In this 2nd part of the trilogy (or books 3 & 4 of 6), the plot deepens as it becomes less obvious who is controlling events and what is true or false. The geography widens as we travel though oceans and jungles, meeting new races and creatures. We learn about the pasts of Royce and Hadrian and even some of their thoughts and feelings, which we really didn't get much in the first part. There are some dark moments, but don't worry, Royce and Hadrian still quarrel amusingly like an old married couple as they plan how to get out of various prisons and predicaments. The narration continues to be outstanding. It is a challenge to invent accents for people who are supposed to be foreigners but from no country we ever knew. There are many different voices and they are always easy to distinguish.

Be aware that this book ends in the middle of the story, even more so than the previous one, so you will want to go immediately to Part 3.

One pitfall of reading by audiobook is possibly misinterpreting names. I was sure the old wizard's name was Ezra Hardin, and I thought it amusing that he had such an ordinary name. Turns out, when I looked up the books on a print site, that the name is spelled in a much more elaborate way.

The Riyria Revelations are fast becoming one of my favorite series. Michael J Sullivan might not be the equal of Tolkien as some have written, but one Tolkien is enough for me. I enjoy Sullivan as he is. The continuing story of Hadrian, Royce, Arista, Thrace, et al, is fast-paced, with enough humor to keep the pathos from becoming overwhelming. Elves, dwarves, and goblins interweave through like threads of gold through silk - not taking away from the main story, but adding sparkle to the tale. I am looking forward to the last of the omnibus series - The Heir of Navron.

I do not open a print copy of this book but I enjoyed it so much I'm investing in a hardback copy. That being said, I will most likely only use the hard copies for reference purposes while listening.

Watching Arista's power grow as a witch as well as her strength as a woman.

The journey Arista, Royce and Hadrian took together in Book 3.

YES

I'm totally stuck on these books!!!

This series was pretty long, with each book over 20 hours long and book 3 was just over 30 hours IIRC. I couldn't be more thrilled they were that long. I enjoyed all 3 books immensly. The two main protaganists were the classic good guy/bad guy characters but the author did a fantastic job of not making you feel like you've seen it all before. They were well rounded and you could relate to both of them sometimes, even though they were as different as night and day
. The supporting cast was a little weak at the start but some of them filled out well. The other characters were developing well as the novel went on. I was a little worried about Princess Arista, thinking that she was going to be the typical fool girl who makes nothing but bad decisions. She didn't really flesh out in this novel but before the end of the next book I was starting to look forward to chapters involving more of her.

My one big disappointment was magic. This book, and these novels in general, had so much potential in bringing to life a thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating magic system especially considering Princess Arista was supossed to be the first wizard in a long time. They didn't use much magic at all. This was why I left out 1 star from the Story. I would easily have given all 5 stars if the magic and sorcery would have been used more.
That said, even without the magic and sorcery I couldn't wait to start the next book and just as I was finishing one I was already downloading the next in the background.

In all honesty. With more magic and sorcery the series would have been really, really, really good. As it stands the series is really, really good. :)

Thanks for reading my review.

This was a great novel I can't wait until The Heir of Novron comes out Audible! =) stop taking forever!

I really like the audio version... Did not read it... Who reads?

I didn't give any insight to the story.. but if you liked some of the other book's I've given high marks to... you'll like this one. I look forward to listening to the third book in this series.

I don't like recycled characters. For the most part, Sullivan introduces new characters nicely and realistically. We start this volume with the rapid rise of a new character, which is emotional and smartly written. Sullivan has a tight grasp on who his antagonists are but is able to layer their motivations with more nuance than in the prior volume. Sadly, one character comes from the prior volume and it feels a bit clunky. A twist at the end makes up for that, however.

My other complaint is the number of times our hero's are captured then manage to convenient escape. This reminds me of the TV Series "24". Jack Bauer or family gets captured because they don't call for back up and then get guarded by one inept guard.

Beyond that, the action sequences are easily visualized and the storyline is enjoyable. Tim Gerard Reynolds gives a fantastic performance. It is his best voice acting to date. Product removed to much space between segments and it is difficult to tell when a new scene has begun.

Do your self a favor and listen to it. It was so good that I went ahead and read the 3rd. You will not be disappointed. A worthy created and well enjoyed.

I haven't finished this book yet but I'm so excited to get more of this story. Book 1 was amazing and this book has the same narrator so I'm expecting a lot. I hope Book 3 comes online soon.

middle

tough to say

he does a great job with everything, doesn't over do the voices

I think after listening to 3 of the books I would say that this is A-. It's definitely good, in fact it's really good. Creative, well written, compelling characters. For whatever reason it doesn't have that driveway quality to it where you want to sit in your car and let it play. I enjoy listening to Ryira but find I stray away from it for podcasts or another book. I'll probably finish the series but very slowly as I'll be constantly interrupted by other things.