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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
God, these characters are so fun to read about. Hadrian and Royce are just so easy to get attached to. I mean I know these books are just prequels and we know where Hadrian and Royce end up, but Sullivan is magnificent in his craft.
Now unlike The Crown Tower having a slow moving plot, The Rose and the Thorn has a very espionage esque plot. I enjoyed it at times but where I connect so well with Hadrian and Royce, I didn't connect so well with some of the side characters we were introduced to. They seemed a bit one not, vanilla, no real depth. So when the story switched to them it was kind of a slog.
The world of Elan at this moment has become such a comfort read for me. I know no matter what mood I am in, Hadrian and Royce will always be an enjoyable experience.
Now unlike The Crown Tower having a slow moving plot, The Rose and the Thorn has a very espionage esque plot. I enjoyed it at times but where I connect so well with Hadrian and Royce, I didn't connect so well with some of the side characters we were introduced to. They seemed a bit one not, vanilla, no real depth. So when the story switched to them it was kind of a slog.
The world of Elan at this moment has become such a comfort read for me. I know no matter what mood I am in, Hadrian and Royce will always be an enjoyable experience.
As soon as I finished the first book I immediately order this book. I couldn't wait to dive back into this world and follow Hadrian's and Royce's adventures. And as you can tell by my rating I didn't like it as much as the first one.
Things I liked:
-It was so nice to be back with the boys, their dynamic and their friendship. I can't get enough of it.
-The book was a little more focused on Royce this time instead of Hadrian. I tend to have a little soft spot for the "broken" man trope, hence I love Royce (I need to point out that I don't like the "broken" man trope that uses his past as an excuse to be a d*ck and borderline abusive to his love interest). And do you know what I like even more than the "broken" man trope? The "broken" man that put his guard down for the woman he loves. I like that Royce was sweet and nice to Gwen and to her only, and then take his knives out and cut anyone that dares to hurt her. I loved seeing him trying to hide his feeling and yet being so obvious. My heart melted.
-Reuben was also a sweetheart. I like his character overall and his arc. The mystery around his mother kept me guessing
-I was pleasantly surprised to see the relationship between Reuben and the Price being genuine. When this subplot started I would have bet that the Price will end up being a jerk to Reuben and use him for his own purposes but it didn't go that way.
-The plot was interesting and fast pace. There were twists I guessed from the get-go and other I didn't see it coming. Also from what I gathered from other reviews and discussions in this book, we have a lot of characters that are also present in the original series The Riyria Revelations and I think readers who have read the first series will appreciate that.
Things I didn't like:
Unfortunately, there were two major points that kind of ruined my enjoyment a little.
-I picked this book because I wanted more Hadrian and Royce adventures. But this story felt very, very much Reuben's once instead. We spent so many pages following him that I was counting the chapters until we go back to my two beloved characters. I felt like their story was just a subplot.
-Because the story of Hadrian and Royce felt like a subplot I was expecting at the end the two stories to connect in an epic way that will redeem the fact that I spent so little time with them. But it didn't. In the end, although the stories where connected (Hadrian and Royce looking for Rose and Reuben I knew were Rose was) it didn't matter. No matter what Hadrian and Royce did it barely affected the story main story. They didn't save Rose and they didn't kill the guy that killed her. The only thing they did is scared another character and force him to protect Gwen and her business. What? That's it? If you take them out of the book it will make no difference and won't really affect Reuben's story. I don't know, maybe I missed something but I was left disappointed.
Things I liked:
-It was so nice to be back with the boys, their dynamic and their friendship. I can't get enough of it.
-The book was a little more focused on Royce this time instead of Hadrian. I tend to have a little soft spot for the "broken" man trope, hence I love Royce (I need to point out that I don't like the "broken" man trope that uses his past as an excuse to be a d*ck and borderline abusive to his love interest). And do you know what I like even more than the "broken" man trope? The "broken" man that put his guard down for the woman he loves. I like that Royce was sweet and nice to Gwen and to her only, and then take his knives out and cut anyone that dares to hurt her. I loved seeing him trying to hide his feeling and yet being so obvious. My heart melted.
-Reuben was also a sweetheart. I like his character overall and his arc. The mystery around his mother kept me guessing
-I was pleasantly surprised to see the relationship between Reuben and the Price being genuine. When this subplot started I would have bet that the Price will end up being a jerk to Reuben and use him for his own purposes but it didn't go that way.
-The plot was interesting and fast pace. There were twists I guessed from the get-go and other I didn't see it coming. Also from what I gathered from other reviews and discussions in this book, we have a lot of characters that are also present in the original series The Riyria Revelations and I think readers who have read the first series will appreciate that.
Things I didn't like:
Unfortunately, there were two major points that kind of ruined my enjoyment a little.
-I picked this book because I wanted more Hadrian and Royce adventures. But this story felt very, very much Reuben's once instead. We spent so many pages following him that I was counting the chapters until we go back to my two beloved characters. I felt like their story was just a subplot.
-Because the story of Hadrian and Royce felt like a subplot I was expecting at the end the two stories to connect in an epic way that will redeem the fact that I spent so little time with them. But it didn't. In the end, although the stories where connected (Hadrian and Royce looking for Rose and Reuben I knew were Rose was) it didn't matter. No matter what Hadrian and Royce did it barely affected the story main story.
Rating: 5/5
Amazing! What more can I say. I am just a little disappointed that they didn't uncover the traitors. And still there is no specific mention of the second guy, but I am pretty sure he is the one I suspected from the very beginning. I guess this is the story that continues on the Revelations. Can't wait to read that, too!
