The very first chapter of Sydney Olivia’s fearless new novel, A Viper Among Kings, shows us that we are in a kingdom on the brink of chaos. The very spirit of Magic is at work destabilizing the government and encouraging the population towards violent hedonism. In the middle of everything is our protagonist, Esme, a nearly immortal woman who is bound to obey the dictates of whoever holds the crown. This book starts bloody, continues bloody, and ends bloody.
Esme wants two things. One of these things—her wife, Mina—she keeps secret so that Mina can’t be held hostage. The other—a way back to the world she was ripped from more than a hundred years prior—is an impossible wish. She also has something she very much does not want: she has magic carved into her very skin binding her to Omniel’s heirs. Omniel was the man who pulled her and her fellow wraiths into his world and bound them to his service. They cannot disobey the commands of whoever currently rules without torturous pain. Omniel put them to use enforcing his will with their magic. At his direction, they conquer other lands, punish enemies, and commit at least one genocide.
A Viper Among Kings opens with the assassination of Omniel’s son, the king. Turiel’s will, to everyone’s shock, contains powerful magic that binds everyone who hears it read to execute the orders of long-dead Omniel. Two named heirs must past three challenge. The winner will become the new king. The other will die. Esme seizes the opportunity to bring back one of these heirs, General Balthazar, in the hope that he might make a good king (at least one better than Omniel and Turiel). When Esme returns to the capital city, she immediately faces violent interference from Turiel’s widow, who makes it clear that she will do everything within the confines of the will’s binding to keep her hands on royal power.
It’s very interesting to watch Esme struggle between her wishes and her obligations. Everything she does has to be done delicately, to avoid triggering the pain of her bonds. She also has to keep her wife out of the queen’s sights. Plus, there are all the people who might be in danger if Esme’s chosen heir doesn’t become king. And yet, Balthazar’s curious moods make Esme deeply uneasy. What if she chose the wrong man? What if both heirs are bad choices? Is there anything she can possible do to escape her bonds?
A lot happens in A Viper Among Kings between the political wrangling and Esme’s dilemmas, but the ending makes it clear that Esme and her loved ones still have a long way yet to go. After all, we have yet to find out what Magic is up to as it pulls strings and makes deals and sets plans into motion.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.