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Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf
Set in the blockbuster and award-winning universe of League of Legends: Arcane and written by award-winning author C. L. Clark, discover a thrilling epic fantasy novel where Ambessa Medarda truly learns what it means to be a Chosen of the Wolf.
Medarda over all.
Ambessa Medarda: Warrior, general, mother. She is a woman to be feared, and the Medardas are unrivaled in their pursuit of glory. She has led conquests and armies. She has slain legendary beasts. She has made grave sacrifices in her ascent up the ranks. And for this she was rewarded: She entered the realm of death and was granted a vision of herself upon the throne of the vast Noxian empire.
But before she can lead her empire, she must become head of her own clan. Yet the title is contested by her cousin and former confidante, Ta'Fik. He knows the bloody sins of Ambessa's past. And he knows he cannot allow her to rise.
They will fight a war for the very soul of the Medardas.
But the war won't be fought on battlefields alone. Ambessa's daughter, Mel, can deftly break through the walls around anyone's heart, and she'll put her talents to use for her mother. Yet despite Mel's strength, Ambessa sees only a child who lacks her killer instincts. Mel knows she can be the leader Ambessa wants her to be, if only she gives her time.
With her family betraying her, enemies closing in on all sides, and unseen forces moving in the shadows, every day proves more dangerous than the last. But Ambessa will not bow. She will burn the world down to claim her place in it.
Medarda over all.
Ambessa Medarda: Warrior, general, mother. She is a woman to be feared, and the Medardas are unrivaled in their pursuit of glory. She has led conquests and armies. She has slain legendary beasts. She has made grave sacrifices in her ascent up the ranks. And for this she was rewarded: She entered the realm of death and was granted a vision of herself upon the throne of the vast Noxian empire.
But before she can lead her empire, she must become head of her own clan. Yet the title is contested by her cousin and former confidante, Ta'Fik. He knows the bloody sins of Ambessa's past. And he knows he cannot allow her to rise.
They will fight a war for the very soul of the Medardas.
But the war won't be fought on battlefields alone. Ambessa's daughter, Mel, can deftly break through the walls around anyone's heart, and she'll put her talents to use for her mother. Yet despite Mel's strength, Ambessa sees only a child who lacks her killer instincts. Mel knows she can be the leader Ambessa wants her to be, if only she gives her time.
With her family betraying her, enemies closing in on all sides, and unseen forces moving in the shadows, every day proves more dangerous than the last. But Ambessa will not bow. She will burn the world down to claim her place in it.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published February 18, 2025
544 people are currently reading
10.1k people want to read
About the author
C.L. Clark
23听books1,874听followersC.L. Clark is a BFA award-winning editor and Ignyte award-winning author of several books, including The Unbroken (Magic of the Lost trilogy), Fate's Bane (a novella), and Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf (an Arcane novel). She graduated from Indiana University鈥檚 creative writing MFA and was a 2012 Lambda Literary Fellow. She鈥檚 been a personal trainer, an English teacher, and an editor, and is some combination thereof as she travels the world. When she鈥檚 not writing or working, she鈥檚 learning languages,听reading about war and [post-]colonial history,听or trying not to throw her kettlebells through the wall. Her work has appeared in various SFF venues, including Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, , , and
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 202 reviews
January 12, 2025
WOW.
i knew this was gonna be good, but this exceeded all of my expectations! ambessa was a character i was immediately entranced by in arcane and i devoured this!
c. l. clark did a great job at staying true to ambessas character, as a ruthless / powerful figure who will do anything for her family and the medarda clan. i love how 鈥渢he code鈥� was embedded throughout the book, and how we even got some mel povs. they were some of my favourite chapters because i felt so much for her and everything she was going through. we learned so much about mages, the black rose, and noxus, and this makes me even more excited for more LoL shows in this world!
also, there is a sapphic romance (not with ambessa but with another character)! <3
i knew this was gonna be good, but this exceeded all of my expectations! ambessa was a character i was immediately entranced by in arcane and i devoured this!
c. l. clark did a great job at staying true to ambessas character, as a ruthless / powerful figure who will do anything for her family and the medarda clan. i love how 鈥渢he code鈥� was embedded throughout the book, and how we even got some mel povs. they were some of my favourite chapters because i felt so much for her and everything she was going through. we learned so much about mages, the black rose, and noxus, and this makes me even more excited for more LoL shows in this world!
also, there is a sapphic romance (not with ambessa but with another character)! <3
February 11, 2025
I'm sorry!! I feel like the bad guy! Look I think CL Clark has The Juice as an author which is why I'm so confused that this book is...um...juiceless.
Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf precedes Arcane by a few years, trailing Ambessa, Mel, and a few other characters as they grapple with a succession war within the Medarda family. A friend who may reveal themself if they so choose described this book as a sequence of events where Ambessa travels somewhere, fights about someone who is always offscreen, and then travels somewhere else to repeat the cycle. That's it! That's Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf. Clark's fight scenes are clear and propel you along, but there is little to distinguish one conflict from another even within context. In general the prose is quick and easy to follow, but unornamental, at times amateurish (a product of this being a review copy?), and I had a hard time grasping the appearence of different cities and characters.
This brings me to another mild complaint, which is that there are WAY too many minor characters here who kind of all meld together but who we kind of need to keep track of for politics reasons. That being said, the characters we recognize from League/Arcane (Ambessa, Mel, and Rell, for the most part) feel true to themselves as we know them. Clark captures Ambessa's voice perfectly, and I am sure that the audiobook narration from her voice actress will be fantastic. That ALSO being said, I never felt like I understood Ambessa's character more deeply than I already knew her from Arcane. People who just want MORE of the Ambessa we've seen will be served well; she's here, she's interesting, and she's Mother. But people hoping for deeper insights into the characterization of Ambessa and Mel may be disappointed. I know CL Clark was only able to watch the first three episodes of Arcane Season 2, and I believe this was a huge mistake on Riot's part. There are opportunities for deeper character work, as well as parallels between the show and the book, that are left entirely on the table, and I do not blame CL Clark for that at all.
To stress an earlier point, I think CL Clark is a talented writer. I follow her book recommendations and commentary like scripture, and her many character notes on Twitter and Instagram reveal a thorough understanding of the complexities of these characters and a deep interest in what makes them compelling. She's done the research into Runeterra as a setting. There is a parallel between the jealousies of Ambessa and Mel that I found so fascinating. There's a moment in the climax that made me gasp! But I couldn't help feeling that there is also some clunkiness in the execution here...where the landscapes and worldbuilding details faded into a generic backdrop and the pacing jitters between hours and months passing by within the space of a few paragraphs. I'm choosing to blame these on Riot Games. Not just because they won't give me another Kayn skin, but because I feel like the gap between Clark's goals and the goals of this book is wide and clear. A rushed schedule, maybe? A request to keep the book short, or to make it more accessible to the people coming from Arcane who are not regular high fantasy readers? Maybe it's condescending of me to make that probably-inaccurate guess, but it's an earnest question.
