Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a really great way to get myself back into the world of Elan. I don't think I realized how much I missed this world and the characters. Hadrian and Royce were so easy to get back in touch with. I will say the plot was just a little, I don't know non-existent. I mean the title pf the book was The Crown Tower and that aspect o the book was maybe the last 100ish pages or so.
I did still really enjoy seeing how Hadrian and Royce first met and even getting to see Gwen start up Medford Place. Michael J. Sullivan, you can just tell he really knows what he is doing when it comes to this world and character. I mean this prequel series cam out after the original series, so you as a reader if you read the first already have an idea of how the story is going to go. Sullivan though makes the journey feel new and fresh even with knowing the outcome.
Really excited to be back with Hadrian and Royce and looking forward to seeing where the story goes in The Rose and the Thorn. I know there are more books in this series but I believe these 2 can be read more back to back and that is what I am here for. I mean according to Sullivan this prequel series is still ongoing and we don't know when we are getting the next book.
I did still really enjoy seeing how Hadrian and Royce first met and even getting to see Gwen start up Medford Place. Michael J. Sullivan, you can just tell he really knows what he is doing when it comes to this world and character. I mean this prequel series cam out after the original series, so you as a reader if you read the first already have an idea of how the story is going to go. Sullivan though makes the journey feel new and fresh even with knowing the outcome.
Really excited to be back with Hadrian and Royce and looking forward to seeing where the story goes in The Rose and the Thorn. I know there are more books in this series but I believe these 2 can be read more back to back and that is what I am here for. I mean according to Sullivan this prequel series is still ongoing and we don't know when we are getting the next book.
Excellent story. I am really enjoying the way the characters, that I already loved from the previous books, are developing.
4.5
I picked this book after hearing some of my favourite Youtuber recommendations. The especially raved about the friendship in the books and I do love a good friendship in my story. And I wasn’t disappointed. I loved both Hadrian and Royce. Hadrian is the nice ex-soldier that is tiered for killing and don’t quite know what to do with himself and Royce is the mysterious and dark assassin that won’t think twice before cutting your throat. They couldn’t be any different and this is why when they come together they are amazing.
Things I liked:
-The writing was simple and nice, and the plot, as well as the world-building, were also simple which made the story very easy to read and follow. If you do like complicated world-building and magic system though you won't find it here.
-I think I made it clear that I love Hadrian and Royce. They are both amazing and very well written character with their own distinct personality.
-I love seeing them getting to work with each other, and slowly turning this hate to a very strong friendship.
-This is the first book of the prequel series and this was a very nice story to introduce us to were it all started. The plot was simple and easy to follow but did its job.
Things I didn’t like:
-Throughout the story, we jump between Hadrian's and Gwen’s POV. Her POV was interesting but unfortunately, the two stories don't connect until the very last pages. Which, for me, felt like I was reading two different books in one. While reading Gwen's POV I found myself counting the pages to see when I'll be back with my two favourite characters because their story was the one I wanted to be reading about.
I picked this book after hearing some of my favourite Youtuber recommendations. The especially raved about the friendship in the books and I do love a good friendship in my story. And I wasn’t disappointed. I loved both Hadrian and Royce. Hadrian is the nice ex-soldier that is tiered for killing and don’t quite know what to do with himself and Royce is the mysterious and dark assassin that won’t think twice before cutting your throat. They couldn’t be any different and this is why when they come together they are amazing.
Things I liked:
-The writing was simple and nice, and the plot, as well as the world-building, were also simple which made the story very easy to read and follow. If you do like complicated world-building and magic system though you won't find it here.
-I think I made it clear that I love Hadrian and Royce. They are both amazing and very well written character with their own distinct personality.
-I love seeing them getting to work with each other, and slowly turning this hate to a very strong friendship.
-This is the first book of the prequel series and this was a very nice story to introduce us to were it all started. The plot was simple and easy to follow but did its job.
Things I didn’t like:
-Throughout the story, we jump between Hadrian's and Gwen’s POV. Her POV was interesting but unfortunately, the two stories don't connect until the very last pages. Which, for me, felt like I was reading two different books in one. While reading Gwen's POV I found myself counting the pages to see when I'll be back with my two favourite characters because their story was the one I wanted to be reading about.
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Rating: 4.5/5
The Crown Tower is the first story of Hadrian and Royce. It's the story of how the met and decided to work together, even if reluctantly, for the first time in order to steal a book from... the Crown Tower.
This was the first Riyria book I've ever read and I am glad to say it did not disappoint. This book lives up to its hype. I loved pretty much everything. Especially the characters. The dynamic between Hadrian and Royce is what keeps this book alive. Those two are so different and can't stand each other. But when they actually manage to work together they were amazing. They reminded me so much of my best friend and I, my BFF being more like Royce and me being a lot like Hadrian. So, this book really hit home with me.
I loved the action and humor it kept me reading until very late at night, or better yet, early in the morning. We also get to meet a lot more characters like Gwen, Arcadius and Pickles. Arcadius is kind of my personal favorite. I loved how you could never get a straight answer from him and how he manipulated Royce and Hadrian. I'm really looking forward to their next adventure and then I will be definitely picking up the Riyria Revelations books.
The Crown Tower is the first story of Hadrian and Royce. It's the story of how the met and decided to work together, even if reluctantly, for the first time in order to steal a book from... the Crown Tower.
