Series: Empire of the Wolf #3
Release date: February 8th 2024
Publisher: Orbit Books
Pages: 496
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: I ordered a copy of this book from Waterstones
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

THE TIME OF JUDGEMENT IS AT HAND

The Empire of the Wolf is on its knees, but there’s life in the great beast yet.

To save it, Sir Konrad Vonvalt and Helena must look beyond its borders for allies – to the wolfmen of the southern plains, and the pagan clans in the north. But old grievances run deep, and both factions would benefit from the fall of Sova.

Even these allies might not be enough. Their enemy, the zealot Bartholomew Claver, wields infernal powers bestowed on him by a mysterious demonic patron. If Vonvalt and Helena are to stand against him, they will need friends on both sides of the mortal plane—but such allegiances carry a heavy price.

As the battlelines are drawn in both Sova and the afterlife, the final reckoning draws close. Here, at the beating heart of the Empire, the two-headed wolf will be reborn in a blaze of justice . . . or crushed beneath the shadow of tyranny.

Review

The Trials of Empire is the third and final instalment in Richard Swan’s Empire of the Wolf trilogy, a series that follows Justice Sir Konra Vonvalt and his protege Helena. In this final instalment, we follow the pair as they attempt to stop Claver from destroying the empire once and for all but Claver now wields dark and demonic powers that even Vonvalt might not be able to defeat. They must find allies where they can and even they might not be enough. Will the empire survive or will Claver ascend the imperial throne?

The Justice of Kings and The Tyranny of Faith were both five star reads and favourites of the year for me so going into this I had pretty high expectations. If possible, I’d give The Trials of Empire six stars. This book is so well executed and so gripping that I could not tear myself away from it. Swan has done a magnificent job of bringing the series to a close and has absolutely cemented this series as one of my all time favourites.

Like the previous instalments, The Trials of Empire is dark, bloody and gruesome. The writing is vivid and engaging and there are some truly horrifying and grisly that practically leapt off the page. The world is really fascinating and I really enjoyed getting to learn more about the holy dimensions and the monsters that reside there. After three books I’ve become quite attached to the characters in this series and I was so intrigued by the way they’ve grown and changed as the story has progressed. Particularly in this instalment as the effects of all they’ve been through really begins to get to them.

The Trials of Empire is full of action and Swan does a brilliant job of writing dynamic battle scenes. I am so sad that this story has come to an end and would read a hundred more books in this world. The Trials of Empire will without a doubt be on my best books of the year list and if you haven’t had a chance to pick up book one yet, this series is one you do not want to miss.