Rating: 
Summary: A great book!
Review: A book with Dragonbait and Olive has to be good.But this was great!I liked the plot.All the supporting characters were well-made and since Westgate isn't in many books it was nice to read about it.Alias did behave stubbornly but nobody's perfect.I recommend this book to all interested in the Forgotten Realms.
Rating: 
Summary: Westgate, a nice little town to visit, but . . .
Review: Alias returns to her "hometown" of Westgate on a trivial matter for the Harpers and gets sucked into a battle with the Nightmasks and their leader the Faceless. The Nightmasks are ruthless thieves who really run the city. They have their grubby hands in every pocket and a knife at every back. Alias is hired to break their ring and bring in the Faceless.
This is a good tale which is nicely paced and leaves a few things open for future novels. The characters are solid (but then, most of them have been fleshed out looong ago) and interesting. A good book if you haven't read any of their previous novels, a great one if you have.
Rating:
Summary: Westgate, a nice little town to visit, but . . .
Review: Alias returns to her "hometown" of Westgate on a trivial matter for the Harpers and gets sucked into a battle with the Nightmasks and their leader the Faceless. The Nightmasks are ruthless thieves who really run the city. They have their grubby hands in every pocket and a knife at every back. Alias is hired to break their ring and bring in the Faceless.
This is a good tale which is nicely paced and leaves a few things open for future novels. The characters are solid (but then, most of them have been fleshed out looong ago) and interesting. A good book if you haven't read any of their previous novels, a great one if you have.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing compared to the Finder's Stone trilogy
Review: I expected a lot from this book. I enjoyed the Finder's Stone trilogy greatly (*especially* _The Wyvern's Spur_), and was looking forward to seeing the characters again.Instead, I found a hackneyed plot and flattened characters. Alias and friends seemed to move like puppets, and the villain was never adequately fleshed out. Avoid this one and go back to the Finder's Stone trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: disappointing compared to the Finder's Stone trilogy
Review: I expected a lot from this book. I enjoyed the Finder's Stone trilogy greatly (*especially* _The Wyvern's Spur_), and was looking forward to seeing the characters again. Instead, I found a hackneyed plot and flattened characters. Alias and friends seemed to move like puppets, and the villain was never adequately fleshed out. Avoid this one and go back to the Finder's Stone trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Originality? I thought it dead >:)
Review: I think the villain in this book is one of the most original, and truly realist. I was so drawn into this story, I practically read the whole novel in one night! It's unpredictable and addictive. My only gripe, a truly minor one, is that last part in the other plane. W/o spoiling anything, let's say that "letting go of bitterness and despair, and thinking about love blah blah blah" somewhat annoyed me. I think all authors should drop this cliché ^_^. Aside from that, it's sheer perfection.
Rating:
Summary: To twist a Plot
Review: I was very impressed with this book. It has to be one of the best from the harper series. The use of established characters strengthens the story and makes it more interesting to read. The best part of the book though has tobe the continuing plot twists. I highly recomend. A warning first: you may want to read the the Finder's Stone triology first.
Rating:
Summary: To twist a Plot
Review: I was very impressed with this book. It has to be one of the best from the harper series. The use of established characters strengthens the story and makes it more interesting to read. The best part of the book though has tobe the continuing plot twists. I highly recomend. A warning first: you may want to read the the Finder's Stone triology first.
Rating:
Summary: A step-down from the Finder's Stone trilogy
Review: In Azure Bonds, there was real mystery: what were Alias' origins, and who was Dragonbait? In Song of the Saurials, the intrigue continued with the mysterious Grypht, and the action was built to an epic scale, with the companions fighting gods and dragons. But everything is scaled down in Masquerades. Alias (who does not seem nearly as well developed as in past books) and the gang are confined to a singular, typical city (so it's not too epic), facing a typical, predictable villain (so it's not too mysterious). This book could have been converted into a cheesy Dungeons and Dragons adventure pretty easily, and that's not a good thing. If Novak and Grubb want to return to these characters, how about they do it through another well-thought out, interesting, mysterious trilogy? I just don't think they expended the same effort on this "little Harpers book" as they have in past efforts.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this book if you like being rocked by hysterical laughs
Review: Perhaps it is my fault that I simply do not like this book, because I opened it with really high expectations. A relatively unknown city in the realms, famous characters with a joined past, intrigue and plot twists and turns. I thought I'd love it. But I'm sorry, this book just did not do it for me. The characters often appear two dimensional, the organisation of the Night Masks unlikely, the plot predictable. Yes, it was predictable! Just read the book and you will notice that the authors always seemed to take the most unlikely possibility in the plot line. *bang* There you have it...it is just as predictable as taking the most obvious turn in a story. Maybe it surprised others, but not me and that was really disappointing. Does it make up with great action and kewl characters? Yes and no. The action was actually pretty kewl. (Thank you Dragonbait and Mintassan!) But the characters... *groan* I just could not get myself to like Alias.She could have made a fascinating personalitly due to her talents and her past. But oh man, I have had sweaters with more personality than her...Dragonbait is okay... but the rest of the protagonists...I wouldn't have cared if the Faceless would have blown them all to bits! You just gotta hate all those meddling noble merchant families, they really get on your nerves! The only characters I did like were a sage and an undead dragonhead, which just goes to show you how sad the others did. But the end takes the cake! I mean the part where they try to finally get at Verovan's hoard. Take your time and read it very thoroughly. Twice. Then imagine the authors meant what they wrote seriously. You're laughing your head off? I started crying! Do yourself a favor and buy a good Forgotten Realms book like "Elfshadow" by Elaine Cunningham, one of its sequels, or "The Night Parade" by Scott Ciencin Divination
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