TWO MEN WHO HATE EACH OTHER. ONE IMPOSSIBLE MISSION. A LEGEND IN THE MAKING.
A warrior with nothing to fight for is paired with a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Together they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm’s most valuable possessions. But it isn’t gold or jewels the old wizard is after, and this prize can only be obtained by the combined talents of two remarkable men. Now if Arcadius can just keep Hadrian and Royce from killing each other, they just might succeed.
The Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles are two separate, but related series, and you can start reading with either Theft of Swords(publication order) or The Crown Tower (chronological order).
The Crown Tower is a fantasy book that is nothing but entertaining. I love reading fantasies (mostly the kind with political intrigue in there too), but I don’t usually read a fantasy that is an obvious just for entertainment.
The first thing that came to my mind when I started reading was that it sounded like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. I love playing DnD (am going to tonight in fact) and my personal favorite types are fighters. That said, I’m not too sure how I feel about Hadrian.
Hadrian is a sweetheart first and foremost and a fighter second. He has three swords and is skilled in the art of killing, but that skill doesn’t seem to stop him from being too honest and too trusting. He’s like the village farm boy who dreams of being a knight. He’s not a growling fighter type of guy. I like that, but I didn’t feel the depth of his convictions about being a fighter. That said, this is basically an introduction to his relationship with Royce. It’s also a stand alone. It is an adventure, not an epic.
Royce was interesting. I have a feeling that he’s not human and if he is what I think he is (elf), then he’s a nice surprise to what I’ve experienced with elves. He’s quiet, fast, and a more pessimistic realist. What I mean by that is, his feelings about people make sense, but he’s more of a slash and ask questions later kind of guy. Really not a person you want to be around. In short, he’s the exact opposite of Hadrian.
Though the book centered more on these two men, I found the chapters on Gwen, a whore turned business owner, more interesting. I liked to see her struggle and how she fought through it. Hadrian and Royce were more of the action and humor, whereas, Gwen was more of the substance. Her stuff made the world real. Theirs, made it like a short DnD campaign.
In all, it was a fun book to read. I’m not sure if I will want to read the series that these characters are also in, but I’ve had a taste of them and I may read more later. Right now, it was a great fun pause away from the mundane life.
Casia's Corner 