing, fear is no one."
I love fantasy books where travelling and going through journeys are at its centre and I feel Anji Kills a King embodied this so well. As Anji and the Hawk traverse through the kingdom of Yem, we see various towns lying in squalor, the starvation of the people, the lands in ruin and we discover the firm hand of the Senate, the religious faction of The Sun Wardens and their harsh, unjust laws and punishments, first hand. Leikam drip feeds us the worldbuilding, creating a clearer picture the more towns we visit. The magic system is similarly explored as we are slowly introduced to more characters. We learn of objects infused with Maxia and people trained in the use of this sorcery which was fascinating but I felt we only scratched the surface of its concept in this book. Then there was the Menagerie themselves who were the most notable characters as their imposing appearance, their faces covered with magically infused masks, and their twisted, sadistic and fanatical nature was pretty memorable. The Menagerie were historically lauded as just, noble and worthy to keep the kingdom free of criminals but the truth is far from that. Alongside this savage physical journey, Anji and the Hawk go through personal emotional ones too, where many other truths come to light, and this makes for a very cleverly played out if heartbreaking ending.
Although Anji Kills a King is the first book in a planned trilogy it does very much read as a standalone with a good sense of closure. Leikam weaves a grisly, gripping story that’s infused with bloodshed and political tension. It’s a story of adventure, of survival and finally, at its end, facing harsh truths.
“The world won't make space for you or your ideals." She weighed her hands. "There's the reality you wish for, and the one which exists. Try to remember which will keep you alive.”
ARC provided by Bahar at Titan Books in exchange for an honest review - thank you for the copy!
June 6, 2025
Thank you to tor books for sending me the physical arc of this book.
Initially, I started reading this book physically, then I heard Moira Quirk was the audiobook narrator, so naturally, I had to experience the story through her. she brought so much life to these characters. Anji and the Hawk were a lot of fun. They had a really interesting dynamic throughout that just had me compelled to follow their journey and hardships. I will say this book very much is one with a lot of setup, and I think that's leading it to having a really interesting plot down the road. impressive for a debut author, and I'll definitely continue with the series once there are more books. would recommend, this was good.
Initially, I started reading this book physically, then I heard Moira Quirk was the audiobook narrator, so naturally, I had to experience the story through her. she brought so much life to these characters. Anji and the Hawk were a lot of fun. They had a really interesting dynamic throughout that just had me compelled to follow their journey and hardships. I will say this book very much is one with a lot of setup, and I think that's leading it to having a really interesting plot down the road. impressive for a debut author, and I'll definitely continue with the series once there are more books. would recommend, this was good.
August 17, 2025
Soft DNF for me, and it's been a long time since I've DNf'd anyyything.
People keep saying they love the banter but what? Banter!? It's just Anji talk talk talking and Hawk telling her to shut up, Anji tries to escape, almost dies, and repeat.
Maybe I just need to be in a different mind set???? Or it's just not for me. Idk
People keep saying they love the banter but what? Banter!? It's just Anji talk talk talking and Hawk telling her to shut up, Anji tries to escape, almost dies, and repeat.
Maybe I just need to be in a different mind set???? Or it's just not for me. Idk
August 22, 2025
This book has a great cover and a great title. Unfortunately, the former is misleading because it raises your expectations and the latter because while the book does begin with the titular regicide, a more accurate title would be “Anji Killed a King” or “Anji Walks in the Woods Bitching for 350 Pages.”
Because that is the plot of this book. Conceptually, that’s not a huge issue; The Blacktongue Thief was excellent and did that. I’ve seen people compare this book to that one and it must be because they’re both road-trip books as it can’t possibly be because Anji even approaches Blacktongue Thief’s sophisticated worldbuilding and humor and precision application of horror. (Stop comparing this book to Blacktongue Thief. It’s setting people up for failure.)
In reality, the plot of this book is a huge issue, because it is super boring. This book is (spoilers?) Anji is caught by the Hawk. Anji complains to the Hawk while they walk in the wilderness. Anji meets someone who the Hawk knows. Anji and the Hawk fight something. Repeat.
So yeah, a road-trip book where the episodes that punctuate the travel are uncommonly banal. Alright, but books like that can still work if that have interesting characters or worldbuilding.
But you know we wouldn’t be here if that was the case.
