L.K. Evans Blog

I was exhausted after this book. Emotionally and physically. I read nonstop over the weekend to finish the Riyria Revelations, averaging 4 hours of sleep, forgetting to eat. I wasn’t done though. As soon as I finished the Revelations series, I picked up the Chronicles. Reviews for those will have to be next week. Anyways...

What an ending. I called it. My suspicion of who the heir was by the end of Rise of Empire was right. Yay me.

I shamefully admit that I skimmed and even skipped certain sections. If anyone has read my other reviews, they’ll know I’m a 100% devoted to Royce’s character. That means I can’t really be bothered with other story lines. It’s a reading habit that I absolutely despise. Luckily, I can count on one hand the number of characters that have done this to me. As I said before, sure there are characters in books that I love... adore, even. But few ensnare me as Royce did. Kvothe is one. Sorna another. None more than Raistlin. But Royce came in only second to Raistlin, who I don’t think can ever be topped, in my humble opinion. You’ll notice that all these are characters who start from the bottom and try to overcome all the hell they’ve been through. I love those characters. They make me feel strong. They give me hope. They make me take a step back and not be so judgmental of others. They remind me not to focus on the bad stuff I’ve been through, cause I didn’t have anything nearly as horrible as them. Sure, they’re fictional, but isn’t there truth in fiction?

My biggest beef with the beginning of this book is there wasn’t enough Royce and Hadrian time. I needed them to spend more time together. Even if I wasn’t as addicted to Royce, the other parts were extremely slow.

I cried in this book. And I like to cry in a book. I like to be moved. I could cry right now remembering why I cried. That’s powerful stuff.

I’ve already read both of the Chronicle books, and I agree with Sullivan that reading them in the order he published is a good idea (Revelations before the Chronicle). I think it keeps things just a bit more mysterious. I, however (in perhaps a year or so), plan to read them in chronological order. And I plan to not skim this time. I know the ending, so I can slow down. Furthermore, I believe Sullivan added tiny tidbits here and there that would be jewels to find, now I know what to look for. I think it’d be fun.

Oh, and Mr. Sullivan, if you read this, I’d absolutely love a book that follows Royce throughout his childhood up until he meets Hadrian. And I’d love love love more stories of Hadrian and Royce doing some exciting jobs. Their banter and interaction is great.

So to conclude, this series has shot up to my favorite top five and I’m a huge fan of Sullivan.