Ruination

by Anthony Reynolds

The first ever novel set in the blockbuster universe of League of Legends, one of the most popular video games of all time, Ruination is an epic tale of magic, revenge, and an empire on the verge of ruin.

Camavor is a brutal land with a bloody legacy. Where the empire’s knights go, slaughter follows.

Kalista seeks to change that. When her young and narcissistic uncle, Viego, becomes king, she vows to temper his destructive instincts, as his loyal confidant, advisor, and military general. But her plans are thwarted when an assassin’s poisoned blade strikes Viego’s wife, Isolde, afflicting her with a malady for which there is no cure.

As Isolde’s condition worsens, Viego descends into madness and grief, threatening to drag Camavor down with him. Kalista makes a desperate gambit to save the kingdom: she searches for the long lost Blessed Isles, rumored to hold the queen’s salvation, if only Kalista can find them.

But corruption grows in the Blessed Isles’ capital, where a vengeful warden seeks to ensnare Kalista in his cruel machinations. She will be forced to choose between her loyalty to Viego and doing what she knows is right–for even in the face of utter darkness, one noble act can shine a light that saves the world.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Adventure, High Fantasy, Video Games, Epic Fantasy

448 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2022

About the author

Anthony Reynolds was a Games Developer and manager at Games Workshop in the UK. Since then he's written freelance for a number of companies, including Black Library Publishing, Mantic Games, THQ, Bandai-Namco, Behaviour Interactive, and River Horse Games. He currently lives in California.

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Anthony^Reynolds

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit Books—in exchange for an honest review.

Surprisingly better than I expected. Ruination is a fast-paced and compelling standalone novel in the universe of League of Legends.

“A fool with power is a dangerous thing. And we live in a world overflowing with fools and power. —Extract from “The Helian Primer of Light”

I can confidently say that I, like many fantasy readers here, found out about Ruination by Anthony Reynolds through our adoration for the magnificent and magical show that is called Arcane. Similar to Arcane, Ruination is a canon story taking place in the same universe, Runeterra, as the popular video game: League of Legends. Prior to watching Arcane, I had played League of Legends only once or twice, and I didn’t know about the lore of the universe at all. Arcane was absolutely amazing. It sent me down the rabbit hole of reading and watching videos about the characters and deep lore of the franchise. And I am still so damn far from catching up to everything. This is to say I had no idea about the details of the story inside Ruination, but I did have an idea of where the story might lead. After all, this is a prequel novel to the video game, and this instinct did not diminish my enjoyment of the book. It improved it. And although Ruination may not blow away veteran fantasy readers' minds, if you are looking for an accessible and fast-paced fantasy story, you really cannot go wrong with choosing Ruination to read.

“Invariably, all nations crumble, fall, and are forgotten. And in their final death throes, they often drag others down with them. —The Histories of Empire, volume VI, by Tyrus of Helia

The passage above appeared on the front page of the book. I don’t know about you, but it immediately gave me the spark of ideas on where this story of honor, ambition, loyalty, obsession, revenge, and madness will end up. Whether that will come true or not, that is up to you to find out. But once again, Ruination is a standalone prequel novel—the FIRST ever novel—in the world of League of Legends. The story begins in Camavor, a brutal land with a bloody legacy. Kalista seeks to change that. When her young and narcissistic uncle, Viego, becomes king, she vows to temper his destructive instincts; as his loyal confidant, advisor, and military general. But her plans are thwarted when an assassin’s poisoned blade strikes Viego’s wife, Isolde. As Isolde’s condition worsens due to the poison, Viego descends into madness and grief, threatening to drag Camavor down with him. And Kalista makes a desperate gambit to save the kingdom: she searches for the long-lost Blessed Isles to find a cure to save the queen.

“Better to act and risk a mistake than do nothing, trapped by indecision. —Ancient Camavoran proverb”

It is not far-fetched to say Ruination will become one of the most surprising read for me. It felt like I read at the exact right time. Most of the books I’m reading are big fantasy books, and sometimes it’s good and satisfying to read a great and relatively short standalone fantasy novel like this. Now, Ruination might not become one of your favorite books if you have read many adult epic fantasy books. At least, that's how it went for me. However, I would be lying if I said I did not have a bloody fun time reading it. The main reason I wanted to read Ruination in the first place was to get more out of the world of Runeterra. Arcane has opened the gate of curiosity in me to explore the lore and stories in this world, and I got what I wanted. However, do know the tale told in Ruination regarding Kalista, Viego, Isodel, Hecarim, Ledros, Jenda’kaya, Ryze, and Erlok Grael was only a tiny fraction of the entirety of League of Legends. And I do hope we will get more detailed stories out of this world, whether in the form of another TV show like Arcane or another novel like Ruination. The potential is immense. Just like how one of the main themes of Ruination is to find the capability to keep hope burning in the face of oppressive darkness, I will make sure to keep my hope up more TV shows and novel in the world of Runeterra will come to pass.

