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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-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
Sullivan's Riyria series is meant to be readable in either publication or chronological order; after reading most of Theft of Swords (publication order) and failing to connect with it, I switched to The Crown Tower and had a much better experience. I will recommend this order forever and will not be dissuaded.
This is a fun heist novel with absolutely lovable characters, not just Golden Retriever Hadrian and Murderous Alleycat Royce, but also Sweet Precious Pickles and Our Queen Gwen (more on her later). The characters are definitely the standout. The plot is somewhat predictable, and though the author says this was intended to be a standalone, if read that way it definitely has some massive holes. (The entire reason for the heist has no explanation in this book.) I'm expecting a bigger punch from the rest of the trilogy, as these dangling threads tie together.
The highlight of this book, for me, was Gwen. Fiction authors as a whole have a weird obsession with prostitution, but this is one of the most well-rounded and human treatments of a sex working character I've seen (and by a male author, no less!). Gwen is a prostitute because she has no other options, but as a reader we are not led to objectify her, look down on her, or judge her morals one way or the other. She is capable, compassionate, and super smart, and her profession is an aside. I was way more invested in her story than the main duo's! There were some little plot holes in her Sight ability, but I didn't mind overlooking them for such an excellent character arc.
Really excited that I found a way to enjoy this series that works better for me than publication order. Onto book 2 🏇
This is a fun heist novel with absolutely lovable characters, not just Golden Retriever Hadrian and Murderous Alleycat Royce, but also Sweet Precious Pickles and Our Queen Gwen (more on her later). The characters are definitely the standout. The plot is somewhat predictable, and though the author says this was intended to be a standalone, if read that way it definitely has some massive holes. (The entire reason for the heist has no explanation in this book.) I'm expecting a bigger punch from the rest of the trilogy, as these dangling threads tie together.
The highlight of this book, for me, was Gwen. Fiction authors as a whole have a weird obsession with prostitution, but this is one of the most well-rounded and human treatments of a sex working character I've seen (and by a male author, no less!). Gwen is a prostitute because she has no other options, but as a reader we are not led to objectify her, look down on her, or judge her morals one way or the other. She is capable, compassionate, and super smart, and her profession is an aside. I was way more invested in her story than the main duo's! There were some little plot holes in her Sight ability, but I didn't mind overlooking them for such an excellent character arc.
Really excited that I found a way to enjoy this series that works better for me than publication order. Onto book 2 🏇
3.5 stars. I was so excited to pick up this book because I read Theft of Swords and LOVED Royce and Hadrian but wanted a book about just the thieves, not the whole evil church subplot that I feel I've read quite a lot.
The prologue to Crown Tower starts with a statement about how he wrote each of these books to be individual standalone books that just loosely follow one another, which is great - though it says Chronicles #1, the story wraps up.
Crown Tower is half following the thieves and half following women starting a brothel to be in charge of themselves. I love the thieves characters but really appreciate the strong women aspect.
The main problem - and I think, really, a big part of what distinguishes some of the fine books from some of the great books - is that most of the plot is driven by a petty jerk with a personal grudge. There's a man that has made it his personal mission to ruin the women's lives and takes very drastic actions from burning building downs to blocking them having a building at all, and there's great detail on his personal grudge. It’s not an adventure. It’s just obnoxious.
For example, in LoTR and the Hobbit, there is not a single instance I can think of of the plot being propelled by a personal grudge - it’s propelled by dragons, trolls, etc. But this book is mostly our beloved characters' reactions to a person's actions, not our beloved characters following a real plot.
The prologue to Crown Tower starts with a statement about how he wrote each of these books to be individual standalone books that just loosely follow one another, which is great - though it says Chronicles #1, the story wraps up.
Crown Tower is half following the thieves and half following women starting a brothel to be in charge of themselves. I love the thieves characters but really appreciate the strong women aspect.
The main problem - and I think, really, a big part of what distinguishes some of the fine books from some of the great books - is that most of the plot is driven by a petty jerk with a personal grudge. There's a man that has made it his personal mission to ruin the women's lives and takes very drastic actions from burning building downs to blocking them having a building at all, and there's great detail on his personal grudge. It’s not an adventure. It’s just obnoxious.
For example, in LoTR and the Hobbit, there is not a single instance I can think of of the plot being propelled by a personal grudge - it’s propelled by dragons, trolls, etc. But this book is mostly our beloved characters' reactions to a person's actions, not our beloved characters following a real plot.
Got recommended this by my local librarian, and it's pretty awesome! Sometimes too much worldbuilding, sometimes it's hard to tell who's speaking what line, but overall an amazing story! can't wait to continue the series!
This review contains mild spoilers… depending on what your definition of spoilers is.
I loved, loved, LOVED this. Bold statement. Let me explain. (Because… that’s what a review is for.)
1) The setting was so wonderful and fascinating. Okay, the city names threw me for a loop sometimes. And I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what exactly was a town and what was a kingdom. But I adored the atmosphere – I wanted to walk those forests, climb the hills until my legs would fall off, and amaze myself with the sight of run-down villages with drunkards and prostitutes. For some reason it was really intriguing to read about. I couldn’t get enough.
2) And then there were the characters. Okay, so the people that have seen me read Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo know that I, apparently, have a thing for mysterious men in black cloaks. It started off as a joke, but it seems there might be some truth to it. Royce is… heartless, rude, and just an outright asshole sometimes (there, I said it, Hadrian, you should have the courage to say it too) – but despite that, or maybe because of that, he had me in a spell that lasted throughout the entire book.
