Rating: 
Summary: This book had me hooked
Review: This is definately one of my favourite books. It's the first book in the Rhapsody trilogy and Elizabeth's first book. I picked up and didn't put it down till I was down.I've read a lot of fantasy in my life, and believe me, I'm not that old, and this is one of most imagnitive fantasy books I've come across. It's not the usual cliched book that you find in the Fantasy section. Yes, so there's magic, but the magic is unique and there's the angry hords (type thing) but we actually see from their point of view. There's one slight problem though, and I'm not sure that people notice but Rhapsody is so perfect. I mean, orignally I ignored the fact but if you're into fanfictions, you'd call her a Mary Sue, pretty much. So I guess there's a big down side to the book... but I still love it. If you don't mind Mary Sues, 5 stars, if you hate them, I guess the rating will go down a bit but it's still worth the read because even though Rhapsody is blissfully beautiful yet ignorant, all the other characters are orignal with their own unique tastes and faults.
Rating: 
Summary: TOO perfect
Review: This book is good, but not as good as I had come to expect after reading most of the reviews. I expected it to be at almost the same level as Jordan's WheelOfTime or Martin's SongOfIceAndFire (which are my -unreachable- top standard fantasy series). Unfortunately I was highly disappointed by Rhapsody. The story is interesting, the book is enjoyable, but...
...some events are hardly credible or at least unlikely, some others just take a time too short to happen (I'm thinking of Achmed ascent among the Firbolg), or use superficial solutions.
Some situations are worked out in simplistic ways with deus ex machina stratagems. Rhapsody is an absolutely unlikely character, not because of her magical characteristics (I like them very much), but because of her nature. She is TOO beautiful, TOO kind, TOO (impossibly) unaware of the fact that every man who gets a look at her is struck by lust and passion, TOO naive and innocent: wasn't she a prostitute before escaping from the Lost Island? How can she rouse EVERY man interest without being aware of it? I would find it acceptable if she attracted men unwillingly but at least consciously! A woman so intelligent and persipacious cannot possibly be so ignorant of her effect on men, especially since it has been happening tens of times!
She is the personification of every feminine quality: strong but kind, sensual but innocent, stubborn but gracefully feminine... She is TOO perfect, maybe it' s just envy (!!!) but I don't like her! I think I'll buy the next books of the series, because at the moment there isn't a satisfying offer of good fantasy, so I suppose you too can buy them, but if you haven't read Jordan and Martin yet, I suggest to choose them instead.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars, Deserves Much more!!!
Review: WOW!! Okay, I was a bit hesitant when I first picked up the book, but decided to give Rhapsody a shot, and wow... It left me in awe! The world is filled with original cities accompanied by excruciating detail (but written so well, that you wont mind it at all!) The Characters are probably the best thing about Haydon's book, Rhapsody, Grunthor, Achmed, Ashe, even Jo! Elizabeth Haydon makes you care for the characters so much that you will keep on turning the page to learn more about their world and themselves too. Elizabeth Haydon even explains the history of the land and sets it up perfectly for Prophecy to pick up the pace slowly but well..!
The conversations between characters can be Hilarious! Especially those between Achmed, Rhapsody and Grunthor. This book truly deserves 5 stars, I sometimes forgot about eating, smoking and sleeping whilst reading.. a Masterpeice!
