The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter by Michael J. Sullivan (The Riyria Chronicles #4)

Hey guys!
We have made it to what is currently the final Riyria novel. There are more to come but Sullivan simply can’t write as fast as I burned through his books. 😅 Let’s see if this one was as good as all the previous installments in the series!

The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

A daughter vanishes. Two rogues are paid a fortune to find her. It isn’t enough.

When Gabriel Winter’s daughter mysteriously disappears and is presumed dead, the wealthy whiskey baron seeks revenge. Having lived in Colnora during the infamous Year of Fear, he hires the one man he knows can deliver a bloody retribution – the notorious Duster.

Ride with Royce and Hadrian as the cynical ex-assassin and idealistic ex-mercenary travel to a mysterious old-world city filled with nobles claiming descent from imperial aristocracy. Riyria’s job appears easy: discover what happened to the missing duchess and, if she lives, bring her home . . . if not, punish those responsible. But nothing is simple in the crowded, narrow, mist-filled streets of Rochelle, where more than one ancient legend lurks.

The Rating:

How are these books THIS good? Seriously, who gave Michael J. Sullivan permission? That guy never misses a single beat. Just like all the other books in the series Winter’s Daughter was immaculate. The mystery is set up expertly, all the different strands of the story come together so nicely at the end. Everything makes sense and is explained well, which is something I appreciate immensely. And whatever doesn’t get explained remains a mystery because it is part of something larger that we’ll circle back to in another book. With Sullivan, nothing ever feels half-baked and like there are plot holes that he’s trying to cover up.

The Death of Dulgath by Michael J. Sullivan (The Riyria Chronicles #3)

Hey guys!
We’re almost done with The Riyria Chronicles. The Death of Dulgath is the third and penultimate novel. (At least for now!)
Let’s see whether it’s a good one!

The Death of Dulgath on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

Three times they tried to kill her. Then a professional was hired. So was Riyria.

When the last member of the oldest noble family in Avryn is targeted for assassination, Riyria is hired to foil the plot. Three years have passed since the war-weary mercenary Hadrian and the cynical ex-assassin Royce joined forces to start life as rogues-for-hire. Things have gone well enough until they’re asked to help prevent a murder. Now they must venture into an ancient corner of the world to save a mysterious woman who knows more about Royce than is safe and cares less about herself than is sane.

The Rating:

I just finished another Riyria book which brings us closer to the final one (or at least what is currently the final one. I’m so torn between wanting to devour these novels as they are just so freaking good, and not wanting to read another page because it means soon, I’ll run out of Royce and Hadrian content. As usual, Michael J. Sullivan also nailed it with The Death of Dulgath.

By now, you all know how excited I am to read more about Royce’s and Hadrian’s past, and how the two became the amazing team they are now. In that regard, The Death of Dulgath is a pretty big milestone I’d say. No spoilers, but damn this was both something small and something huge at the same time!

The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan (The Riyria Chronicles #2)

Hey guys!
Another day, another Riyria review. The other day I talked about the first installment in the Riyria Chronicles, so guess what: today we’re going to tackle the second one. I’m expecting it to be just as good as every other Sullivan book I’ve read so far, so let’s see if that is the case!

The Rose and the Thorn on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

TWO THIEVES WANT ANSWERS. RIYRIA IS BORN.

For more than a year Royce Melborn has tried to forget Gwen DeLancy, the woman who saved him and his partner Hadrian Blackwater from certain death. Unable to get her out of his mind, the two thieves return to Medford but receive a very different reception — Gwen refuses to see them. The victim of abuse by a powerful noble, she suspects that Royce will ignore any danger in his desire for revenge. By turning the thieves away, Gwen hopes to once more protect them. What she doesn’t realize is what the two are capable of — but she’s about to find out.

The Rating:

HOW GOOD WAS THIS?! I loved every single page of it.
While The Crown Tower detailed on specific heist the guys pulled (which was mentioned several times throughout the Riyria Revelations), this one was a bit different. In The Rose and the Thorn we get so much backstory on the events happening in Melangar before the Riyria Revelations series takes place. I’m skirting ’round spoilers here but there’s a political conspiracy going on and now we finally learn how far back all of that went. Who was pulling the strings.

