You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
A really strong 3 stars, maybe 3.5?
I loved the characters. Royce and Hadrian were just the best grumpy/sunshine enemies-to-reluctant allies pairing.
The plot was so-so. It was interesting, but it seemed very predictable for Michael J. Sullivan and I haven't even read very many of his books. (I'm especially looking at you, Strong Female Character, Amazing Coincidences, and Vague Foreshadowing of Doom).
All in all, great for audiobook
I loved the characters. Royce and Hadrian were just the best grumpy/sunshine enemies-to-reluctant allies pairing.
The plot was so-so. It was interesting, but it seemed very predictable for Michael J. Sullivan and I haven't even read very many of his books. (I'm especially looking at you, Strong Female Character, Amazing Coincidences, and Vague Foreshadowing of Doom).
All in all, great for audiobook
Such a fun read. I love these characters so much!
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
With The Riyria Revelations, Hadrian & Royce have quickly become a favorite pairing of mine. I just can't get enough of these 2, so it was really fun to see how it all started and how they became the team we know and love. And the back and forth between them - I was here for it!! This book made me chuckle so many times. ^^
I also loved learning more about Gwen and her backstory. It was clear that there was more to her than we got to see in the Revelations series, and I'm glad we are getting that insight here. She's such a wonderful, caring, and strong person, and seeing what she had to go through (and I'm sure there's lots more to come) to become the Gwen we meet later on made me appreciate her character so much more.
Reading The Riyria Revelations first and being connected to the characters already has made this read so much more meaningful overall. I can't wait to continue on with the next chapter in Royce, Hadrian & Gwen's life!
I also loved learning more about Gwen and her backstory. It was clear that there was more to her than we got to see in the Revelations series, and I'm glad we are getting that insight here. She's such a wonderful, caring, and strong person, and seeing what she had to go through (and I'm sure there's lots more to come) to become the Gwen we meet later on made me appreciate her character so much more.
Reading The Riyria Revelations first and being connected to the characters already has made this read so much more meaningful overall. I can't wait to continue on with the next chapter in Royce, Hadrian & Gwen's life!
4.5 stars
I don't know what it is with this series/world, but I absolutely love every second reading about it.
It was soooo fun getting the backstory of Royce and Hadrian, they are just... idk man, just great.
I also really warmed up on Gwen in this book, I like her in the Riyria Revelations but her POV made me feel for her so much more in this installment.
Reading this just felt like coming home, I love these characters and this world with my whole heart.
I don't know what it is with this series/world, but I absolutely love every second reading about it.
It was soooo fun getting the backstory of Royce and Hadrian, they are just... idk man, just great.
I also really warmed up on Gwen in this book, I like her in the Riyria Revelations but her POV made me feel for her so much more in this installment.
Reading this just felt like coming home, I love these characters and this world with my whole heart.
I loved everything about this, from seeing Royce and Hadrian's first meeting, to the chapters about Gwen and her rise to the woman we meet in the main series, to seeing how Royce and Hadrian's first job together went, it was all great.
I thought I wouldn't love going back in time, but their pre-bromance personalities made for laugh out loud quips. Also, an instance where the audiobook narrator improves the book experience!
The narrator made this exchange a DELIGHT:
Hadrian: "I'm no thief!"
Royce: "...Yes, you are."
The narrator made this exchange a DELIGHT:
Hadrian: "I'm no thief!"
Royce: "...Yes, you are."
Hmm, this is a hard review to write. I was all ready to go gaga over this series (like the Gentleman Bastard series by [a:Scott Lynch|73149|Scott Lynch|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332432746p2/73149.jpg]).
I have not read any of the other Riyria books. I saw all the great reviews for the series and thought I'd start with Book 1. Well, book 1 is really book 4 if one goes in published order; it's a prequel to the Riyria Revelations and gives the reader some back story on the main characters.
In hindsight, maybe starting at Book 1 was not such a good idea. In the Author's Note before Chapter 1, Michael Sullivan states that reading them chronologically instead of in published order won't matter but after reading this book, I disagree. I enjoyed it, don't get me wrong. But it didn't live up to the hype: it's quite weak on the fantasy elements (a seer, a glorified wizard and a few mentions of goblin lore... that's all??), the action is pretty minimal until well over halfway through, and it ends with more questions than when it started.
Is it a good story? Yes, it's fine. Does it take me away to a rich fantasy land? No, it could easily be Scotland or England circa 1750. Am I now invested in the adventures of Hadrian and Royce? Barely. They are likable but I'm not convinced they are as fabulous as all the reviews have built them up to be.
I'm not dying to read the next book but I will keep going, mostly out of faith that they will get better.
I have not read any of the other Riyria books. I saw all the great reviews for the series and thought I'd start with Book 1. Well, book 1 is really book 4 if one goes in published order; it's a prequel to the Riyria Revelations and gives the reader some back story on the main characters.
In hindsight, maybe starting at Book 1 was not such a good idea. In the Author's Note before Chapter 1, Michael Sullivan states that reading them chronologically instead of in published order won't matter but after reading this book, I disagree. I enjoyed it, don't get me wrong. But it didn't live up to the hype: it's quite weak on the fantasy elements (a seer, a glorified wizard and a few mentions of goblin lore... that's all??), the action is pretty minimal until well over halfway through, and it ends with more questions than when it started.
