Book Tour: The Rat King- The Rats or Letniv Vol. 1 by Emma Miles

Rating: 4/5

Genre: Young adult, fantasy

Length: 523 pages

Published: 31st October 2023

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200032892-the-rat-king?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_12

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rat-King-Rats-Letniv-One-ebook/dp/B0CK1XC2KY/

Being the son of a Coven Lord is a far and desperate cry from luxury and safety. Every day Rothfel must prove he is worth the food his father puts on the table, and avoid the notice of Lord Atise’s brutal bodyguard, Bicken. When his only friend, a lowly slave, is cruelly taken from him, Rothfel finds himself alone in the sprawling, chaotic city of Letniv.

Yearning for friendship, love, and approval, he is offered a hand from the unlikeliest of places…

But who is really worth his loyalty?

Akimas Atise, his distant, cold, and terrifying father?

Golghen, the mysterious chameleon of Letniv city; king of liars, king of thieves?

Gentle, brave Leida; slave, concubine, descendant of the free women of the north?

Or Zephyr? Ghost, murderer, and devoted follower of the King of Rats.

Rothfel is only ten, but his choices, his love, his loyalty… will change the Land Beneath the Sky.

The Rat King follows Rothfel, the ten year old son of a wealthy coven lord, who despite his status, is far from safe. If his father has another heir, but one with power, Rothfel could be sold into slavery, or worse, be killed. Powerless, friendless and without a loving family, he is left to navigate and learn to survive in Letniv alone. When he meets Golghen, the King of Rats, he is given the opportunity to become a Rat, undertaking all manners of training to influence the city and complete tasks required by the King of Rats. However, all is not as it seems. Who can Rothfel trust? All is definitely not as it seems, with loyalties tested, friendships made and Rothfel’s need for approval, from both his father, and Golghen himself, a constant battle.

This book is an epic adventure, with plots to overthrow the coven lords, finding out what happened to his mother, and protecting those he holds most close. This journey is one that was incredibly entertaining to read. With brilliant characters such as Zephyr, Leida and Rothfel, you are with these characters every step of the way, watching Rothfel progress from a boy with no control or safety, to someone able to defend himself and his friends, able to find the answers he had desperately been searching for. But everything you think you know may not actually be the truth, with secrets uncovered and hidden pasts revealed, this book keeps you guessing until the very last page.

The first in a series, The Rat King: The Rats of Letniv Volume 1, is a book with a captivating plot, brilliant characters, dividing loyalties and a plot that I definitely cannot wait to continue following in the next book! For lovers of fantasy, child heroes and morally questionable characters, this series is one to watch!

I often get asked when I knew I was a writer; the answer is always. A writer is what I am, it’s in my soul. There have been times in my life when I couldn’t write, and times when my writing has been the only thing that kept me going. I think I always longed for something deeper from life, something more meaningful, and I found it in my imagination and in the music of words.

It was poetry which first caught my attention, and whilst my younger cousins called for ghost stories it was animals I first wrote of. I think I gravitated toward fantasy because of the freedom it gives, I could create my own worlds and decide my own rules. My Wind’s Children trilogy was born from an image that came to me whilst daydreaming, of a young man sitting alone below a bridge. I didn’t know who he was; it turns out neither did he, but we found out together.

I’m now working on my seventh book and love writing more than ever, it’s an addiction, an obsession, but one I now share with my wonderful writing family. My beta readers, my editor, and you, my readers, having you with me on my journey means the world to me.

I write as much as I can around work, but I also try to squeeze in a ridiculous amount of hobbies! I’m a wildlife photographer and do a little archery. I paint, sculpt with clay, withies and driftwood, preferring to be outdoors if I can. I still have a love for the theatre, having started out in life studying backstage crafts, and a great love for language. I speak a little French, Romanian and Italian, ma non molto bene!

Thanks for reading this. If you read any of my books and love them, please come say hello and tell me, you’d be surprised at how much that means to an author.

Take care of yourself.

Em x

Thank you to The Write Reads and Emma Miles for having me on the tour!!

Charlotte x