Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing the finale of one my favorite new fantasy series, The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan. Empire of the Wolf has been a phenomenal series so far, and I’ve been anticipating getting to see what kind of explosive end Swan crafts for this story. Did it meet my lofty expectations? Read on to find out! If you missed them, be sure to read my reviews of books one and two, The Justice of Kings and The Tyranny of Faith.

The third novel in an epic fantasy trilogy, which follows the tale of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor’s Justice – a detective, judge and executioner all in one.

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.

***Thank you to Orbit Books for providing a copy of The Trials of Empire via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

The Trials of Empire was a solid and satisfying conclusion to the overarching narrative of the series, while also exploring new ground and deepening the world and characters in significant ways. It is going to be so hard to talk about this book without spoiling anything, but I’m going to give it my best. The writing was just as good as I’ve come to expect from Swan, and the story had everything I could have wanted from an ending, plus more.

That being said, it did take me quite a while to get re-invested in the story of The Trials of Empire. The first half of the book was a slower pace with the characters doing a lot of traveling to rally forces from all over the continent. Personally, the traveling quest is one of my least favorite tropes in fantasy because I tend to get bored with it pretty quick. Swan did a good job with it, though. I liked the additions to the world-building, and there was enough action interspersed throughout the travels that my interest remained piqued even if I wasn’t always running to pick the book up.

On the other hand, I DEVOURED the second half of The Trials of Empire. It was more political and philosophical with tons of great commentary on the nature of justice and law. The conversations about these topics, as well as the dangers of populism and religious extremism to a secular society, were pointed and did not mince words. There was so much to think about, and it was paired with some gloriously gruesome action that had me constantly wanting to read just one more chapter. Swan was a master at writing the fight scenes and at making me cringe from the horror of it all. lol.

Speaking of horror, The Trials of Empire doubled down on the supernatural and horror elements when compared to the first two books. Readers got a taste of some of the esoteric monstrosities in the second book, but this one took things to a whole new level. Trips into multiple afterlife realms, demons, angels, possession… You name it, and this book probably had it. I loved all of the additions to the magic and the greater understanding of the arcane and its place in shaping the world. The sheer power provided the perfect opportunity to explore the danger of its corruptive influence, and I loved how the supernatural tussle gave life to the theme of chaos versus order.

The characters in The Trials of Empire were as fantastic as ever. I enjoyed seeing how Helena’s idealism and Vonvalt’s pragmatism caused them to react to the horrors they faced in distinctly different ways. Vonvalt’s arc left me on pins and needles waiting to see if he would become the villain that he’d worked so hard to destroy. It allowed for so many interesting ethical discussions about whether the ends justify the means when the means are just as horrible as those you are fighting against. The story also managed to add more depth and understanding to the toxic turns of the relationship between Helena and Vonvalt in the second book, and I was grateful to see their growth.

All in all, The Trials of Empire was a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. It had so many of the elements I loved about the first two books, such as the fascinating ethical discussions about law and riveting action scenes. The story also added so much more to the world-building while taking the characters through the wringer and giving them a compelling end to their journey. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for whatever Swan writes next. Therefore, I give The Trials of Empire a rating of 4.25 out of 5 stars and highly recommend the entire trilogy.

Have you read The Trials of Empire or the other books in the series? What did you think? Let me know down in the comments!