Is it a good story? Yes, it's fine. Does it take me away to a rich fantasy land? No, it could easily be Scotland or England circa 1750. Am I now invested in the adventures of Hadrian and Royce? Barely. They are likable but I'm not convinced they are as fabulous as all the reviews have built them up to be.
I'm not dying to read the next book but I will keep going, mostly out of faith that they will get better.
Sale Alert: This is the kindle daily deal 21Mar20 for $2.99
Read with some of the fantasy buffs at Buddies Books & Baubles
I was a little worried to read this prequel. I totally LoVeD Hadrian and Royce in the Riyria Revelations and it is a completed series. Did I really want to go back to their beginnings to see how it all started??? And the answer is….
MJS is not that author who couldn’t figure out what to write next and so decided hey I’ll write more books in the same world because $$$. Nope not at all, he wrote it because his wife fell in love with another man.
As soon as I read that in the dedication I KNEW that MJS was not just pumping out more books for the sake of $$$ but definitely for the love of the world, the characters and his wife. After that I just relaxed and had a great time with it.
Can you read this first???
Yes, there aren’t any spoilers for the future series. BUT….that said I will say that I really liked catching the little hints and cameos of characters that we get to know better later on. My personal recommendation is to read The Riyria Revelations first and then move on to these.
But won’t I be a little bored since I already kind of know what happens from Riyria Revelations?
I was also a little worried about that. The answer is a resounding NO…you will not be bored at all. There are so many great things in this. One of the first things I was really excited about is that we get a Gwen PoV and it is fantastic.
The second thing is that Royce and Hadrian are just starting out and you can see how completely different they are from each other. Hadrian is pretty naive and trusting…while Royce well he was raised by wolves so trust isn’t something he understands at all.
I really enjoyed this getting to know each other part of their relationship. You can see the threads of the bromance that it will become but you can also see the rocky road they will travel to get there.
This story went so fast for me and I couldn’t wait to get to some of the moments I knew had to be coming because of the snippets we were told in Riyria Revelations.
As MJS said he could write one book covering a year in Harian and Royce’s life leading up to Riyria Revelations which is 12 books. You know what…. I WOULD READ THEM ALL if they are even close to as good as this one.
Read with some of the fantasy buffs at Buddies Books & Baubles
I was a little worried to read this prequel. I totally LoVeD Hadrian and Royce in the Riyria Revelations and it is a completed series. Did I really want to go back to their beginnings to see how it all started??? And the answer is….
MJS is not that author who couldn’t figure out what to write next and so decided hey I’ll write more books in the same world because $$$. Nope not at all, he wrote it because his wife fell in love with another man.
It’s the classic story of a husband whose wife falls for another man—a more dashing and charming gent. It sounds tragic, but this tale is a bit different because the love affair is between a real woman and a fictional man. My wife—let’s call her Robin (because that’s her name)—has developed an infatuation for Hadrian Blackwater. I’m not sure how I feel about enabling my wife’s relationship with another man, but at least I know this guy is trustworthy
As soon as I read that in the dedication I KNEW that MJS was not just pumping out more books for the sake of $$$ but definitely for the love of the world, the characters and his wife. After that I just relaxed and had a great time with it.
Can you read this first???
Yes, there aren’t any spoilers for the future series. BUT….that said I will say that I really liked catching the little hints and cameos of characters that we get to know better later on. My personal recommendation is to read The Riyria Revelations first and then move on to these.
But won’t I be a little bored since I already kind of know what happens from Riyria Revelations?
I was also a little worried about that. The answer is a resounding NO…you will not be bored at all. There are so many great things in this. One of the first things I was really excited about is that we get a Gwen PoV and it is fantastic.
Why did we leave Calis? Why did you give me a northern name? And most importantly, Why does it mean so much to you for us to go to this mythical place called Medford? Stubbornly her mother had refused to answer, except to say that God had told her to go. When Gwen asked which god, her mother had replied, “The one who walks as a man.”
The second thing is that Royce and Hadrian are just starting out and you can see how completely different they are from each other. Hadrian is pretty naive and trusting…while Royce well he was raised by wolves so trust isn’t something he understands at all.
“You have any friends?”
“One.”
“Arcadius?”
“No.”
“Where is this friend?”
“No idea.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“When he framed me for murder and sent me to prison.”
“I don’t think you understand the meaning of the word friend.”
“And I think you live in a fairy-tale world where words have consistent meanings…”
I really enjoyed this getting to know each other part of their relationship. You can see the threads of the bromance that it will become but you can also see the rocky road they will travel to get there.
This story went so fast for me and I couldn’t wait to get to some of the moments I knew had to be coming because of the snippets we were told in Riyria Revelations.
As MJS said he could write one book covering a year in Harian and Royce’s life leading up to Riyria Revelations which is 12 books. You know what…. I WOULD READ THEM ALL if they are even close to as good as this one.
adventurous
medium-paced