“Even when a flame is smothered, and all seems lost, a single ember may be hidden beneath the ashes. As long as that one ember remains burning, all the darkness in the world can be banished. And while it glows, there is hope.”

Whether you are new or a veteran in the fantasy genre, I feel Ruination will result in, at least, an enjoyable read. The themes portrayed can easily resonate with many readers, and the characters in it were either likable or despicable, as they were intentionally written. But if you are new to the fantasy genre and you want to dip your toes first before exploring other more intimidating and complex series, Ruination is one that I can recommend with confidence. It is a standalone fantasy novel, and there is no continuation yet. It is not intimidating. The writing is straightforward, easy to read, and most importantly, the narrative is engaging and hard to put down. My only minor criticism is I wish we got more chapters after what happened at the end of the book. And I am not sure whether this is an issue, but Ruination is guaranteed to make you chase for more stories and background in the world of Runeterra. Enter with caution.

“A good general knows when a fight cannot be won, and when the best option is to retreat. It will hurt, but you’ll be alive. Alive, you can gather your strength and find those you trust to wield your weapons. Then come back and reclaim this city when the time is right. As long as one ember burns, darkness can always be banished. Stay alive, and keep that ember of hope burning.”

Lastly, it needs to be mentioned that the hardcover edition of Ruination is incredibly well-produced. With a gorgeous reversible dust jacket artwork by Valentina Remenar, interior character illustrations by Kudos Productions, maps by Tim Paul, and beautiful chapter icons for the three main POV characters, Orbit Books went above and beyond to make sure the standard hardcover of Ruination looks as beautiful as possible at a standard hardcover price. Heck, there is even a high-quality book trailer animated for it. So well done on that, Orbit Books. It is my selfish and wishful thinking, but I wish all standard hardcovers in the fantasy genre could receive this kind of treatment.

Picture: Ruination by Valentina Remenar



Overall, just like Arcane, Ruination was a superb addition to the League of Legends universe. I’ve seen reviews and thoughts from the players of the game, and the majority of them agreed that this tragic story with a tone of hope, honor, and love is worth reading. The characters, especially Kalista and Ledros, were so likable. I have no idea whether the next book in the series will be a continuation to Ruination or another standalone story in Runeterra, but whatever it is, I will be reading it for sure.

“They are no better than any of you, for all their finery and wealth… They are weak, for they have never had to fight for their place. They’ve been given everything on a silver platter, every privilege, every honor, where you’ve had to fight for everything, every day of your lives. And that makes you stronger than they can ever be.”

You can order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)

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[Aleshia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been playing League of Legends since season 2. I’m hardstuck silver, so 10 years of playing this game certainly hasn’t paid off. I am addicted and keep playing on though. Anyway, 10 years of playing this game and finally they release a book about some of the champions I have known for ages! Playing League of Legends and reading are literally my only two hobbies, so you can imagine my excitement. This novel follows the origins of the Ruined King, Viego, and his military general niece, Kalista. Viego’s wife, Isolde, is terminally ill and in need of a miracle cure. The thought of losing Isolde puts A Thousand Cuts into Viego’s heart. She needs to be saved or Viego will lose his mind and the kingdom of Camavor will suffer for it. After trying countless methods to cure her, it seems all hope is lost until Viego decides to try to find the legendary Blessed Isles for a cure. He doesn’t trust anyone to go and look for them other than Kalista, for she has grand Martial Poise. Fate’s Call then sends Kalista on a journey to save her queen from Damnation. Hopefully it isn’t a Death Sentence.

