Rating: 
Summary: A relief to see an ending
Review: ..sort of, since there's a follow-on series coming up. Destiny is actually the best-written of the 3 books in this series, and therefore less hard-going than the others.
Unfortunately, the idea of Ms Incredibly Immortal, Perfect And Powerful doesn't gel with me. I want my heroines to be somewhat human and there was no need to place Rhapsody on such a high pedestal.
Rating: 
Summary: Achmed is awesome!
Review: In the last book of the Rhapsody series, the three reach the stunning climax with the Fdor. But don't think that it's over just cause they faced the demon! Even after the showdown with the demon, the danger isn't over yet. Expecialy when Anwyn rears her ugly head...
This was by far the most incredible book series I have ever read. The author has a good sense of humor and has a nack for putting in stunning detail. I guesse you could call this a less boring version of The Lord Of The Rings!
Out of all the charactors, Achmed, the charming assasin is by far the most interesting. Through the whole story I just kept hopeing that he would get what he wants. I was devistated when Rhapsody married Ashe, but Achmed didn't mind so I got over it.
And Grunthor, the giant with the jolly disposition will always hold a special place in my heart.
Well, I really enjoyed reading this series! And as soon as possible, I am going to buy Requiem for the Sun. I just hope we see some old friends there!(I am not 12 ^.~)
Rating:
Summary: Rather unfortunate that the final book is the worst...
Review: Okay, so I found the first half to be very nice. It was full of nice detail, well-developed characters who seemed real, and suspence. I was enjoying the book up to when the Three killed the F'dor. The book still had 200 pages left! These 200 pages were confusing, annoying, and just plain weird. Rhapsody, who had been acting pretty ignorant and stupid for a while before the F'dor fight, suddenly becomes even worse. She just seems to give up all her responsibilities and her life. I truely can't understand why, though there is probably a reason. The history lessons become twice as long and pretty boring. Achmend (pardon my spelling if that is incorrent) and Grunthor seem to just fade away, and that is disappointing since these two characters were my favorite. They were replaced by a bunch of rowdy idiots, Ashe (who qualifies as worse than a rowdy idiot), Lluaron, as a dragon, appearing out of no where, and a sniveling half-dragon seer. Things were just getting so stupid I was ready to put the book down and stop reading. Nonetheless, I finished the book. I knew what was going to happen 400 pages before any of the characters did: Ashe gets Rhapsody, and the F'dor is destroyed. But there were a few things I didn't expect. Rhapsody does everything Ashe is supposed to do. Ashe is kind of like a helpless little kid with major temper tantrums. Sure, he does some stuff, but nothing I felt he should be doing. Rhapsody deserves Achmend, with his dry humor and cool character, not Ashe. Meanwhile, Rhapsody suddenly becomes perfect for everything, mostly because of her beauty. Come on, now! Most people these days don't just gaze at a pretty girl and suddenly become her servant (or do they?). Finally, the ending is weird, though with my father's help, I was able to figure out what was going on. Perhaps I didn't give enough patience or understanding to the book. Nonetheless, I feel it to be the worse book of the series. But don't use this book to judge; the previous books in the series (Rhapsody, Prophecy) are a lot better.
Rating: 
Summary: Achmed
Review: i am also an achmed fan, and i was hoping that in the final book tehre wuld be something between rhapsody and achmed, and i was going to read it. But now i find that, well what i wanted didnt happen. I was really hoping that ashe would be killed off (i absolutly loathed his character, i found him to be uncomfortable to read about, and he wasnt as strong a character at Achmed, and he wasnt around for a long time. Im sorely dissapointed that non of what i wanted happened, but i found the first book to be one of the best ive ever read (the second one introduced , ok well brought back ashe, and he stole the limelight from the three friends. that peeved me to no end, i actually was glad in the beginning that the horney teenager was gone and back to him own time...hmmm i guess im just a fan that was upset....) and anyone out there thinking that you shouldnt read it, go on and read it, its very entertaining, im just spoilt and wanted achmed to get the chick!
Rating:
Summary: Saving the Best for Last
Review: Elizabeth Haydon closes the trilogy of Rhapsody with a deep, well developed climax. There are numerous episodic stories within this last volume that may make eager page turners find this a little long. In fact, Haydon condenses this into an absorbing and well written tale in which we gain deeper understanding and appreciation for the characters introduced in the first two parts. While I enjoyed the first two books, I found the third book demonstrated a more mature and measured pace that kept my interest in the story while avoiding that kind of comic book feeling one sometimes finds in run of the mill fantasy. A great read.
Rating:
Summary: What about Achmed?
