The Crown Tower (Riyria Chronicles, #1)

by Michael J. Sullivan

Two men who hate each other. One impossible mission. A legend in the making.

Hadrian Blackwater, a warrior with nothing to fight for, is paired with Royce Melborn, a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Hired by an old wizard, 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 prized possessions. But it isn't gold or jewels that the wizard is after, and if he can just keep them from killing each other, they just might succeed.

• ISBN10: 031624371X
• ISBN13: 9780316243711
• Publish Date: 6 August 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown & Company
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[thepunktheory]

Full review on my blog!

I love love loved this! As the title if The Crown Tower, I knew this would be about the infamous heist that was referenced a lot in the Riyria Revelations. You have no idea how curious I was to finally learn what went down that one time when Royce and Hadrian first stole something and then put it back!

But it’s not only the story of the heist that we get. This is how Hadrian and Royce met. We get some insight into their past (I mean, we all know that is a very limited process whenever Royce is concerned), which gives the characters even more depth. Sullivan already did a great job in terms of character development in the books I already read, but this is more about understand how the became who they turned out to be, what their motivations are, etc. So good!

What I hadn’t realized (which in hindsight is a bit stupid of me) is that this would also be Gwen’s origin story. I knew that her story is intertwined with Riyria but I hadn’t expected Sullivan to go all out and dedicate a good portion of the novel to her. Again, I am so excited about it. Gwen is an amazing character and I had always wanted to know more about her, so this is perfect for me.

I have absolutely no complaints about this book, other than that it had to end at some point. The writing is concise, the plot is smart, the characters are intriguing. There are chapters that are downright heartbreaking, there is funny banter. This doesn’t feel like an easy to cash in on fans who already like his characters. This is the first book and what I hope will be another amazing series.