Review: Farilane by Michael J. Sullivan

Title: Farilane
Author: Michael J. Sullivan
Series: The Rise and Fall #2
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Publisher: Self-Pub
Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Edition: Kindle
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Powell's 

 

 

Synopsis:

   Being an unwanted twin in the imperial line of succession, Farilane becomes a scholar, an adventurer, and—in a time when reading is forbidden—a hunter of books. Her singular obsession is finding the mythical Book of Brin, a tome not just lost but intentionally buried. Although she is respected and beloved by the Teshlor Knights, not even their legendary skills can protect her, for what she finds is more dangerous than what she sought.
   Some truths are dangerous, certain secrets best concealed, and one story never should have been written at all.

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I went through stages while reading this book.

I started out loving it, then there was a few chapters where I was feeling a little indifferent to some of the characters. Mainly Farilane, there was just something that I felt was a little off about her. We get told through the book how smart she is, but she made a large number of what felt like dumb to naive choices. It was making me feel like we were being told that a character is smart, when they actually aren't.

The middle did lag for me quite a bit. The whole stint through the forest started taking up more of the book than I was wanting it to. It was the only part of the book that made me wonder if it was going to be worth finishing. But I pushed on, and it was worth it.

The antagonist through out the series', I know now what eventually happens to him, but if I had read this series in historical chronological order the way I had originally planned to, I think I would've been really angry that nothing happened to them in this book. He's truly a horrible creature. Easy to hate.

There are more familiar faces in this book, who were nice to see. I am sad that I wasn't as emotionally attached to Farilane, but there was still a character I had an emotional connection to. And because of that, the ending almost made me cry. The tears were there in my eyes but they didn't fall. I am now really excited to read Esrahaddon, and then Riyria Chronicles.