Michael J. Sullivan

Three times they tried to kill her. Then a professional was hired. So was Riyria. When the last member of the oldest noble family in Avryn is targeted for assassination, Riyria is hired to foil the plot. Three years have passed since the war-weary mercenary Hadrian and the cynical ex-assassin Royce joined forces to start life as rogues-for-hire. Things have gone well enough until they're asked to help prevent a murder. Now they must venture into an ancient corner of the world to save a mysterious woman who knows more about Royce than is safe and cares less about herself than is sane.

The Death of Dulgath

Celeste Richardson

This series is such a comfort read. If there’s such a thing as cozy fantasy, that’s how I would describe Riyria. I absolutely adore Hadrian and Royce, and getting to catch up with them made me incredibly happy. And so far, The Death of Dulgath is my favorite book in the series. It felt like there was a ton of character development in this book, especially in regards to Royce. There were also a couple of very well crafted new characters who I very much enjoyed.

The growth of Royce and Hadrian’s relationship over the course of this series does something to my heart. There were a handful of scenes that actually made my heart ache a little, as Royce showed how he had grown to like and trust Hadrian. For someone who doesn’t like or trust anybody, this was a big deal. And it made my heart kind of squishy. The two complement each other incredibly well. It’s hard to think of a better duo in fiction. I can think of a few I love just as much, but at the moment I can’t think of any I actually love more than Hadrian and Royce.

One difference in this book from the rest is the inclusion of an artist as a secondary character. I loved how he viewed the world, and how Sullivan described art through him. I’m a sucker for any book in which art is a central theme, so this was an added bonus for me. The artist, Sherwood, was a fascinating character, as were Scarlett and Nysa Dulgath. Again, Sullivan did a fabulous job on all of the character development in this story, both of our main characters and these new players he introduced.

While the characters are definitely what make all of Sullivan’s books so engaging, he also did a great job with both setting and plot in this particular novel. Dulgath is a very interesting and unique little place. It sounded wonderfully charming, and I just wanted to transport myself into the book so I could see it with my own eyes. And the plot was a bit more multifaceted than that of the previous two books, so I was very much invested the entire time. There was also some pretty great dialogue sprinkled throughout the book; I laughed out loud more than once. 

The Riyria Chronicles have gotten better and better with each installment. I hope this trend continues with The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter, but The Death of Dulgath is going to be really difficult to beat. There’s something about this world, these characters, and Sullivan’s writing that makes both Riyria series I’ve read so far incredibly inviting and cozy and comforting. I’m already looking forward to my next adventure with Hadrian and Royce.

Michael J Sullivan

Three times they tried to kill her. Then a professional was hired. So was Riyria.When the last member of the oldest noble family in Avryn is targeted for assassination, Riyria is hired to foil the plot. Three years have passed since the war-weary mercenary Hadrian and the cynical ex-assassin Royce joined forces to start life as rogues-for-hire. Things have gone well enough until they're asked to help prevent a murder. Now they must venture into an ancient corner of the world to save a mysterious woman who knows more about Royce than is safe and cares less about herself than is sane.From the best-selling author of The Riyria Revelations comes the third installment of The Riyria Chronicles. Although part of a series, it's designed to thrill both new readers looking for fun, fast-paced fantasy and Riyria veterans wishing to reunite with old friends. For those who do wish to experience the entire Riyria saga, two reading options exist: Order of Publication Theft of Swords - Rise of Empire - Heir of Novron - The Crown Tower - The Rose and the Thorn - The Death of DulgathChronological Order: The Crown Tower - The Rose and the Thorn - The Death of Dulgath - Theft of Swords - Rise of Empire - Heir of NovronPRAISE FOR MICHAEL'S RIYRIA BOOKS"This epic fantasy showcases the arrival of a master storyteller." - Library Journal on Theft of Swords"A delightful, entertaining and page-turning read that reminds us just how enjoyable, and how good The Riyria Revelations series is. A must-buy for all fantasy lovers." - The Founding Fields on Rise of Empire"Heir of Novron is the conclusion to the Riyria Revelations, cementing it in a position as a new classic of modern fantasy: traditional in setting, but extremely unconventional in, well, everything else." - Drying Ink on Heir of Novron"Snappy banter, desperate stakes, pulse-pounding swordplay, and good old-fashioned heroics are all on full display here." - 52 Book Reviews on The Crown Tower"The Rose and the Thorn is full of mystery, adventure, betrayal and just plain awesome." - Fantasy Faction on The Rose and the Thorn

Justine Travis

This book was great. I missed the Riyria world and this book took me back to it. I loved all the characters in this one and it was so nice getting some backstory stuff on everyone. 

Jenna Kathleen

Once again, I sped through a Riyria book and now I feel like I'm on a reading high. Riyria is such a special series. A lot of fantasy out there these days is really tough and gritty, which I love, but now and then you need a series that makes you feel good. Makes you smile and laugh. Makes you forget about your real life as you escape into another world. It's good, old-fashioned fantasy at its finest; I really cannot recommend this series enough.

The Death of Dulgath is probably my favourite Riyria adventure to date. It's hard to decide because they are just all so good. This book had me guessing a little bit more than the other books and even though I usually puzzled it out in advance, the story unfolded so perfectly. The plot was fantastic and the pacing was spot on and you can really see Sullivan's improvement as a writer (not that the others weren't awesome, but this was especially awesome).

As it's the third book in the prequel series, we've been introduced to the early years of Hadrian and Royce so this book feels a bit more like one of the Revelations. You can still see evidence that they don't know each other so well yet, but this is another thing to laugh at as we travel to Dulgath and spend time in the seemingly perfect province. There is so much funny dialogue that you'd think Sullivan would run out of ideas of how to make Hadrian and Royce bicker. Nope. There's even more and it just gets funnier as you get to know the characters.

As I said in my review of The Rose and the Thorn, it is definitely better to read this in the publication order. Those of you reading this review have probably already made it to this point in the series, but if you haven't read any Riyria yet: 1) read it in order, 2) read it right now. 

... 3) why aren't you reading yet?