Hello Fellow Journeyers,
After a brief hiatus from getting any books finished, I found myself searching frantically for the next series to try out that had the best chances of being good; I decided on the vastly popular series of Michael J. Sullivan's, the Riyria Revelations. Starting with The Crown Conspiracy, I didn't actually realize that the first book, Theft of Swords, and the next two books in the trilogy each consisted of two shorter books each. With that information given, it will actually be six reviews total of each of the shorter stories being reviewed of the "trilogy." So, The Crown Conspiracy!
What's the story about:The Crown Conspiracy is first and foremost a mostly simplistic action fantasy tale of two rogues accused of something they didn't do. As the story progresses, it weaves its way into becoming a murder mystery that must be solved and for what it's worth, works well.
Something that I immediately noticed about Sullivan's writing and the world of The Crown Conspiracy was how accessible he makes the story for his readers. He doesn't want to waste time with superfluous and slow world-building, giving a background on all the histories of races, peoples, or factions, but simply starts with two men in the middle of a job. While not the first time I've ever read a book using this format, it was a nice change of pace with knowing I was jumping into a new trilogy (or six books). This allowed the plot to get going almost immediately and got me invested in the story more easily.
While it's not the most original way to go about it, Royce and Hadrian are just compelling enough to keep your interest. One of the areas that unfortunately struggled because of this fast-paced progression was character development. It appears that Michael J. Sullivan is primarily a plot-driven writer and that's to say that mostly interesting events are the ways his stories take place. I was never bored by this per say, just a little disappointed. I wanted to know more about Royce and Hadrian, but expected that most of the reason he did this was to show it through time and plot points. By the end, it didn't really appear that we got much in terms of character development, which was fairly disappointing. But all things considered, the characters of Esrahaddon, Myron, and Alric even grew to be quite fascinating and original.
Another aspect that complicates my feelings on this book was the politic intrigue and machinations. Much of the plot revolves around a coup for the kingship and can at times take too much of the focus from the main characters; but it also was simplistic and intriguing enough to warrant reading through it. While it wasn't surprising, it was pretty enjoyable for what's it's worth. This ends up finishing in a resolving, intricate, and fast-paced ending that makes the story more satisfying to read.
★★★★ 3.5 Stars - I enjoyed The Crown Conspiracy for it's simplistic and straightforward plot, interesting side characters, and decision to balance world-building with efficient storytelling. There are very little philosophical wanderings and nothing too original, but at least the tropes are used to perfectly enjoyable effect. I do think it could've been even better with character arcs and development, but it was just enjoyable enough to warrant reading the next book in the series!
Recommended For: those who want a no-nonsense buddy fantasy tale that is action-oriented, fast-paced, and doesn't delve into character motivations much.
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.
Rating system:
★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!
★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was nearly perfect. I really loved almost every aspect of it, but a few things kept it from being amazing.
★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very worth reading and satisfying; highly recommend.
★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but it was lacking in certain crucial areas.
★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.
★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.
★★ 2 Stars: It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.
★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.
*I round up based on the system on Goodreads. Also, there is no 1.5 Stars because it does not seem to have enough differentiation.
