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The Rotten King
Not yet published
Expected 23 Jun 26All roads lead to Helvia, the oldest city on the island of Vurinis. A sell-sword, the local lord, and a witch must work together to guide the city through disaster—a series of gruesome murders, monsters, and assassins lurking in the dark corners.
Lyrant is a sell-sword who has grown tired of his harsh life on the road. When trying to escape his mercenary company, they face a monster fiercer than any could hope to fight, so Lyrant flees. He runs to the last place he felt safe, but Helvia has become a different city in his absence. Marked as an outsider by his magic, Lyrant doesn’t know if he’ll ever find a true home. And he doesn’t know if he can with a curse chasing him.
Melyon only wishes for peace but, as the lord of Helvia, it is the only luxury he cannot afford. Between the squabbles of the council, and the growing rumors of an army in the east, he fights to balance the trials of being lord with the secrets buried in his past.
Teriel knows the magic of the swamps but, after leaving her home, she finds herself facing the unknown. Rivers are replaced with cobblestone streets, and trees traded for buildings. The city of Helvia is a different beast, its politics more venomous than any snake. Teriel must navigate the dangers of being second to the lord, while also remaining true to herself.
Shadows stalk the streets and, in the swamps, the dead have begun to walk. As trouble brews in the city of Helvia, will the walls be strong enough to hold or will their own secrets tear them apart?
Lyrant is a sell-sword who has grown tired of his harsh life on the road. When trying to escape his mercenary company, they face a monster fiercer than any could hope to fight, so Lyrant flees. He runs to the last place he felt safe, but Helvia has become a different city in his absence. Marked as an outsider by his magic, Lyrant doesn’t know if he’ll ever find a true home. And he doesn’t know if he can with a curse chasing him.
Melyon only wishes for peace but, as the lord of Helvia, it is the only luxury he cannot afford. Between the squabbles of the council, and the growing rumors of an army in the east, he fights to balance the trials of being lord with the secrets buried in his past.
Teriel knows the magic of the swamps but, after leaving her home, she finds herself facing the unknown. Rivers are replaced with cobblestone streets, and trees traded for buildings. The city of Helvia is a different beast, its politics more venomous than any snake. Teriel must navigate the dangers of being second to the lord, while also remaining true to herself.
Shadows stalk the streets and, in the swamps, the dead have begun to walk. As trouble brews in the city of Helvia, will the walls be strong enough to hold or will their own secrets tear them apart?
- GenresFantasy
Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 23, 2026
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
The Rotten King by T.G Willow
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Rotten King is a heavy and immersive high fantasy that fully commits to its world. We follow Melyon, Lord of Helvia and vampire hiding his true nature, Terri, a feared witch with a complicated connection to him, and Lyrant, a hired sword whose magic makes him an outcast. What unfolds is a layered story of characters whose fates are intertwined.
The vampires... This delivered and then some! The different classes and types were so well thought out, and if you are looking for something gory, fresh, and deliciously dark, this is absolutely it.
The world building is exceptional, the character development is strong, and the action and battle scenes kept me completely engaged. The romance is exactly what it promises, a meaningful subplot that does not overshadow the main story but adds real emotional weight throughout.
This is not a book you pick up and finish in a day. It is a commitment, and the beginning asks for patience while the author lays the foundation, but it pays off. By the end you will have feelings. Many of them. A great choice for fans of epic high fantasy who love rich lore, complex characters, and layered storytelling.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Rotten King is a heavy and immersive high fantasy that fully commits to its world. We follow Melyon, Lord of Helvia and vampire hiding his true nature, Terri, a feared witch with a complicated connection to him, and Lyrant, a hired sword whose magic makes him an outcast. What unfolds is a layered story of characters whose fates are intertwined.
The vampires... This delivered and then some! The different classes and types were so well thought out, and if you are looking for something gory, fresh, and deliciously dark, this is absolutely it.
