Rating: 
Summary: some middle volume problems, but still a worthy addition
Review: "Hidden Warrior" is the middle volume of Flewelling's Tamir trilogy and has been eagerly anticipated. Although this sequel to "The Bone Doll's Twin" suffers from some of the typical second-volume-of-trilogy flaws, it is more than good enough to to maintain the reader's interest in the series.In the first volume, the attention was on Tobin's childhood and his coming to terms with the ghost of his angry, murdered sibling. That book was dark in flavor, because the act which set the plot in motion was evil, albeit done for all the best reasons. Moral ambivalence lay at the heart of "The Bone Doll's Twin," and much of the narrative dealt with the consequences of that act. The moral ambiguities still exist in "Hidden Warrior," but this volume concentrates more on how the plans set in motion in BDT begin to play out. While Tobin continues on as a member of the Prince's Companions, he must come to terms with both his real identity, and also with the fact that his destiny will bring him into conflict with some whose friendship he values. And what about his relationship with Ki, his squire and best friend? As Tobin confronts his true nature, this too becomes problematic. Political machinations form much of the narrative of the book, but the best parts focus more on character development and interactions. As noted, "Hidden Warrior" is not perfect. In spots it reads more like history than did "The Bone doll's Twin." At 551 pages, I found it overlong--a flaw common to much fantasy these days (you'd think that novelists were paid by the word!) A good editor could have shortened the book by a third and tightened the plot at the same time. This would have shifted the emphasis back onto the characters and made the narrative less plodding. Nonetheless, the book is well worth reading, and I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: Can't wait for the third book...
Review: After reading Bone Doll's Twin, and discovering that i had to wait many many months for the next book in the series, i went out and picked up the Nightrunner trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, but actually gave up on the 2nd one halfway through. Quitting in the middle of a book is a very rare occurance for me. Thus, when i finally did get my hands on Hidden Warrior, i was worried. If Flewelling choked in the middle of the last series, who's to say she wouldn't do the same here? Well, she didn't. Some of the criticisms other reviewers have made are valid: the story loses some steam, character development slows a bit, and some parts are even somewhat predictable. After a few hundred pages, the story is back to the point where i couldn't put it down to save my life. And fortunately, this one ends at a more stable point than Bone Doll's Twin, so waiting for the concluding volume will merely be uncomfortable, not the torture of waiting to see if all would be well and good after the violence at the end of book 1. And after this, i'm even considering digging up my copies of the Nightrunner series. Maybe book 2 is worth another try.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely fantastic
Review: Flewelling is always outstanding, but this book especially shines--it is perhaps her finest yet. As a continuation of The Bone Doll's Twin, Hidden Warrior deepens the themes of gender and identity which make this trilogy especially poignant. Flewelling's expert characterizations always make for a rich read, and this book also serves as the genesis for certain events in her Nightrunner series. Highly recommended, as is all the work by this author.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing as usual
Review: Flewelling's work has been a personal favorite since I discoved The Bone Doll's Twin last year. This is a very worthy sequel- and the woman sure knows how to write a cliffhanger! i found it early (someone up there must like me- i think my bookstore put it out by mistake) and finished it in two days. I loved every moment. A very, very good book
Rating:
Summary: Original
Review: For me, the big test of how good a novel is is the length of time I take to get the sequel or another of the author's works. With The Bone Doll's Twin, I could hardly sleep the entire night after reading it, and dashed out to get Hidden Warrior almost immediately upon waking up the next day. It's been a long time since I started reading fantasy, and in recent years I'd come to despair of finding new authors to match the standards of veterans Raymond E Feist, George R R Martin, David Eddings, Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey etc (most of whom are rather played out by now anyway). Lynn Flewelling recaptured for me the sense of wonder I used to feel when entering a completely new and captivating fantasy world; the chivalry and honour of ages long gone.
The Tamir novels stand out most for their originality - the haunted girl-turned-boy child Tobin, the doll theme, Brother, etc. They add a very subtle undercurrent of dark fantasy without resorting to the hair's-breadth escapes, danger or gore-and-blood-spattered scenes a la Terry Goodkind. Flewelling skillfully highlights gender equality without crossing the line into outright female chauvinism. Erius and Korin are shown in a surprisingly human light with their strengths and loves as well as flaws - not quite the complete Machiavellian villains. They almost had me rooting for them at times. All these elements of an engaging plot are then tied together expertly by Flewelling's fluent, evocative writing style (which is markedly absent in many genre writers).
People seeking literary/educational merits in the genre will also find ample food for thought in these books. Issues of homosexuality/transsexuality, identity, power, political rights, prejudice, acceptance etc are central to the story. I won't dwell on them though as I personally prefer to keep such deep thinking for serious fiction, and reserve fantasy for leisure.
