Hello Fellow Journeyers,
After reviewing the first two books of the Riyria Revelations series individually, I also wanted to review Theft of Swords collectively since it is considered to be one book, changing how it's read as a whole. Just in case you are new to these stories, Theft of Swords contains book 1 and 2 of the Riyria Revelations series that consists of The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha. If you would like to read my take on either of these stories, please find the links above!
What's the story about: Theft of Swords is a fast-paced, incredibly accessible adventure story about two rogues being pulled into the plots of the greater world via unexpected circumstances. It's a good beginner novel that understands fantasy tropes and utilizes them well, but I can't say it's very original.
The first book is a short fast-paced quest to steal a sword from someone who hires the rogues in desperation. We're given very little information as to who the main two characters are, but for the most part, this works because Sullivan utilizes familiar fantasy tropes effectively. The Crown Conspiracy does the work of creating a world that is inhabited without dragging down the reader's attention with boring world-building. The stakes are fairly low since this is a typical fantasy story, but I found myself enjoying the fact that I wasn't trying to keep track of the endless drama and characters that fantasy epics normally are infused with.
By the end of The Crown Conspiracy, most of the plot points have wrapped up and a short little quest has been completed in the lives of Hadrian and Royce with plenty of details left to wonder about. Unfortunately, my favorite part of books was almost entirely left out here in being lack of character growth or development. Hadrian and Royce are rogues, and rogues do shady things, but since Sullivan knows tropes well, he expects the reader to not be surprised when they "do the right thing in the end." While the first story does feel like it wraps up in a number of ways, there is enough to keep the interest for the second half being Avempartha. If you've started this series, you've realized that this is going to make up four more of these mostly shorter tales.
Avempartha takes what The Crown Conspiracy did well, and mostly replicates it, but with more refinement. Since Sullivan is taking the structure of doing a quest per story, this second half find Hadrian and Royce once again finding themselves sucked in to a quest from a person in need, this time involving a monster. What Avempartha does really well is give the reader much more of what they want, and only do the overall story events in small chunks. This works. Hadrian and Royce are more of the focal point here and more fun is had on this adventure.
Wrapping up Avempartha is satisfying and enjoyable. There are questions form The Crown Conspiracy that gets answered as well as new questions from the beginning that get answered from the middle of the book well. Sullivan really stepped up his writing abilities on this one and it does show in being a definitely better middle and second half of Theft of Swords. Unfortunately, all of the reason to root for the main characters is completely lacking. Hadrian and Royce barely have reasons for doing what they do and while it does develop a little in the second half of the book, it's very minor. I was hoping that while learning more of their stories, I'd be able to relate with them, but alas it was not so; they were plot driven characters with fun dialogues, but shallow spirits.
★★★ 3 Stars - Theft of Swords is fun, enjoyable, and not overly complicated. While I did think that there were places that it dragged a bit because of the political machinations, it mostly progressed at an even pace and without much effort. That being said, I was deeply disappointed in the lack of character growth or development of the main characters. The secondary characters are quite good and experience the most change, but I would've liked to know more about Hadrian and Royce.
Recommended For: those searching for simple POV changes, quest-structure, and not overly complicated plots. A good read for fantasy beginners.
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.