Since the full review will not come, cause I am at a loss for words, I seriously don't know where to begin with this one, I am just going to say that the third book in Chronicles seems to far away and I will probably start (maybe even finish) the Revelations by then. Even though I love reading books in chronological order, I will have to break that habit. Also the Rose and the Thorn seem to be connected to the Revelations' beginning so at least I have some back story before I start that one.
If you like fantasy and you haven't read any on Sullivan's books consider doing so. You will not be disappoint by the duo, Hadrian and Royce. Their chemistry is amazing and they are hilarious.
Amazing! What more can I say. I am just a little disappointed that they didn't uncover the traitors. And still there is no specific mention of the second guy, but I am pretty sure he is the one I suspected from the very beginning. I guess this is the story that continues on the Revelations. Can't wait to read that, too!
Since the full review will not come, cause I am at a loss for words, I seriously don't know where to begin with this one, I am just going to say that the third book in Chronicles seems to far away and I will probably start (maybe even finish) the Revelations by then. Even though I love reading books in chronological order, I will have to break that habit. Also the Rose and the Thorn seem to be connected to the Revelations' beginning so at least I have some back story before I start that one.
If you like fantasy and you haven't read any on Sullivan's books consider doing so. You will not be disappoint by the duo, Hadrian and Royce. Their chemistry is amazing and they are hilarious.
3.5 Stars!
I loved all the characters we got to see the beginning of in this installment, but I wasn't as gripped by the plot itself. Still a marvelous book, and there was even one moment where I had a sneaky tear catch me off guard.
I loved all the characters we got to see the beginning of in this installment, but I wasn't as gripped by the plot itself. Still a marvelous book, and there was even one moment where I had a sneaky tear catch me off guard.
This is the second book of the pair of prequels that follow Royce and Hadrian and it was much better than the first. While the first book was just one long set up this book had an actual story. After reading this book I really didn’t see the need for the first one. The stories could have easily been combined. The first book could’ve been cut down to about 100 pages and the second book could have had about 25 pages edited out. Voila, there could have been one epic sized awesome prequel novel.
Even though Royce and Hadrian have been working together for a year they are still getting use to each other. Royce can’t get over Hadrian’s naiveté, and Hadrian can’t get over Royce’s brutality. This story is where they come to common ground, balance each other out, and truly become a team. While the first book toyed with the idea of death and loss this book gave us some George RR Martin style character assassination. The love, loss, betrayal, faithfulness, brutality, kindness, and greed lead us on a path of character growth and development. I’m still glad I read it in chronological order rather than the published one, and I am anxious to see what will happen in this world and what will become of the characters. I am officially a fan of this series and I will reading the Revelations of Riyria books.
Even though Royce and Hadrian have been working together for a year they are still getting use to each other. Royce can’t get over Hadrian’s naiveté, and Hadrian can’t get over Royce’s brutality. This story is where they come to common ground, balance each other out, and truly become a team. While the first book toyed with the idea of death and loss this book gave us some George RR Martin style character assassination. The love, loss, betrayal, faithfulness, brutality, kindness, and greed lead us on a path of character growth and development. I’m still glad I read it in chronological order rather than the published one, and I am anxious to see what will happen in this world and what will become of the characters. I am officially a fan of this series and I will reading the Revelations of Riyria books.
What a great book. We knew the basics of the story from the first set of books, but we got to see a lot more with this version. It was also good to see some characters from the first Chronicles book come back.
Michael Sullivan can write light hearted mixed with dark and vile. Hadrian is by far the best character in the series. I love his attitude towards life. Hilfred was very interesting, and i enjoyed how his story evolved to that in the Revelations series.
I devoured this in a day - which is fast for me. Shows how enjoyable it was.
Michael Sullivan can write light hearted mixed with dark and vile. Hadrian is by far the best character in the series. I love his attitude towards life. Hilfred was very interesting, and i enjoyed how his story evolved to that in the Revelations series.
I devoured this in a day - which is fast for me. Shows how enjoyable it was.
Another solid effort by Sullivan who continues to hit these books out of the park. Great worldbuilding fill-in to the existing main series. Looking fwd to a third entry in the Chronicles series.
I read the first book in this series, and I kinda liked it but felt I'd not seen enough of the character dynamic and plot in the series to make my verdict. The first few chapters of this book and the short story in the 'Unfettered' collection later, I must say that I see nothing noteworthy in this author's work. The characters don't hook me, and in this book, I found the newly introduced boy's story especially stereotypical and - sorry - boring. The dynamic between the two protagonists sounded intriguing in the first book, but it soon started feeling flat. Once they established an understanding, once you get to know the protagonists, they turn out to be rather average guys, one a little naive, the other a little too ruthless. That's all there is. That would be enough for a short story, but is not enough (for me) for multiple book series surrounding them.
Very fun. I'm sad that this is the end of the road for Hadrian and Royce but I can always go back and start again, I suppose.
Enjoyed this just as much as the first. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds, and I thought he did a fine job again.
I like Gwen's character and, despite the unfortunate things that happened to her and the other ladies of Medford House, I wasglad to see them back.
The humour running through the story stops it being a story of relentless violence and serves to make the main two characters far more sympathetic than they might otherwise be.
...moving on with enthusiasm to the next installment...
I like Gwen's character and, despite the unfortunate things that happened to her and the other ladies of Medford House, I wasglad to see them back.
The humour running through the story stops it being a story of relentless violence and serves to make the main two characters far more sympathetic than they might otherwise be.
...moving on with enthusiasm to the next installment...