The Crown Tower - Review

Author: Michael J. Sullivan

Genre:  Fantasy

Format: Paperback

Pages: 384

Royce Melborn is the love of my life.

The Crown Tower is a book I've picked up and read a handful of times, because I enjoy it so much. In fact I'm a sucker for any of Michael J Sullivan's writing. Thanks to our ReRead box on BINGO had a good reason to not only read it again, but finally work my way through the series.

My favorite things about The Crown Tower is all the characters. While Royce is my favorite of the entire cast, there isn't one that really rubbed me the wrong way. There are a few that I hate, but that's because they're terrible people. There a few I who annoy me slightly, Arcadius. There is a special hell for vague wizard characters that know too much and say too little. But, as a whole I really do enjoy the entire ensemble. Especially Gwen. Yes, she has a stereotypical role for a female fantasy character as a prostitute. However, she's a fierce freaking women. She fights not only for herself, but all of the ladies who leave with her, and she builds Medford House mostly out because she was told she'd fail. Throughout the pages she grows into a stronger character by standing her ground and not letting people push her around. In fact all three of main characters grow throughout the story. Hadrian gets to show Royce not everyone in the world will leave him for dead, and Royce smacks Hadrian over the head with reality ever twenty pages are so.

But the characters aren't the only great part of this story. I do love the story-line itself. It's not just about how Hadrian and Royce meet, The Crown Tower is clearly gearing the readers up for a bigger plot in later books. Since I'm reading these in chronological order, I can only make guesses as to what that is. But, seeing this is my third pass as this book, I'm catching onto things that the first two times I hadn't notice. Little things that are said in passing from Arcadius, little moments I didn't key into until my third pass at the story.

 Also, I forgot how much happens in a little over three hundred pages. The plot moves pretty quick once you get to the gist of things, but nothing goes to plan.  Which seems to sort of be how things always tend to shift with Hadrian and Royce. But, for as quickly as things move it's easy to follow along. Even when chapters jump between the guys, to Gwen, then back to the guys. It's easy to flip back and forth and until the two story-lines come together. Which, yeah okay, the whole way Gwen saves them is a little on this side of trope, I'll admit to that much. But, it's a little detail of thing in a book I'm enjoying. There are clearly other books, so both of them clearly survive. Plus Gwen uses her powers for good, and a little bit of evil. 

Though I fully believe Stane deserves what's coming too him. 

The world building in The Crown Tower is also very solid. It's nothing new from most fantasy novels, but Michael J Sullivan does and amazing job of describing the world around our characters. It's easy to see the muck of Wayward, and the ever changing landscape as Hadrian travels to the college.

All-in-all it's a solid fantasy novels that enjoy reading. It's fun, Royce is the saltiest little assassin, and Hadrian... He just needs a hug or something. I don't know. But, it's a solid book that recommend to anyone that loves wants to read lighter, more slightly upbeat fantasy novel.

Buy, Borrow, or Skip: Buy, it's one of those books that fun to go back to. 

HAPPY READING!!