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jpdubs's review against another edition
4.0
A classic high fantasy story. A fun romp but nothing too significant or anything that stands out. Might come back to the series when I want that type of book again.
ashkitty93's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars.
Underwhelming, frustrating, stilted dialogue and odd pacing.
Craig Schaefer handles court intrigue better in [b:Winter's Reach|23512021|Winter's Reach (Revanche Cycle, #1)|Craig Schaefer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415381529l/23512021._SX50_.jpg|43112668].
Scott Lynch handles thieving and banter better in [b:The Lies of Locke Lamora|29588376|The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)|Scott Lynch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1458646334l/29588376._SY75_.jpg|2116675].
HOWEVER.
❤️❤️❤️ Myron ❤️❤️❤️
I may come back to the second one in March and see if it gets better, but for the moment
It's a big pile of MEH. (Clearly I read it wrong, because so many of you loved it *scurries*)
Underwhelming, frustrating, stilted dialogue and odd pacing.
Craig Schaefer handles court intrigue better in [b:Winter's Reach|23512021|Winter's Reach (Revanche Cycle, #1)|Craig Schaefer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415381529l/23512021._SX50_.jpg|43112668].
Scott Lynch handles thieving and banter better in [b:The Lies of Locke Lamora|29588376|The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)|Scott Lynch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1458646334l/29588376._SY75_.jpg|2116675].
HOWEVER.
❤️❤️❤️ Myron ❤️❤️❤️
It's a big pile of MEH. (Clearly I read it wrong, because so many of you loved it *scurries*)
maddy_eich's review against another edition
3.0
This is a classic fantasy story, meaning it has political intrigues between kings, a mysterious wizard, lots of sword fighting and horse riding, and very few female characters. I’ll admit I read a lot of books that could be described that way, but this one wasn’t fun enough to excuse the flaws.
I’ve read that the Riyria series was originally self published before being combined into 3 longer volumes of 2 books apiece and then republished. Unfortunately it was pretty clear that these were originally self published. The plot progressed much too quickly with very little in the way of interesting plot developments. The original job our thieving protagonists take on takes a predictable turn, but from there on our they accomplish their quests relatively easily. Free a wizard from a magical prison? No problem, since apparently the entire kingdom is small enough to ride across in one day and no one stops them from walking into the prison and walking right back out. Bad guy imprisons the princess in a tower(a princess who is perhaps the only female character to have more than 2 lines of dialogue)? No worries just a quick rescue, a sword fight between good guy and bad guy and the good guy wins with no issues. The world and the characters are interesting enough that I can see potential in the overarching story, but I’m not inclined to continue based on my experience with the first book.
I’ve read that the Riyria series was originally self published before being combined into 3 longer volumes of 2 books apiece and then republished. Unfortunately it was pretty clear that these were originally self published. The plot progressed much too quickly with very little in the way of interesting plot developments. The original job our thieving protagonists take on takes a predictable turn, but from there on our they accomplish their quests relatively easily. Free a wizard from a magical prison? No problem, since apparently the entire kingdom is small enough to ride across in one day and no one stops them from walking into the prison and walking right back out. Bad guy imprisons the princess in a tower(a princess who is perhaps the only female character to have more than 2 lines of dialogue)? No worries just a quick rescue, a sword fight between good guy and bad guy and the good guy wins with no issues. The world and the characters are interesting enough that I can see potential in the overarching story, but I’m not inclined to continue based on my experience with the first book.
stanzilla's review against another edition
Fantasy Bücher In Deutscher Übersetzung sind sowieso oft schon mühsam in ihrer künstlichen, hochgestochenen Sprache, als Hörbuch ist es noch schwerer erträglich. Die Geschichte selber ist vielversprechend und ich werde schauen, ob ich das englische Original finden kann.
bookish_satty's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
Rating - 3.5 Stars!
Finally I can hop on the Royce and Hadrian Bromance Bandwagon!
I loved both of these main characters as well as Esrahaddon a lot. Plot wise nothing much interesting happened other than the introduction of Esrahaddon but I did enjoy spending my time with these characters.
Loved the Graphic Audio production as always.
Finally I can hop on the Royce and Hadrian Bromance Bandwagon!
I loved both of these main characters as well as Esrahaddon a lot. Plot wise nothing much interesting happened other than the introduction of Esrahaddon but I did enjoy spending my time with these characters.
Loved the Graphic Audio production as always.
kadomi's review against another edition
2.0
Entertaining fantasy story that did not wow me, but was light popcorn reading inbetween more meaty books. Our two main protagonists are Hadrian and Royce, who call themselves Riyria, and are thieves for hire. When they get an easy-looking job that brings them to the royal palace, they end up as scapegoats for the assassination of the king. There's a conspiracy afoot, and they are in the middle of it all.
There's not a ton of characters in this book, and even so, there's not a lot of characterization going on. I couldn't really tell you any discerning feature of Hadrian and Royce, other than Royce being the more altruistic one. I did enjoy Myron, a monk who gets to experience life outside the abbey with them for the first time in his life.
If this was a movie, it'd be a fantasy heist movie, light fluff with great scenes of swordfights. If light fantasy fluff is your thing, and you don't need well-rounded characters (there's a whopping number of one female character, Princess Arista, e.g., who loses a lot of agency after seemingly being powerful early on), it might just float your boat. I won't delve deeper into this series.
There's not a ton of characters in this book, and even so, there's not a lot of characterization going on. I couldn't really tell you any discerning feature of Hadrian and Royce, other than Royce being the more altruistic one. I did enjoy Myron, a monk who gets to experience life outside the abbey with them for the first time in his life.
If this was a movie, it'd be a fantasy heist movie, light fluff with great scenes of swordfights. If light fantasy fluff is your thing, and you don't need well-rounded characters (there's a whopping number of one female character, Princess Arista, e.g., who loses a lot of agency after seemingly being powerful early on), it might just float your boat. I won't delve deeper into this series.
pala_untamed's review against another edition
3.25
I enjoyed the light and easy read - rare for fantasy but sometimes welcome. I particularly enjoyed Hadrian and Royce's fun, snarky dynamic - reminds me of the Ranger's Apprentice, actually. The insertion of humour prevents the story from becoming overly heavy. The story had a fair few twists and turns which, I confess, I didn't expect - the 'whodunnit' does keep you guessing.
One thing, though, it doesn't exactly fizz with vibrancy. This first book in particular felt a bit... Bland? Stuffy medieval drama? To be fair, the author acknowledges this style - the back of my copy has an author interview where he says "I attempted a style I had never tried before—invisibility. The idea is to make the story pop off the page and make the writing disappear."
It works, for sure - very digestable, easy to read, pure entertainment - but the book never sparked for me.
One thing, though, it doesn't exactly fizz with vibrancy. This first book in particular felt a bit... Bland? Stuffy medieval drama? To be fair, the author acknowledges this style - the back of my copy has an author interview where he says "I attempted a style I had never tried before—invisibility. The idea is to make the story pop off the page and make the writing disappear."
It works, for sure - very digestable, easy to read, pure entertainment - but the book never sparked for me.
nbucaro15's review against another edition
5.0
Definitely some conveniences and ridiculousness but such a fun time! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. 4.5