Review: Rise of Empire (Riyria Revelations #2) by Michael J. Sullivan

RATING: 4/5

SYNOPSIS

A PUPPET IS CROWNED. THE TRUE HEIR REMAINS HIDDEN. A ROGUE’S SECRET COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING.

War has come to Melengar and once more Royce and Hadrian are hired to make a desperate gamble and form an alliance with the Nationalists whom are fighting the Imperialists in the south. As the power of the Nyphron Empire grows, so does Royce’s suspicion that the wizard Esrahaddon is using the thieves as pawns in his own grab for power. To find the truth, he must unravel the secret of Hadrian’s past–what he discovers may end their friendship and break Riyria in two.

REVIEW

This sequel definitely did not dissapoint me! And the plot twists just blew my mind away!

We continue to follow the adventures of Royce and Hadrian who were now assisting Alric (King of Melangar) to combat the uprising forces of the New Empire. The New Empire was, on the face of it, led by Empress Modina who was apparently a puppet empress appointed by the Imperialists. As we all now know the identity of Hadrian (the descendant of an ancient bodyguard who was supposed to protect the Heir of Novron), the task of finding the true Heir of Novron is important in overthrowing the New Empire. While there is one particular character whom everyone thought is the true Heir, there are of course hints and twists which show that the true Heir is someone else. I can’t wait to get into the third book to find out more about this!

This series in my view is quite plot driven. But there are of course certain characters which stood out to me. The dynamics between Royce and Hadrian is definitely fun to read. The character arc of Arista, who was previously an arrogant demanding princess who now administers a small district and has growing magical powers within her, is definitely one of my favourites as well. Other than that, I think there is no real depth in all other characters. This is a rather personal taste as I am a reader who appreciates character driven series more than plot driven series. But this doesn’t mean that this is not a good series. I tink this book deserves a solid 4/5 star rating. I hope that Michael J Sullivan managed to tie up all the loose ends in the conclusion of this series as there are so many unresolved plot twists thrown right in front of our face in this book!