Two guys with main character energy who are platonic soulmates going on adventures in a realm where things have names like Gilarabrywn* or Percepliquis* while also meeting a cast of super loveable characters. (*Yes, there is a comprehensive glossary with pronunciation guide, yay!) You're still not sure if you should read this book? Here are some of my favorite episodes (minor spoilers ahead) - A prison break - fighting a (for all intents and purposes) dragon to save a village - literally saving a princess from a tower (twice, somehow)

My German review on GosuReviews After hearing a lot of good things about Michael J. Sullivan I had to try out Theft of Swords. And it turns out it was time well spend. A good old fantasy tale, which is quiet refreshing after having read rather dark and gritty fantasy the past few weeks. The story itself is in parts very predictable, but it didn't bother me so much, because the pacing and storytelling is brilliant and let's you turn the pages so that I read the books each in one go. It reminds me of R.A. Salvatores Drizzt books, where you can look over certain plot holes and other little mistakes and just enjoy the story. A fun read overall and whetted my appetite for more.

I would highly recommend this entire series to anyone. This is an exceptional fantasy series that is not only ridiculously fun and addictive, but also stands out above the crowd for multiple reasons: first are the strong female characters who all feature prominently, are not simply damsels in distress for the heroes to rescue and actually have their own character arcs that differ greatly from each other. Written by a male author no less! Second, while the general idea of elves, dwarves and humans has been repeated in fantasy over and over, this is still a fresh take on an old trope that manages to surprise. Third, it is wonderful to find a fantasy tale that does not rely on heroic battles and wars to fill chapters. Instead there is exciting plot, rich history and great banter. I recommend reading the Riyria Revelations first and then the Chronicles (publication order) as there are a lot of Easter eggs in the newer books that you can only really appreciate if you read the Revelations.

Wer auf klassische Abenteuer-Fantasy mit "heists" (Raube) , Verschwörungen und der gleichen sowie Geplänkel zwischen den Hauptcharakteren steht, dem kann ich das Buch nur empfehlen. Die Charaktere haben es mir sehr angetan und ich bin gespannt wie die Reise für Royce und Hadrian, aber auch wie es für viele der "Nebencharaktere" weitergeht. Und, if you know you know: diese letzten beiden Sätze, ahhh!! 🫨😌🙂‍↕️

FINALLY a fantasy book that i enjoyed a lot. I was unlucky with the last ones but this one was well paced, funny, lots of adventures, interesting characters, not too dark, easy to read (in this case i liked that), nice world building. I would have liked to learn more about the main characters, i could not really feel why they might be friends and/or partners in crime, but maybe that gets covered in the next books. Sometimes i felt that things were too easy and they didn't have to do a lot, so the plot moved without them doing anything (always at the right place at the right time and getting solutions because other people told them). Royce 'secret' also was something i guessed very early on, but well whatever. Still fun to read.

Finished the first book, "The crown conspiracy", and I'm giving it 4 stars. I can't wait to read Avempartha to see what Hadrian and Royce are going to do. I really liked Sullivan's writing for its conciseness and efficiency. Nevertheless it's an introductory book with a simple plot, but very good characterisation and worldbuilding. Since the the first book has around 3oo pages, I'd say he's done a great job. I'm sure we are going to discover more in the second book. 3.75 stars for the second book. I found the second part more focused on characterization than plot, but I enjoy it nonetheless.