Anji Kills a King is a new debut from a well-known book reviewer. The talented Evan Leikam brings us this travel story. This short and laser-focused narrative feels very different from most of the other books I have read this year, but does that differentiation play to its benefit or detriment? This is a story about a murder, running from an elite police force, and an unlikely duo who are magically chained together.
Anji, our assassin of the king, was once cleaning laundry for royalty. She felt like the king wasn’t doing a very good job with the monarchy thing, so she stabbed him. Then she runs for her life. In her wake, the kingdom is thrown into disarray, while a bounty bigger than anyone could imagine lands on her head. Sent to track her down are the fabled mercenaries of the Menagerie, animal-themed super cops who wear masks with magical powers. The menagerie works somewhat independently, and the Hawk finds Anji first. Anji is a bratty, unlikable snot, and the Hawk is a surly, aging swordswoman who couldn’t communicate effectively if her life depended on it. The Hawk uses magical powers to chain them together and then attempts to drag Anji across the kingdom to stand trial literally. The result is a strange and fun spectacle.
Leikam has a clear, no-frills, and direct authorial voice that you will either love or hate. Personally, I found it to be a bit barren, but that is completely a matter of personal taste, and I am sure that a number of readers will find the focus it lends the story refreshing. It certainly stands out across the genre, and I am absolutely sure it will find a home in people’s hearts. The tone is matched well with the style of the story, allowing the reader to zero in on this travel story with Anji and the Hawk with little distraction. The worldbuilding is extremely light, but that again feels like an artistic choice so that we can spend the bulk of our time with the core of this novel: watching two people who hate one another forced to hang out.
Travel stories are often hit or miss for me. Anji Kills a King definitely fell more on the miss side of the scale, as I just didn’t find enough stimulation as our duo travels the world. The locations and situations that they found themselves in started to get repetitive fairly early, and there was little to distinguish the different stops they made. That being said, Anji and the Hawk instead fill up the space by continuously fighting like two cats in a wet paper bag. Neither of these players is likable; they are designed to be grating, and neither of them is at their best. There is definitely clear character growth over the course of the book, but I honestly think that both of them grew into being almost worse people instead of better. However, Leikam is aware of this and uses it to make some interesting commentary around the nature of power and leadership and how little people can change the world. The result is a book that feels clever but wasn’t very fun for me to read, and had multiple parts I needed to slog through.
The Menagerie is fun, with all the different animal members making debuts throughout the book. The ending involves a big upheaval around the makeup of these totem bounty hunters and provides a very strong setup for the story of book two. Despite this, I am not sure if I will continue with The Rising Tide series, as book one has shown me that Leikam’s style is very much not for me. Still, as a reviewer myself, I cannot help but be impressed and give Leikam credit for going the step that all reviewers secretly long for: making his own mark on the genre.
Rating: Anji Kills a King – 6.0/10
-Andrew
An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts on this book are my own.
