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In the Shadow of Ruin
- Narrated by: Elias Khalil
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
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In the Shadow of Ruin
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Publisher's Summary
King Jide Adelani has ruled the lands of the Yoruba in West Africa for many peaceful years, but now his kingdom is in turmoil and the cold grasp of death's embrace is closing in around everything he holds dear.
Jide spent years garnering the respect and loyalty of the tribes in the hopes of uniting them into one cohesive empire when his half-brother, Prince Olise, returns from banishment to claim the throne as his own.
The offspring of a union between the late King Adeosi and the evil enchantress Ekaete, the bitter Olise has devoted the last decade to one purpose; to seize the throne and rule the kingdom. If he fails, he risks his name being erased from the history of the tribes.
With the support of his mother, a powerful witch whose name is whispered in fear across the lands of the tribes, the outcast Olise now seems unstoppable in achieving his goal.
Facing overwhelming military might and dark forces that he cannot comprehend, Jide must either choose to ignore the warnings of the gods, and seek help from those who also practice dark arts; or risk losing his kingdom.
What listeners say about In the Shadow of Ruin
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kay’s Hidden Shelf
- 2022-07-21
A gripping debut!
4/5 Stars
A gripping debut, and first installment in The Fractured Kingdom series. This is a self-published historical fiction, with a hint of fantasy. It brings you into the struggle between two half-brothers, King Jide and Prince Olise and their conflict for the throne of Yoruba.
This retelling is based on a West African folklore, specifically ancient Nigerian, that the author grew up with. The prose captures the tone and the culture beautifully in this story and immerses you within the world.
We follow multiple POVs that give the reader a wide view of the story with lots of political intrigue. There are some jumps from present to past but done in a way that develop the story and the readers understanding with great pacing and timing.
This is rich in political scheming, great action scenes as war breaks out, and a mix of lore that felt well balanced to the story.
It did take me some time to connect with the characters and I found myself more invested in the plotline overall. It wasn’t until the end of the book that I came to care for some of the characters portrayed but ultimately, I found myself invested in the world, and what would happen next in the story.
With many interwoven stories, plots, and schemes, I loved the “what if’s” that continuously came up for me while reading. The King and Prince’s personalities were distinct from one another, which had impacts on the story and made their characters feel well developed. There is also lots of subtle detail put into this story, which I also appreciated.
The prose was a bit tricky to get used to at first, but it does fit the culture of the story well. In a way that reminded me of The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu, it just took some time to get used to. It took me up to about 25% to really get into enjoying the story as a result.
With plenty of action, battles, betrayals, lore and politics this story immerses you in the traditions, culture and the gods of West Africa.
A great debut! I would recommend In The Shadow Of Ruin for any historical fiction reader looking for their next immersive read.
Trigger Warnings: war, violence and bloodshed
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