Review: I absolutely love Elizabeth Hayden's series but I must say that I didn't like the ending of Destiny at all. From the beginning I fell in love with Achmed's dry humor and somewhat rude character. He was so different from most characters and was extremely entertaining. I adored how he cared for Rhapsody and would do anything for her, even support her and Ashe. I must say though, that the ending was quite dissapointing. I wanted Achmed to be the one Rhapsody choose. I found Ashe to be tiresome, boring, and extremely irritating, not at all the interesting character that Achmed was. Aside from my dislike for this match I strongly recommend this book. Ms. Haydon is a talented writer but I just want to know, am I the only person that wishes Achmed got to be with Rhapsody instead of Ashe?
Rating:
Summary: A well deserved FAIRY TALE.
Review: Of course, there are no fairies in this book series. But, I was extremely happy with the ending. When I wrote the review for Rhapsody, the first book in this series, I was hoping that Emily and Gwydion would resolve their tragic lives and live happily ever after. Thank you Ms. Haydon! :) You have given us, the readers an emotional roller coaster. I was crying in one page, laughing in others, and jumping for joy in another. This book is very endearing. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating conclusion to a beautiful and romantic tale.
Review: Destiny is the third and final book in the Rhapsody Trilogy (after Rhapsody and Prophecy). With her consent, Ashe has just emprisoned Rhapsody's memories of their last night together, and therefore of their wedding, inside a pearl, in order to allow his father Llauron the Invoker to shift from his mortal human form to his other, mightier, dragon form. When she wakes up the following morning, Rhapsody can only believe that she and her lover are now forever apart, and that Ashe, heir apparent to the title of Lord Cymrian, the man who will reunite the nations of the continent, has already chosen another one to be the Lady Cymrian. It's in this frame of mind that Rhapsody sets out on a quest around the world with her companion Achmed the Firbolg king, seeking the progeny of the Rakshas. They're hoping that the blood of the F'dor, which is running in the veins of the children, will help them identify the demon's host and lead them to him. To Achmed, it would be all the simpler to just get rid of them all, but Rhapsody's compassion for the tainted but innocent souls won't allow it to happen. In the meantime, Grunthor stays in the Cauldron, the Bolg fortress hidden in the deep caves under the mountains of Ylorc, training the Bolg army and manufacturing deadly weapons in view of the war that is threatening to break out. Throughout this book, her heart torn apart by utter sadness and loneliness, her beliefs shattered by deceptions and lies, realizing she's hardly more than a pawn in other people's game, Rhapsody still finds the strength to go on, risking her life daily to save a world that wasn't her own. As a whole, the Rhapsody Trilogy is a fascinating and extremely romantic epic fantasy. Achmed's personality and Grunthor's life remain rather mysterious till the end, and maybe I would have liked to learn a little bit more about their motives. Rhapsody's stubbornness sometimes made me want to shake her out of it too, but I literally fell in love with Ashe's complex character right from the start.
Rating: 
Summary: Four stars for the entire series
Review: I must say that after wading my way through the 840 pages of conclusion, Destiny: Child of the Sky holds much less attraction for me than when I first started it. We meet up again with The Three: Achmed, Grunthor, and Rhapsody. At the beginning, Achmed and Rhapsody are in the midst of gathering up the demon-spawn which the F'dor's minion had systematically and forcibly implanted on nine women throughout the kingdoms. While this is an important task, the many, many pages devoted to it (and the failure of the author to elaborate on several interesting sub-plots) made for somewhat boring reading. Though there was a beautiful sub-plot involving a demonic gladiator and his subsequent (inevitable) redemption, the rest of the beginning warranted skipping. The conclusion of the race to kill the F'dor before it finished its war was foregone - from the start of time and the prophecies it warranted it was clear who was to win the fight. Nevertheless, when the F'dor was destroyed, I confessed to wondering why there were still 200 pages left - surely it couldn't take that long for Ashe and Rhapsody to be reunited. Ah yes, my mistake. Sure, the Cymrians unite during a climactic battle created by an unnecessary subplot, but in the end it's all to get the two lovebirds back in the sack. By the end I was especially tired of Rhapsody's insistent love for Ashe. Though his powers were as great as hers, he was consistently at the brink of loosing them in murderous rage. In some cases, he did not think before he spoke, causing Rhapsody unnecessary emotional harm. In other cases, he let his dragon senses get the best of him and in the process managing to bruise her body. And in the most extreme cases, he continually lost his head (unlike Rhapsody) and bowled into very important situations, needing even the most elementary of advice from Grunthor or Achmed to remember his duties. I am sorry, but how does this make him worthy of Rhapsody? I was entranced by his appearance in the second books, because it seemed he was both wise and forbearing, mysterious and powerful. Yet with the declarations of love for Rhapsody, the book descends into sentimentality and his power erodes with the wind. Rather than following his own path and finishing his fights himself, he consistently follows Rhapsody as she does his work for him. Rhapsody is the one who unites both the Lirin and the Cymrians, taking on his role as Summoner. Her power and poise outstrip his by leaps and bounds. Achmed is right when he tells Ashe to go and get a life - this puppy love has nothing to do with power or its control, and this dragon-cum-boy has no idea what to do with a beautiful, fiery and extremely powerful woman named Rhapsody. In direct contrast, Achmed is a secret to which readers are consistently drawn. Like Ashe, he has incredible inborn powers, yet unlike the impetuous dragon-kin, he knows how to control himself. His skills as an assassin and as a king, as well as his obvious intelligence, show him to be Ashe's superior in every way. Every way, that is, except to be as beautiful as Rhapsody. Thus does he fail to win the woman - because he is scarred and ugly in form. Choosing the more beautiful man to fit the beautiful woman is merely bowing to traditional convention. Rhapsody deserves someone better than Ashe. We can only hope that in future books he will grow to deserve her.
