She has none of the airs and graces of the nobles she used to wait on or clean up after, and adds a very down-to-earth and above all kind element to the otherwise depressing life of the new Empress. Amilia, the kitchen maid who is pressganged into imperial service, is a great character. But, thanks to the kindness of a stranger thrust into an awkward situation, she starts to come back to herself. Renamed Modina, she is in shock, almost catatonic. Thrace, who won the contest to become Empress at the end of Theft of Swords is, as expected, a puppet figure, actually kept locked up in the dungeon. From there, events quickly spiral out of control, and our heroes find themselves entwined in the future of the nationalist opposition to the rising Empire. Arista, through her own actions, winds up tied to Riyria once more, and joins them as they travel to first Hadrian’s and then Royce’s childhood homes. As Hadrian learns the secret of what his amulet means, our two heroes find themselves with a new quest. Royce has to come up with a way to break him out of his funk: a new mission. Royce and Hadrian are in difficult place at the start of this book, especially Hadrian, who has started drinking heavily. It met my high expectations and, despite the shift in tone, maintains Sullivan’s position as one of my favourite new authors. In Rise of Empire, which contains Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm, this series just gets better and better.

The Empire is flexing its muscles more, and have sent out an agent to spread dissent and discord in areas of resistance.

The adventures of Hadrian and Royce continue, and Sullivan ups the ante across the board.

Nyphron rising