For the fellow League players hoping to have their Marvel fan moment and say I KNOW THAT NAME!!! (this is me): you will be served, but less so than in Ruination, which is probably a good thing. I liked the little cameos, and I like Rell a lot! All four of her fans (sorry) may not like some of the changes made to her lore, but I think her story follows a similar path while maintaining what we know of her character. And because I saw people Discoursing about it online:
Will be interested to hear thoughts from more League players! Thank you to Orbit for the ARC.
Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf precedes Arcane by a few years, trailing Ambessa, Mel, and a few other characters as they grapple with a succession war within the Medarda family. A friend who may reveal themself if they so choose described this book as a sequence of events where Ambessa travels somewhere, fights about someone who is always offscreen, and then travels somewhere else to repeat the cycle. That's it! That's Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf. Clark's fight scenes are clear and propel you along, but there is little to distinguish one conflict from another even within context. In general the prose is quick and easy to follow, but unornamental, at times amateurish (a product of this being a review copy?), and I had a hard time grasping the appearence of different cities and characters.
This brings me to another mild complaint, which is that there are WAY too many minor characters here who kind of all meld together but who we kind of need to keep track of for politics reasons. That being said, the characters we recognize from League/Arcane (Ambessa, Mel, and Rell, for the most part) feel true to themselves as we know them. Clark captures Ambessa's voice perfectly, and I am sure that the audiobook narration from her voice actress will be fantastic. That ALSO being said, I never felt like I understood Ambessa's character more deeply than I already knew her from Arcane. People who just want MORE of the Ambessa we've seen will be served well; she's here, she's interesting, and she's Mother. But people hoping for deeper insights into the characterization of Ambessa and Mel may be disappointed. I know CL Clark was only able to watch the first three episodes of Arcane Season 2, and I believe this was a huge mistake on Riot's part. There are opportunities for deeper character work, as well as parallels between the show and the book, that are left entirely on the table, and I do not blame CL Clark for that at all.
To stress an earlier point, I think CL Clark is a talented writer. I follow her book recommendations and commentary like scripture, and her many character notes on Twitter and Instagram reveal a thorough understanding of the complexities of these characters and a deep interest in what makes them compelling. She's done the research into Runeterra as a setting. There is a parallel between the jealousies of Ambessa and Mel that I found so fascinating. There's a moment in the climax that made me gasp! But I couldn't help feeling that there is also some clunkiness in the execution here...where the landscapes and worldbuilding details faded into a generic backdrop and the pacing jitters between hours and months passing by within the space of a few paragraphs. I'm choosing to blame these on Riot Games. Not just because they won't give me another Kayn skin, but because I feel like the gap between Clark's goals and the goals of this book is wide and clear. A rushed schedule, maybe? A request to keep the book short, or to make it more accessible to the people coming from Arcane who are not regular high fantasy readers? Maybe it's condescending of me to make that probably-inaccurate guess, but it's an earnest question.
For the fellow League players hoping to have their Marvel fan moment and say I KNOW THAT NAME!!! (this is me): you will be served, but less so than in Ruination, which is probably a good thing. I liked the little cameos, and I like Rell a lot! All four of her fans (sorry) may not like some of the changes made to her lore, but I think her story follows a similar path while maintaining what we know of her character. And because I saw people Discoursing about it online:
Will be interested to hear thoughts from more League players! Thank you to Orbit for the ARC.
February 11, 2025
An Arcane novel written by CL Clark with a cover like that? Sign me up!馃敟
Ambessa Medarda is a warrior, general, mother. She is feared and obsessed with her pursuit of glory and ambition.
When her grandfather dies without naming an heir, she starts a civil war to become the clan head of the Medarda.
Violent, vicious, single-minded.馃槱
Ambessa is the main pov, but we get other chapters.
A young pit fighter handpicked by Ambessa who has potential. Raw or volatile?
Her teen children left behind who aren鈥檛 good enough, aren鈥檛 merciless enough to be named her heir. Soft hearted or trying to prove themselves their own way?
A past amour dabbling in magic experiments.
"Call me cruel and tell me that you have never known me, not once. I would do anything for the good of this family."
The battle scenes are gritty, explosive, and vivid. The characters are very MORALLY GREY. Each act is chosen with deliberation and purpose. Anger is an arrow.
There were a lot of names thrown at you and mentions of clan politics, places, and a wider world I couldn鈥檛 follow. Descriptions of characters were similarly very vague or non-existent.
I have watched Arcane, but not played League of Legends. You can enjoy this without prior knowledge of both, yet you might find some of the story relies on you filling in the gaps.
There are also illustrations and they are beautiful! I am not sure if this is the arc copy only, but the hardcover has beautiful coloured art too.
Physical arc gifted by Orbit!
Ambessa Medarda is a warrior, general, mother. She is feared and obsessed with her pursuit of glory and ambition.
When her grandfather dies without naming an heir, she starts a civil war to become the clan head of the Medarda.
Violent, vicious, single-minded.馃槱
Ambessa is the main pov, but we get other chapters.
A young pit fighter handpicked by Ambessa who has potential. Raw or volatile?
Her teen children left behind who aren鈥檛 good enough, aren鈥檛 merciless enough to be named her heir. Soft hearted or trying to prove themselves their own way?
A past amour dabbling in magic experiments.
"Call me cruel and tell me that you have never known me, not once. I would do anything for the good of this family."
The battle scenes are gritty, explosive, and vivid. The characters are very MORALLY GREY. Each act is chosen with deliberation and purpose. Anger is an arrow.
There were a lot of names thrown at you and mentions of clan politics, places, and a wider world I couldn鈥檛 follow. Descriptions of characters were similarly very vague or non-existent.
I have watched Arcane, but not played League of Legends. You can enjoy this without prior knowledge of both, yet you might find some of the story relies on you filling in the gaps.
There are also illustrations and they are beautiful! I am not sure if this is the arc copy only, but the hardcover has beautiful coloured art too.
Physical arc gifted by Orbit!
March 15, 2025
review pre-release
looking for the local cuisine application form
4.75/5
There is something so deeply wrong with the Medarda family鈥 love them so much.
