Review: The Rose and the Thorn

The Rose and the Thorn (The Riyria Chronicles, #2)The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a free ebook ARC copy of this book from NetGalley. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Each one of these books that I read brings it all home. They remind me why I read in the first place. Looking back, I've sometimes wondered if I'd given too high praise of these because I knew and got along well with the author. But no, that's not it. While that's true enough, the books are really that good. Any built in bias on my part is very small, if present at all.

The Riyria books keep me engaged from the first page to the last. They show me characters that I care about to the point where I cringe if something bad happens to them. And there are often moments of "no, he didn't just go there" or outright laughter at an unexpected quip or bit of banter between the characters.

I've enjoyed Sullivan's books from the very beginning, but one thing I'm seeing most in this latest installment is that his writing is getting better. It was good to begin with, but I suspect that some confidence and validation brought about by the popularity of these books has allowed him to relax and just let the story tell itself. Editing will help improve a book, but in this case I feel it's something more. Something I can't quite put my finger on, but I felt it in these two books. Especially this one.

It's great to feel that 'whatever it is'. It's a great feeling to remember why I try to set aside a bit of time each evening to read. This is why.

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