Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf
C.L. Clark
Hardcover / eBook
ISBN: 9780316469951
Orbit, February 2025, 448 pages

Greetings, readers, and welcome back to another book review! This month we’ll be wading into a world of tyrants and treachery, political schemes and battlefield screams, and the burning love of a mother who will do what she thinks is best for her family no matter the cost—that’s right, it’s Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf, by C.L. Clark.

Ambessa is set in the world of League of Legends (the incredibly popular moba [multiplayer online battle arena] created by Riot Games), and is the story of the titular character and her rise to power over the forces of the Noxian empire. It also acts as a prelude to Arcane, the incredibly popular (and gorgeous and stylish and amazing) Netflix show also created by Riot, by detailing Ambessa’s backstory and how Mel, Ambessa’s daughter, comes to arrive at her position in the show, as well as deepening the family dynamic between the two.

I’m going to take a brief aside to tell you something important—you don’t need to know anything about League of Legends or Arcane in order to enjoy Ambessa, because it is a book capable of standing completely on its own and telling its own story the way it wants to. In fact, for what generally ends up being something that causes ten strangers to yell at each other online (League of Legends), it is almost inconceivable how good these spinoff properties are at approaching delicate nuances between emotional relationships, family dynamics, and the struggle for power to keep those you love safe (seriously, if you haven’t seen Arcane, do yourself a favor and go watch it, it’s phenomenal, and after reading this book you’ll really appreciate Ambessa’s character).

That warning out of the way, back to the book!

Ambessa begins with our protagonist, a very successful general and purveyor of violence in service to her clan, hurrying home after another glorious victory over enemy forces. Her grandfather, leader of one of the most powerful clans in Noxus, the Medardas, is on his deathbed, and Ambessa eagerly anticipates being named the next head of the clan. Unfortunately, her cousin Ta’Fik, Steward of the House, has been busy building his powerbase while Ambessa was away waging war, and what Ambessa believes should happen quickly turns into a vicious struggle between her and Ta’Fik over the future of the Medarda family. Events unfold from there, and Ambessa has to confront not just her own desires for the future, but what she expects from her own children, and what she’s willing to do (and pay) to keep them safe.

I have to say, the main thing I really enjoyed about Ambessa is that Clark does a fantastic job of portraying her as an extremely complex and nuanced character. Ambessa is a war leader, but she’s also a mother, and a wife, and a woman who was a young girl who made choices that still reverberate into her current life, and an older woman who now has to make other choices based on what she did before. Ambessa is neither good nor bad, she’s simply a person trying her best to survive in a world with the tools she’s been given and the codes she’s been taught, and it’s clear that Clark put a lot of thought into how to make her jump off the page and stick in the reader’s mind. Creating such a character is a really tricky line to walk, but Clark accomplishes it with obvious care and verve.

The other thing that stuck out to me in this story is that it’s also a really well-written dynastic thriller. Ambessa’s struggle for power wouldn’t feel out of place in a history book from a multitude of nations, and the constant twists and turns are well plotted and executed. There are also a sizeable cast of supporting characters who hold their own weight without being relegated to filler, and everything comes together for a satisfying denoument that fits Ambessa’s character perfectly. It may not necessarily be the happiest ending, but it’s definitely one Ambessa earned.

Overall, as I said earlier, try not to let the fact this book is based on a videogame property turn you away from it (if that’s something you usually care about). Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf is a well-written story featuring a strong woman doing her best to make her way in the world, and it is well worth your time. Much like Arcane, I hope Riot continues to let Clark play around in their sandbox, because the characters she’s brought to life are ones I’d gladly continue reading about.