This is the third, and final, book in the trilogy Rhiannon's Ride. This book was a good balance of adventure and intrigue. I didn't think it was quite as good as the first two books; there were parts of the book where things got a little tedious and I had to drag myself through them. Those parts were far between and short though; so overall I really enjoyed this book.
Rhiannon takes off to rescue the twins from the Lord of Fettercain while the Keeper of the Keys must travel back through time to prevent the Lord of the Ravens from being raised. This book was, for the most part, fast paced and engaging. Forsyth's greatest strength is in characterization; even the characters with small roles seem to come alive.
As I said, this book switched between the two parties chasing down the bad guys and scenes at the court of Lusescere. Bronwen plays a huge role in this book as she steps up to rule Lusescere in her husband's absence. Lewen plays a much smaller role in the beginning of this book, with Rhiannon really coming into her own on her rescue mission.
This was a great book and a wonderful conclusion to the series. The plot of intricate and finely woven, the switches between viewpoint were well done, overall this was a wonderfully crafted story. A very solid fantasy. I can't wait to read more of Forsyth's work!
Showing posts with label Kate Forsyth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kate Forsyth. Show all posts
Friday, January 2, 2009
The Shining City by Kate Forsyth (5/5 stars)
This is the second book in the trilogy Rhiannon's Ride. This book was full of much more intrigue than the first book (it takes place at the Royal Court). There is not much action in the first half of the book; this change of pace does not make the series suffer though, I actually though this book was even better than the first one.
Rhiannon, Lewen and crew show up in Lucescere and things turn out as awful as Rhiannon thought they would. Rhiannon is thrown into prison while her friends try to comfort her and plead with the Righ for her to have a more lenient sentence. Meanwhile darker things are afoot than Rhiannon's trial. The kingdom is being thrown topsy turvy by dark magic and events are drawing together to create the most dire situation possible.
This book was much darker than the first. There was much more time spent with court intrigue than with adventure; yet the court intrigue was very well done. You can really feel the despair of the characters. At times I was angry that so many bad things were happening to the character; just the fact that the author makes you feel so upset for the characters is a testament to the quality of this book. It is an amazing book. It never once got boring and I was pulled through the book unable to put it down at the end.
Once again my only complaint would be that the book ends with a number of issues being resolved. Basically it ends mid-story and if I had not had the next book I would be grinding my teeth in frustration. My recommendation would be to make sure you have the third book before reading the second one. A great series, I will definitely take a look at the first series Kate Forsyth wrote.
Rhiannon, Lewen and crew show up in Lucescere and things turn out as awful as Rhiannon thought they would. Rhiannon is thrown into prison while her friends try to comfort her and plead with the Righ for her to have a more lenient sentence. Meanwhile darker things are afoot than Rhiannon's trial. The kingdom is being thrown topsy turvy by dark magic and events are drawing together to create the most dire situation possible.
This book was much darker than the first. There was much more time spent with court intrigue than with adventure; yet the court intrigue was very well done. You can really feel the despair of the characters. At times I was angry that so many bad things were happening to the character; just the fact that the author makes you feel so upset for the characters is a testament to the quality of this book. It is an amazing book. It never once got boring and I was pulled through the book unable to put it down at the end.
Once again my only complaint would be that the book ends with a number of issues being resolved. Basically it ends mid-story and if I had not had the next book I would be grinding my teeth in frustration. My recommendation would be to make sure you have the third book before reading the second one. A great series, I will definitely take a look at the first series Kate Forsyth wrote.
The Tower of Ravens by Kate Forsyth (5/5 stars)
Kate Forsyth is best known for her last series the Witches of Eileanan which I haven't read. This book is the first book in her latest series; Rhiannon's Ride. Rhiannon's Ride is a trilogy. Overall this was an excellent and very solid fantasy. For me it fell somewhere between and epic type of fantasy and an adventure fantasy. The first book is more of an adventure fantasy.
This book starts out with No-Horn a half-satrycorn girl who is in danger on being killed by the satrycorn tribe because she has not yet grown a horn. No-Horn manages to kill a prisoner and steal his goods; she captures a black-winged horse and flees the tribe. She ends up in the forest near Lewen's parents' land. Lewen finds her tied to the horse and helps to heal her. Lewen and family decide to name her Rhiannon. The remainder of the book deals with their adventures on their way to the Shining City of Lucescere.
This was a great book. There was a lot of action, the plot is complex and deep. The world is magnificent and is developed to great detail. There are a number of different races of creatures and there is a very complex history behind the story. I am guessing that some of the history and backstory were developed in the Witches of Eileanan series. Rhiannon and Lewen are wonderful characters who come across as believable both in the heroism and their humanity. The supporting characters are also rich with personality and history. Reading this book really made me want to go back to the first series and read more about all the fascinating characters in the background.
That being said, I found this to be a stand alone series. Although I am guessing you might understand the motives of some of the supporting characters better if you knew their history from the first series. That being said this is *not* a stand alone book. The first book stops basically mid journey. I was extremely grateful that I had purchased the next book in the series already.
This really is one of the best straight fantasy novels I have read in some time. There is action, adventure, intrigue, true love, and magic. The intricacies of all of the customs of the different races are fascinating but never overbearing.
In summary a wonderful read. My only complaint would be that the book does not wrap anything up before its conclusion. I would recommend buying all three books if you opt to read the first one; otherwise you will be fretting about what is going to happen to Rhiannon while you wait to get the next book. I can't imagine reading the first book and not reading the second and third one. This book made me want to go out and get all of the books in the Witches of Eileanan series too!
This book starts out with No-Horn a half-satrycorn girl who is in danger on being killed by the satrycorn tribe because she has not yet grown a horn. No-Horn manages to kill a prisoner and steal his goods; she captures a black-winged horse and flees the tribe. She ends up in the forest near Lewen's parents' land. Lewen finds her tied to the horse and helps to heal her. Lewen and family decide to name her Rhiannon. The remainder of the book deals with their adventures on their way to the Shining City of Lucescere.
This was a great book. There was a lot of action, the plot is complex and deep. The world is magnificent and is developed to great detail. There are a number of different races of creatures and there is a very complex history behind the story. I am guessing that some of the history and backstory were developed in the Witches of Eileanan series. Rhiannon and Lewen are wonderful characters who come across as believable both in the heroism and their humanity. The supporting characters are also rich with personality and history. Reading this book really made me want to go back to the first series and read more about all the fascinating characters in the background.
That being said, I found this to be a stand alone series. Although I am guessing you might understand the motives of some of the supporting characters better if you knew their history from the first series. That being said this is *not* a stand alone book. The first book stops basically mid journey. I was extremely grateful that I had purchased the next book in the series already.
This really is one of the best straight fantasy novels I have read in some time. There is action, adventure, intrigue, true love, and magic. The intricacies of all of the customs of the different races are fascinating but never overbearing.
In summary a wonderful read. My only complaint would be that the book does not wrap anything up before its conclusion. I would recommend buying all three books if you opt to read the first one; otherwise you will be fretting about what is going to happen to Rhiannon while you wait to get the next book. I can't imagine reading the first book and not reading the second and third one. This book made me want to go out and get all of the books in the Witches of Eileanan series too!
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