This was the first Riyria book I've ever read and I am glad to say it did not disappoint. This book lives up to its hype. I loved pretty much everything. Especially the characters. The dynamic between Hadrian and Royce is what keeps this book alive. Those two are so different and can't stand each other. But when they actually manage to work together they were amazing. They reminded me so much of my best friend and I, my BFF being more like Royce and me being a lot like Hadrian. So, this book really hit home with me.
I loved the action and humor it kept me reading until very late at night, or better yet, early in the morning. We also get to meet a lot more characters like Gwen, Arcadius and Pickles. Arcadius is kind of my personal favorite. I loved how you could never get a straight answer from him and how he manipulated Royce and Hadrian. I'm really looking forward to their next adventure and then I will be definitely picking up the Riyria Revelations books.
Video review here: https://youtu.be/CI4Ypv26wPM
The Crown Tower is a great fresh break from all the world-ending plots and grimdark fantasy and it does a wonderful job with just being itself and allowing its readers to simply have fun and enjoy the enemies-to-friends dynamic between the two main characters.
Most of the story consists of the very enjoyable dynamic between the main character and fighter, Hadrian, and the antihero and assassin, Royce, as they are coerced into a forced partnership to complete a heist. It contains some of my favourite tropes: the slightly righteous hero is forced into working with the extremely morally dubious and shady antagonist, the bickering and banter and then how the hero surprises the villain so much with just being kind, and a combination of both humorous and more serious conversations. But it’s such an entertaining read and it still feels original and fresh without seeming cliched. The course of the novel does so much in terms of laying down the groundwork for their gradually forming close bond and I get the feeling their friendship/partnership will become so so important and meaningful later on in the series.
Aside from our two main characters, there’s also a third one whose storyline is less intertwined with theirs. She’s a prostitute who has an awful boss and her arc is essentially about reclaiming her agency and the agency and safety of her fellow female workers. This story-line isn’t resolved by her just getting a new line of work and how it was done was nicely satisfying.
The writing style and pacing was just the right about of fast to read without being dense or overly convoluted or too descriptive.
I give it 4/5*s. I enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters and it was a ton of fun to read. Even though there was nothing wrong with the characterisation, I would have preferred to have gotten to know the main characters on a deeper level, which I don’t feel has happened yet. As a result, I was entertained but not particularly emotionally invested in them, although I’m sure I will become more invested the more I read on in the series. This didn’t effect my rating, but it’s worth noting there is very little magic was in fantasy story. The story was perfectly fine without it but it seemed a little odd in retrospect for this to be a fantasy book that only had the barest hint of some kind of future predicting magic.
As a side-note, I did (deliberately) begin reading Riyria in an unconventional order despite reading it in the chronological order. The usual reading order, as well as the publishing order, begins with Theft of Swords.
The Crown Tower is a great fresh break from all the world-ending plots and grimdark fantasy and it does a wonderful job with just being itself and allowing its readers to simply have fun and enjoy the enemies-to-friends dynamic between the two main characters.
Most of the story consists of the very enjoyable dynamic between the main character and fighter, Hadrian, and the antihero and assassin, Royce, as they are coerced into a forced partnership to complete a heist. It contains some of my favourite tropes: the slightly righteous hero is forced into working with the extremely morally dubious and shady antagonist, the bickering and banter and then how the hero surprises the villain so much with just being kind, and a combination of both humorous and more serious conversations. But it’s such an entertaining read and it still feels original and fresh without seeming cliched. The course of the novel does so much in terms of laying down the groundwork for their gradually forming close bond and I get the feeling their friendship/partnership will become so so important and meaningful later on in the series.
Aside from our two main characters, there’s also a third one whose storyline is less intertwined with theirs. She’s a prostitute who has an awful boss and her arc is essentially about reclaiming her agency and the agency and safety of her fellow female workers. This story-line isn’t resolved by her just getting a new line of work and how it was done was nicely satisfying.
The writing style and pacing was just the right about of fast to read without being dense or overly convoluted or too descriptive.
I give it 4/5*s. I enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters and it was a ton of fun to read. Even though there was nothing wrong with the characterisation, I would have preferred to have gotten to know the main characters on a deeper level, which I don’t feel has happened yet. As a result, I was entertained but not particularly emotionally invested in them, although I’m sure I will become more invested the more I read on in the series. This didn’t effect my rating, but it’s worth noting there is very little magic was in fantasy story. The story was perfectly fine without it but it seemed a little odd in retrospect for this to be a fantasy book that only had the barest hint of some kind of future predicting magic.
As a side-note, I did (deliberately) begin reading Riyria in an unconventional order despite reading it in the chronological order. The usual reading order, as well as the publishing order, begins with Theft of Swords.
4.5 Stars!
I'm always wary about prequels. For some reason it's just never been a concept I'm interested in. But I loved reading The Riyeria Revelations so much a few months ago, and really needed more Royce and Hadrian in my life.
This was great. Just as faced paced and sassy as we've come to know and love. Hadrian really does have a heart of gold.
I definitely recommend reading Revelations first, as you get to understand so much more about the main story after reading this. It makes me want to go back for a reread. - but first, The Rose and the Thorn!
I'm always wary about prequels. For some reason it's just never been a concept I'm interested in. But I loved reading The Riyeria Revelations so much a few months ago, and really needed more Royce and Hadrian in my life.
This was great. Just as faced paced and sassy as we've come to know and love. Hadrian really does have a heart of gold.
I definitely recommend reading Revelations first, as you get to understand so much more about the main story after reading this. It makes me want to go back for a reread. - but first, The Rose and the Thorn!