Farilane by Michael J. Sullivan (The Rise and Fall #2)

Reviewed by Sam!

Review for Book 1

What I drank prior: I had a really long day and my good friend who lives across the street invited us over for board games so I drank a bottle of wine… naturally.

Goodreads Overview:

Some truths are dangerous, certain secrets best concealed, and one story never should have been written at all.

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.

From the three-time New York Times best-selling author Michael J. Sullivan, Farilane is the second novel in The Rise and Fall trilogy. This latest set of stories sits snugly between the Legends of the First Empire series and the Riyria books (Revelations and Chronicles). With this tale, Michael continues his tradition of unlikely heroes who must rise to the call when history knocks, demanding to be let in. This series will conclude in the summer of 2023 with the release of Esrahaddon, the final piece in a narrative that began in 2008 and contains nineteen full-length novels spread across four series.

What people are saying about the book

“Another Character that I Fell in Love With”

“Such a great story from beginning to end! I couldn’t stop listening! Ten stars!”

“What an incredible book!”

“In my opinion, it’s the best book he’s written so far.”

“SUPERB!”

“I found myself laughing so hard and so much and I want to be her!!”

“Sullivan does a masterful job of weaving in elements and creating a story arch that is worth reading and then reading again to find what you’ve missed.”

“WOW!”

“There are no words to prepare you for what comes at the end.”

“As a huge fan of Michael J Sullivan’s works, this book did not disappoint.”

Drunk Overview: so this is the sequel… sorta… to Nolyn. But it takes place almost a century later and our main character, Farilane, is Nolan’s great great granddaughter? I think? Her gpa is on the throne currently (cause if you remember the Fhrey live like… forever. ANYWAY she’s a book worm. She’s tryna find the Book of Brin. Someone’s tryna kill her. Her gpa won’t speak to her or let her leave Perscepelis (i think that’s how you spell it) and she’s like eff that so she goes. She takes her tutor, Kile, who we know is Malcolm (which we don’t always know n these books), and this other guy Sheldon. She has no idea why her fam is tryna sequester her but off she goes.

Spoiler-free Thoughts: guys this book was so sad. So good but heartbreaking. LITERALLY HEARTBREAKING. I can’t even begin to tell you how betrayed I feel lol. In a good way. I know, doesn’t sound like I liked it but I really did.

Characters: OK so we’ve got some familiarity with the characters because of their relationship with both the Legends of the First Empire series and with the Riyria books. We’ve got Farilane and she’s an academic book worm in a world where it’s illegal to know how to read. GOALS. SERIOUSLY. She’s very stubborn but also super smart and does her own thing. Then there’s Sheldon who is slimy (weirdly slimy) and he’s just kinda there. But I really want to talk about Kile aka Malcolm. We all know Malcolm from both series, but he’s not always called that. It’s the first time he’s not hiding who he is. I love Farilane and Kile’s relationship. It’s slow it’s mistrusting at first. She keeps people at arm’s length because she’s tired of losing people she loves as they age and she doesn’t really. So I loved watching him break down her walls. The gpa, dad, and bro are all basically the same person in my head and it’s not helpful that they have similar names (because the Fhrey love that too0) and their motivations are really weird, but make sense once you get to the end. I sorta just put them in the privileged men category and lumped them together. I also really REALLY love Ruby, who’s not a long-term character but she reminds me of the other human crafter from the previous series.

Clearly I liked the characters I don’t think I’ve been this specific in a long time while drunk.

Plot: This seems like a plot driven book at face value but it’s actually quite the character driven story. I love love loved everything about it. And, I know I say this with everything Michael writes but I sobbed. Again. But actually more than before. And I can’t tell you why.

Writing Style: I would read this man’s grocery list. I invested in the kickstarter for the next book within 5 min of it opening. I am IN.

World Building: I read his blurb about how he thought the two main series needed a bridge and I didn’t quite understand why until now. These books are necessary to tell a history of a world. I don’t know where he’s gonna go from here though because he also said he doesn’t want to go past Heir of Novron. BUT I WANT MORE

What to pair it with: This is a full bodied red wine that is chased with a super dry shot of vodka. So well rounded and then smacks you in the face and makes you tear up a bit.

Rating: 5/5… obvi.

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,
Sam