Our main duo consists of Anji, a plucky young girl of the working classes who lucked her way into assassinating the local monarch because something something her parents were in the Rebel Alliance, I think? (Quick aside about this: How bad is the security in this palace? Anji is a laundrymaid who was covering for another laundrymaid when she just spur-of-the-moment decided to attempt murder. She didn’t have a plan to kill the king, and I have no idea why she or any other member of the laundry staff are allowed in the king’s chamber at all; you’d think that there would be body servants who remove the king’s dirty clothes and bring them to the laundry to spare him the distasteful sight of the behind-the-scenes staff. This weirdness is explained by the fact that “servants are invisible” and excuse me but invisible enough for a non-usual servant to walk past the guards at the front door of the king’s private rooms without either them or the king himself having questions about that? I know this is supposed to be some sort of anti-classism message and people say things like this all the time in fantasy and historical novels but I just don’t believe it in this case.)
So Anji has killed a king for the least interesting reason possible and then is extremely annoyed and confused when she is arrested and her captor is kind of mean to her about it. She is remarkably irritating and I think at least partially on purpose, but Leikam is not yet a skilled enough writer to make that kind of character work.
The other member of our main team is the Hawk, who is an older assassin/mercenary-type with not-so-secret secret loyalties to the resistance and a bunch of baby’s-first-grimdark former friends who are very incompetently trying to hunt our heroes down.
I’m bored of talking about this so let’s get to the thing that absolutely sank this book for me: the punctuation.
Someone—please, please someone—take the em dashes away from Evan Leikam. I get it, alright? They are also my favorite punctuation mark (look at me using them in just this paragraph!), but the problem is not that they exist, it is what they enable. For example, note the following lines, all of which appear on page 40:
You see what I’m getting at? Characters in Anji are interrupted by each other so often that 1) I noticed it in the first place and 2) I eventually felt compelled to go through the entire book and count how many times a character’s dialogue (or, on occasion, the prose) was cut off with an em dash.
It was 218 times. In a 344-page book. That’s more than every other page, on average (and this is not counting characters stuttering within sentences or using dependent clauses or when they trail off with an ellipsis).
I cannot stress how distracting this was. This single-handedly knocked this book down to one star. And I get that this is a personal problem, since no one else is mentioning it in their reviews, and to be fair to Mr. Leikam, he is a first-time author. This is absolutely a failure of editing.
And that really sucks, because while I don’t know that these characters and their story would ever have worked well for me personally, the reviews here indicate that plenty of people thought that this was at least a good book; with proper editing, many more might have thought that it was a great one, and I’m sorry that Leikam’s debut work wasn’t treated with that level of care.
More fool me for reading this right on the heels of The Wisdom of Crowds, which could not have helped. (Did you know that Evan Leikam did an event with Joe Abercrombie as part of The Devils book tour? I’m sure he’s a lovely person and would do a great job co-hosting a book event, but like... putting Anji up next to Abercrombie does no services to the former and only makes the latter look better by comparison, which isn’t really the dynamic you want on your book tour.)
Because that is the plot of this book. Conceptually, that’s not a huge issue; The Blacktongue Thief was excellent and did that. I’ve seen people compare this book to that one and it must be because they’re both road-trip books as it can’t possibly be because Anji even approaches Blacktongue Thief’s sophisticated worldbuilding and humor and precision application of horror. (Stop comparing this book to Blacktongue Thief. It’s setting people up for failure.)
In reality, the plot of this book is a huge issue, because it is super boring. This book is (spoilers?) Anji is caught by the Hawk. Anji complains to the Hawk while they walk in the wilderness. Anji meets someone who the Hawk knows. Anji and the Hawk fight something. Repeat.
So yeah, a road-trip book where the episodes that punctuate the travel are uncommonly banal. Alright, but books like that can still work if that have interesting characters or worldbuilding.
But you know we wouldn’t be here if that was the case.
Our main duo consists of Anji, a plucky young girl of the working classes who lucked her way into assassinating the local monarch because something something her parents were in the Rebel Alliance, I think? (Quick aside about this: How bad is the security in this palace? Anji is a laundrymaid who was covering for another laundrymaid when she just spur-of-the-moment decided to attempt murder. She didn’t have a plan to kill the king, and I have no idea why she or any other member of the laundry staff are allowed in the king’s chamber at all; you’d think that there would be body servants who remove the king’s dirty clothes and bring them to the laundry to spare him the distasteful sight of the behind-the-scenes staff. This weirdness is explained by the fact that “servants are invisible” and excuse me but invisible enough for a non-usual servant to walk past the guards at the front door of the king’s private rooms without either them or the king himself having questions about that? I know this is supposed to be some sort of anti-classism message and people say things like this all the time in fantasy and historical novels but I just don’t believe it in this case.)