[This contains spoilers for Arcane but only season 1]
I had a lot of apprehension going into this mainly because I already had a pretty strong characterization of Mel and Ambessa and would be devastated if this didn鈥檛 align with my read of them. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. This book goes into how Ambessa became the matriarch of House Medarda. It starts out describing what occurred during the Blood Sweat and Tears music video and the flashback of young Mel we got from s1 of Arcane. Mel is featured throughout the book and it reveals a bunch about her upbringing and the events that led to her exile. This book is full of political intrigue that鈥檒l have you on the edge of your seat, assassination attempts, plotting, betrayal, magical and fantastical elements, and most of all 鈥� which I think is the factor that shines through the most 鈥� intergenerational trauma. In addition to loving Arcane, if you love Mel and still have questions about her story I encourage you to pick this up.
I love fucked up mother/daughter relationships and CL Clark was able to capture the complexity of Mel and Ambessa鈥檚 dynamic and the complicated feelings they have about each other. The amount of inner conflict and turmoil Ambessa experiences throughout this book is extensively and masterfully explored. She is a ruthless warlord, groomed for the battlefield since before she could walk, who lies and schemes and has little room to allow herself to give in to true affection and vulnerability. She is prickly and made of sharp edges, she was taught to associate love with weakness or discipline and prioritize strength overall: a ripple effect that no one around her is spared from. But she is so full of depth, so full of verve, and an incredible amount of repression due to her upbringing that you (I) can鈥檛 help but understand where she鈥檚 coming from and why she is the way she is and does the things she does.
I also have to give a quick shoutout to my man Rictus, what a guy! I loved his dynamic with Ambessa and you could tell how deep their history went and the mutual respect and genuine love and care they had for each other.
Mel, my sweet princess who recoils at the thought of war and ruthlessness. Seeing Ambessa鈥檚 interactions with her family as well as other Noxians, it鈥檚 a miracle Mel survived this long in Noxus. She hasn鈥檛 changed much aside from gaining some wisdom. Mel is reasonable, caring, willing to see the potential for good in people, and is far more politically savvy than any 15 year old should be. This is exactly what puts her at risk with other Noxians and at odds with her mother who we know has the complete opposite ideology: shoot first, ask questions later. We see this play out on different occasions throughout the novel, it鈥檚 one of my favorite dynamics in the book as well as in Arcane because aside from being compelling characters in general, both make good points. Can鈥檛 say it was a delight to learn about her origins because her life is so tragic but I loved it. A corruption arc would be cool to see but the fact that Mel could鈥檝e been much worse and is able to retain her convictions and keep herself open to others despite the people she grew up with is so special to me and I love her all the more for it. You don鈥檛 see this often, especially not for a dark-skinned black female character. She is flawed but complex and I find that beautiful. I love her in her entirety.
Rell also features quite a bit and her character shines so brilliantly! League players have expressed their disappointment to her retcon which I can understand, but if it helps 鈥� if you鈥檙e one of those players 鈥� the only major difference to her original lore is her age and the timeline of events. I slowly but surely came to love her as a character. Rell is an incredibly skilled 15 year old arena fighter, desperate to prove herself without compromising her dignity. She鈥檚 bright-eyed, curious, smart, loyal, and a tad bit shy when it comes to romance :3 she makes an amazing foil to Mel and I can鈥檛 wait for the Noxus spin-off to see how their dynamic develops. I enjoyed seeing her interactions with Ambessa, very excited to see what they do with her in the future.
That being said, I was a bit disappointed a certain someone's storyline turned out to be a carbon copy of a MC in Arcane and I also would've liked certain elements explored further (Mel and Elora for one, Mel and Kino for two, and this may be greedy but mentions of Ambessa's queerness for three...the setup was right there bro, throw me a crumb or something).
While this wasn't perfect, I had a lot of fun learning more about Mel's lore through Ambessa and I actually cried several times, especially towards the end.
I definitely recommend picking this up, especially the audiobook as it鈥檚 narrated by Ellen Thomas, Ambessa鈥檚 VA, which just adds so much more flair to the text. There are still some questions that remained unanswered, but I greatly enjoyed this.
Wow, the Medardas鈥�.what a family!
looking for the local cuisine application form
4.75/5
There is something so deeply wrong with the Medarda family鈥 love them so much.
[This contains spoilers for Arcane but only season 1]
I had a lot of apprehension going into this mainly because I already had a pretty strong characterization of Mel and Ambessa and would be devastated if this didn鈥檛 align with my read of them. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. This book goes into how Ambessa became the matriarch of House Medarda. It starts out describing what occurred during the Blood Sweat and Tears music video and the flashback of young Mel we got from s1 of Arcane. Mel is featured throughout the book and it reveals a bunch about her upbringing and the events that led to her exile. This book is full of political intrigue that鈥檒l have you on the edge of your seat, assassination attempts, plotting, betrayal, magical and fantastical elements, and most of all 鈥� which I think is the factor that shines through the most 鈥� intergenerational trauma. In addition to loving Arcane, if you love Mel and still have questions about her story I encourage you to pick this up.
I love fucked up mother/daughter relationships and CL Clark was able to capture the complexity of Mel and Ambessa鈥檚 dynamic and the complicated feelings they have about each other. The amount of inner conflict and turmoil Ambessa experiences throughout this book is extensively and masterfully explored. She is a ruthless warlord, groomed for the battlefield since before she could walk, who lies and schemes and has little room to allow herself to give in to true affection and vulnerability. She is prickly and made of sharp edges, she was taught to associate love with weakness or discipline and prioritize strength overall: a ripple effect that no one around her is spared from. But she is so full of depth, so full of verve, and an incredible amount of repression due to her upbringing that you (I) can鈥檛 help but understand where she鈥檚 coming from and why she is the way she is and does the things she does.
I also have to give a quick shoutout to my man Rictus, what a guy! I loved his dynamic with Ambessa and you could tell how deep their history went and the mutual respect and genuine love and care they had for each other.
