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The Bone Doll's Twin (Tamir Trilogy, Book 1)

The Bone Doll's Twin (Tamir Trilogy, Book 1)

List Price: $7.50
Your Price: $6.75
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not Bad
Review: Not great either however...kind of a strange fantasy book that doesnt really seem to get anywhere but yet still entertains a little. the next book in the series might be better, but i wont pay to read it....but i would if some one gave it to me...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An interesting beggining...
Review: The thing that really separates The Bone Doll's Twin from many other fantasies is it's somewhat dark atmosphere and oftimes spooky imagery. The story follows a tried and true fantasy plot of some prophecy that must be fulfilled, but this is not to the detriment of the novel since many other elements come into play. The prophecy in question states that a female ruler must rule in order for there to be peace and prosperity, when the prophecy is broken and kings instead of queens sit on the throne, all goes to hell. The protagonists of the story devise a clever, if cruel, way to insure a female ruler using magic, but the forces they unleash threaten to be much more than they bargained for.
The story is not stand alone, and is meant as the first part of a trilogy but the book tells a compelling story nonetheless. Author Lynn Flewelling has a firm grasp of the genre and adds some darker elements that really make this novel stand out from other more sanitized fantasy tales.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I could not put this book down. It was darker than I usually read, but already I am anxious for the next installation in the series. What I liked most about it were the characters, and how even the "good" ones had done terrible things and had to try to justify their actions. Will their world benefit from the cost they had to pay?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: I am relatively new to fantasy reads, with only The Hobbitt, the LoTR trilogy, and George RR Martin's "Ice and Fire" series (all 3, so far) under my belt. I chose "The Bone Doll's Twin" because it happened to be what Martin was reading and recommended, and I wasn't disappointed. I love the characters and the way Flewelling weaves each of them into the story line. Also, if you like fantasy reads with witches, sorcerers, magic, demons, and ghosts, this one's for you! It's a fast, easy and thoroughly entertaining read (after finishing the last in Martin's series, what wouldn't be?). I can't wait for her next book in the Tamir series, and will probably go back and read the Nightrunner series, after I finish Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nice new series beginning
Review: I was impressed with _The Bone Doll's Twin_, and found it a promising opening to a series. The set up is an interesting one, and the main character Tobin/Tamir is interesting and well-drawn.

I reserve the right to up the starrage with later books. I didn't give it four stars for two reasons--

1) There are elements that this book has in common with others, done correctly in later books that won't be a problem, but if those elements are handled poorly then they could really drag the books down into cliche.

2) I didn't like where the book ended-- felt awkward. I tend to think that even as part of a series a book should stand as a book in its own right. For all it's strengths, this one wouldn't. It lacked a plot point or quest that defined this particular installment and made me feel like someone just decided that there were too many pages.

I'm looking forward to the second book in the series, and we'll see how the whole thing turns out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Utterly amazing and impossible to put down
Review: This book is going to join my other top five in my cabinet. The author's carefully crafted country and history serve to draw you in and ground you in the world--and before you know it, you're right there alongside Tobin, imagining all "he" has to deal with when his secret is a secret no more. I can't wait for the sequel! Please hurry Lynn :-)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: excellent
Review: I haven't been so enthralled with a book since Martin's fire and ice series... the only bad news is this is the first part of a series which is unfinished. Alas, another wait.

The book is well paced, the hero/heroine is intriguing and complex, and it is actually well written -- amazing for sword and sorcery. I highly recommend it, especially if you are suffering from Jordan or Goodkind fatigue. This book/series promises to be far superior.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Bone Doll's" a winner
Review: Never read anything by Flewelling before this book. I'm now a fan.

Magic is prevalent, but not intrusive or absurd. I really like this -- it gets aggravating to have a "Star Trek" like moment when magic is used to bail out a poor plot. Not here.

The treatment of the undead is so chilling, you believe it. No Caspar or other silly, chummy spirits from beyond playing games or fubmling about powerlessly, just the cold hate of those unjustly deprived, rolling in like a fog, slowly squeezing the color out of a scene. "Brother" is one of the most interesting characters I've seen in sci-fa -- ever. Actually I really like the character development for all the major characters -- I have sympathy for all the majors, and root for them as the story progresses. Turning the last page will make you irritated that the sequel isn't already on your bedstand.

If I have any complaints at all, its a personal nit. IMHO, gender-bending seems abused and overused. Lucky for me that this element is almost accidental so far. Guess I'm not into "coming of age" and "what it means to be a boy/girl" story lines embedded into my fantasy.

I want epic struggles, good v. evil, triumph and defeat on a grand scale, etc. Lucky for all of us, this first installment delivers these in full, and promises much more in the next two.

All in all, "totally engrossing" is a great sum-up. I eagerly await the sequels!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: high fantasy with a dash of the macabre
Review: No words of praise adequately describe this book! I literally could not put it down. Just when you think the plot has settled into a predicatable outcome, the author delivers a blow that seems to come from out of nowhere. A fantasy that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A real child
Review: This book was impressive.

Maybe it's only a fantasy book, but the characters seem so real that the only indication that its world is not the same as ours some centuries ago is the little magic used in it.

The main character is Tobin, a feminine child whose real identity has been hidden in order to save her life from the king who wants to suppress every feminine heir to the throne: a spell has changed the girl's appearance into a boy's. A prophecy links Tobin to the throne: she must become queen, otherwise her land will be destroyed...

The "boy" (Tobin doesn't know his real sex) is haunted by his twin brother's demon, murdered at the moment of birth, and by the dangerous presence of his mad mother. The character description is among the most spectacular I've ever read: the author tells with unbelievable richness how the boy feels. Tobin is a real child: he suffers, he hopes, he feels lonely, he fears, he loves his parents and his few friends.
Growing without any friends and only with some old servants and foul spirits trying to harm him makes Tobin wary of people and you suddenly find yourself straining to catch and help him: he is such a wonderful character that he takes hold of you and never let you go.

Fantastic.


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