Rating: 
Summary: An enchanting debut
Review: I was attracted to Rhapsody, the first book of the Rhapsody trilogy, by way of its critical acclaim as one of the best fantasy debut in years. The book does not disappoint. It's a marvellously executed masterpiece of high fantasy in the tradition of Tolkien that we all know and love. The characters are original and wonderfully appealing, the setting at once exotic and beautiful. Elizabeth Haydon brings to life a rarity in modern fantasy fiction: a female protagonist. In Rhapsody, the eponymous heroine is a young woman, half-human, half-Lirin (something akin to an elven race), a musician, singer, and Namer, the latter being a practioner of an art that allows her to create magic by invoking qualities associated with the name of someone or something. Being on the run from villains, she unwittingly enlists the help of two mysterious characters: a hideous, deadly assassin and a monstrous, wisecracking military sergeant. Both are themselves fugitives from an ancient, omnipotent evil. Together they embark on a long journey through the center of the world, and find themselves in a strange new land, in a time that may have been centuries removed from their own. With all that they have ever known long gone, they must struggle to explore their new world and combat a horror that may have followed them from the old world. Tied into all of this is the fate of two young lovers who are brought together for the briefest moments before being flung centuries apart. Haydon portrays a heroine that is immediately likeable and sympathetic. She is vulnerable yet strong, innocent yet wise, naive yet experienced, gentle yet hardened. Her fierce independence, touched with a fiery temper, is balanced only by her boundless compassion and sense of justice. Unlike many other heroes, aside from her innate ability as a Namer who can perform magic with her voice and her music, she doesn't possess any other superhuman power. Even her skills have to be painstakingly learned and constantly practiced. She comes to master the use of the sword, but as the result of training,
not inborn ability. This is a refreshing change from the Richard Rahl-stereotype who is given a magic sword and almost immediate gains the skills contained within it. The other two protagonists complement the heroine perfectly, and each has his own history and contribute significantly to the plot. The half-monstrous, possibly cannibalistic, sergeant is apt to dish out humorous one-liners, contrary to his fearsome appearance. The harsh, cruel assassin may yet learn to like and love Rhapsody as one of his own family. As the story progresses, the readers immerse in the intertwining lives of the three main characters and grow with them as they grow, until their peculiar relationship no longer seems strange but familiar and intimate. Haydon has masterful command of the pen. Her prose is beautifully rendered; I often find myself going back over many a passage to fully relish and appreciate all of her words. She revels in bringing out details and manages to evoke not only sights but also sounds, somehow making them feel alive as if they could float out of the page. Her world is exotic, populated both strange and familiar races, creatures, and personae, brought to life with meticulous details. Her descriptive prose makes use of many modern scientific and technical elements, such as the description of nature of music and that of the physiology of a certain character. She bring to life many fantastic adventures. The passage through the center of the world is hardly a new concept, yet made startlingly so by very original ideas: the giant roots, the cleansing fire, the unimaginable horror dormant within. And of course, the ancient mountain realm of Canrif hasn't produced such breathless anticipation in me since the Fellowship entered Moria. The pacing of the book is steady. There is indeed a climax at the end, but along the way Haydon sprinkles enough revelations to keep the reader enthralled. There is seldom a boring moment when you wish the author would just get on to the next point. Even when the pace seems to slow, the dialogues are a joy to read. Instead of being space fillers, the sometimes acerbic, oftentimes witty, always razor-sharp verbal repartees are a feast for the eyes. Rhapsody in particular, has a tremendous wit, and a sly humor that rivals that of her monstrous friend. Their verbal exchanges do a great deal to lighten the mood and speed the story along. If any complaint can be found, it would be with certain characterization of the heroine. Surely, her femininity
offers her certain unique advantages over her traditional male counterparts. For one thing, she usually gets overlooked as the underdog at the start of a fight; many an opponent would come to regret the mistake, if he lives through it. Secondly, however unwittingly, she is able to attract and seduce male characters simply with her appearance. This comes into play often as Rhapsody is possessive of a stunning, perfect beauty. In retrospect, I was wrong to have said she is blessed with no inborn gift. Rhapsody's beauty and its effect on men indeed prove powerful enough and significant enough to drive many major plot points. It's just too inconvenient, and detracts from her other positive qualities. Perhaps, as an offset to this unfair advantage, Rhapsody is blissfully oblivious of her own beauty, stubbornly believing instead that men happen to stare at her because of her racially mixed, thus freakish and