So Anji has killed a king for the least interesting reason possible and then is extremely annoyed and confused when she is arrested and her captor is kind of mean to her about it. She is remarkably irritating and I think at least partially on purpose, but Leikam is not yet a skilled enough writer to make that kind of character work.
The other member of our main team is the Hawk, who is an older assassin/mercenary-type with not-so-secret secret loyalties to the resistance and a bunch of baby’s-first-grimdark former friends who are very incompetently trying to hunt our heroes down.
I’m bored of talking about this so let’s get to the thing that absolutely sank this book for me: the punctuation.
Someone—please, please someone—take the em dashes away from Evan Leikam. I get it, alright? They are also my favorite punctuation mark (look at me using them in just this paragraph!), but the problem is not that they exist, it is what they enable. For example, note the following lines, all of which appear on page 40:
“Stop it, girl, I’m not in the—”
“Quiet, there’s—”
“I said I’m—”
Not now, not so soon, it can’t be over now, it can’t—
You see what I’m getting at? Characters in Anji are interrupted by each other so often that 1) I noticed it in the first place and 2) I eventually felt compelled to go through the entire book and count how many times a character’s dialogue (or, on occasion, the prose) was cut off with an em dash.
It was 218 times. In a 344-page book. That’s more than every other page, on average (and this is not counting characters stuttering within sentences or using dependent clauses or when they trail off with an ellipsis).
I cannot stress how distracting this was. This single-handedly knocked this book down to one star. And I get that this is a personal problem, since no one else is mentioning it in their reviews, and to be fair to Mr. Leikam, he is a first-time author. This is absolutely a failure of editing.
And that really sucks, because while I don’t know that these characters and their story would ever have worked well for me personally, the reviews here indicate that plenty of people thought that this was at least a good book; with proper editing, many more might have thought that it was a great one, and I’m sorry that Leikam’s debut work wasn’t treated with that level of care.
More fool me for reading this right on the heels of The Wisdom of Crowds, which could not have helped. (Did you know that Evan Leikam did an event with Joe Abercrombie as part of The Devils book tour? I’m sure he’s a lovely person and would do a great job co-hosting a book event, but like... putting Anji up next to Abercrombie does no services to the former and only makes the latter look better by comparison, which isn’t really the dynamic you want on your book tour.)
May 15, 2025
ok, this is hard to write, both because I fell in love with the premise of the book and because this is the first work for the author.
This book has a nice premise, the world seems vibrant at first (mind you, a grim dark fantasy can still have vibrant world)... but it really feels unpolished as a book.
the Worldbuilding is too confusing. It's really difficult to grasp and doesn't get easier going through. How maxia works (the magic system) is barely touched (it's not even a soft magic system, there are hints at rules, such as the idea that Maria consumes your life...but they are not clearly laid out).
The whole religious conflict is vague at the start... it could have been expanded EARLY in the book, so to give readers a better idea of the factions into play (and give extra poignancy when said factions were encountered). geographically speaking, there are some nods at the layout of the world... and then a full geographic dump midbook (which disrupts the pace and feels incredibly forced, considering those places will not come into play AT ALL in the story).
character-wise, they feel dark and gritty sure...but also shallow.
Hawk's motivation behind her life as an assassin? oh well, she just followed orders. like...really?
the Bear seems to be this sort of leader/religious fanatic but we never see her perspective, she just sounds crazy and unbelievable.
Lynx is killed right away.
Ox is just the Hawk (but worse at fighting and cooking) and a bit of Bear (but worse at being a brainwashed zealot).
The Goat is another contradiction: you have a character able to use magic (sorry, maxia) but then he fights by transforming himself in a hulking berserker (and again, seems a waste, considering the guy is able to make barriers or remove teeth just by chanting spells). like... wouldn't the Ox be a better fitting, for a melee, enhanced fighter? couldn't we have her fighting enlarged and leave the magic to the Goat?
overall... characters feel shallow and that's a shame.
the book has good ideas. you can see the author tried and there's a much bigger world behind what he wrote... but it's laid out too confusing here.
it's a shame, if this book would have benefitted from another round of reviews and editing, it would have been a small jewel.
like this though, you can clearly see a tangle of ideas that really needed to be further polished (and maybe simplified) in order to work properly.
I am deeply sorry, but this book is not a 4-star. We are not even close to a "Brandon Sanderson-level here" in terms of writing.
such a high rate It's more damaging to it, since it inflates expectations.