Mel, my sweet princess who recoils at the thought of war and ruthlessness. Seeing Ambessa鈥檚 interactions with her family as well as other Noxians, it鈥檚 a miracle Mel survived this long in Noxus. She hasn鈥檛 changed much aside from gaining some wisdom. Mel is reasonable, caring, willing to see the potential for good in people, and is far more politically savvy than any 15 year old should be. This is exactly what puts her at risk with other Noxians and at odds with her mother who we know has the complete opposite ideology: shoot first, ask questions later. We see this play out on different occasions throughout the novel, it鈥檚 one of my favorite dynamics in the book as well as in Arcane because aside from being compelling characters in general, both make good points. Can鈥檛 say it was a delight to learn about her origins because her life is so tragic but I loved it. A corruption arc would be cool to see but the fact that Mel could鈥檝e been much worse and is able to retain her convictions and keep herself open to others despite the people she grew up with is so special to me and I love her all the more for it. You don鈥檛 see this often, especially not for a dark-skinned black female character. She is flawed but complex and I find that beautiful. I love her in her entirety.
Rell also features quite a bit and her character shines so brilliantly! League players have expressed their disappointment to her retcon which I can understand, but if it helps 鈥� if you鈥檙e one of those players 鈥� the only major difference to her original lore is her age and the timeline of events. I slowly but surely came to love her as a character. Rell is an incredibly skilled 15 year old arena fighter, desperate to prove herself without compromising her dignity. She鈥檚 bright-eyed, curious, smart, loyal, and a tad bit shy when it comes to romance :3 she makes an amazing foil to Mel and I can鈥檛 wait for the Noxus spin-off to see how their dynamic develops. I enjoyed seeing her interactions with Ambessa, very excited to see what they do with her in the future.
That being said, I was a bit disappointed a certain someone's storyline turned out to be a carbon copy of a MC in Arcane and I also would've liked certain elements explored further (Mel and Elora for one, Mel and Kino for two, and this may be greedy but mentions of Ambessa's queerness for three...the setup was right there bro, throw me a crumb or something).
While this wasn't perfect, I had a lot of fun learning more about Mel's lore through Ambessa and I actually cried several times, especially towards the end.
I definitely recommend picking this up, especially the audiobook as it鈥檚 narrated by Ellen Thomas, Ambessa鈥檚 VA, which just adds so much more flair to the text. There are still some questions that remained unanswered, but I greatly enjoyed this.
Wow, the Medardas鈥�.what a family!
Want to read
December 11, 2024Have I watched Arcane? No. Do I know who Ambessa is? Also no. Will I read anything C.L Clark writes? Hell fucking yes
Want to read
October 31, 2024oh my god
as much as I love league, I did not expect to see this in a publisher request form + Ambessa actually becoming a champion soon
this is CRAZY
I NEED THIS IMMEDIATELY 馃槱
as much as I love league, I did not expect to see this in a publisher request form + Ambessa actually becoming a champion soon
this is CRAZY
I NEED THIS IMMEDIATELY 馃槱
January 20, 2025
3.5 Stars
As someone who has casually watched some of season 1&2 of Arcane, I am aware of the League of Legends universe but not a diehard fan. So I went into this novel to see if it holds up as a fantasy novel without the bias of being a superfan.
I am happy to report that the novel held up well. I have read this author's original work and so I wasn't surprised to find that they brought the same quality to this franchise. This novel featured a fierce protagonist. The writing was rich and I enjoyed the worldbuilding.
I liked it quite a bit so I would highly recommend it to readers who love this universe. As a casual fan, it's a good fantasy story but the kind that is likely to become an all time favourite.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher
As someone who has casually watched some of season 1&2 of Arcane, I am aware of the League of Legends universe but not a diehard fan. So I went into this novel to see if it holds up as a fantasy novel without the bias of being a superfan.
I am happy to report that the novel held up well. I have read this author's original work and so I wasn't surprised to find that they brought the same quality to this franchise. This novel featured a fierce protagonist. The writing was rich and I enjoyed the worldbuilding.
I liked it quite a bit so I would highly recommend it to readers who love this universe. As a casual fan, it's a good fantasy story but the kind that is likely to become an all time favourite.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher
January 3, 2025
an arc of this showed up at my doorstep at 1:46pm and I just finished at 4:04pm. Minus like twenty minutes of me shrieking to all my arcane mutuals those 400 pages had me enthralled for two hours. While this is Ambessa centric, WE GET SO MUCH MEL !!!!
The beginning takes place with that iconic scene of Ambessa asking Mel what they should do about that rebel leader as a kid and then killing her when Mel wants to let her live. It鈥檚 word for word what they say in Arcane and now I want the entire series in book format exactly like that. This book ends with Mel being exiled to piltover, and we also get background knowledge on how her golden tattoos/armor came to be(and also the black rose)!!
Also, Ambessa really has a thing for training young lesbians. We get introduced to Rell鈥檚 character.
PLEASE I NEED MORE ARCANE BOOKS
The beginning takes place with that iconic scene of Ambessa asking Mel what they should do about that rebel leader as a kid and then killing her when Mel wants to let her live. It鈥檚 word for word what they say in Arcane and now I want the entire series in book format exactly like that. This book ends with Mel being exiled to piltover, and we also get background knowledge on how her golden tattoos/armor came to be(and also the black rose)!!
Also, Ambessa really has a thing for training young lesbians. We get introduced to Rell鈥檚 character.
PLEASE I NEED MORE ARCANE BOOKS
Want to read
November 19, 2024LETS FUCKING GOOOOO!!!! i'm seated. the bookstore employees are scared and asking me to leave because it's "not 2025 yet" but i'm simply too seated. etc
Read
January 26, 2025RTC
CW: violence, death, war, loss of loved one, human experimentation, torture, kidnapping, child abuse, blood & gore, injury detail, death of father (on page), death of grandfather, pregnancy, alcohol
CW: violence, death, war, loss of loved one, human experimentation, torture, kidnapping, child abuse, blood & gore, injury detail, death of father (on page), death of grandfather, pregnancy, alcohol
Want to read
November 19, 2024oh i love when tv shows get spinoff books im so so excited
March 6, 2025
Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf is an epic fantasy novel, set in the League of Legends universe, written by C. L. Clark, and published by Orbit Books. A story that follows the ascension of Ambessa Medarda to the very head of the Medarda family, with a gripping plot that also takes the opportunity to flesh out a cast of memorable characters, incredibly tense fights and which gives us an unique insight into how Noxus is governed.
Ambessa, warrior, general, and mother. From the very young, she was raised to be strong and ambitious by her grandfather; after he dies without naming an heir, and rumours are spread of Ambessa being involved in his death, forcing her into starting a very own civil war between the Medarda to become the head of the clan. Clark takes this premise to deliver not only an epic story about Ambessa, but also does an excellent portrait about the character and her inner conflicts.
