Things get dire for Royce, Hadrian, and the people they care for. In the Riyria Revelations, I actually quite liked Royce, but here, he is downright scary, and I much prefer naive and good-hearted Hadrian.
After the Crown Tower disaster, Royce and Hadrian find themselves a team, but there is still a lot they have to learn and accept about the respective other.

The church of Novron starts to stir and to wreathe their vile plots, and everybody suffers.

Of course, Tim Gerard Reynolds delivers in the way I have come to expect, and he certainly has advanced to my preferred narrator, at least when it comes to scifi and fantasy stories.
I'm so glad I discovered Michael's books, as they kept me entertained for many hours.
I'm looking forward to the next instalment in the Riyria Chronicles series, so I'm now taking a break and will listen to the third volume shortly before the 4th volume is launched. ( )

I enjoyed this, but not as much as the other books by Michael Sullivan. It took close to 100 pages for this book to develop momentum as the various plots did not start coalescing until then. Royce and Hadrian return to Medford, in part to thank Gwen for saving their lives, but she refuses to see them because she knows they will (and ultimately do) seek retribution for the beating she received from a nobleman. A minor character in the Riyria Revelations, Reuben Hilfred, rises to prominence here, as he befriends the royal progeny and saves the life of Princess Arista from his father, who is manipulated into regicide. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this prequel series and was not disappointed by the second one! More interesting characters were introduced as well as an overarching plotline that obviously spans several books. The violence, while definitely evident, is handled simply and without much gore, making it an excellent read for my sensitive imagination. The characters are complex and multi-faceted, which I love. The plot is driving without being predictable. I am in love with this series! ( )

The second book in Riyria Chronicles continues Royce and Hadrian's story with a new adventure. This prequel book continues to re-introduce characters seen in the other Riyria series and how they made relationships with the main protagonists. I'm not a fan of prequel books and this one doesn't add anything new. While it is nice to see how the relationships were formed, there was nothing that felt surprising or exciting. ( )

Every time I read a Riyria book, it just makes me happy and can take me out of any reading slump. I enjoy reading about Royce and Hadrian and their escapades and learning new things about them and all the other characters in their world. It just fascinates me :) In The Rose and the Thorn, we get to see some more back story and how their headquarters came to be. Although a sad story, we also get introduced to Hilfred and see how he got to where he is. The plot moved a little slowly, but I was never not interested. Another great read :D ( )