This book has a nice premise, the world seems vibrant at first (mind you, a grim dark fantasy can still have vibrant world)... but it really feels unpolished as a book.
the Worldbuilding is too confusing. It's really difficult to grasp and doesn't get easier going through. How maxia works (the magic system) is barely touched (it's not even a soft magic system, there are hints at rules, such as the idea that Maria consumes your life...but they are not clearly laid out).
The whole religious conflict is vague at the start... it could have been expanded EARLY in the book, so to give readers a better idea of the factions into play (and give extra poignancy when said factions were encountered). geographically speaking, there are some nods at the layout of the world... and then a full geographic dump midbook (which disrupts the pace and feels incredibly forced, considering those places will not come into play AT ALL in the story).
character-wise, they feel dark and gritty sure...but also shallow.
Hawk's motivation behind her life as an assassin? oh well, she just followed orders. like...really?
the Bear seems to be this sort of leader/religious fanatic but we never see her perspective, she just sounds crazy and unbelievable.
Lynx is killed right away.
Ox is just the Hawk (but worse at fighting and cooking) and a bit of Bear (but worse at being a brainwashed zealot).
The Goat is another contradiction: you have a character able to use magic (sorry, maxia) but then he fights by transforming himself in a hulking berserker (and again, seems a waste, considering the guy is able to make barriers or remove teeth just by chanting spells). like... wouldn't the Ox be a better fitting, for a melee, enhanced fighter? couldn't we have her fighting enlarged and leave the magic to the Goat?
overall... characters feel shallow and that's a shame.
the book has good ideas. you can see the author tried and there's a much bigger world behind what he wrote... but it's laid out too confusing here.
it's a shame, if this book would have benefitted from another round of reviews and editing, it would have been a small jewel.
like this though, you can clearly see a tangle of ideas that really needed to be further polished (and maybe simplified) in order to work properly.
I am deeply sorry, but this book is not a 4-star. We are not even close to a "Brandon Sanderson-level here" in terms of writing.
such a high rate It's more damaging to it, since it inflates expectations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2025
Terrible writing. The broad strokes were there, beats in the right place, but the author couldn't remember his own world. This place is in the south but also the north, they live in a basement beneath a chandler's with an attic room, people drink from things they didn't take, get back on a horse they never dismounted. Similes and adjectives that don't make any sense with what they're trying to describe, scenes are described in exhaustive detail in every place they visit, when it doesn't matter and not even with any beauty in the writing. If something is on the map, they WILL visit it, and nowhere else exists. Typos abound after the halfway mark.
I barely struggled through because of a reading challenge. I want my time back.
I barely struggled through because of a reading challenge. I want my time back.
April 28, 2025
I’m not sure how Evan Leikam snagged Moira Quirk for his debut but I’m delighted – she’s one of my favorite narrators!
If Evanston Leikam and Antonia Hodgson (The Raven Scholar - Eternal Path Series) aren’t critique partners, they should be as they create their trilogies. There are some unique elements that felt complimentary to each other. Like if you loved the animal/human personalities in Raven, you’ll definitely want to get hooked on this series as well.
My thanks to #MacAudio2025 for the ARC on this. Solid start- I adore this level of dialogue. Looking forward to book 2.
If Evanston Leikam and Antonia Hodgson (The Raven Scholar - Eternal Path Series) aren’t critique partners, they should be as they create their trilogies. There are some unique elements that felt complimentary to each other. Like if you loved the animal/human personalities in Raven, you’ll definitely want to get hooked on this series as well.
My thanks to #MacAudio2025 for the ARC on this. Solid start- I adore this level of dialogue. Looking forward to book 2.
Read
November 12, 2025🐉 Fantasy Adventure
🔪 Assassins
🩶 Morally grey everything
❌ No romance
👵 👧 Grumpy old lady & younger girl
Anji Kills a King is an action fantasy romp and a relatively quick "beach read" of a fantasy for anyone looking for something a little different. It focuses on Anji, a servant who kills a tyrannical king and flees. She is pursued by the menagerie- a group of assassins in animal masks, and caught by one known as the Hawk, who seems to have fractured from the group somehow. The two travel though a country in turmoil as the Hawk tries to turn her in solo to claim the bounty for her own.
