Rating: 
Summary: Interesting
Review: A long time Diane Duane fan, I wasn't as satisfied with this book as her other work, but it was full of very interesting concepts, and I loved the two main characters. The end plotting is a little weak, but the world building is a very enjoyable. The cover art does NOT fit the story, but didn't really bother me as artwork. It is annoying that it isn't indicative of the story though. This book looks like it might make a good intro to futher adventures of the main characters, who make a good investigative team. An odd mix of cience fiction and supernatural mystery, but it has a lot of potential. This book doesn't make full use of the potential, but I'm curious to see more of this universe.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: A long time Diane Duane fan, I wasn't as satisfied with this book as her other work, but it was full of very interesting concepts, and I loved the two main characters. The end plotting is a little weak, but the world building is a very enjoyable. The cover art does NOT fit the story, but didn't really bother me as artwork. It is annoying that it isn't indicative of the story though. This book looks like it might make a good intro to futher adventures of the main characters, who make a good investigative team. An odd mix of cience fiction and supernatural mystery, but it has a lot of potential. This book doesn't make full use of the potential, but I'm curious to see more of this universe.
Rating: 
Summary: Just close your eyes.
Review: At least until you've opened the cover. I am a 25 year old professional who found Duane only about 5 years ago. As an adult I have loved and cherished her. Each book has been it's own delightful bit of candy for me to unwrap and savor. Therefore I bought this book - despite the horrid, eye-searing cover art - based on her reputation alone. Once again, she delivers her ideas well. Really hoping there's going to be a continuance...I want to know how the big unravelling affects us in the "real world." It did take a little while for me to run through this one, but that had more to do with the embarrassed hiding-of-the-cover-on-my-knee-while-reading-in-public thing than the content.
Rating:
Summary: A different sort of fantasy
Review: Despite the title this book is not straight fantasy. It is a blending of fantasy and alturnative universe novel. There is both tecnology and magic in this universe. The book is a weird blend of Law and Order episode and fantasy novel that shouldn't work, but does. The magical forensics scenes are the best part of the first half of the book. The plots builds slowly but by the time you get to the end you will be turning the pages as fast as you can read. There are a few holes in the storyline that it seems a writer of Ms. Duane's skill could have closed(the origin of the madrin for example). These few logic flaws keep the book from being perfect, but they do not ruin it. I would like to see other stories written in this universe and I hope there are more in the works. If you like stories that are a little differnt this book should be on your to be read list.
Rating:
Summary: Another great work of sci-fi/fantasy by Diane Duane
Review: Diane Duane is probably best known for her YA-but-could-also-appeal-to-adults series, Young Wizards. Those masterfully crafted books are filled with thrilling plots of fantasy with just enough sci-fi to make it really interesting, out-of-this-world creatures, and strong heroes and heroines. Although Stealing the Elf-King's Roses is more of a sci-fi trip than a fantasy one, it doesn't disappoint. Our hero is Lanthanomancer Lee Enfield and her partner Gelert who is a wolf-like Madrin. Lee's job is to uphold justice, both in court and at crime scenes. She has the gift of seeing what happened at crime scenes and although she cannot always find all the answers she certainly helps the police find the killer. But when a famous and wealthy Elf is murdered Lee finds herself involved in a very complex case when it looks like the murderer just randomly vanished into thin air, which is of course impossible. To solve this ever growing mystery Lee and Gelert must travel to Alfheim, the elfin world that could not be anymore different from ours. There everything is beautiful, the secretive immortals elves, and their surroundings. She has been sent there by a mysterious figure that simply tells her to steal the Elf-Kings roses, which are only known as myths. Still something is wrong. The world isn't the way it seems. Lee knows she must solve this mystery. But never in her wildest dream could she suspect what the out come could be. I was impressed by this book. Although it doesn't move quite as smoothly and quickly as her Young Wizards, and New York City Cats books do, the book is still very enjoyable. I was a bit worried by the fact that elves are involved, considering most people's view of elves seem to be Tolkien rip-offs. It was not the case here. the elves are both familiar and new. The rest of the characters are extremely well crafted as well. Diane Duane proves herself once again to be a talented author. I hope to see more solo works from her in the future. I recommend this book to all fans of the author.
Rating: 
Summary: Duane had done it again!
Review: Duane had done it again! This book was EXTREMELY good, though that is not surprising. I really enjoyed it.
Like all hr other books I've read so faar.
Rating:
Summary: Liked the world, but there are some major flaws.....
Review: First, let me say that Diane Duane is one of the top science fiction/fantasy writers today. This is not her best work. If you want to try her best, check out "Book of Night with Moon" or "Door Into Fire."
In this multi-dimensional world, the equivalent to our real world has psychic/magical powers. One of those is Justice which allows one with that power to speak with the voice of the dead. It certainly solves crimes. That, in itself would be an interesting and thrilling novel, but Duane has to add the second dimension, Alfheim, the Elf World. Elves are getting killed and someone's covering up. Finally, we add the complication of the Elf King. It's too much---definitely doesn't realize any of the various storylines' potential. Further, Duane's heroine's self-esteem was just plain sad. Ladies, you'll see what I mean when you read this. At the end, I had the strong urge to yell "Get a clue, sister!" into the book.
Still, "Stealing the Elf King's Roses" is well-written and worth a read if you like the rest of Duane's books. I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel in this world with a bit more focus.
Rating:
Summary: Not her best effort
Review: I have really enjoyed the author's young wizards series. I wanted to like this book as well. The protagonists are interesting and their relationship is a strong point. Unfortunately, the plot drags and I had to force myself to continue at times. As much as I liked the concept of embodied Justice, I disliked the ending which seemingly tried to cover all ideas possible and therefore made limited sense. I would read a follow up novel with these characters, but if you are new to this author's work I suggest starting with "So You Want to be a Wizard."
Rating:
Summary: Not her best effort
Review: I have really enjoyed the author's young wizards series. I wanted to like this book as well. The protagonists are interesting and their relationship is a strong point. Unfortunately, the plot drags and I had to force myself to continue at times. As much as I liked the concept of embodied Justice, I disliked the ending which seemingly tried to cover all ideas possible and therefore made limited sense. I would read a follow up novel with these characters, but if you are new to this author's work I suggest starting with "So You Want to be a Wizard."
Rating:
Summary: Not what I've come to expect
Review: I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. Diane Duane is one of my favorite authors, but this story just didn't measure up to her others. I think the problem is she's trying to mix fantasy and sci-fi, and that's hard to pull off. I did enjoy some of her original ideas, but the overall story wasn't engaging. My guess is that this world is something she's been thinking about for a while. It has the feel of the first book of a series, as there are so many characters and ideas introduced but not sufficiently explored. I'm curious who the other powers besides Justice are, and if there are specialists in those fields. Minor spoiler: The one thing that really got to me was that, for a system so concerned with justice, the justice system in this world seemed too prone to abuse. Why would you combine the functions of investigator and prosecutor into one role? Besides requiring far too much training for one individual, it seems like it unfairly biases the system towards the prosecution. Does the defense attorney also get to send in investigators, or is she dependent on her opposition providing exculpatory evidence? If you're a fan of Diane Duane, you might enjoy this book just to read more of her, but you may also be disappointed. But if you want to check out Diana Duane, start with one of her other stories (like "Door into Fire" or "Book of Night with Moon", or even "The Wounded Sky").
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