alien, appearance. This self-delusion is kept up for the whole book and into the next! Given her astute power of observation, it would be hard to believe such inanity, which can only be ascribed to either extreme naivete or plain stupidity. The other complaint I had, however only a minor one, is the speed with which the assassin character is able to build a powerful, sophisticated civilization from scattered tribes of a primitive people. In contrast, in Robert Jordan's universe, it took the hero the whole book and more to do more or less the same (on the other hand, as of now Jordan's series is also 10 books and counting, with the end nowhere in sight). Perhaps this isn't so much a weakness as a stretch in the mantle of believability, but this hardly detracts from the enjoyment of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Scope and breadth
Review: RHAPSODY is a novel of great scope and breadth. Rather than the simple exposition of most of the current fantasy fare, there is great description and wonderful characterization. The interesting thing to me was watching the transformation of the characters. Unlike a hero such as Richard Cypher, who is a woods guide one moment and the War Wizard and Lord Rahl the next, just because he was born to it and because someone "named" him the Seeker, Rhapsody has to struggle with herself, and her own reluctance, to get into certain situations, which to me is a much more plausible and realistic take on the situation. Don't believe that just because RHAPSODY isn't one long battle scene that there isn't action--her battle scenes are some of the best I've read [thinking primarily about Spring Cleaning.] She is able to make you aware of motivations beyond the basic ones. There is much more to this book than meets the eye.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: At first I was drawn away from this book, simply because the back of the book made it sound completely cheesy. Finally, after some harrassment from my boss and a lack of nothing good to read, I finally picked it up. Immediately I got suckered in. Rhapsody is my perfect heroine; she'll kick some butt, but doesn't forget her feminine side (although her total obliviousness of her beauty gets annoying). Achmed was completely different than any other character I had ever read (in a good way) and Grunthor is just great. I never got bogged down in the plot (although there were a few slow spots), I didn't get lost, which can happen with fantasy, and the only thing I can compain about is that I read them way too fast and now I'm stuck waiting for the fifth book. This is a definite must-read for any fantasy lover!
Rating: 
Summary: I could write a better book.
Review: I've read my fair share of fantasy novels, and judging by the reviews given to Elizabeth Haydon's 'Rhapsody', this was a terrible book. I bought it expecting it to at least come close to Jordan's 'Eye of the World', as some reviews claimed, but it did not come close at all.
If I wanted to read about absolutely perfect women who happen to be better at fighting than six and a half foot tall street thugs, able to use magic, and attract every single man living, then I would read this book. However, that is not what I wish to read about. Nearly every fight scene in this book ends in Rhapsody (the female heroin) smashing some man's testicles with a table or other blunt object. It's not cool.
Also, many events that occur in this novel are completely unrealistic. I don't mean the use of magic or mystical weapons or whatever, but i mean the character reactions and choices they make.
Anyway, I wouldn't recommend reading this book. It isn't exciting, it's hard to follow, and senseless.
Rating: 
Summary: How many trees have been cut down for this awfull trash
Review: I read a lot of fantasy (Tolkien, Eddings', Martin, Goodkind f.e.), but this is one of the worst I ever read. I think only Katherine Kerr could have beaten it.
This book is about a girl named Rapsodie, a former prostitute, and she is running from her past and meets with two mysterious guys who are also running from there past, a demon.
One of the biggest problems of this book is that all characters are the same, they have the same problems, they talk all with the same, not funny, sarcasm. They are the best, the highest the most beautiful people etc and they're all caricatures of themselves. They're way to boring perfect.
The second problem is that the writer scamps the storyline. For example Gwydion one of the characters in the prologue travels through time, meets a girl at a party, falls in love, has sex with her and they decide to marry, all on the same evening. I mean that could be possible, but Haydon can't make it believable. I just don't buy it. One of the reasons for that is that the parents of the girl, though they promised her to someone else, have no problems with her meeting with a strange guy in the middle of the night.
And the third thing is that Haydon can't let me feel emotionally involved in the characters. They're to flat, to perfect.