It’s a pretty straightforward fantasy plot with Kalista going on a journey to locate a Fountain Of Youth-esque island, but develops into its own unique story with League’s lore. I think the best part is the fact that I finally get more to the LoL lore, and I really enjoyed learning about the origins of the Kalista and Viego and how they got to where they are in the game itself. A handful of other champions do make an appearance and are integral to the plot as well, but I don’t want to spoil it. A side note– in the print version of the book there is character art at the end of the novel for each of the champions that do make an appearance, so just another way to avoid spoilers if you want to go in blind (like Lee Sin!). There are also many Easter eggs relating to the game itself. If you’re a fan of League of Legends, you’ll certainly enjoy this. I think it does also work well on it’s own, and people unfamiliar with the game will still enjoy a well-written fantasy quest story. The pacing of the novel is quite smooth– I think it’s well edited and doesn’t linger unnecessarily at any parts. It had good flow and kept the story interesting.

Understandably given League’s gameplay, there are quite a bit of action scenes. I personally tend to struggle with action scenes and generally skim them to get a gist of the outcome. Here, though, I thought all of those were written very well– they were easy to picture and kept me engaged.

If this book had a League of Legends rank, I’d give it Diamond (5 ranks of Iron - Diamond for the Goodreads 5 star scale). LemonNation gives it a nod of approval. This first in what I hope is a whole series of LoL novels is certainly not a worrying trend for Riot Games. Riot pls give us more!

[Nick Borrelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original review posted on my blog OUT of This World SFF:

https://outofthisworldrev.blogspot.co...

RUINATION became my most-anticipated read of 2022 the moment I first saw the stunningly gorgeous cover in an early promotion tweet way back in January. I did a little investigation and discovered that the book was based on and set in the same universe as the extremely popular League of Legends video game by Riot Games and subsequent TV series. Admittedly, I had very limited knowledge of the game or the show going into this, so I was curious to find out if that would have any effect on how much (or how little) I enjoyed the story. Well, my concerns were put to rest pretty quickly and I am happy to say that this story hooked me from the get go and never let me go until the riveting final pages. In fact, it's my favorite fantasy read of the year so far.

The story begins in Camavor where a large celebration is being held in honor of the new king Viego. Many have come from surrounding cities and continents and Viego's new bride Isolde is with him enjoying the festivities. Until an assassin spoils the celebration and ends up grievously injuring Isolde with a tainted magic blade. It's discovered that she is dying and the only hope for her survival could lie in a place that may or may not even exist, the mysterious Blessed Isles. Viego's niece Kalista is a brave warrior in her own right and is the only person who Viego would trust with such a mission. And so an expedition is organized to find the Blessed Isles and ask the leaders there to help the dying queen before it is too late.

From this point it becomes a race against time fraught with peril as the Blessed Isles, if they exist, are thought to be inhabited by a people who have lived in isolation for hundreds, if not thousands of years. How will they react when a group of strangers from a foreign kingdom land on their shores? And will they even be willing to listen to the Camavorians' request for help? It falls upon Kalista and her skills as a negotiator to persuade them should they find the island that may still only be a rumor clouded in the mists of legend and myth.

This book was such an incredibly fun thrill ride which had me enthralled throughout. When a book makes you angry at people and situations that take your time away from reading it, you know that's a magnificent story. It also had one of the most emotionally suspensful endings that made me really on edge for the entire second half, not knowing how things would shake out for the characters that I had grown kind of attached to since meeting them in the opening chapters. Oh and that last 40 pages were just some of the best action sequences and storytelling, period! I both wanted it to end and didn't because I knew that once it was finished I would be wanting another League of Legends book in my hand immediately.

I can't say enough about how this book had me entirely caught under its spell for the week or so that I tore through it. It's an easy book to love as the characters are so fully realized and dynamic, the world-building is of the highest quality, and the lore/history makes you want to continue to discover all of its many tantalizing layers. This book has also made me want to go back and check out all of the different incarnations of this League of Legends universe. Such is the quality of what Anthony Reynolds has given us with this brilliant first novel.

Sometimes I wish I had better words or descriptions to fully capture how I feel about a story. This is definitely one of those times as I'm struggling to fully do justice to what I just read. Suffice to say that you just need to get this book at all costs and sit down with it. And be prepared to never want to be away from it for any length of time. If this is what the first book in this world is like, it's safe to assume that I am going to want to drop everything and get my hands on every future installment at the expense of whatever I may be reading at the time.

Do yourself a favor and pick up RUINATION by Anthony Reynolds. You don't need to have played the game or watch the TV show to enjoy one of the best fantasy books of 2022.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I came to this novel as a book reviewer, rather than a gamer. My husband has played League of Legends, but I've only watched game play. I have, however, watched the fantastic Arcane TV show. While this book is set in the same universe, I don't think you need to have previous experience with Riot Games media in order to read this book.

