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thecanadagoose 's review for:
Rise of Empire
by Michael J. Sullivan
Another terrible cover for a great book (sorry...). [b:Rise of Empire|10790277|Rise of Empire (The Riyria Revelations, #3-4)|Michael J. Sullivan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659900224l/10790277._SY75_.jpg|15702555] is the second omnibus book for the Riyria revelations and I think you can see [a:Michael J Sullivan|2063919|Michael J. Sullivan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1433443335p2/2063919.jpg] developing as a fantasy author. The pacing is much better, and in classic fantasy fashion the stakes have increased from the fall of a monarchy to something far worse.
A young servant girl named Amelia is thrown into the service of Empress Modina (previously known as Thrace) who, after the events of the previous book, has lost her mind. It is up to Amelia to be her minder and coax Modina into doing the bidding of her puppet masters, or it is unlikely she will be heard from again.
Arista is now the ambassador of Melengar, tasked with allying with the surrounding kingdoms against the rise of the new empire, led by the Church of Nyphron. After being somewhat unsuccessful, she forges a plan against her brothers knowledge to create an alliance with the Nationalists, enlisting the help of Royce and Hadrian. Though willing to help, Royce is still struggling with the information imparted to him by the wizard Esrahaddon, who he is unsure whether he has their best interests at heart.
I think the strongest part of this is the characterisation, which although was good in the first book, is much better now. The relationship between Royce and Hadrian felt a little odd in [b:Theft of Swords|10790290|Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations, #1-2)|Michael J. Sullivan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659900253l/10790290._SX50_.jpg|15702572], however with the inclusion of some of Hadrian's backstory and more information about how they came to be working together, it helped to solidify their bond. It also has the inclusion of something that is often missing from fantasy novels - strong female characters. Arista is more fleshed out and has a better plot line, even if the "spoiled princess learns life lessons" trope has been used many times. We also have Modina and Amelia, who are isolated on the inside of their rebellion against the rising empire. Although each have completely different stories, each feels fleshed out and interesting in their own right (I would also argue the motivations behind each of the villains were also good, and it made sense why they were doing what they were doing).
Another thing I like about these novels (which some won't like) is that they aren't self contained. Each one builds upon events of the previous, and feels like it's leading to something bigger. [a:Sullivan|127642|Mark T. Sullivan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1347310025p2/127642.jpg] slowly drips you with information about the world so it doesn't feel like an overload, while not deliberately hiding things from the reader so that any new revelations feel forced. This was also a strength in the previous book (and spoiler, in the final one).
There is a lot to like in this book, with the pacing being better and great characterisation throughout. There are a lot of fantasy tropes contained in here, but I don't think they necessarily feel overdone. It's certainly a book I would recommend for new readers of fantasy (following the first of course), and of course for experience readers of fantasy looking for a slightly lighter read (though events in this definitely took a darker turn).
A young servant girl named Amelia is thrown into the service of Empress Modina (previously known as Thrace) who, after the events of the previous book, has lost her mind. It is up to Amelia to be her minder and coax Modina into doing the bidding of her puppet masters, or it is unlikely she will be heard from again.
Arista is now the ambassador of Melengar, tasked with allying with the surrounding kingdoms against the rise of the new empire, led by the Church of Nyphron. After being somewhat unsuccessful, she forges a plan against her brothers knowledge to create an alliance with the Nationalists, enlisting the help of Royce and Hadrian. Though willing to help, Royce is still struggling with the information imparted to him by the wizard Esrahaddon, who he is unsure whether he has their best interests at heart.
I think the strongest part of this is the characterisation, which although was good in the first book, is much better now. The relationship between Royce and Hadrian felt a little odd in [b:Theft of Swords|10790290|Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations, #1-2)|Michael J. Sullivan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659900253l/10790290._SX50_.jpg|15702572], however with the inclusion of some of Hadrian's backstory and more information about how they came to be working together, it helped to solidify their bond. It also has the inclusion of something that is often missing from fantasy novels - strong female characters. Arista is more fleshed out and has a better plot line, even if the "spoiled princess learns life lessons" trope has been used many times. We also have Modina and Amelia, who are isolated on the inside of their rebellion against the rising empire. Although each have completely different stories, each feels fleshed out and interesting in their own right (I would also argue the motivations behind each of the villains were also good, and it made sense why they were doing what they were doing).
Another thing I like about these novels (which some won't like) is that they aren't self contained. Each one builds upon events of the previous, and feels like it's leading to something bigger. [a:Sullivan|127642|Mark T. Sullivan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1347310025p2/127642.jpg] slowly drips you with information about the world so it doesn't feel like an overload, while not deliberately hiding things from the reader so that any new revelations feel forced. This was also a strength in the previous book (and spoiler, in the final one).
There is a lot to like in this book, with the pacing being better and great characterisation throughout. There are a lot of fantasy tropes contained in here, but I don't think they necessarily feel overdone. It's certainly a book I would recommend for new readers of fantasy (following the first of course), and of course for experience readers of fantasy looking for a slightly lighter read (though events in this definitely took a darker turn).