This is a relatively rare case of a grumpy old WOMAN with a fun and snarky young girl character- though Anji isn't a child, she is immature and traumatized. The bulk and heart of the book is relationship between Anji and the Hawk, which is often centered around bickering and a slowburn of understanding and friendship. The Hawk is by all measure a miserable woman with layers that must be peeled back slowly, and the story focuses a lot on how Anji and her realize they have more in common than expected.
The other characters largely exist to push the plot forward. The assassins have interesting traits about them and are very weird (think Full Metal Alchemists 7 deadly sins types) , but they are ultimately used as villains and plot devices.
The relationships to develop slowly, and without the inclusion of any other real friends for Anji, I did occasionally get bored reading the story.
Overall I liked this story and felt it had something different to offer VS other books ive read recently. I highly recommend picking it up if you like anything fantasy assassin focused. The ending is fantastic and im extremely excited about book 2.
🔪 Assassins
🩶 Morally grey everything
❌ No romance
👵 👧 Grumpy old lady & younger girl
Anji Kills a King is an action fantasy romp and a relatively quick "beach read" of a fantasy for anyone looking for something a little different. It focuses on Anji, a servant who kills a tyrannical king and flees. She is pursued by the menagerie- a group of assassins in animal masks, and caught by one known as the Hawk, who seems to have fractured from the group somehow. The two travel though a country in turmoil as the Hawk tries to turn her in solo to claim the bounty for her own.
This is a relatively rare case of a grumpy old WOMAN with a fun and snarky young girl character- though Anji isn't a child, she is immature and traumatized. The bulk and heart of the book is relationship between Anji and the Hawk, which is often centered around bickering and a slowburn of understanding and friendship. The Hawk is by all measure a miserable woman with layers that must be peeled back slowly, and the story focuses a lot on how Anji and her realize they have more in common than expected.
The other characters largely exist to push the plot forward. The assassins have interesting traits about them and are very weird (think Full Metal Alchemists 7 deadly sins types) , but they are ultimately used as villains and plot devices.
The relationships to develop slowly, and without the inclusion of any other real friends for Anji, I did occasionally get bored reading the story.
Overall I liked this story and felt it had something different to offer VS other books ive read recently. I highly recommend picking it up if you like anything fantasy assassin focused. The ending is fantastic and im extremely excited about book 2.
June 28, 2025
In a land where it’s cold everywhere all the time, a gap-toothed, foul-mouthed laundress slits a tyrant king’s throat. She then flees north, pursued by a bunch of famed bounty hunters, and stupidly stops to get drunk where a cranky drug addict in a magic bird mask captures her. As the discordant duo trudge through the various regions of Yem, Anji rotates between incessant questions, threats of violence, and begging for freedom - a cycle that’s repetitive, but not without purpose. There’s a horny goat with a cruel streak, hilt-deep stabbing, enchanted tethers, and powdery meth that makes you spit black. Will Anji’s smart mouth do her in before the gallows can? Does soup get crusty? It turns out, chipping the tip won't crumble the mountain - a pertinent message given the current political climate. Does one need all 10 fingers to lead a revolution? Maybe we’ll find out in book 2.
September 28, 2025
This might have been a somewhat plodding fantasy novel, but there was no romance in it at all and I appreciated that.
May 23, 2025
3.5 stars
This might be a weird way to describe this book, but I felt like there was no chemistry between the story and the reader. The book was just there... while had a hard time stirring anything up or doing something special. This was just that, a fantasy book, nothing more, nothing less.
This is quite a small story, this is no all-encompassing epic story. I had different expectations going into this, I had to adjust them fairly quickly. Somehow I thought this book would be funny at times, it isn't.
I think this is a good starting point if you're not ready for big epic fantasy yet, but you do want something gritty. It gets very gritty at some points, you'll have to be able to stomach torture and grisly executions. The world itself is very grim and there is not an ounce of hope or happiness to be found anywhere. I don't mind grimdark-like fantasy, but again, my thoughts going into this were more along the lines of this having adventure-quest content.
If you want to read it, just go into it without any expectations. I have so little to say that I feel like I'm just repeating myself constantly, but honestly, what is there to say about a book that does nothing wrong, but isn't invoking anything at the same time?
This might be a weird way to describe this book, but I felt like there was no chemistry between the story and the reader. The book was just there... while had a hard time stirring anything up or doing something special. This was just that, a fantasy book, nothing more, nothing less.
This is quite a small story, this is no all-encompassing epic story. I had different expectations going into this, I had to adjust them fairly quickly. Somehow I thought this book would be funny at times, it isn't.
