Hello Fellow Journeyers,
Once again we return to The Riyria Revelations series with part two of Rise of Empire, The Emerald Storm. Without further adieu, let's get into the thick of it!
What's the story about: The Emerald Storm picks up following Nyphron Rising after several weeks. A sea voyage ensues for Hadrian and Royce while Arista sets off on a secret task of utter importance.
The inciting incident in this story is devastating and made for a great start off point, even if it was a little surprising in the overall narrative. What stayed constant in The Emerald Storm was all of Sullivan's trademark styles: a simple plot, easygoing progression, everything standard and done well. What stands out in this story is the new setting primarily. Instead of being the same old same old, Hadrian and Royce are placed on a mission to find someone while having to pose as sailors, which is humorous to begin with. Meanwhile, Arista is off on her own which makes for an interesting dynamic.
The dynamic of switching settings to being on a ship for the main part of the story was interesting, but seemed kind of frivolous. Sullivan seemed to have gotten a little distracted by his research into ship characteristics that the story seems to slow down considerably for the middle section. And another thing that sort of irritated me was Arista's nearly perfect way she could conduct magic after her transformation in the last book. She's now somehow able to cast healing spells, vast rain storms, and completely change her looks because she can feel it. There's nothing wrong with it (I'm not one who cares deeply for magical system rigidity as long as it serves the story) but it does seem like it keeps happening in a deus ex machina kind of way which was frustrating.
The plot is also quite a bit more meandering than previously. We're on a ship for much of Hadrian and Royce's chapters, but I got lost as to the why. As far as Arista goes, she's seeking to complete a mission for Esrahaddon, but meets so many difficulties along the way that I got to scratching my head as to why she's doing it as well. It just all meandered for a significant amount of time, taking away enjoyment of the overall narrative considerably. And unfortunately, almost all of the character work that Sullivan implemented from Nyphron Rising becomes absent in this story which disappointed me.
★★★ 2.5 Stars - The Emerald Storm feels like an unfortunately familiar middle chapter/book. Maybe some readers would enjoy the meanderings of Royce and Hadrian on the high seas and Arista looking for a person for chapters on end, but to me, the pacing seemed to be off with how fast previous books proceeded. In the overall narrative, very little actually takes place because the characters are all focusing on minor side plots. The Emerald Storm isn't a bad book, it just doesn't hold up to the level that previous books do.
Recommended For: those wanting to complete The Riyria Revelations series. Simple plots, multiple perspectives, and first time fantasy readers. People who enjoy plot driven stories.
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.
