"The Grace of Kings is a “silk-punk” epic fantasy that takes place in the land of Dara. Emperor Mapidéré united all of Dara under a single rule, a single language, and enlists young men to work on his projects. When he dies and Emperor Erishi takes over, the land is in chaos with rebellions and lords fighting for power. The bandit Kuni Garu and the son of a fallen royal bloodline Mata Zyndu cross paths in their fight against the Empire.

In contrast to steampunk, “silkpunk” has a more trademark East Asian aesthetic; there are silk-draped airships and swords and battles, references to and reconfigurations of East Asian history, and names that are weirdly perfect for epic fantasy convention while also sounding not-European. This book gave me the things I want in an epic fantasy, with a fresh perspective that captures the nuances of a part of the world that is rising but continues to be underrepresented. I fell in love with the characters, I cried in the penultimate chapter, and I love that despite the historical context, Ken Liu does an amazing job at writing strong and interesting women! Some people have compared it to Game of Thrones, but I personally love that Ken Liu doesn’t write in that overused Male Gaze style when writing his women characters, and he gives us a protagonist who knows how to respect them."