Not only we have a compelling and interesting character in Ambessa, but we have a deep examination over her; a ruthless warrior that was groomed from early age to battle, and that doesn't have margin to show vulnerability or affection. But outside of being a warrior, she's also a mother that cares about her siblings and it's worried about them not being strong enough to take her place in such an aggressive and scheming place as Noxus; she's as conflicted as she perceives them as weak to what she expected.
But outside of Ambessa, I have to say that there's a character that steals the spotlight: Rell. Not only we get a totally new lore about her origins, but Clark delivers a character that grows so much during the novel. Rell starts being a na茂ve but strong girl, who hasn't seen much of the world; but together with Ambessa, she experiences so many more things, and especially, someone who Rell can trust (especially seeing how her parents were focused on exploiting her talents).
The rest of the cast is quite interesting, as Clark decides to put part of the narrative weight into the shoulder of some secondary characters, especially on Mel, a character that is also strong, but not in the sense Noxus and her mother expects, and who is under a great danger if she's discovered by the wrong people.
The worldbuilding was another of the aspects that sucked me so hard into the story; not only how Noxus operates, but also their secret organizations (hello, Leblanc and the Black Rose). We will visit many parts of the Empire (mention deserved to the Immortal Bastion), and arcane powers will be explored. The pacing is relatively fast, and let me tell you, but Clark is an absolute master at writing fighting scenes.
Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf is all I could ask from an epic fantasy novel: an excellent cast of characters, a world that makes me want to know more and a plot that kept me hooked until the end. An excellent novel by such a great writer as C. L. Clark.
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October 29, 2024i need this so bad
April 11, 2025
Ambessa to zdecydowanie ksi膮偶ka C.L.Clark, kt贸re lubuje si臋 w stoickich akcjach, przestrzeniach wype艂nionych piaskiem i pustk膮, emocjami, kt贸re dziko bij膮 pod sk贸r膮, nie mog膮c si臋 spod niej wydosta膰. To bardzo wolne, ale jak偶e wci膮gaj膮ce opowie艣ci. Ka偶dy drobny element ma znaczenie, i na ka偶dy z nich przyjdzie odpowiednia pora. Kontynuacja (czy te偶 raczej prequel) do uniwersum Arcane zdecydowanie wpisuje si臋 w preferencje osoby autorskiej 鈥� Clark i Ambessa by艂y dla siebie stworzone.
Natomiast chcia艂abym, by ta ostatnia 艣ruba zosta艂a mocniej dokr臋cona. Wsp贸艂praca z tw贸rcami Arcane na pewno wiele pomog艂a, ale nie mog臋 si臋 oprze膰 wra偶eniu, 偶e jednocze艣nie narzuci艂a pewne nieprzekraczalne granice, dlatego te偶 osoba autorska nie mog艂a p贸j艣膰 na ca艂o艣膰. Nie zrozumcie mnie 藕le, to jest 艣wietna ksi膮偶ka. Wraca艂o mi si臋 do niej z pe艂ni膮 entuzjazmu i zaintrygowania, czyta艂o si臋 d艂ugo, a jednak 偶adna ze stron nie nudzi艂a. W膮tki by艂y 艣wietne, bohaterowie cudnie rozwini臋ci, zwroty akcji 鈥� opadaj膮coszcz臋kogenne. Ale mog艂o jednak da膰 to 101%, mog艂o uderzy膰 jeszcze mocniej.
Nie b臋d臋 ukrywa膰, b臋d臋 cz臋sto wraca膰 my艣lami fo tej ksi膮偶ki.
Natomiast chcia艂abym, by ta ostatnia 艣ruba zosta艂a mocniej dokr臋cona. Wsp贸艂praca z tw贸rcami Arcane na pewno wiele pomog艂a, ale nie mog臋 si臋 oprze膰 wra偶eniu, 偶e jednocze艣nie narzuci艂a pewne nieprzekraczalne granice, dlatego te偶 osoba autorska nie mog艂a p贸j艣膰 na ca艂o艣膰. Nie zrozumcie mnie 藕le, to jest 艣wietna ksi膮偶ka. Wraca艂o mi si臋 do niej z pe艂ni膮 entuzjazmu i zaintrygowania, czyta艂o si臋 d艂ugo, a jednak 偶adna ze stron nie nudzi艂a. W膮tki by艂y 艣wietne, bohaterowie cudnie rozwini臋ci, zwroty akcji 鈥� opadaj膮coszcz臋kogenne. Ale mog艂o jednak da膰 to 101%, mog艂o uderzy膰 jeszcze mocniej.
Nie b臋d臋 ukrywa膰, b臋d臋 cz臋sto wraca膰 my艣lami fo tej ksi膮偶ki.
Want to read
November 13, 2024an ambessa book written by THE C.L. Clark?? sign me up 馃槏馃槏馃槏
April 9, 2025
Jestem godna podziwu 偶e, autorka potrafi艂a nada膰 autentyczno艣ci i cz艂owiecze艅stwa postaci膮 w kt贸rych tego nie widzia艂am.
Nie lubi艂am Ambessy, w grze czy te偶 w Arcane, nie przypad艂a mi do gustu i po prostu mia艂am j膮 za tyrana (Mel te偶 nie lubi艂am lol) a tutaj polubi艂am je obie i z uwag膮 艣ledzi艂am ich los.
Najwi臋kszym zaskoczeniem by艂a dla mnie posta膰 Rell! kt贸r膮 polubi艂am najbardziej i mam nadziej臋 (ze wzgl臋du na ko艅c贸wk臋 偶e, dostanie swoj膮 ksi膮偶k臋 ale nadzieja matk膮 g艂upich bo to rito w ko艅cu)
W przeciwie艅stwie do Zrujnowania (ksi膮偶ki osadzonej w tym samym 艣wiecie ale innym czasie) tutaj ma艂o by艂o postaci kt贸re ju偶 znam ze 艣wiata Lola i troch臋 mi by艂o tego szkoda bo wiele z nich oczekiwa艂am i chcia艂am pozna膰 ich losy :/ st膮d te偶 ma艂y minusik
Poza tym bawi艂am sie 艣wietnie a ksi膮偶k臋 jak si臋 zacznie to ci臋偶ko si臋 od niej oderwa膰 馃挏馃尭
Nie lubi艂am Ambessy, w grze czy te偶 w Arcane, nie przypad艂a mi do gustu i po prostu mia艂am j膮 za tyrana (Mel te偶 nie lubi艂am lol) a tutaj polubi艂am je obie i z uwag膮 艣ledzi艂am ich los.