As a novel, Ruination stood on its own. I did not feel like I was missing any information in order to enjoy this book. The narrative clearly lays out the worldbuilding, characters and plot in a way that was easy to follow.

This was a good fantasy, but honestly it paled compared to the original fantasy works that I have come out from Orbit Books. The story was fine, but there was nothing particular special that made me fall in love with the story.

If you are a fan of the League of Legends universe, then you'll likely want to check out this one. If you are simply a fantasy reader, then this one may underwhelm you if you are comparing it to the works of other modern authors currently writing in the genre.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

For reference, I know basically nothing about League of Legends and am coming at this as a fantasy reviewer rather than a fan of the franchise. As a fantasy novel, Ruination was enjoyable and has a relatively interesting plot, accessible world-building and decent characters. I didn't have a problem understanding what was going on and you can definitely pick this up without knowing the game. That said, while this is competently written, I wasn't particularly impressed with it as a fantasy novel. I got the feeling it would be more fun if I had familiarity with the world and the characters already, because then you get to see things you love on page. If you're a fan of League of Legends, this is probably worth a read. It's a pretty solid novel for a game tie-in and the book itself is of very nice quality. If you aren't familiar with League of Legends, you could probably take it or leave it. But if you want something fun, fantastical, and easy to follow you might give it a try. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

[Uhtred · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried again, once again, to read this type of book, and unfortunately this time too it is confirmed that they are not the kind of book I like to read. Also in this book, the usual sci-fi and somewhat trivial stories of fantastic realms are repeated, populated by creatures that are partly human and partly animal, flying and shooting rays from their hands. It is true that I should have expected it a bit, since it is a novel set in the fantasy universe of League of Legends, one of the most popular video games these days, but here the plot is really trivial and without any significant detail; maybe, only if you're a fan of the game you can appreciate something. Maybe.
The events begin in Camavor, capital of a conquering kingdom of the universe; each time its knights conquer new territory they bring nothing but destruction and death. The protagonist is Kalista, a warrior who would like to stop this devastation; she is the granddaughter of Viego, the king of Camavor. Viego is a psychopath, selfish and vain and Kalista is the only one who can control him a bit, but everything falls when an assassin stabs Viego's wife with a poisoned spear, infecting her with a disease for which there is no cure. Viego then sinks into madness and squanders all the wealth of the kingdom to pay all the magicians who promise to save his wife. One day they tell him that there are Blessed Islands where he can find the cure for his wife: Viego then sends Kalista: the journey is long and full of dangers and once she arrives in Helia, the capital of the Islands, Kalista has to deal with a “Waste”, a guardian thirsty for revenge, who would like to involve her in his machinations towards the kingdom of Helia. Kalista will then be forced to choose whether to remain faithful to Viego or do what she knows is the right thing, which is to leave everything as it is and return to Camavor. I won't go further to avoid spoilers, but you understand that the events are certainly not compelling.
A truly trivial plot and with characters you can't like, either for their heroism or for their irony (which isn't there at all) and who therefore in the end leave you with no memories. A book to forget.

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, wasn’t that just the most pleasant surprise!! I went into this book without any prior knowledge about the wider League of Legends universe (aside from having watched and loved Arcane), so I had no idea what to expect here. Well, I am happy to say that I was completely hooked by the engaging epic fantasy story that I got!

RUINATION mainly follows the story of Kalista, the niece and close advisor of the narcissistic young king, Viego, of Camavor. She wants nothing more than to relieve Camavor of its bloody legacy, but her plans are hindered when the king’s beloved wife falls ill to the poisoned blade of an assassin. Viego takes this hit very poorly and quickly descends into madness, so Kalista takes it upon herself to do anything to heal the queen and keep her country safe. She fares out to the fabled and mysterious Blessed Isles to seek a cure, but her quest soon proves to be more dangerous than anyone could ever have expected.

Now, I think you can definitely feel that this story is set in an existing universe, because the worldbuilding was absolutely tantalising and I was completely immersed. This might be a relatively short fantasy novel, with it being under 500 pages, but it is filled to the brim with rich worldbuilding and intriguing lore.
There was a constant feeling of suspense and intrigue, especially surrounding the mysterious Blessed Isles, which kept me glued to the page. And the story itself is full of interesting revelations and unexpected twists and turns, which made this a super compelling and engaging read.