The world building is exceptional, the character development is strong, and the action and battle scenes kept me completely engaged. The romance is exactly what it promises, a meaningful subplot that does not overshadow the main story but adds real emotional weight throughout.
This is not a book you pick up and finish in a day. It is a commitment, and the beginning asks for patience while the author lays the foundation, but it pays off. By the end you will have feelings. Many of them. A great choice for fans of epic high fantasy who love rich lore, complex characters, and layered storytelling.
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC review of The Rotten King
“The Rotten King with his rotten throne
Lurking in his mountain home
Waiting ‘til the time is right
To steal you in the midst of night”
—Children’s Rhyme
This was grimdark, with sex appeal and the masochist in me loved it.
There are vampires, zombies and dragons, but not the way you’ve seen them before. There’s magic and gods and shapeshifting (and boy do I hope to get more details on these in the next book).
There’s a whole cast of interesting, morally grey characters. They are placed in situations that require them to do whatever is necessary to survive. Some don’t cope well. Some embrace it, showing just how feral they can be when the opportunity arises.
The story steadily builds in suspense where every question I had answered led to more questions. The climax seemed almost unsustainable, with one crushing blow after another. But there was a tiny shred of hope stringing me along. The ending was more an intermission, but was satisfying.
This book gave me amazing visuals (the grotesque psychedelic fungus knight?! the tabletop animancer wearing only bone clothes?). It also had me writing fanfic in my head - Lyrant is my fave baby boy and deserves all the romance!
“The Rotten King with his rotten throne
Lurking in his mountain home
Waiting ‘til the time is right
To steal you in the midst of night”
—Children’s Rhyme
This was grimdark, with sex appeal and the masochist in me loved it.
There are vampires, zombies and dragons, but not the way you’ve seen them before. There’s magic and gods and shapeshifting (and boy do I hope to get more details on these in the next book).
There’s a whole cast of interesting, morally grey characters. They are placed in situations that require them to do whatever is necessary to survive. Some don’t cope well. Some embrace it, showing just how feral they can be when the opportunity arises.
The story steadily builds in suspense where every question I had answered led to more questions. The climax seemed almost unsustainable, with one crushing blow after another. But there was a tiny shred of hope stringing me along. The ending was more an intermission, but was satisfying.
This book gave me amazing visuals (the grotesque psychedelic fungus knight?! the tabletop animancer wearing only bone clothes?). It also had me writing fanfic in my head - Lyrant is my fave baby boy and deserves all the romance!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Honest Review points from an ARC reader.
-This book is a highly immersive fantasy. The world building was impressive. It was descriptive without feeling fluffy.
-There was great character development, they felt diverse and multi layered. There was good character growth.
-I enjoyed the insights to the complicated relationships. Many books, lack this important detail in my opinion.
-The romance doesn’t overtake the entire story, but rather compliments it.
-This is a longer book which requires some patience. This being a true fantasy read, this means the author took time to lay a solid foundation.
-I do feel as though the biggest issue some readers will have is pacing. Some parts felt a little slow, so some may find this a difficult read. It is very much a fantasy read, which means the world building, character building, a relationship building takes time. But it is worth it in the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. And I would highly recommend to others!
-This book is a highly immersive fantasy. The world building was impressive. It was descriptive without feeling fluffy.
-There was great character development, they felt diverse and multi layered. There was good character growth.
-I enjoyed the insights to the complicated relationships. Many books, lack this important detail in my opinion.
-The romance doesn’t overtake the entire story, but rather compliments it.
-This is a longer book which requires some patience. This being a true fantasy read, this means the author took time to lay a solid foundation.
-I do feel as though the biggest issue some readers will have is pacing. Some parts felt a little slow, so some may find this a difficult read. It is very much a fantasy read, which means the world building, character building, a relationship building takes time. But it is worth it in the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. And I would highly recommend to others!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I'm definitely bias as I am one half of the duo who wrote this book! But after nine years of work and countless re-reads it's thrilling to officially mark it here. It's got all of my favorite things.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews