Well...what a read this was. As a big fan of Ken Liu's short fiction work, it was an absolute pleasure to begin his high fantasy series. With lightning fast pacing and an emphasis on a historical overview, The Grace of Kings truly feels like the story of dynasties and is the very definition of epic fantasy. 

While magic does not play a central role in this story, Liu develops an impeccable world here. From airships that require the gas of one specific mountain to float and are literally rowed across the sky to the interplay and interventions of the gods, Liu makes Dara feel full and yet also full of mysteries. 

While it took me a couple hundred pages to get invested in this book, I was hooked by the end. Although this book is not exactly character focused, Liu's main perspectives truly are worthy of attention and kept me reading. The relationship between the Dandelion and the Chrysanthemum (Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu) is fantastic. Feeling like a cross between Locke Lamora and Regis the Halfling, Kuni Garu in particular has skyrocketed onto my list of favorite characters. Liu's supporting roles, especially Jia Matiza, Luan Zya, and Gin Mazoti, are also quite entertaining to hear about.

In fact, the moment Kuni Garu and Luan Zya meet and the following chapters chronicling Luan Zya's life was what led me to devour the rest of the rest of the book in a scant few days

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Although this book has an incredible scale, it feels like just a setup for the remainder of The Dandelion Dynasty. Now that I am acquainted with Dara, I cannot wait to see how Liu expands the world.

 The Grace of Kings begins with the fall of an empire and ends with the rise of another. I've been left wondering what this means about the future of this world and its people

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