Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
The Rose and the Thorn is the second book in the Riyria Chronicles series and follows the adventures Hadrian Blackwater and Royce Melborn. Whereas in The Crown Tower the duo is at odds, in the second novel they’ve clearly become accustomed to one another and have reached a balanced relationship. They aren’t best friends forever or anything, but at least they’re no longer trying to kill one another.
The storyline in The Rose and the Thorn becomes a personal vendetta, which is vastly different from the first novel, where they were on a business mission. This is largely due to Royce’s feelings (yes, feelings) toward Gwen DeLancy, the lady of Medford House. If you hadn’t fit the pieces together, Royce and Hadrian come back to the city of Medford and get into great deals of trouble and Royce is generally threatening. We the readers are introduced to some additional characters, which helps to expand the breadth of the story and gives an inside perspective of the royal family and their sycophants.
There was a great deal of foreshadowing of events that will likely take place in the main trilogy, the Riyria Revelations. I haven’t read the Revelations yet, but intend to in the near-ish future. I suppose they’ll fit in my TBR pile somewhere, but seriously, Fall and Winter are busy times of year for book nerds.
To be honest, I don’t have much to say about this book- it was pretty good and fun to read, but it didn’t leave me brooding about the ending for days, rock my world, or leave me stunned and utterly speechless for thirty seconds or more. Yeah, I would definitely recommend this series, but it’s no game changer in modern fantasy writing.
The storyline in The Rose and the Thorn becomes a personal vendetta, which is vastly different from the first novel, where they were on a business mission. This is largely due to Royce’s feelings (yes, feelings) toward Gwen DeLancy, the lady of Medford House. If you hadn’t fit the pieces together, Royce and Hadrian come back to the city of Medford and get into great deals of trouble and Royce is generally threatening. We the readers are introduced to some additional characters, which helps to expand the breadth of the story and gives an inside perspective of the royal family and their sycophants.
There was a great deal of foreshadowing of events that will likely take place in the main trilogy, the Riyria Revelations. I haven’t read the Revelations yet, but intend to in the near-ish future. I suppose they’ll fit in my TBR pile somewhere, but seriously, Fall and Winter are busy times of year for book nerds.
To be honest, I don’t have much to say about this book- it was pretty good and fun to read, but it didn’t leave me brooding about the ending for days, rock my world, or leave me stunned and utterly speechless for thirty seconds or more. Yeah, I would definitely recommend this series, but it’s no game changer in modern fantasy writing.
This book reminded me why I adore Riyria and the characters Royce and Hadrian. It wasn't my favorite in the series but I still read it straight through in one sitting which I can't say for a lot of books. This series is just so much fun.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book, more than any of the others I’ve read by Sullivan, balanced the good of its heroes with the malice of its antagonists. Loved Gwen’s development and the backstory for the name Riyria.
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is yet another story I have enjoyed by this author. This takes place about a year after the first book and we continue to follow Royce and Hadrian as they get used to each other's company and working together. They end up back in Medford and soon learn Gwen has been brutally attacked. While trying to help the woman who once saved them, they unknowingly become entangled in the mayhem that has been taking place at the kingdom.
At first this one took me a little bit to get into, but again once I got into it I was hooked. Of course I loved the continued dynamic between Royce and Hadrian, but I also liked that we got to see a somewhat softer side of Royce when it came to his feelings toward Gwen. I am always interested in any story with political intrigue and this did not disappoint. I liked that even though I was familiar with a lot of these characters and events from the Riyria Revelations series it was nice to actually see things start to play out here and see the introduction of more characters. I can't wait to continue with this series.
At first this one took me a little bit to get into, but again once I got into it I was hooked. Of course I loved the continued dynamic between Royce and Hadrian, but I also liked that we got to see a somewhat softer side of Royce when it came to his feelings toward Gwen. I am always interested in any story with political intrigue and this did not disappoint. I liked that even though I was familiar with a lot of these characters and events from the Riyria Revelations series it was nice to actually see things start to play out here and see the introduction of more characters. I can't wait to continue with this series.
(3.5)
guess i just don't enjoy these as much in audio form... if i do pick up the sequel in the future, i'll make sure it's the ebook.
guess i just don't enjoy these as much in audio form... if i do pick up the sequel in the future, i'll make sure it's the ebook.
A great second book.
The authors writing style has improved a lot since the original trilogy.
The authors writing style has improved a lot since the original trilogy.