The character work was also really well done. Kalista was an extremely interesting character to follow and I immediately latched onto her. She is strong, curious, independent, and willing to do anything to save her country. Her relationship to the king was one of my favourite aspects of the book, because it was just so complex, as Viego is the type of character that straddles the line between villain and hero. She clearly cares deeply for him, yet she can’t deny that he is becoming a threat to his own kingdom as his mental state is deteriorating.

We also follow another POV from someone on the Blessed Isles, but I don’t want to say too much about that, because part of the fun was seeing the mysteries surrounding this character unravel. All I will say is that I loved this additional POV and I think it added a nice layer of intrigue to the story. Also, this character is a lot more morally gray than Kalista, which gave the story a bit of a darker tone that I really enjoyed!
I loved reading from both of these perspectives and seeing their storylines converge was extremely satisfying. Really effective and suspenseful storytelling, in my opinion!

Now, while I liked the ending of this story, I do have to say that I felt like it was a bit rushed. This book is fairly fast-paced the entire way through, but the final resolution happened at such a breakneck speed that supposedly hard hitting and emotional moments completely lost their impact for me.
I wish there had been another 25-50 or so pages to dive deeper and to see the fall-out, because in theory this conclusion was very satisfying, but the execution just wasn’t my favourite.

So, overall I really enjoyed this book and I am so glad I just took a leap of faith and went into this blind. RUINATION was an incredibly engaging and intriguing fantasy adventure and I am really looking forward to more stories set in this universe.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Rob Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I'll start off saying I did know a little bit of the LoL lore before going into this book, but not much, and don't think any pre-knowledge is necessary to read it.

It's a fun novel. Lots of interesting characters, and some really fun sections. All detailing the start of what is essentially an apocalypse level war in the world. There were a few eye-rolling moments though, and I wish it had spent more time with Viego's descent into madness. But overall a short, fun read and a good introduction in the world of League of Legends.

[Volpe Nera · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐️

Це була кайфова пригода. Реально епічне фентезі, з цікавими персонажами, всесвітом і подіями. Відірватися було важко і 400 сторінок промайнули непомітно

Фентезі не 100% мій жанр, я капризна в ньому, а ця книга змусила мене зануритися у цей світ божевільного короля, бойової принцеси та підступного злодія, який хотів помститися за образи. І разом ця купка призвела до епічної руйнації всього.

В гру не грала, але тут і не треба
Для мене це була самостійна книжка і не викликала дискомфорту

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well damn. Riot's learned how to write books. That was one hell of a ride

[˙⋆✮ Anny ✮⋆˙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I, as many others, watched Arcane and fell completely in love with it (that's an understatement). Then I immersed myself in the lore and now call myself a LoL fangirl without ever having played the game. So when this book was announced I of course had to read it! It does perfectly stand on its own though and you don't need any prior knowledge to enjoy this as a solid, well written fantasy adventure. If you do know some things about Runeterra, you'll find a number of hints and easter eggs and this is why I'm rating it 5 stars. I'd say it's a satisfying book for both "casual" fantasy fans and those invested in LoL lore.

The writing wasn't outstanding, but still pretty good, and I found myself wanting to read on and on.
I'm not going into depths about the story here, I'm just gonna say it was interesting and especially towards the end very action packed. It has ancient magic, fantastical creatures and diverse characters and everything you love about a typical fantasy novel.

What really made it for me was that I knew how it was gonna end. That may sound weird, but it made me even more invested in the story since it explains the how behind the given outcome. I recognized quite a few names throughout the story and made some assumptions, some of which were confirmed in the end. I loved that and I found myself smiling a couple of times, thinking if you know, you know...

I would definitely recommend Ruination to every fantasy fan looking for a good time! Although, the ending...no, I'm not saying more! Don't let yourself be irritated or fooled by the "a League of Legends novel" subtitle. It's a well plotted, well structured novel with lots to enjoy and I hope Riot will publish more books in the future because this world is huge with so many interesting characters!

[John McDermott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I know nothing about A League of Legends, the online game, but I am a huge fan of Arcane,the TV series. Therefore, I was very much looking forward to reading Ruination.
It certainly lived up to my expectations, and I greatly enjoyed it. The book was great fun and had an almost old school feel - not a grimdark in any way and a stand-alone of reasonable length.
Not having knowledge about the game didn't spoil my enjoyment, but those who do will definitely get a kick out of reading about their favourite characters.
Recommended.

[Whimsical · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Wow wow wwwwwwooooooooowwww! This book was soooooo much fun! The climax and ending were killer!