Najwi臋kszym zaskoczeniem by艂a dla mnie posta膰 Rell! kt贸r膮 polubi艂am najbardziej i mam nadziej臋 (ze wzgl臋du na ko艅c贸wk臋 偶e, dostanie swoj膮 ksi膮偶k臋 ale nadzieja matk膮 g艂upich bo to rito w ko艅cu)
W przeciwie艅stwie do Zrujnowania (ksi膮偶ki osadzonej w tym samym 艣wiecie ale innym czasie) tutaj ma艂o by艂o postaci kt贸re ju偶 znam ze 艣wiata Lola i troch臋 mi by艂o tego szkoda bo wiele z nich oczekiwa艂am i chcia艂am pozna膰 ich losy :/ st膮d te偶 ma艂y minusik
Poza tym bawi艂am sie 艣wietnie a ksi膮偶k臋 jak si臋 zacznie to ci臋偶ko si臋 od niej oderwa膰 馃挏馃尭
February 18, 2025
OH. MY. GOD.
I knew I was going to love this, but WOW. I devoured it. Absolutely inhaled it. Arcane has been living in my brain rent-free since season 2 dropped, and while I鈥檓 dying to see what happens next in Noxus, this book was exactly what I needed to fill the void.
We follow Ambessa, who is just as ruthless, powerful, and terrifying as I hoped she鈥檇 be, but also so much more. She鈥檚 strategic, loyal (in her own way), and willing to do anything for her family.
We also got Mel鈥檚 POV! Hello?? Absolutely heartbreaking. Seeing her struggles and the weight of her family鈥檚 legacy made me love her character even more.
I was obsessed with learning more about Ambessa, Mel, the Medarda clan, and all the messy politics of Noxus. Also, the Black Rose? The mages?? The CODE??? I was SAT.
And the writing??? Perfection. C. L. Clark GETS these characters. The pacing is perfect, and the tension in every scene had me hooked. I鈥檝e been in a reading slump, but I flew through this book because I physically could not put it down. Every chapter pulled me in deeper, and before I knew it, I was at the end, screaming.
Now, do I play League of Legends? No. Am I ever going to? Probably not. But the lore is chef鈥檚 kiss, and this book made me even more obsessed with it. Every second of this story was amazing, and now I鈥檓 sitting here, dramatically staring into the distance.
If you love Arcane, this book is a must-read.
It鈥檚 everything I wanted and more. Thank you, C. L. Clark, for feeding us.
Also, huge thanks to Hachette and Orbit UK for the review copy, you made my year!
I knew I was going to love this, but WOW. I devoured it. Absolutely inhaled it. Arcane has been living in my brain rent-free since season 2 dropped, and while I鈥檓 dying to see what happens next in Noxus, this book was exactly what I needed to fill the void.
We follow Ambessa, who is just as ruthless, powerful, and terrifying as I hoped she鈥檇 be, but also so much more. She鈥檚 strategic, loyal (in her own way), and willing to do anything for her family.
We also got Mel鈥檚 POV! Hello?? Absolutely heartbreaking. Seeing her struggles and the weight of her family鈥檚 legacy made me love her character even more.
I was obsessed with learning more about Ambessa, Mel, the Medarda clan, and all the messy politics of Noxus. Also, the Black Rose? The mages?? The CODE??? I was SAT.
And the writing??? Perfection. C. L. Clark GETS these characters. The pacing is perfect, and the tension in every scene had me hooked. I鈥檝e been in a reading slump, but I flew through this book because I physically could not put it down. Every chapter pulled me in deeper, and before I knew it, I was at the end, screaming.
Now, do I play League of Legends? No. Am I ever going to? Probably not. But the lore is chef鈥檚 kiss, and this book made me even more obsessed with it. Every second of this story was amazing, and now I鈥檓 sitting here, dramatically staring into the distance.
If you love Arcane, this book is a must-read.
It鈥檚 everything I wanted and more. Thank you, C. L. Clark, for feeding us.
Also, huge thanks to Hachette and Orbit UK for the review copy, you made my year!
March 8, 2025
A fast-paced adventure with plenty of action and intrigue. Though it's set in the world of League of Legends and with characters from Arcane, it's not necessary to know any previous lore to get on with Ambessa.
There's definitely a lot here to like. Plenty of cool action, a few mysteries, and tons of intrigue. There's also a few cameos from LoL characters, enough to give people who do know the game those "Oooh!!!" moments.
Unfortunately, I found the characterisations to be severely lacking in this entry. Every character felt pretty flat and similar. Strange because I love CL Clark's other books.
Overall, a fine entry to the LoL verse with some good back story for some loved characters from Arcane especially.
There's definitely a lot here to like. Plenty of cool action, a few mysteries, and tons of intrigue. There's also a few cameos from LoL characters, enough to give people who do know the game those "Oooh!!!" moments.
Unfortunately, I found the characterisations to be severely lacking in this entry. Every character felt pretty flat and similar. Strange because I love CL Clark's other books.
Overall, a fine entry to the LoL verse with some good back story for some loved characters from Arcane especially.
Want to read
January 29, 2025YOU BET YOUR ASS IM GOING TO BE READING 馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟馃敟
January 17, 2025
4.5/5
Ambessa's such an interesting character. She should be so offputting to me, yet Clark writes her in a way that's so so compelling. Always fascinated with the headspaces of characters who've decided to turn themselves into the main character, whether the narrative wants them there or not. Loved how much new screentime we get of Rictus in this. What an absolute bro. Favorite side character.
If I had one complaint, its that as a league fan I wish we got more worldbuilding of Noxus itself. Ambessa is surprisingly standalone with how few league characters make appearances. But the story itself does mostly take place on the edges of the country so I guess its understandable. On the other hand, its a fantastic companion novel to the Arcane series. We get more of Mel's background filled in and it sets the stage for much of what happens in Season 2.
Ambessa's such an interesting character. She should be so offputting to me, yet Clark writes her in a way that's so so compelling. Always fascinated with the headspaces of characters who've decided to turn themselves into the main character, whether the narrative wants them there or not. Loved how much new screentime we get of Rictus in this. What an absolute bro. Favorite side character.
If I had one complaint, its that as a league fan I wish we got more worldbuilding of Noxus itself. Ambessa is surprisingly standalone with how few league characters make appearances. But the story itself does mostly take place on the edges of the country so I guess its understandable. On the other hand, its a fantastic companion novel to the Arcane series. We get more of Mel's background filled in and it sets the stage for much of what happens in Season 2.
March 6, 2025
What a book! It was such a fun read.
You read mainly from Ambessa perspective but also from Mel and Rells perspective.
