Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time #6)

Hey guys!
Today we’re going to talk about the sixth book in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series!

Lord of Chaos on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

On the slopes of Shayol Ghul, the Myrddraal swords are forged, and the sky is not the sky of this world …

In Salidar the White Tower in exile prepares an embassy to Caemlyn, where Rand Al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, holds the throne — and where an unexpected visitor may change the world …

In Emond’s Field, Perrin Goldeneyes, Lord of the Two Rivers, feels the pull of ta’veren to ta’veren and prepares to march …

Morgase of Caemlyn finds a most unexpected, and quite unwelcome, ally …

And south lies Illian, where Sammael holds sway …

The Rating:

I’m not going to lie, it took me approximately forever and 15 days to finish this book. First of all, it is really long. We’re talking 1000 pages. However, on top of that, there isn’t much going on. I’m not sure how to convey this properly in a way that makes sense, but it felt like most of this book was world-building. I understand that Jordan wants to convey a lot of information about the different peoples in this story and their habits and customs. While I don’t mind some world-building, this was just a lot of it in one go without much other development. It wasn’t until almost the end of this book that the pace started to pick up again.

I’m starting to sense what I usually call the “Tolkien problem”. The author quite obviously knows a lot of words but concise and brief aren’t among them. Sure, give me some world-building but this could have been edited down *a lot*. Another thing that irritated me a bit (now that I think about it, that’s also a Tolkien thing to do) is that he seems to forget about certain characters. You don’t hear about them for essentially 800+ pages and as a reader, I just keep wondering, why? Did they die? Live happily ever after? Did the author just straight up forget about them? Just spread things about a bit more evenly. I’m begging you.

New Spring by Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time #0)

Hey guys!
I got roped into reading The Wheel of Times series! Let’s have a quick chat about the prequel novel first and see if that gets me motivated to read the other 14 books. 😅

New Spring on Goodreads

The Plot (as found on Goodreads):

The city of Canluum lies close to the scarred and desolate wastes of the Blight, a walled haven from the dangers away to the north, and a refuge from the ill works of those who serve the Dark One. Or so it is said. The city that greets Al’Lan Mandragoran, exiled king of Malkier and the finest swordsman of his generation, is instead one that is rife with rumor and the whisperings of Shadowspawn. Proof, should he have required it, that the Dark One grows powerful once more and that his minions are at work throughout the lands.

And yet it is within Canluum’s walls that Lan will meet a woman who will shape his destiny. Moiraine is a young and powerful Aes Sedai who has journeyed to the city in search of a bondsman. She requires aid in a desperate quest to prove the truth of a vague and largely discredited prophecy – one that speaks of a means to turn back the shadow, and of a child who may be the dragon reborn.

The Rating:

Sometimes I’m really not the brightest candle on the cake. I wanted to read the first book so I can go check out the Amazon show. I went and downloaded a collection that has all the novels and started reading. Only halfway through did I realize, though, that this is a prequel novel. Whoopsie!

However, the story was intriguing and in comparison to the rest of the books this one was also really short (300 something pages), so I’m glad I actually started with this one! It gives you a taste of the world-building, of the vibe, of the stories to come. So, you can decide whether it is for you or not without having to read over 800 pages (which is the actual first novel). My e-reader tells me that all in all, I’m going to read over 13,000 pages, so that’ll take a hot minute.

But back to the story! As I am writing this, I’m already halfway through the first actual novel which allows me to tell you that reading the prequel really helps to understand some stuff. It is by no means necessary to read it in order to follow the story. But I tend to ask a lot of questions and those questions didn’t get answered so far. So, I appreciate this backstory on two important characters!

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 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.