Rating:
Summary: Good but slow and way too long
Review: 2003 seems to be a good year for epic fantasy, with the impending release of Robert Jordan's 10th Wheel of Time book in January, George R. R. Martin's 4th Song of Fire and Ice book in April, and Terry Goodkind's 8th Sword of Truth book in June. That afterwards fans of these series will be left to languish for a couple of years is not a savory thought. In light of this reality, that Elizabeth Haydon fulfills the promise of bringing the Rhapsody series to a satisfying conclusion (though not THE conclusion) in a reasonable amount of time seems very satisfying indeed. In Destiny, Rhapsody and Achmed must track down the children spawned by the F'dor to purge them of the evil taint and also to acquire enough essence of the demon in order for the Dhracian to hunt it down. Llauron the Invoker continues to work behind the scene to forward his unknown plan, with Ashe as his unwilling accomplice. Deep in the mountain fortress of Ylorc, Grunthor must strengthen the Bolg army for a terrible and hopeless battle that Rhapsody has foreseen. Meanwhile, the F'dor, the identity of its human host now narrowed down to among a handful of powerful people, continues to spread the seeds of chaos and wanton destruction to bring its plot yet closer to fruition. Most grievously, Ashe must part from Rhapsody bearing a secret that would break her heart, but that must not be revealed lest their plan will fail. Then there is the question of the reunification of the ancient Cymrians and their descendants if the glory and prosperity of the land are to endure. These questions will be answered in Destiny, and some readers would be beyond thrilled when the business with Meridion is revealed at last. Destiny fails to provide the actions and thrills so abundant the first two volumes. No strange lands nor major characters are introduced. The first half of the book consists of Rhapsody and Achmed tracking down the various demon-spawns, some young and some not so young, and cajoling away or kidnapping them. While this can be seen as essential to the development of the plot, it's hardly exciting nor adventurous. Though there are some tantalizing threads, such as the discovery of the tunnel under the forge in Yarim, they turn out to be red herrings. Rhapsody's adventure at the gladiator ring in Sorbold is fascinating for a while, but nothing further is made of it. Some revelations regarding the history of the Lirin warrior Oelendra and Anborn may be interesting to some, but more likely rather flat and tepid. Even the whole business with Llauron proves disappointing; yes, it provides the fuel for the deception and betrayal that may tear the lovers apart, but even this could have been done away without significantly altering the plot. Haydon likes to tantalize readers with clues to the identity of the F'dor. While she has done so admirably in book two, she may have overdone it in this book with numerous passages from the point of view of the antagonist. The identity of the F'dor is apparent long before it is finally revealed. While this may have been the author's intention, it hardly enhances the suspense when the heroes themselves finally make the discovery. Most of the book seems to plod toward the inevitable confrontation between the heroes and villain, and such is the lone bright spot of the book. One may admit that the F'dor is not as formidable a villain as many others. While it and its minions are capable of heinous acts, such as the sacrifice of children, it's hardly omnipotent or even omniscient. Its power is manifested more through its guile and insidiousness than through pure destructiveness. It's known all along that it can be contained, captured and defeated. Thus it's no surprise that the sense of imminent threat and hopelessness aren't readily apparent when the companions finally face the demon. However, Haydon has done a an excellent job to bring thrills and chills, and a frantic rush of actions, to this climactic confrontation. When the F'dor is able to bring both its power and its guile to bear, it's a frightening opponent indeed, and for a brief moment the outcome of the battle seems hardly certain. Even when victory is within grasp, the demon's counterstroke may have shorn of it of sweetness and joy. For me, this is the climax of the book, more so than the subsequent battle with yet another villain nor the unraveling and fruition of the romantic subplot (which by the way bears a distaste for me since book two). Destiny may have been a weaker conclusion than its predecessors have led us to hope. But considered overall, the series leaves an enduring legacy of memorable characters and a fascinating world.
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