Having some prior knowledge of both Arcane and League of Legends helps a bit with understanding the book and some characters. The book even took a few scenes directly from Arcane and surrounding content and wrote them from Ambessa's perspective, which was super interesting!
I was expecting that this book would make me understand Ambessa's motives or even make me see her in a positive light, but man, the whole Medarda family is just an absolute mess it's insane. When I thought it couldn't get crazier it just kept going.
You read mainly from Ambessa perspective but also from Mel and Rells perspective.
Having some prior knowledge of both Arcane and League of Legends helps a bit with understanding the book and some characters. The book even took a few scenes directly from Arcane and surrounding content and wrote them from Ambessa's perspective, which was super interesting!
I was expecting that this book would make me understand Ambessa's motives or even make me see her in a positive light, but man, the whole Medarda family is just an absolute mess it's insane. When I thought it couldn't get crazier it just kept going.
April 12, 2025
i absolutely devoured this book.
c.l clark did a fantastic job staying true to ambessa medarda鈥檚 character when writing her backstory. this book made me love ambessa even more tbh. the complex mother-daughter relationship with ambessa, and mel was captured so perfectly, and it鈥檚 so tragic knowing the ending (mel medarda they could NEVER make me hate you). i loved learning about the rest of the medarda family.
my one criticism is the pacing, i think that the book was just a bit rushed in terms of the plot.
c.l clark did a fantastic job staying true to ambessa medarda鈥檚 character when writing her backstory. this book made me love ambessa even more tbh. the complex mother-daughter relationship with ambessa, and mel was captured so perfectly, and it鈥檚 so tragic knowing the ending (mel medarda they could NEVER make me hate you). i loved learning about the rest of the medarda family.
my one criticism is the pacing, i think that the book was just a bit rushed in terms of the plot.
Want to read
January 28, 2025I want to read this for Mel's background story and Mel's background story only. I don鈥檛 care about Ambessa 馃檰鈥嶁檧锔�
March 22, 2025
猸愶笍猸愶笍.5
positives:
- I do feel like the characterizations in here are really strong; also, the world/lore felt well researched.
- I loved Ambessa鈥檚 multilayered rageful badass perspective & her unwavering loyalty to her family that leads to questionable morals at times.
- I really enjoyed Mel鈥檚 perspectives & those were probably my favourite portions of this book.
- I also think there were some epic quotes/moments in here, & some fun league name drops.
- I was locked in enough to binge this book in pretty much a day and a half?
Negatives:
- My issues are in the story/plot structure primarily. It really just felt like this didn鈥檛 really go anywhere new? It just felt pretty repetitive & laid out what the Medarda鈥檚 were up to leading up to the Arcane show, all of which we are already told/shown on the show??
I鈥檓 quite surprised there haven鈥檛 been more Arcane/League books coming out鈥�? (I have read the Lux graphic novels and loved those, and I am interested in trying out Ruination) I feel there鈥檚 definitely a market for more!!! I would love to know Ekko鈥檚 journey into the Fireflies/Post Arcane Ekko, & prequel Vander x Silco. I鈥檓 not a CaitVi shipper personally, but I know maaaaannnyyy diva鈥檚 love them and I feel there鈥檚 a market for a post Arcane book about them?? Or Jayvik??? Heimerdinger???? Jinx (surviving season 2) and heading to Demacia to kick it with Lux??? I鈥檓 just surprised they aren鈥檛 doing more because the people want it!!!
I know my rating is low for this, but I do think if you love Arcane but most especially loved Mel or Ambessa, or if you are a League fan who loves Noxus this might be for you 馃お
positives:
- I do feel like the characterizations in here are really strong; also, the world/lore felt well researched.
- I loved Ambessa鈥檚 multilayered rageful badass perspective & her unwavering loyalty to her family that leads to questionable morals at times.
- I really enjoyed Mel鈥檚 perspectives & those were probably my favourite portions of this book.
- I also think there were some epic quotes/moments in here, & some fun league name drops.
- I was locked in enough to binge this book in pretty much a day and a half?
Negatives:
- My issues are in the story/plot structure primarily. It really just felt like this didn鈥檛 really go anywhere new? It just felt pretty repetitive & laid out what the Medarda鈥檚 were up to leading up to the Arcane show, all of which we are already told/shown on the show??
I鈥檓 quite surprised there haven鈥檛 been more Arcane/League books coming out鈥�? (I have read the Lux graphic novels and loved those, and I am interested in trying out Ruination) I feel there鈥檚 definitely a market for more!!! I would love to know Ekko鈥檚 journey into the Fireflies/Post Arcane Ekko, & prequel Vander x Silco. I鈥檓 not a CaitVi shipper personally, but I know maaaaannnyyy diva鈥檚 love them and I feel there鈥檚 a market for a post Arcane book about them?? Or Jayvik??? Heimerdinger???? Jinx (surviving season 2) and heading to Demacia to kick it with Lux??? I鈥檓 just surprised they aren鈥檛 doing more because the people want it!!!
I know my rating is low for this, but I do think if you love Arcane but most especially loved Mel or Ambessa, or if you are a League fan who loves Noxus this might be for you 馃お
February 16, 2025
bruh
im gonna give this a proper review once its officially published but holy shit was this good if you love the medardas you gotta read this
im gonna give this a proper review once its officially published but holy shit was this good if you love the medardas you gotta read this
March 18, 2025
this one鈥檚 for the girls with complicated relationships with their mother
Ambessa was so easy to hate in arcane and while she does a lot of also morally bad stuff in this book, i can鈥檛 help but love her. THIS is how you write a very complex character.
she鈥檚 so ruthless to everyone and is serious as hell when she says 鈥滱 wolf has no mercy.鈥� but she鈥檚 also a mother and her complicated relationship with Mel and Kino is driven by her fierce love for them and was written well.
also MEL I LOVE MEL! her pov鈥檚 were some of my favorites, she鈥檚 trying so hard to prove her strength. and finally getting some answers about her birth father and her tattoo鈥檚 was great.
i also haven鈥檛 played League of Legends a day in my life and don鈥檛 plan to but i would love to read more about Rell, plus i do love me a little sapphic romance and i though hers with Tora was so cute.
RIOT GAMES PLEASE GIVE ME MORE NOVELS ON ARCANE CHARACTERS馃檹馃檹馃檹
鈥滲ut mark me, child, if you want to last in this world, you must learn to be both the fox and the wolf.鈥�
鈥淏ecause I think that is too often the trouble with parents. They see only what they want for us, and not what we are in front of them."
鈥淎 Medarda does what it takes. No matter what it takes."
