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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
relaxing
medium-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
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
“Each killing steals a bit of humanity until a murderer is nothing more than an animal. A hunger replaces the spirit. A want for what was lost, but as with innocence, the soul can never be replaced."
3.5 Stars: ✰✰✰½
I was initially torn on whether or not I wanted to read the Riyria Chronicles, simply because the Riyria Revelations had such a perfectly complete ending. After waiting a few months, I saw the first two books on an Audible sale and figured I might as well pick them up, because they seemed to be a good bit lighter than the books in the original series.
And I'm so glad that I did. Hadrian and Royce as characters might be my favorite duo/bromance of all time, and this book only further solidified that for me. Sullivan does a seriously fantastic job of developing his characters in this book, even though plotlines might not exactly be his strongest point.
Character Development:
I have said this with everything single book I have read by Michael Sullivan, and I'm going to keep saying it. If you enjoy character-driven books and series, you will absolutely love these. It's what keeps me coming back to his books, even though I definitely got off to a rocky start with Theft of Swords.
These books take us deep back into the past of Hadrian and Royce (about 12 years before the beginning of Theft of Swords), and this specific book is the story of both their introduction as well as their first mission as a team. When you have two characters that are so completely different from each other as Hadrian and Royce are, it is hard to write about them becoming friends in a way that is believable. It quickly turns into a Hallmark kind of vibe if you aren't careful, which I hate with a passion. But Michael Sullivan's presentation of their personalities, the development of their relationship, and also their development as individuals was accomplished as skillfully as anything I've come to expect from him.
An added bonus is that Gwen gets A LOT of page time in these books, which made me so happy. If you liked Gwen while reading Revelations, you will love this book. Sullivan is so excellent at writing strong female protagonists.
The Story & Plot:
Now, here's the thing. I can genuinely say that I enjoyed every minute of reading this book. It was definitely much lighter than the later books in Revelations, which I'm actually happy about, because sometimes I need just light reading. There weren't any huge plot holes or problems with the story, and it was entertaining.
But not a lot happened. It felt a little too simple, which isn't a huge problem, but it lacked that "Wow" factor that I usually reserve for books that get more than four stars from me. Sullivan says that these books are more episodic in nature, as compared to Revelations (which had an overarching story throughout all six books that was being developed), and I'm hoping that means that we'll get some more interesting plots in the later books.
Again, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this one, just that I found it lacking in substance as regards the story.
Some Final Thoughts:
This critique might seem a bit unusual, because I didn't really see anybody bringing this up, and I felt kind of like it was worth saying something about. Basically a part of the story regarding Gwen (this really isn't a spoiler - it's mentioned in the first two chapters of this book AND Revelations), is that she is employed as a prostitute in an inn, by a guy who was very abusive and controlling. She gets out of this abusive and controlling relationship by leaving and opening a brothel of her own.
And something about it just felt very off to me. For a young girl to be forced into prostitution out of necessity is just an awful thing, whether they do it by choice or whether they are pushed into it by somebody else. Regardless - it's a terrible thing. And everything about the way Sullivan wrote about this aspect of the story felt far, far too casual for me. Realistically, if we're talking about real life, I don't think that this is how it would have went down. And that made me take off another half star. If there's something I'm missing here, feel free to talk to me about it haha =].
In Conclusion:
If you enjoyed reading Revelations and you're ever looking for some light reading, I highly recommend you give this series (or, at least, this book) a shot. It adds a lot of valuable information and background for people who are fans of Royce and Hadrian, and the spotlight on Gwen did a great job of developing a character I wanted more from in Revelations. I say read it if you ever want "light reading", because the plot is definitely very simple, and you won't find anything in here that blows your might. But aside from my one personal issue, it's the kind of book that you can't help but enjoy =].
I'll be continuing with this series, for sure!
(As a side note - I HIGHLY recommend reading through the entire Riyria Revelations series before you start on this one. Even though these are prequels, you will appreciate these books so much more if you have Revelations as a backdrop).
Happy Reading =].
I enjoyed this a lot. It's fun to read about Riyria from before they got together, and Gwen's story is a great addition.