It's a shame, because the idea on itself and also a few beautiful details in this fantasy world are drowned because of her unsubtle, flat, uninspired writing style. It's kind like she thought: Look mommy I've got a computer and look I can type. Waste of time, money and the environment
Rating:
Summary: Discordant "Rhapsody"
Review: Fantasy rarely comes as overblown and openly silly as "Rhapsody: Child of Blood." Elizabeth Hayden's critically-lauded series stumbles over itself with its too-perfect heroine, meandering story and unsubtle, cliched writing. Take the worst of fantasy and the worst of romance, and you have "Rhapsody." A boy called Gwydion is thrown back in time, promptly falls in love with a girl, sleeps with her, and is dragged back forward in time -- and learns that she must have died in a cataclysm long ago. Elsewhere, the pretty ex-prostitute Rhapsody is being stalked by a powerful thug who was once her "client," whom she rescued a child from. She ends up escaping with a pair of mysterious mercenaries. The three of them somehow go through the Root of the World-Tree, an enormous tree honored by the elf-like Lirin. Problem is, they then end up fourteen centuries in the future. But their enemies are still hot on their trail, and Rhapsody (with her array of superpowers) must somehow stop the forces of evil. "Rhapsody: Child of Blood" combines the worst traits of romance and fantasy. All the romantic interests are hunks and babes. On the fantasy front, there are orc-like Bolg, evil priests in their evil temples, evil demons, elegant Lirin, creepy warlords, mysterious mercenaries -- basic staples of generic fantasy. It's like a D&D game, only less fun. Rhapsody even has a magical sword (Daystar Clarion -- a name worthy of a seven-year-old writer). It's undeniable that Hayden has a lovely prose style, although the book drags while the characters are in the Root. Her descriptions are detailed, gritty and have plenty of action, and the concept of "Naming" is a unique and interesting one. But her lack of subtlety destroys the atmosphere. The plot meanders all over the place. Grunthor, for no apparent reason, has a Cockney accent. And various attempts at comedy fall flat, such as a pickpocket who keeps grabbing a certain part of the male body. Rhapsody herself is the biggest flaw in this book. She's pretty tolerable through the first part of the book, a part-Lirin ex-prostitute. But she becomes a hideous caricature after being "purified" by magical fire. Rhapsody is talented, kind, self-sacrificing, modest, charismatic, and so incredibly beautiful that a crowd follows her when she simply passes through a town. Of the supporting characters, few have any noticeable dimensions. Only the lumpish Bolg Grunthor really has much personality. Anything worthwhile in "Rhapsody: Child of Blood" has probably been done better elsewhere. Elizabeth Hayden's debut falls flat on its too-perfect face, a spastic collection of cliches. Painfully bad.
Rating:
Summary: Tedious....
Review: Having seen these meaty fantasy novels at the store I've bought several of them, hoping for a good lengthy fantasy jaunt. Well, I must admit I was disappointed. Haydon's writing style is dry and unappealing. Her characters lack empathy and I found many characters indistinguishable from one another. Also, the dozens of minor characters didn't sem fully fleshed, and could've easily been left out. Further, the plot meanders around without much hope of finding conclusion and the fantasy world described just didn't seem fully realized. I never got the sense or understanding of Rhapsody's world, or a full understanding of the characters. The author failed to emotionally 'hook' me with any of the leads and Rhapsody herself seemed flat D&D character knockoff. "Lets roll up a bodacious elf- ex-hooker bard" and throw in an assassin and a half-orc and call it a novel."
Bleh. Worse, I hated the phony 'cockney' accent of Grunthor. His dialogue just seemed silly. Every time he opened his mouth to say something I felt like rolling my eyes. The villain Michael (gotta love that original name), was the "I'm so eeeevillll" variety and seems to have graduated from sadism 101. This book might be better with some tighter editing, and a more succinct plotline. Unfortunately, I couldn't muster much interest in doing more than skimming this book.
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