That said, the Tamir novels are not without their flaws. Both books have a feeling of 'patchiness'. Hidden Warrior is littered with tedious scenes of the wizards. Necessary perhaps to the plot development, but the storyline would read more smoothly if they had been cut short, while Tobin's life as a Companion and his shifting, tentative relationships with Korin and Erius could have been explored further. But the most glaring problem is that Niryn's character rings slightly false. His actions are too stereotypically evil and come across as flat and meaningless, as if Flewelling simply threw him in because she needed someone to do the dirty work and pin the blame on.
But despite the flaws, I'm still definitely looking out for the last book of the trilogy, Oracle's Queen, which I hear is to be published some time this year. Meanwhile, I'll recommend James Clemens' The Banned and the Banished series for people looking for more dark fantasy or an original new voice in the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome sequel to the Bone Doll Twin
Review: Great writing. Readers get to devil deeper into the Prince's feelings and acceptance that he is actually a girl. This book leads into the change. My only complaint is that there is a bit too much acceptance. If it was me, I would freak.
Rating:
Summary: Strong writing, great characters
Review: I am only partway through the book and already want to share my excitement.
Everything you loved about Bone Doll's Twin is here -- the rich characters, the haunting settings, the smart contemplations of different aspects of magic. Much like other strong female fantasy writers, the author weaves not only an exciting tale, but also a compelling portrait of people's lives amidst history unfolding. If you're looking for an engrossing, meaningful read, I highly recommend this.
Rating: 
Summary: Not much impressed
Review: I got this book for free at a convention and, upon reading the back description, thought it would be very interesting to read about a boy who has to come to terms with the fact that she's a girl in a fantasy/warrior setting. Perhaps this book does that well, I never stuck around to find out. A reviewer for The Bone Doll's Twin commented on the fact that nowhere on the book did it say that it was Book 1 of a trilogy. So, he expected to read a full book and got only part one. This book suffers from a similar lack. I don't usually read the inside cover a book, it's just reviews and such. That is the ONLY place I could find that mentioned this might not be a stand-alone book. Thus, when I started reading and all the action was in media res, I thought the author was crazy. I read six chapters before finally giving up and putting it down. This book starts off right where the last book leaves off, apparently, with only a few little flashbacks to connect them. Thus, I thought that there had been some terrible mistake and I was missing the first three chapters of the novel somehow. It wasn't until coming here to Amazon.com that I discovered it was Book 2. Then things started making sense. This isn't likely to be a book that one can just pick up and read without having read the first. That's fine, I suppose, but if it's going to be that way, the publisher should make it a lot clearer that this is part of a 3 book thing. I get the feeling that they're trying to trick readers into buying the books. I could be wrong. In any case, I won't be finishing it. I have no desire to read the Bone Doll's Twin, especially given some of the reviews of it.
Rating:
Summary: It took me long enough...
Review: I had the first of these books for over a year before I could
bear to pick it up. The birth scene of Bone Doll's Twin had me
shaking for a lot longer than I had thought possible, I had just
had a little girl of my own the month before it was published and
even though I have been an avid reader of Ms. Flewelling from the beginning I just couldn't do it... Good thing too, since once I did get past the inital shock of it all, I swallowed up both Bone Doll's Twin and the Hidden Warrior within a 7 day period. Hidden Warrior suits me better than Bone Doll's Twin, but only because it feels more like Lynn's writing, the one big gripe that I have is that she seems to be falling into the old rut that if you are bad, you are very very bad and if you are good, well then you have to win. I love the evolution her work has taken and I can't wait to see where she takes the characters I have come to know and love so well. The struggle that Tobin/Tamir has with his/her inner fears is remarkably realistic for a fantasy character, but then I expected no less from Ms. Flewelling than a wonderful read with
characters who for the most part we really care about.
Rating:
Summary: It took me long enough...
Review: I had the first of these books for over a year before I could
bear to pick it up. The birth scene of Bone Doll's Twin had me
shaking for a lot longer than I had thought possible, I had just
had a little girl of my own the month before it was published and
even though I have been an avid reader of Ms. Flewelling from the beginning I just couldn't do it... Good thing too, since once I did get past the inital shock of it all, I swallowed up both Bone Doll's Twin and the Hidden Warrior within a 7 day period. Hidden Warrior suits me better than Bone Doll's Twin, but only because it feels more like Lynn's writing, the one big gripe that I have is that she seems to be falling into the old rut that if you are bad, you are very very bad and if you are good, well then you have to win. I love the evolution her work has taken and I can't wait to see where she takes the characters I have come to know and love so well. The struggle that Tobin/Tamir has with his/her inner fears is remarkably realistic for a fantasy character, but then I expected no less from Ms. Flewelling than a wonderful read with
characters who for the most part we really care about.
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