Hello Fellow Journeyers,
Continuing The Riyria Revelations series with Nyphron Rising in the book Rise of Empire was something I was looking forward to as much as dreaded a little. I haven't read very many series that are longer than three and four books, so knowing that the end of this story would place me halfway through the series excited me as much as got me a little apprehensive. But mostly hopeful!
What's the story about: Nyphron Rising picks up with familiar characters Hadrian, Royce, Arista, and a few new ones as a new empire has emerged over night and a war is on the verge of taking over all of Elan, with those that haven't joined the new empire on the wrong side. A desperate coup is attempted at the last hour in order to make sure an innevitable takeover doesn't occur.
Nyphron Rising is a difficult third book to synopsize because it actually does a lot of ground-laying for being a middle chapter. For being the third of six stories, it truly felt like the beginning of the main story of the series and establishes Hadrian and Royce's much-needed history. That being said, it was great to finally get the overall story going since it was just hinted on in the last two books. Sullivan puts in a lot of work and while this story takes a little bit slower of an approach, I enjoyed reading about the overall plot greatly compared to its slow progression in The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha.
Something that I immediately liked about returning to the world of Elan after two stories (one book) was that it felt just as accessible to jump in to as ever. Michael J. Sullivan might not be the most in depth author, but it appeared that he really knows where his skills lie, and that's a great thing. Like I've said before, I was hoping for much and expecting little since the first book didn't "wow" me, but I was happily familiarized with everything. And to make matters better, he systematically included all of the important events from the previous two stories in recap fashion in a wholly organic and perfectly flowing way. It showed that he really knew what he was doing and kept doing it well. The only downside is that after reading this story, the other two stories feel like more of a prequel or prologue to this story when the overall plot took center stage.
The next thing I noticed about this story was how what I was finally waiting for took place: Royce, Hadrian, and even Arista started developing and getting motivations that were fully realized. Finally! I needed them to start having character work done and it all started when Royce's internal conflict was brewed during Avempartha. I also severely enjoyed the fact that Arista was no longer a pointless side character and was taking matters into her own hands, which was pleasantly part of the main plot thread as well.
★★★★ 3.5 Stars - Nyphron Rising, like each other story in the series, progressed quickly and effectively without taking too long in any specific area. It read cleanly and progresses evenly throughout, a pleasant consistency on Sullivan's part. While the last 20% seemed a little forced and plot-driven for some of the characters, it's nonetheless satisfying to see there be a big battle and events of significance taking place. The ending plot twist is surprising and builds excitement for the second half of Rise of Empire and story four in The Emerald Storm. An enjoyable and fun third entry.
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.