I think this is a good starting point if you're not ready for big epic fantasy yet, but you do want something gritty. It gets very gritty at some points, you'll have to be able to stomach torture and grisly executions. The world itself is very grim and there is not an ounce of hope or happiness to be found anywhere. I don't mind grimdark-like fantasy, but again, my thoughts going into this were more along the lines of this having adventure-quest content.
If you want to read it, just go into it without any expectations. I have so little to say that I feel like I'm just repeating myself constantly, but honestly, what is there to say about a book that does nothing wrong, but isn't invoking anything at the same time?
May 7, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ This is an absolute triumph as a debut for Evan Leikam.
This had all the makings of a classic, thoroughly enjoyable epic fantasy. Traversing the world and seeing the people, cityscapes and terrain up close and personal. ✔️ Unruly magic and systems set in place to "control" the users of said abilities. ✔️ Corrupt religious organizations and an even more corrupt monarchy. ✔️ Miserly assassin and a hot-headed runaway combo. ✔️
This was a story of rising above your station through whatever means available and necessary, regardless of the moral dilemmas one might face while clawing their way higher. Through grit, grief, desperation and outright violence, we watch our MCs face unspeakable evil (both human and supernatural) all while trying to survive just another night in an oppressively cruel world.
The twists and turns in the final 20% of the book had me gaping and near-tears... it was one of the MOST satisfying endings to a book that I've read in a long time.
And to speak on the narration done by Moira Quirk: an absolute masterful job done. I'll be looking for more books read by her; she breathed life into the characters and world of this story.
The only reason I didn't give this a 5 ⭐️ review was due to the somewhat repetitive dialogue/plot/pacing. A good chunk of their journey could have been cut shorter or the same arguments they were having could have been omitted once or twice. Otherwise, this story was quick, sharp and engaging.
I truly hope we see more of this world in the future!
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book early and share my honest review. All reviews will be posted to my socials (Netgalley, Goodreads, Fable, IG).
This had all the makings of a classic, thoroughly enjoyable epic fantasy. Traversing the world and seeing the people, cityscapes and terrain up close and personal. ✔️ Unruly magic and systems set in place to "control" the users of said abilities. ✔️ Corrupt religious organizations and an even more corrupt monarchy. ✔️ Miserly assassin and a hot-headed runaway combo. ✔️
This was a story of rising above your station through whatever means available and necessary, regardless of the moral dilemmas one might face while clawing their way higher. Through grit, grief, desperation and outright violence, we watch our MCs face unspeakable evil (both human and supernatural) all while trying to survive just another night in an oppressively cruel world.
The twists and turns in the final 20% of the book had me gaping and near-tears... it was one of the MOST satisfying endings to a book that I've read in a long time.
And to speak on the narration done by Moira Quirk: an absolute masterful job done. I'll be looking for more books read by her; she breathed life into the characters and world of this story.
The only reason I didn't give this a 5 ⭐️ review was due to the somewhat repetitive dialogue/plot/pacing. A good chunk of their journey could have been cut shorter or the same arguments they were having could have been omitted once or twice. Otherwise, this story was quick, sharp and engaging.
I truly hope we see more of this world in the future!
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book early and share my honest review. All reviews will be posted to my socials (Netgalley, Goodreads, Fable, IG).
May 29, 2025
This is not a spoiler; all you have to do is read the title to know that Anji does kill a king. Right away, actually! Anji, a servant laundress, assassinates a tyrannical king pretty much because she is given the opportunity to. Awesome. Knowing she will be in trouble, she grabs her stuff and gets the hell out of dodge. The Hawk is a member of the Menagerie, the five most infamous bounty hunters in the kingdom, each donning magical animal masks that grant them supernatural abilities. It doesn't take long for the Hawk to capture Anji and imprison her physically and magically--which is really cool, like an invisible leash where she can't go past a certain distance away from her. And so begins our story, where Anji is imprisoned for almost all of it. Anji is fiery and never stops trying to escape and fighting the Hawk at every opportunity. The Hawk is a grizzled, drug-addicted veteran whose motives are unclear. Their cat-and-mouse dynamic forms the backbone of the story. The Hawk's motives are the mystery of our tale--she doesn't quite make sense. There's a lot of action and bloodshed, which I am here for (minus the animal death). It is not an overly complicated fantasy, it's easily digestible. I think it would actually be a great place for people to start who are looking to dip a toe into epic fantasy, without diving straight into something like The Stormlight Archive. The last 1/3 is really good and sets book two up for likely an expansion on the world and politics.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 913 reviews