Do you need to know about League of Legends to read this, no! This was an entertaining book with very intriguing characters and personalities within! The world building is great and I did enjoy the magical elements to the story. The plot is where I would dock half a star because or pacing in the middle of the read but the ending absolutely made up for it!

The characters are where it’s at. I love that there were things that I couldn’t predict as a reader. The diversity within the cast was great and the changes in settings were refreshing to read through.

Perfect read for fantasy readers in between larger tombs!

The audiobook has a cast of narrators which elevated the experience for me as well. Can we please take a moment to enjoy how beautiful the physical book is with the character art!!!

[Ben Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This was a great read whether your familiar with the world of League of Legends or not.

I was afraid reading this book would make me want to play league again. Thankfully it didn't (a win for my mental lol). Instead it I want to play the ruined king again and finally complete it :)

I hope we get more book releases from riot.
__

Ruination follows different threads that lead to the reason for the book's title. From Viego's descent into madness while searching for a cure to the poison afflicting his wife, to the corruption lying beneath the utopian veneer of the Blessed Isles. Our character's paths circle and cross; friendships, betrayals, and doomed love left in their wake after the action packed culmination.

[J.J. Garza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novela muy sorpresiva. Uno no espera que un tie-in de un videojuego (y uno conocido por cierta cultura) lo mantenga tan entretenido y animado. Tampoco, que la historia resulte tonalmente muy distinta a lo que uno se imagina. Cuatro estrellas por la gratísima sorpresa.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Video game novels have always scared me a little bit, but this was surprisingly fun.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been lucky enough to receive an ARC of this gorgeous novel and I dived right into it.

„Ruination” is finally here and we get the chance to see the real events behind the story of the Ruined King and the Shadow Isles. While most of the League of Legends players already know the main idea of the novel it is truly fascinating to read about the events and the choices the characters made that led there.

The book really is for everyone. You don’t have to know the Lore of Runeterra to be able to enjoy this story. Actually it’s for the better that you don’t know much, so you can be able to solve each mystery one by one as you advance through the novel.

The writting style of Anthony Reynolds has something that reminds me so much of GRRM’s „Game of Thrones”. There’s a lot of naration and the descriptions are very detailed, so when you read about the places and the characters it feels like everything comes to life around you. There’s little dialogue, especially in the first part of the book (maybe first 5-6 chapters) which make it a little tiring. But it’s definitely worth the patience because the story gets more complicated as it progresses and, towards the end, the suspense sky-rockets. The characters are diverse, complex and numerous. Kalista and Hecarim are by far my favorites, though Hecarim could have gotten a little more scenes throughout the book.

It’s curious how, at the first glance, the story seems to have a very simple plot and you would think the end is so predictable. But is it? (hey LoL players, don’t give spoilers to those who don’t know what’s all this „Ruination” thing about).

Reasons to read this book:

1. it’s an epic fantasy adventure and who doesn’t like a good fantasy book
2. no, it’s not your average fairy tale novel, quite far from that actually
3. if you are sick of endless cliches and love stories that ruin the adventure, this book is for you – no love story, no cliches
4. strong female characters (*cheers to that*)
5. there is and there isn’t a villain, there can be an endless debate about this
6. the WORLDBUILDING
7. multilayered plot
8. easter eggs for LoL players

Reasons not to read this book

1. I don’t know, you tell me

You can find the whole review here:
https://calatorliterar.wordpress.com/...

Sample from the novel here:
https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-us...

Info about the book and preorder links here:
https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-us...

GLHF!

[Cristina (bibliotecadepueblo) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5/5★

Este libro me ha dado la vida y también me la ha destrozado.

Ruination es, para los que no lo sepáis, la primera novela ambientada en el universo del videojuego League of Legends. Sí, el mismo del que salió la maravillosa Arcane. Es un libro que funciona muy bien tanto para los que somos jugadores de LoL como para aquellos que nunca han jugado o leído sobre su lore.

En él seguiremos la historia de Kalista, sobrina del Rey Viego de Camavor, y su intento por evitar que éste sucumba a la locura y lleve a su reino a la ruina tras el envenenamiento de su esposa Isolde. Una historia de magia y venganza en la que, si sois jugadores, reconoceréis a un sinfín de campeones. 

Además la edición que se ha marcado Montena es una preciosidad. Sin duda una de las más bonitas que tengo. Con tapa dura, sobrecubierta, guardas decoradas… 

Estoy deseando que lancen más novelas ambientadas en el universo de League of Legends.

