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wickedgrumpy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
I read the first half of this book originally and quite enjoyed it but then decided to take a break before continue onto the second half which then turned into probably about a decade of time for me to forget all the things. In my determination to finish series I have started (or decidedly discontinue them) I pick this back up and I think I appreciate it more than I did the first go around.
There are so quibbles I have with the misogyny, sexism, classism, otherisms, etc. but it is appropriate to the setting so I don't find myself deterred from the series because of it.
There are so quibbles I have with the misogyny, sexism, classism, otherisms, etc. but it is appropriate to the setting so I don't find myself deterred from the series because of it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
queen_cocolatis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Classism
teri_b's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Having read a more recent release by Michael J. Sullivan first, I was unsure how I would like his earlier books.
However, when I started to listen to Theft of Swords I got so quickly absorbed into the world and the events, in the end, I blasted through this bind up that holds the first two books in the Riyria Revelations..
It was entertaining, scary, amazing and it holds such an amazing bunch of characters. Yes, I would say, Theft of Swords is that good.
Thank you for writing these books, Michael J. Sullivan.
And Tim Gerard Reynolds does an amazing job with narrating. It is a treat to listen to the audiobook.
However, when I started to listen to Theft of Swords I got so quickly absorbed into the world and the events, in the end, I blasted through this bind up that holds the first two books in the Riyria Revelations..
It was entertaining, scary, amazing and it holds such an amazing bunch of characters. Yes, I would say, Theft of Swords is that good.
Thank you for writing these books, Michael J. Sullivan.
And Tim Gerard Reynolds does an amazing job with narrating. It is a treat to listen to the audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Blood
pages_with_panda's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
(This is technically a collection version of the stories. This edition contains Books 1-2 so I split my review up between the books.)
BOOK 1:
It took me a few chapters to get into this, and there is a LOT of world building in the dialogue. It was a bit dense but once the story got going, I really enjoyed it.
At first I thought the thieves felt like side characters in their own story…Especially because we heard more about them from Alric’s thoughts, but I think the author used this as a really nice way to keep us in the dark of what Riyria was plotting. It makes their grand escape or trick or whatever even more satisfying when you’re guessing along with their victims on how they did it.
I also loved Arista!! I say this after finishing the entire series - She’s my favorite character and honestly she’s very well written.
Good story overall with a nice solid ending. No cliff hanger setting up the next books, which I appreciated!
BOOK 2
Same complaint as before in terms of how heavy the politics, and world building is. It was very dense and a little hard to get through certain POVs because of how much history there was. I was very confused but kept reading because I was invested in the characters and I’m so glad I did!!
There eventually is a nice mix of action & politics told from two different POVS, and even though the politics was hard to follow, I’m happy for it. The world building and history become so important and its complexity makes for a well-rounded, believable world.
When the stories finally collided I was SOO happy!! Finally it makes sense!
I literally sobbed at the end and had to take a break after finishing this one.. that’s really all I can say.
I did like the hints at the end pointing towards bigger things to come.
And agree with the author on this having a “short plot, big character development.” It really is true.
There’s a lot of tiny details that make a lot of sense in the grande scheme and it’s not a hard read. Interesting and mysterious but funny and adventurous.
694 pages.
(⚠️Content Warnings;
Graphic: death, violence, blood,
Moderate: death of parent, sexual assault, ableism,
Minor: bigotry, prejudice, rape, child death,
BOOK 1:
It took me a few chapters to get into this, and there is a LOT of world building in the dialogue. It was a bit dense but once the story got going, I really enjoyed it.
At first I thought the thieves felt like side characters in their own story…Especially because we heard more about them from Alric’s thoughts, but I think the author used this as a really nice way to keep us in the dark of what Riyria was plotting. It makes their grand escape or trick or whatever even more satisfying when you’re guessing along with their victims on how they did it.
I also loved Arista!! I say this after finishing the entire series - She’s my favorite character and honestly she’s very well written.
Good story overall with a nice solid ending. No cliff hanger setting up the next books, which I appreciated!
BOOK 2
Same complaint as before in terms of how heavy the politics, and world building is. It was very dense and a little hard to get through certain POVs because of how much history there was. I was very confused but kept reading because I was invested in the characters and I’m so glad I did!!
