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  • The Shattered Reigns
  • A Blood of Kings

A Blood of Kings

The Shattered Reigns #2 / 3
by Luke Chmilenko, Bryce O'Connor
A Blood of Kings (The Shattered Reigns #2) by Luke Chmilenko, Bryce O'Connor
★ 10.00 / 2
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Ryn has fallen. Ester could be dying. Bonner is too far away to help. No matter how Declan Idrys looks at his situation, he comes to the same conclusion every time:

He is about to die at the hands of the first dark elf seen in seven hundred years.

Fate, fortunately, is not so cruel though, and after barely surviving this initial encounter with the er’endehn of Eserysh, Declan and his friends find themselves in a tentative truce with the war-loving elves. They share a common enemy, after all, and their mutual hate for the Endless Queen and her growing legions is enough for the two groups to set aside their mistrust for one another, if only for now. Sehranya, however, is not one to rest easy while her enemies join forces, and Declan and his companions soon find themselves assaulted by new horrors as they set out to make at last for the legendary city of Ysenden in truth.

But the Queen has made a mistake. Within Declan the slumbering might of his line is at last stirring, prodded into life by the guiding hands of Bonner yr’Essel. Fire. Power. Strength.

Sehranya will rue the day she did not throw everything she had into slaying the one of King’s blood…

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Fantasy
Release date: July 13, 2021

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Luke Chmilenko

Luke Chmilenko

When Luke Chmilenko first sat down to write Ascend Online, he wasn’t trying to start a movement—he just wanted to tell the kind of story he’d always wanted to read. A story where the game wasn’t just background noise, but the world itself. Where the stakes were more than loot drops, and choices had lasting consequences. That book, published in 2016, quickly became a defining entry in the LitRPG genre—one that helped shape the virtual battlegrounds readers now devour with fervor.

Read more ...

Raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Chmilenko didn’t come from a literary background. His early career was rooted in IT security—logical, structured, and grounded in real-world systems. But behind that daily grind was a lifelong gamer and worldbuilder, someone who understood how immersive mechanics could be used to explore human dynamics just as deeply as traditional storytelling. It’s that fusion—mechanical precision with emotional stakes—that sets his work apart.

In Ascend Online, Marcus and his friends enter a full-immersion MMORPG expecting adventure. What they get is a harsh, morally complex frontier where players aren't just adventurers—they’re citizens, soldiers, and leaders. This theme—of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary systems—threads through Chmilenko’s body of work, whether it’s the fantasy-forward Legacy of the Fallen or his sci-fi venture Starfall. His stories lean into hard decisions, blurred lines between hero and villain, and the evolving relationships between characters navigating volatile digital worlds.

Chmilenko’s impact goes beyond the page. He’s been a quiet force in legitimizing LitRPG and GameLit as serious storytelling forms, showing that game mechanics and rich character arcs aren’t mutually exclusive. His commitment to his craft—and to the readers who grew with him—has made him a respected figure among fans and fellow writers alike.

Now living in Burlington with his wife and two daughters, Chmilenko writes full-time. The game worlds he builds may be virtual, but the questions they ask—about identity, choice, and consequence—are anything but.

The Shattered Reigns

In a land where kings are made by the sword and unmade by ancient forces best left forgotten, The Shattered Reigns unfolds with the slow, inevitable pull of a gathering storm. This epic fantasy series doesn’t rush its revelations—it builds them, brick by bloodstained brick, into something as immersive as it is unforgiving.

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At its heart is Declan Idrys, a mercenary whose life was meant to be spent on the edge of empires and morality. But the past has its own gravity, and Declan is not just another blade-for-hire. Shadowed by secrets he barely understands and a legacy tied to a power that once reshaped the world, he’s drawn into conflicts where the cost of victory may be his very soul. Alongside him walks Ryn, a figure shrouded in mystery whose presence raises more questions than answers. Together, they tread a path where loyalty is fragile, and survival often comes at a price too steep to name.

What sets this series apart is its meticulous world-building—a realm fractured by ancient wars, political deception, and the ever-present hum of something old stirring beneath the surface. There are no easy heroes here. The characters are flawed, their decisions messy, their victories hard-earned and often bittersweet. And the enemies? They aren’t always who you expect—sometimes, they aren’t even human.

The tone leans dark, the magic dangerous, the storytelling deliberate. This is a series for readers who crave slow-burn tension, layered character arcs, and a fantasy world that feels as lived-in as it is lethal. It whispers rather than shouts, but every word carries weight—and when the series strikes, it leaves a mark.

If you're drawn to fantasy that unspools like a mystery, that balances brutality with emotional depth, The Shattered Reigns might be the quiet storm you've been waiting for.


The Shattered Reigns consists of two books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.

A Mark of Kings (The Shattered Reigns #1)
★ 10.00 / 1
A Blood of Kings (The Shattered Reigns #2)
★ 10.00 / 2
The Shattered Reigns Book 3 (The Shattered Reigns #3)
⧗ 9.80 / 5


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