❝—No puedo perderla, Kal —susurró Viego—. Cueste lo que cueste. No puedo perderla.❞

[j.michalskax · Rating 4 out of 5]

JA NIE WIEDZIAŁAM, ŻE TA KSIĄŻKA AZ TAK MI SIĘ SPODOBA!

Na samym początku miałam pewne obawy, czy uda mi się wkręcić w ten świat bez znajomości gry, bo momentami było ciężko, ale kiedy minął już ten pierwszy kryzys to bardzo dobrze się bawiłam.

Świetna historia o poświęceniu, obsesji, ludzkiej chciwości i o tym, do czego jesteśmy w stanie się posunąć w imię miłości.

Aż żałuję, że to nie jest pierwszy tom jakiejś serii, bo z chęcią przeczytałabym kolejne części (chyba że są w planach, wtedy byłoby super)

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5

This was such a mess. The characters were flat even when they kept changing their personalities. They take a trip described as a month and a half and when they're back they talk of months passed. The amount of potholes left open were too many to count. The attempt of plot twists were predictable. The "romance" made no sense other than attempt a tragic ending. The plot seemed fun on parts 1-2 but got entirely ripped apart on the last 150 pages. And even though I had fun with some scenes, this was a massive disappointment.

[Δανάη Ιμπραχήμ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ένα high fantasy Μυθιστόρημα εμπνευσμένο από το γνωστό παιχνίδι League of Legends. Μία ιστορία περιπέτειας, προδοσίας, γεμάτη δράση, πολιτική ίντριγκα και καλογραμμένους χαρακτήρες. Μολονότι, δεν γνωρίζω το παιχνίδι και τον κόσμο και δεν ξέρω πόσο κοντά είναι στο σύμπαν που εκατομμύρια έχουν αγαπήσει, το βρήκα πολύ καλό και αξιομνημόνευτο. Ίσως κάποια στιγμή θα του άξιζε και μία συνέχεια, λόγω του ανοιχτού τέλους.

[Tammie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Orbit for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

I am not familiar with League of Legends at all beyond watching Arcane, so I can't speak at all to how it ties into the lore of the game at all, but what I can say is that I had a great time with this. I don't think there's anything particularly special about it - the writing and characters are simple, but it's a great palate cleanser fantasy novel. It's fast paced and fun, and I think readers who prefer a more plot-driven book will enjoy this one. I can't say this is going to be a new favourite or anything like that, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this and I think it does exactly what it needs to do.

[Midnight.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odporúčam : fanúšikom sveta League of legends, seriálu Arcane, ak máte radi v knihe bohatý a prepracovaný svet

Neodporúčam : ak neradi čítate príbeh z viacero pohľadov

Kamavor. Krajina dobyvateľov. Na trón zasadá Viego, ktorý chce dokázať, že si trón po otcovi zaslúži. Kalista je princezná bojovníčka, ktorá zasvätila svoj život boju a ochrane kráľa. Jeden večer sa však počas hostiny stane niečo nečakané a čepeľ, ktorá mala zabiť mladého kráľa smrteľne zraní jeho kráľovnú. Jeho lásku, jeho silu, jeho domov. Viego pri záchrane svojej lásky doslovne prichádza o rozum a vyšle Kalistu hľadať bájnu studňu, ktorá vracia silu a život. Nájde Kalista tajné ostrovy ? Existujú vôbec ? A čo ich to všetkých bude stáť ?

Obrovské prekvapenie a šok v jednom. Tak by som hodnotila túto knihu, samozrejme v dobrom svetle. Napriek tomu, že je standalone bola perfektne prepracovaná a všetko v nej fungovalo. A takých kníh je naozaj málo.

Už po prvej strane som vedela, že táto kniha ma proste chytí a nepustí, pokiaľ to nebudem mať prečítané. Je tak skvelo písaná ! Opisy sú úžasné, dozviete sa veľa o postavách a aj o svete. Zápletka, dilemy postáv, manipulácia, romantika, túžba po moci, pomsta či zodpovednosť. Toto všetko v príbehu o tajomnom lieku nájdete. Každá postava dostala v príbehu svoj priestor a páčilo sa mi, že bola charakterizovaná aj vlastným symbolom na začiatku kapitoly.