There eventually is a nice mix of action & politics told from two different POVS, and even though the politics was hard to follow, I’m happy for it. The world building and history become so important and its complexity makes for a well-rounded, believable world.
When the stories finally collided I was SOO happy!! Finally it makes sense!
I literally sobbed at the end and had to take a break after finishing this one.. that’s really all I can say.
I did like the hints at the end pointing towards bigger things to come.
And agree with the author on this having a “short plot, big character development.” It really is true.
There’s a lot of tiny details that make a lot of sense in the grande scheme and it’s not a hard read. Interesting and mysterious but funny and adventurous.
694 pages.
(⚠️Content Warnings;
Graphic: death, violence, blood,
Moderate: death of parent, sexual assault, ableism,
Minor: bigotry, prejudice, rape, child death,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Ableism, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Rape
ggcd1981's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Theft of swords é na verdade a união de dois livros em um: The Crown Conspiracy e Avempartha. Por essa razão meu cérebro analisa a obra em duas partes. A primeira obra foi uma aventura muito boa sobre dois ladrões Royce Melborn e Hadrian Blackwater, os Riyria, contratados para fazer um roubo de última hora e acabaram sendo incriminados pelo assassinato do rei. Nesse primeiro volume somos apresentados aos dois protagonistas, assim como um elenco de personagens que, em sua maioria, serão recorrentes no volume dois (e presumo nos volumes subsequentes também). São alguns deles: o príncipe Alric Essendon do reino de Melengar, quem inicialmente parece ser o típico príncipe mimado, mas na história se mostra razoável e racional; Sua irmã, a princesa Arista, responsável por salvar Royce e Hadrian da execução e envia-los em uma jornada para levar Alric até o aprisionado Esrahaddon; Este prisioneiro conhecido como Esrahaddon é um mago poderoso que vive a séculos, perdeu muito de seus poderes pois suas mãos foram cortadas, mesmo assim sua missão é a de encontrar o herdeiro de Novron; Myron Lanaklin, um monge inocente que até conhecer Royce, Hadrian e Alric nunca tinha saído do Mosteiro no qual vivia e o qual recentemente tinha sido queimado junto com todos os monges exceto Myron; Magnus, o anão criador de armadilhas e armas que foi a mão que assassinou do rei; Bispo Saldur, que se mostra “duas caras”, mas parece ter o objetivo da corrupta igreja em mente; Por último Percy Braga, tio de Alric e Arista, que se mostrou um traidor ao reino de Melengar e a seus sobrinhos sendo ao final morto pelo Conde Pickering (um personagem secundário). Em resumo em The Crown Conspiracy Royce e Hadrian escapam de ser executados pelo assassinado do rei e, ordenados por Arista, sequestram Alric e o levam até a prisão em que Esrahaddon é mantido a centenas de anos. Lá eles libertam o mago que revela o assassino do rei. Alric também descobre sobre a traição de Percy Braga, a seguir busca nobres aliados e marcha com seus exércitos rumo a Medford, a capital, para o confronto final. Alric e aliados vencem e a história dos ladrões que ajudaram o príncipe se torna uma lenda, assim concluindo o primeiro livro. Ao final de The Crown Conspiracy eu fiquei bastante envolvida na história e com os personagens. Já o começo de Avempartha achei devagar e os personagens apresentados inicialmente pareceram mais irritantes, como Thrace Wood e seu pai, Theron. Contratados por Thrace para ajudar seu pai a matar uma fera mágica que aterroriza a vila da garota (plano elaborado por Esrahaddon), Hadrian e Royce acabam envolvidos em um esquema da igreja para forjar a descoberta do herdeiro de Novron. Em Avempartha revemos outros personagens apresentados no primeiro volume como Arista, Esrahaddon, os irmãos Mauvin e Fanen Pickering, Bispo Saldur, e o anão Magnus. Apesar de começar lento o volume 2 tem uma empolgante metade final com acontecimentos que montam o cenário do real enredo da Série Riyria Revelations. O final foi muito empolgante e me fez perdoar as duas vezes em que Michael J. Sullivan utilizou a trope da “Damsel in distress”. Alguns momentos que destaco por terem me empolgado foram: a descoberta de que Royce tem sangue élfico pois ele é o único capaz de abrir as portas de Avempartha, uma antiga fortaleza élfica; Thrace, que apesar de ter sido uma vítima por boa parte do livro inesperadamente foi uma guerreira e matou o Gilarabrywn na força do ódio e vingança; a descoberta que o passado de Hadrian está ligado de alguma maneira a lenda do herdeiro de Novron. Ao final o que realmente brilhou foram os personagens Hadrian e Royce e a amizade que os une. Acabei apaixonada por esses dois personagens e quero muito ver o que os próximos livros guardam com relação a eles. Dou a Theft of swords um sólido 4.75 estrelas (não chega a 5 pois o autor usou uma trope que odeio duas vezes)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