"Call me cruel and tell me that you have never known me, not once. I would do anything for the good of this family."
Ambessa was so easy to hate in arcane and while she does a lot of also morally bad stuff in this book, i can鈥檛 help but love her. THIS is how you write a very complex character.
she鈥檚 so ruthless to everyone and is serious as hell when she says 鈥滱 wolf has no mercy.鈥� but she鈥檚 also a mother and her complicated relationship with Mel and Kino is driven by her fierce love for them and was written well.
also MEL I LOVE MEL! her pov鈥檚 were some of my favorites, she鈥檚 trying so hard to prove her strength. and finally getting some answers about her birth father and her tattoo鈥檚 was great.
i also haven鈥檛 played League of Legends a day in my life and don鈥檛 plan to but i would love to read more about Rell, plus i do love me a little sapphic romance and i though hers with Tora was so cute.
RIOT GAMES PLEASE GIVE ME MORE NOVELS ON ARCANE CHARACTERS馃檹馃檹馃檹
鈥滲ut mark me, child, if you want to last in this world, you must learn to be both the fox and the wolf.鈥�
鈥淏ecause I think that is too often the trouble with parents. They see only what they want for us, and not what we are in front of them."
鈥淎 Medarda does what it takes. No matter what it takes."
"Call me cruel and tell me that you have never known me, not once. I would do anything for the good of this family."
Want to read
February 4, 2025AHHHHHHH
mel povs?!?!
mel povs?!?!
February 14, 2025
if i had a nickel for every time ambessa picks up a troubled and conflicted gay to be her henchman i鈥檇 have 2 nickels, which isn鈥檛 a lot but鈥�
i just finished this and i want to scream but i can鈥檛 because i鈥檓 on the train, so i settled for a dramatic slamming-the-book-closed and an 鈥榦h shit鈥�.
3.75/5
[review]
if you liked arcane this may or may not make your head explode. if you have not watched the show fear not, the bullet points below aren鈥檛 spoilers but probably won鈥檛 make much sense so feel free to skip past these !
- my jaw was on the floor from page 17 omg when you start this make sure you have your phone on hand !!
- set a few years before the show, this book offers so much insight into ambessa (obviously) but now everything she ever did makes so much more sense. sure i don鈥檛 agree with it but wow gifts love a traumatic backstory for some context eh ?
- we get to meet lots of new characters from the wider league of legends world (i have never played this game my knowledge is from my constant googling) and of course learn a little more about mel and her brother鈥檚 past. i learnt so much lore it felt illegal and my heart broke
we are introduced to ambessa, a war general whose father has recently died, and follow her struggle for power against her cousin in a fight to be his true heir. it鈥檚 very political but also quite brutal and heartbreaking.
ambessa is a difficult character, morally grey if you will, and the pure conflict and frustration i felt whilst reading her passages was so intense: i had this constant sense of dread, which probably isn鈥檛 exactly a selling point, but it meant i just couldn鈥檛 put this book down.
the pacing was鈥kay. the first half was fine but i think it did end up dragging at points in the middle and felt a bit more clunky towards the end.
as much as i loved learning about the world and meeting new characters i do wish there was MORE. with a few exceptions, everything and everyone was very surface-level. considering there鈥檚 quite a bit of travelling from place to place i鈥檇 expected us to learn more about these places and come to understand the people. there were a lot of times when i thought we鈥檇 get more info on a certain character/location but we just鈥ouldn鈥檛. i think part of the problem probably stems from the sheer number of people and places, but even significant players weren鈥檛 as thoroughly explored as i鈥檇 have liked to see.
oh and this is just a personal thing and may not be as prevalent in the finished copy but the word 鈥榦pulent鈥� was used SO MUCH to describe basically anything remotely fancy.
despite my criticisms i did really enjoy this book 鈥� i would LOVE to see more instalments in this world because one is simply not enough.
tw: violence, blood, graphic gore/injuries, death, death of loved ones/family figures, kidnapping, manipulation, torture
i just finished this and i want to scream but i can鈥檛 because i鈥檓 on the train, so i settled for a dramatic slamming-the-book-closed and an 鈥榦h shit鈥�.
3.75/5
[review]
if you liked arcane this may or may not make your head explode. if you have not watched the show fear not, the bullet points below aren鈥檛 spoilers but probably won鈥檛 make much sense so feel free to skip past these !
- my jaw was on the floor from page 17 omg when you start this make sure you have your phone on hand !!
- set a few years before the show, this book offers so much insight into ambessa (obviously) but now everything she ever did makes so much more sense. sure i don鈥檛 agree with it but wow gifts love a traumatic backstory for some context eh ?
- we get to meet lots of new characters from the wider league of legends world (i have never played this game my knowledge is from my constant googling) and of course learn a little more about mel and her brother鈥檚 past. i learnt so much lore it felt illegal and my heart broke
we are introduced to ambessa, a war general whose father has recently died, and follow her struggle for power against her cousin in a fight to be his true heir. it鈥檚 very political but also quite brutal and heartbreaking.
ambessa is a difficult character, morally grey if you will, and the pure conflict and frustration i felt whilst reading her passages was so intense: i had this constant sense of dread, which probably isn鈥檛 exactly a selling point, but it meant i just couldn鈥檛 put this book down.
the pacing was鈥kay. the first half was fine but i think it did end up dragging at points in the middle and felt a bit more clunky towards the end.
as much as i loved learning about the world and meeting new characters i do wish there was MORE. with a few exceptions, everything and everyone was very surface-level. considering there鈥檚 quite a bit of travelling from place to place i鈥檇 expected us to learn more about these places and come to understand the people. there were a lot of times when i thought we鈥檇 get more info on a certain character/location but we just鈥ouldn鈥檛. i think part of the problem probably stems from the sheer number of people and places, but even significant players weren鈥檛 as thoroughly explored as i鈥檇 have liked to see.
oh and this is just a personal thing and may not be as prevalent in the finished copy but the word 鈥榦pulent鈥� was used SO MUCH to describe basically anything remotely fancy.
despite my criticisms i did really enjoy this book 鈥� i would LOVE to see more instalments in this world because one is simply not enough.
tw: violence, blood, graphic gore/injuries, death, death of loved ones/family figures, kidnapping, manipulation, torture
Want to read
January 4, 2025Sorry WHAT??? An Ambessa book????? need this badly. ASAP
Want to read
November 24, 2024CL CLARK WRITING FOR MOTHER AMBESSA ??????? WHAT THE FUCJJDNDBDBD
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