Vydajte sa s Kalistou na nebezpečnú cestu, putujte po mape a vychutnávajte si každý riadok. Pokiaľ ste niekedy hrali hru League of legends je to plus, ale pokiaľ nie ( ako ja ) absolútne to nevadí. Kniha vám ten svet otvorí sama.

[Lance]

This is an intersection of my interests that has been a long time in the making.

[Olik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хочу ще!!!

[Christine ARGYROPOULOU · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75⭐️

[Graham | The Wulvers Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruination by Anthony Reynold first caught my eye with its brilliat cover and it wasn't until I looked into it, I found that it was set in the world of League of Legends, recently made popular by the Arcane Netflix series. I have limited-to-no knowledge about this but that didn't take away from enjoying this as much as I did.

Camavor is a brutal land with a bloody legacy. Where the empire’s knights go, slaughter follows.
Kalista seeks to change that. When her young and narcissistic uncle, Viego, becomes king, she vows to temper his destructive instincts, as his loyal confidant, advisor, and military general. But her plans are thwarted when an assassin’s poisoned blade strikes Viego’s wife, Isolde, afflicting her with a malady for which there is no cure.
As Isolde’s condition worsens, Viego descends into madness and grief, threatening to drag Camavor down with him. Kalista makes a desperate gambit to save the kingdom: she searches for the long-lost Blessed Isles, rumored to hold the queen’s salvation, if only Kalista can find them.
But corruption grows in the Blessed Isles’ capital, where a vengeful warden seeks to ensnare Kalista in his cruel machinations. She will be forced to choose between her loyalty to Viego and doing what she knows is right–for even in the face of utter darkness, one noble act can shine a light that saves the world.

This was a thrilling read that really held my attention throughout. The story itself was just as engaging as Arcane and the suspense throughout was enough to keep my head filled with thoughts constantly. Reynold's world-building was so dynamic and realised and the lore made me want to check other media available set in this world. The battle sequences were top notch and genuinely got me excited for more novels in this format. This was an easy read which is just what I was looking for. It was full of thematic layers that gave us a broader look at the vision for League of Legends.

The writing style of Reynolds was reminiscent of Martin and Lynch where the narrations are flowing and enriching but it does require a lot of patience. There can be complicated parts where things get going and the characters are complex and diverse. The plot may have been surprisingly simple, but this is an epic fantasy adventure that really ticks all the boxes needed.

[Traveling Cloak · Rating 4 out of 5]

“…your future is your own. What path you take is yours to choose. What I see are possibilities. Myriad possible futures are spread before you, but the choice is always yours.”

Thank you to Orbit for this review copy. Between the letter, awesome bookmarks, amazing cover, and the maps inside the book the publisher did a really nice job with this package.

The book itself is a lot of fun, too. Kalista is a great main character. Everything flows through her. She is strong, but also empathetic. Honestly, she really makes the story go.

And what a great story it is! Between the political intrigue and the action-packed, fast-paced plot it is really well-balanced.

I don’t know much about The League of Legends, but I almost always love books based on video games because there is such a great tapestry of imagery to draw from. Reynolds accomplishes just that.

RUINATION is a book of swords, magic, and suspense. This is my jam, and I recommend fans of fantasy pick it up.

[lit_eratka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ależ to było dobre.

Pierwsza rzecz, którą warto zaznaczyć, to to, że nie trzeba grać w grę albo znać back story postaci z gry, żeby móc to czytać. Ale KURDE żałuję, że ta książka jest jednotomówką. Było tam wszystko co uwielbiam w fantastyce:

-genialnie poprowadzone dworskie intrygi i polityka państwowa
-świetne opisy scen walki oraz bitw
-silne kobiece postaci
-fajny, chociaż nie całkiem nieprzewidywalny plot twist
-postaci szare moralnie, dobre na wskroś, a także okrutne, których dusza jest zła w każdym calu
-interesujący i nieoczywisty system magiczny
-tajemnice skrywane od wieków

No i oczywiście głębokie wątki miłosne, które chociaż tragiczne i poboczne, mają w sobie głębię o wiele mocniejszych fundamentach, niż książki, które obecnie powstają.
Nie mam tej książce absolutnie nic do zarzucenia a ostatnie sto stron to była po prostu huśtawka emocjonalna. Uwielbiam. Polecam.

[Marina Vidal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que bien me lo he pasado y que bien funciona la novela tanto si sabes del lore del LoL como si no. Los personajes son carismáticos y la trama y el ritmo son bastante frenéticos, lo que hace que Ruination sea un pasa páginas súper ameno de leer.