It does include events that were referenced in other books but it wasn’t just one specific job Hadrian and Royce did. I really wasn’t expecting the novel to be like this but I loved it. The story was intricate and smart. You can tell how much thought went into this, not a single logic hole in sight!

The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan (The Riyria Chronicles #1)

Hey peeps!
You might have noticed by now how much I enjoyed reading the Riyria Revelations series by Michael J. Sullivan. I finished with that and thankfully, I wasn’t the only one not yet ready to part ways with Royce and Hadrian!
Sullivan wrote a second series, the Riyria Chronicles, detailling some of things hinted at in the other novels as well as giving us origin stories. The first installment in that series is The Crown Tower!

The Crown Tower on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

TWO MEN WHO HATE EACH OTHER. ONE IMPOSSIBLE MISSION. A LEGEND IN THE MAKING.

A warrior with nothing to fight for is paired with a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Together they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm’s most valuable possessions. But it isn’t gold or jewels the old wizard is after, and this prize can only be obtained by the combined talents of two remarkable men. Now if Arcadius can just keep Hadrian and Royce from killing each other, they just might succeed.

The Rating:

I love love loved this! As the title if The Crown Tower, I knew this would be about the infamous heist that was referenced a lot in the Riyria Revelations. You have no idea how curious I was to finally learn what went down that one time when Royce and Hadrian first stole something and then put it back!

But it’s not only the story of the heist that we get. This is how Hadrian and Royce met. We get some insight into their past (I mean, we all know that is a very limited process whenever Royce is concerned), which gives the characters even more depth. Sullivan already did a great job in terms of character development in the books I already read, but this is more about understand how the became who they turned out to be, what their motivations are, etc. So good!

Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan (The Riyria Revelations #6)

Hey guys!

Percepliquis on Goodreads

The Plot (as found on Goodreads):

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS…THE ELVES HAVE CROSSED THE NIDWALDEN. TWO THIEVES WILL DECIDE THE FUTURE.

“I saw a great journey. Ten upon the road, she who wears the light will lead the way. The road goes deep into the earth, and into despair. The voices of the dead guide your steps. You walk back in time. The three-thousand-year battle begins again. Cold grips the world, death comes to all, and a choice is before you.” — Fan Irlanu, Tenkin Seerer of Oudorro Village

Percepliquis is the final installment of the epic fantasy, The Riyria Revelations. In this saga that began with The Crown Conspiracy, two thieves caught in the wrong place at the right time were launched on a series of ever escalating adventures that have all lead to this moment. Three thousand years have passed and the time for Novron’s heir to act has arrived.

The Rating:

Okay, it is really hard to write this review without spoilers, but I’m gonna try!
In the final book in the Riyria Revelations series our heroes go on an adventure. The ancient lost city is to be discovered. Since this is the last novel, naturally there is a good amount of surprises and we learn the answers to all the questions I’d been asking for the past instalments.

There are a lot of things I had suspected and I had nailed it with all those suspicions. However, there were also plenty of things coming out of left field! I had put a lot of thought into how this would end and what revelations we’d get but Sullivan still managed to catch me unawares on some fronts.

Wintertide by Michael J. Sullivan (The Riyria Revelations #5)

Hey guys!

Wintertide on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

A FORCED WEDDING. A DOUBLE EXECUTION. TWO THIEVES HAVE OTHER PLANS.

The New Empire intends to celebrate its victory over the Nationalists with a day that will never be forgotten. On the high holiday of Wintertide, they plan to execute two traitors (Degan Gaunt and the Witch of Melengar) as well as force the Empress into a marriage of their own design. But they didn’t account for Royce and Hadrian finally locating the Heir of Novron—or the pair’s desire to wreak havoc on the New Empire’s carefully crafted scheme. 

The Rating:

Wintertide has such an interesting dynamic! We get to follow both Hadrian and Royce separately which is pretty much the first time in the series. We learn some more about Royce’s past and my heart just keeps breaking over and over again for him. I just want hug him – which probably means he’d murder me, which to be honest I find quite relatable.

But it’s not just my two precious little nuggets that make this story so awesome. There are so many intriguing side characters! I know I’ve been talking about how great all the ladies are a million times, but it’s not just them. One I didn’t mention before is Myron who is just like a little puppy that I want to pet so bad. Sir Breckton is equally amazing. He’s perfect but not in an annoying way. It’s just so well written!