First read 2017: 4 stars Reread 2021: 5 stars Look, I can’t be objective. This is one of my favorite series with my favorite characters. I can’t find flaws. It’s perfect to me.

16Mar2012: the 6th book finally came out in Jan of this year, so I'm re-reading the series in order. I hadn't realized it had been 3 years since I first started reading this series. I didn't read it in order nor did I read the final copy, except this book. I started out by ARC reading book 2, then read this book, then ARC read the rest of the series except book 6. IOW, I get to read this just for fun this time & enjoyed it very much.-------4April2009: It's a fun, quick fantasy read. The setting

Full review here: https://youtu.be/bhkvCa_lg9II loved this. If you want to nitpick, we can say 4.5⭐ because of how RIDICULOUS it can be, but this book owns it and wears it like a badge of honor. So much fun. Snobs beware: you will hate it. 😛

Comfort read - every single time! 💕 As usual, GraphicAudio's dramatized productions make any story better. My only issue was the narrator which slightly diminished the listening experience: While I was a fan of Bradley Smith as both Elend Venture and Wayne in Sanderson's respective Mistborn series and also as Szeth in Stormlight Archive, as a narrator he seems utterly bored by what he is reading, the intonation being the same all the time.On the bright side, Royce and Hadrian were perfect; Chris...

*** 4.25 ***A buddy read with my friends at BB&B!You know how some authors feel like they are working on your wave-length​? Well, I think MJS is one of those for me. I love his storytelling style, natural and easy, never jumping into melodramatic nor falling to pedestrian. It is always just the way my senses need it to be. And this is exactly how I like my Fantasy Adventures to be told - with a perfect feel for timing, pacing and a sense of humor. Add an exceptional talent for banter and underst...

I originally started reading Theft of Swords but quickly changed my goal to a more manageable one. This review is not going to be popular. It might even cause some hurt, for which I am sorry. Usually I give my overall impression first, but this time I want to say that this isn't meant to be a personal attack on anyone. From my limited interaction with Michael, he seems a pleasant, conscientious person. And I have many friends who found honest enjoyment in this book. I am not suggesting anything

I loved this book! So much fun, but not without a harsh brutality that lends weight to the story and truth to the world they live in. I adore Royce and Hadrian and find myself invested in them in a way I haven't been in a long time. The other main characters were equally endearing in their own ways and I was never too impatient to get past their stories to get back to my favourites. I feel like there is still a huge amount to discover about Royce and Hadrian in the following books and I can't wa...

Is this a tribute to Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser? If not, it should be.This book has received a fair share of glowing reviews, with reviewers praising, among other things, its lack of unnecessary exposition. And it is an enjoyable book, for the most part. However, some attention to detail would not have been amiss.Is this a Young Adult novel? I’m not sure. Everything is just skimmed over. We hardly have any idea what anybody looks like or how things work. This is a shame, really, since there are

I wanted to read this series and give Michael Sullivan a second chance not having liked the first two books of the legends of the first empire. The Crown Conspiracy was fun, however it lacked depth. The characters weren’t developed properly, we barely know anything about their character beyond the obvious. Although Arista’s chapters were few, I was able to learn more about her as a person more than the rest (and I don’t mean it in a good way, like the rest are more mysterious, but they are kind...

The Crown Conspiracy is perfect for readers who enjoy epic fantasy, but in a smaller package. When you have the time and energy for a 500 or more page epic, why not? But if you want a good historical fantasy tale that is shorter but doesn't lack what you enjoy in the genre, then it's great to find one. This is a good choice if you have encountered that dilemma. When I developed a renewed taste for fantasy as an adult reader, I looked at different fantasy novels that many established fans of the

Okay, in the spirit of complete disclosure I actually read Theft of Swords which includes this book and Avempartha. Last night however I finished The Crown Conspiracy and have to say I'm exceedingly pleased.Of late I've read a string of mediocre books. They weren't "bad", I didn't hate them but neither could I get into them. Often I'd get to the point I just didn't care. That's not the case here and if the quality holds up I may become a fan of Mr. Sullivan.The characters here are not only "well...

3.5 starsI seem to have lost my taste for exceptionally long fantasy novels so the fact that this one was just under 300 pages was right up my ally. This felt like a mix between an adventure story and one of those quest games where you need to find the secret passage, save the princess and slay the monsters.Such FUN!!!!This can probably not be described as the most original trailblazing of stories but its full of likable characters and one of those books you can gobble up in a weekend. It was co...

I have a problem with fantasy. I do like the genre, but I can't stand multi-volume epics with 900+ pages per volume. I don't like spending 25 pages in a cave or 150 pages fighting a battle. I don't need a six-page description of a tavern. I don't like struggling to figure out how a name is pronounced. Since the fantasy genre seems to be dominated by what I don't like, I tend to approach it with extreme caution. In my opinion, fantasy authors and publishers could take some lessons from Michael Su...

Sorry, guys. I know this is one of the big successes of the self-publishing fantasy biz, but wow, was it not for me. The story lagged, the dialogue was beyond wooden, most of the characters whiny and emotionally immature. It took a good couple of books after this one to get the taste of bad fantasy out of my mouth. Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the recent changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.In the meantime, you can

An enjoyable enough book, but nothing that wowed me. It was generally well-paced, but it also wasn't a book that I couldn't put down... I think one of my complaints was that there wasn't really a lot of character development - it's very much a plot-based book. Which is fine, for what it is - I just, personally, tend to prefer more depth in characters. I felt it was kind of standard "reluctant thief, jovial merc, brat prince thrown into power... Go!"There were also a few little technical points w...

This is just the type of book I needed, a fast paced light fantasy read.It was refreshing to read a fantasy book without complex world building, complex magic systems or tons of different characters. This was just pure classic fantasy.One issue I had was the dialogue which throughout this felt awkward and forced, also lots of plots in this felt to easy for the characters and I never really felt they were in any real danger. Mayron was my favourite character and he must be protected at all cost.

A fun, lighthearted fantasy book that should be read by any fantasy fan Check out my new youtube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books seconds after I finish the book. While certainly not a perfect book, The Crown Conspiracy is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. The two main characters have a wonderful dynamic between them, and I'm always a sucker for "buddy" fantasy duos so this was right up my alley. The plot was engaging and did a good job with s...

I really enjoyed this. The plot might not be the most original and it's pretty straightforward, but I thought it was a fun read. It's fast-paced, it has a great set of characters and, despite some violence, it feels lighter than what I'm used to in a fantasy book. This was my first Graphic Audio production and it was such a great listening experience. The sound effects and the music add so much to the story, it feels like watching a movie. There is a full cast of narrators and I can honestly say...

I'm all about grim dark , complex, dense epic fantasy, I really didn't think i'd enjoy this as much as i did. The world building was well done, Elan is a beautiful world with rich history and myths. To me the best aspect of this novel was how well defined the characters were. Royce, Hadrian, Alric, Myron...even the antagonists, they all had unique personalities. As for the story itself, its been a while I've felt this compelled by a book. I couldn't put it down once I started. Given the recent s...

The Crown Conspiracy was an interesting book. It was a great start to the series and I already have fallen in love with some characters, like Royce and Hadrian. They are, of course, experienced thieves. They steal from the rich.. and basically give it to other rich people? So don't think of them like good ole' Robin Hood.. because they aren't. However, I still loved the shit out of those two. Now I can't say who I love more out of this awesome duo but I did enjoy getting to know them. They are c...