corruptednatz's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A Great fantasy book for people trying to get into that genre. All of the characters are lovable and witty. Hadrian is my favorite character
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Blood
Minor: Child death and Racism
I put down racism for the characters thoughts on other races that are not human.tachyondecay's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
New fantasy that tries to feel like classic sword-and-sorcery with a dash of epicness thrown in, Theft of Swords reads like a labour of love. It is an uneven combination of tropes any half-dedicated fantasy reader will recognize. However, Michael J. Sullivan turns those tropes into a decent, entertaining story that showcases some of the best parts of this genre, in my opinion. This is not the type of novel that blows off one’s socks, but it may indeed cause them to slip down your feet somewhat.
This is an omnibus of the first two novels in the Riyria Revelations series, which Sullivan initially self-published. In these novels, we meet the duo Royce and Hadrian. One is a thief and assassin, the other a mercenary with your classic heart of gold. This, naturally, gets them into trouble. From the beginning we see that Riyria as a concept is near-legendary; Riyria the duo are far more prosaic. When Hadrian convinces Royce to take a last-minute job (oh no) to steal a sword for a noble (oh noooo) because otherwise he’s going to die in an unjust duel (oh nooooooo) the two inadvertently find themselves accused of regicide. What follows is about 600 pages of toppling kings, declaring heirs to long-dead empires, freeing wizards who may or may not be up to no good, and slaying ancient and deadly beasts. If this sounds like your cup of tea, then it will be.
Let’s get the criticisms out of the way first, shall we? As I alluded to in my introduction, this book is three fantasy tropes in a trenchcoat. Well, make that thirty tropes. You’ve got your patchwork of kingdoms, your pantheon of gods, your vaguely sexist monarchies, that sort of thing. There are elves and dwarves and goblins. The tone of the book lampshades these clichés, with some of the characters subtly winking at the camera like they know this has all been seen and done before; there is a sly awareness of genre here. This is perhaps most keen in the character of Esrahaddon, who is Gandalf if Gandalf were more crotchety and had a more tragic and human backstory.
Like most pastiches, Theft of Swords struggles to rise above its source material. If, like me, you are steeped in this genre, you will likely roll your eyes in places and find parts of this book just a bit too cheeky, campy, or cute for comfort. Nevertheless, I still liked it.
Sullivan’s willingness not to take the setting entirely seriously sold me. I like that while Royce and Hadrian seem to find themselves in the thick of significant world events (and honestly, figuring out the secrets to Royce’s and Hadrian’s identities isn’t hard) they remain humble about it. At one point, Royce knows they are in the middle of a vast plot to destabilize the known kingdoms and reinvigorate a long-dead empire, and his reaction is one of total political apathy. Which I love.
Moreover, most of the villains are not all that villainous. I like me a grey bad guy, and Sullivan takes the time to help us understand the motivations of our antagonists. They aren’t evil. They’re just trying to make the world a more orderly place, and that so happens to be a world that they are in charge of. Really, can you blame them when there are thieves going about stealing swords??
Don’t let the cover mislead you—don’t get me wrong, the cover art is gorgeous, but the aesthetic makes this book seem like a gritty Game of Thrones–type fantasy series. It is certainly not that. All in all, this is a romp. Don’t treat it too seriously and it won’t bite you back: it’s fun and frivolous, and if I get a chance I’ll dip my toes back into this world.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Genocide, Racism, Sexism, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Torture