Besides that, there’s also a really interesting dynamic between Hadrian and Royce. They’re incredibly hostile to each other and they don’t even conceal it. At least Royce doesn’t. I like him. I like him very much. (There might be something wrong with me. Do I care? Abso-fucking-lutely not.)
However. Yes, there’s always a however with me, I’m sorry. There were some aspects that could’ve been fleshed out a little better.
First, the characters seemed… without feelings. That’s a weird statement after the abovementioned dynamics that I found so interesting. What I mean is that the characters’ emotions weren’t… shown. (Oh god, there she is with the old “show-don’t-tell”.) The author had some struggles with conveying their feelings – he told me about their anger and their fear, but I didn’t see much of the pounding hearts, tightened-up throats, or shallow and quick breathing. Show me and I’m happy. Tell me, and I’m… well, less happy. This book could’ve gotten 5 stars if it weren’t for that.
But my major pet peeve was the seemingly unconnected story with Gwen. Of course, any book can have some loose ends, if they’re thought through. But with a storyline that’s as big as Gwen’s, there should’ve been at least some conclusion. This was too much of an open ending. Now I’m all like… “what TF did I read her story for?”
++ Edit after reading book 2: now I know that Gwen does serve a purpose in the series, but that wasn't at all clear in book #1. I would've liked to see, at least, some hints regarding what her role would be later on.
So… TLDR: loved it. Loved Royce. Can highly recommend it. Starting #2 today.
I loved, loved, LOVED this. Bold statement. Let me explain. (Because… that’s what a review is for.)
1) The setting was so wonderful and fascinating. Okay, the city names threw me for a loop sometimes. And I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what exactly was a town and what was a kingdom. But I adored the atmosphere – I wanted to walk those forests, climb the hills until my legs would fall off, and amaze myself with the sight of run-down villages with drunkards and prostitutes. For some reason it was really intriguing to read about. I couldn’t get enough.
2) And then there were the characters. Okay, so the people that have seen me read Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo know that I, apparently, have a thing for mysterious men in black cloaks. It started off as a joke, but it seems there might be some truth to it. Royce is… heartless, rude, and just an outright asshole sometimes (there, I said it, Hadrian, you should have the courage to say it too) – but despite that, or maybe because of that, he had me in a spell that lasted throughout the entire book.
Besides that, there’s also a really interesting dynamic between Hadrian and Royce. They’re incredibly hostile to each other and they don’t even conceal it. At least Royce doesn’t. I like him. I like him very much. (There might be something wrong with me. Do I care? Abso-fucking-lutely not.)
However. Yes, there’s always a however with me, I’m sorry. There were some aspects that could’ve been fleshed out a little better.
First, the characters seemed… without feelings. That’s a weird statement after the abovementioned dynamics that I found so interesting. What I mean is that the characters’ emotions weren’t… shown. (Oh god, there she is with the old “show-don’t-tell”.) The author had some struggles with conveying their feelings – he told me about their anger and their fear, but I didn’t see much of the pounding hearts, tightened-up throats, or shallow and quick breathing. Show me and I’m happy. Tell me, and I’m… well, less happy. This book could’ve gotten 5 stars if it weren’t for that.
But my major pet peeve was the seemingly unconnected story with Gwen. Of course, any book can have some loose ends, if they’re thought through. But with a storyline that’s as big as Gwen’s, there should’ve been at least some conclusion. This was too much of an open ending. Now I’m all like… “what TF did I read her story for?”
++ Edit after reading book 2: now I know that Gwen does serve a purpose in the series, but that wasn't at all clear in book #1. I would've liked to see, at least, some hints regarding what her role would be later on.
So… TLDR: loved it. Loved Royce. Can highly recommend it. Starting #2 today.
The Crown Tower has interesting enough characters, but a silly and contrived plot. I just barely finished it. Perhaps people who read the other series of books set in this universe first would enjoy it more.
Sadly, this book starts off well introducing Hadrian, but as soon as Royce gets introduced, the entire purpose of the plot becomes forcing them to be partners even though neither of them seems to want or need such a partnership. Every obstacle is predictable, every interaction tedious. I haven't read any other books in the series, but it's damn obvious that these two will end up riding off into the sunset together as best buddies no matter how little sense it makes. The Crown Tower could still work despite that if the journey were interesting, but I did not find it so.
Another story is told in parallel to Hadrian's, that of Gwen. Her part of the story is far better told and far more interesting, but it is decidedly subservient to the Hadrian side of the story.
I didn't get much out of reading this book and probably won't pick up any more in the series.
Sadly, this book starts off well introducing Hadrian, but as soon as Royce gets introduced, the entire purpose of the plot becomes forcing them to be partners even though neither of them seems to want or need such a partnership. Every obstacle is predictable, every interaction tedious. I haven't read any other books in the series, but it's damn obvious that these two will end up riding off into the sunset together as best buddies no matter how little sense it makes. The Crown Tower could still work despite that if the journey were interesting, but I did not find it so.
Another story is told in parallel to Hadrian's, that of Gwen. Her part of the story is far better told and far more interesting, but it is decidedly subservient to the Hadrian side of the story.
I didn't get much out of reading this book and probably won't pick up any more in the series.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes