Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I picked this book up by chance off a sale rack, and I loved it! It is fresh, and exciting. It seems to be a new spin on old themes. Refreshing, and fast. I eagerly await the rest of the series.
Rating: 
Summary: I loved this book
Review: A male friend and die hard sci fi/fantasy reader pulled this book off the shelf and said "you have to trust me, just read this." I actually didn't know how interested I was but once I started I just couldn't put it down! Yes, I am a female and yes I read romance novels, but I really like a great variety of novels! But I wanted that to be said because I have read several reviews that say this might appeal to silly females who read romances and don't want a real story!Yes, Rhapsody is perfect, and it's not like this didn't annoy me sometimes. You just want her to get things done sometimes instead of always doing what's right, but who doesn't know a few people like that? I loved all the characters and how they were all interwoven and all the history in the novel. I thought it was well thought out and developed. I don't understand how people can say it's not because it takes three books to get the whole story and I didn't want it to end (and am glad they made a fourth).
I admit that each book in this set has about 100 pages in the middle that can cometimes get tedious, but I am always glad I got through them and at the end it all comes together wonderfully! I think it was these pages that really got me into the characters and how much they care about each other to bring on such alligience. Achmed, Grunthor, Rhapsody and Ashe are all great characters and it takes a while to develop them all and their subcharacters properly (3 books in fact)! I think the ties to Gwydion and Melisande and Stephen are wonderful! I have passed this book on to three others (yes all females) who have thanked me profusely and bought the entire set. However, I admit that none of us were die hard fantasy/sci fi readers! Many of them, however, have taken up sci fi/fantasy after reading these though! I loved the book at it is at least worth giving a shot, because it seems you either relate or you don't...you either love it, or you don't! Decide for yourself! :)
Rating:
Summary: Grizoffi's Reviews
Review: This series is excellant. I was so intrigued. I never wanted to put her books down. She's the best new author of Fantasy Books.
Rating:
Summary: Oy vey! An Intelligent Read
Review: I made the mistake of reading the review that precedes mine on this page, but it helps to clarify whether or not you should read this book. If the only type of fantasy you want is the kind in which a mighty male warrior decapitates a lot of people then throws a naked woman over his shoulder, as that reviewer suggested, you should definitely NOT read this book. On the other hand, Rhapsody is not at all a romance novel. It contains some of the best male characters I have ever read about, particularly the character of Achmed the Snake, the assassin king. The writing is gritty and captivating, and highly intelligent. There are many layers of plot, and the author's care in building a world that makes SENSE in its history, its magic and its story is evident. So, in short, if you want a wonderful story with fabulous characters, lots of action and lore, this book is for you. Otherwise, read Conan.
Rating: 
Summary: Do not read this book
Review: I get the feeling that the people who gave this book five stars are of the female sex. I had never read a fantasy author that was a women before and thought I would give it a try. To my disbelief, I found myself reading about a girl power charle's angel wanta be, who adopted every child that she looked upon. This showed me that a women does not know how to write for the male mind and therefore I resorted to picking up my father's old Robert E. Howard's Conan books. There is just something about decapitating a band of warriors, then throwing a naked girl over your shoulder, then retreating to your sleeping mat for the night that dispells any of the girl power, romance crap Haydon wrote about. So in conclusion THANK YOU to all who gave this book five stars, thanks to you I wasted $8.49.
Rating:
Summary: FLAT AND BORING
Review: I read the first fourty pages but this novel just didn't work for me. The hero was time warped by some type of deity just before the fall of a previous civilization. So we then spend too much time as this character meets a potential love interest. To add to it, the meeting is flat, prosaic and predictable. Lastly, the mentalities are little too contemporary to fit into the equivalent of a medieval, agrarian culture without a special explanation. My feeling is that this story would have prompted me to read more if there was more detail of the old civilization, other conflicts which could add some texture, less predictability and
more Historical details.
Rating:
Summary: A little mushy, but VERY good.
Review: I'm not one for romance novels, I find them trite and demeaning. This book has a tendency to dwell on the romance at times, but the story I found to be interesting enough to keep me reading. I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Really good if you don't mind a little romance now and again.
Rating: 
Summary: Good start runs out of gas
Review: This book might be attractive to a 12 year old, but it certaintly does not come anywhere close to a masterpiece. Those who say that it is are a testament to the decline in general science fiction and fantasy ability that has come with the degeneration of the general story line to finding love and victory over evil. The characters are interesting in the first 100 pages, and I can excuse the length of the underground section since it is supposed to represent more than 14 centuries, but the dialog in many places descends to cliche, and the details of the cultures almost non existent. This would do as the first draft of a promising work, and would read a lot better at half the length. The ideas are good, the execution is not. Jo is a typical teenager of today, not what one would expect of a street urchin from a medieval society. Rhapsody must be thick not to notice the commotion she causes walking down the street. Her initial encounter with Ashe is written for its shock value. Grunthor is always massive. Achmed always mysterious. All looks are askance....
Rating:
Summary: Life is great, when you're perfect
Review: Rhapsody is a good book. One of those books that fill the space between the bad books, and the books you love. It has a lot going for it: snappy dialogue, competent world building, great character interactions, and in my opinion, an interesting story with a creative use of magic. There were times, even during the interminable underground root scene, when I laughed out loud, "sympacastically." Achmed is your typical rogue, an assasin with a hardened exterior, and a complicated, but ultimately good soul. Sure, he's cliched, but Haydon handles the unlikely hero with a barbed tongue well. I like Grunthor, but his use of cockney aphorisms is a little too much. He actually called other characters "Guv" as in Gouvenor, and used the word "blimey." Other people have touched on the use of magic. I found Rhapsody's use of magic through song the most believable. Other forms of magic in the book did not ring quite so true. The F'Dor were not scary but stereotypical. Child sacrifice, blood, demons. Boring. I like the plot, it's not deep, but it does the job. Ultimately, the story could benefit by LESS explanation. As other people have pointed out, the speeches of expository information fell like dead weight, too often. Especially after they make it to the new world. Sometimes, when you're dealing with something fantastic, it's best not to get too bogged down in the whys and hows, if all you can do is come up with allegory that doesn't really answer the question in the first place. Some writers are first class bull sh*t artists who can pull this off and make you think, "Yeah, that make sense". While others info-dump and load on the exposition, trying to bail out a sinking ship with too much information. Haydon suffers from this, but I don't think it detracts that much from the book. What does detract from the book, though, is Haydon's main charcter. Rhapsody. Oh Rhaposdy. She was just too... too much. Had Haydon avoided the stereotype of making her gorgeous, and then otherworldy gorgeous after the cleansing fire, this could have been a better book. It suffered from pre-teen angst about beauty and feminity ala the madonna/whore syndrome. I think that, in order to make us sympathize with Rhapsody, or at least repsect her, haydon made her beautiful. And then even more beautiful after she was re-born and presumably a virgin again. Much more believable would have been in a) she was average looking to begin with and b) she remained average looking. The character didn't apologize for being a prostitue, but the author seemed to. This bit of realism was then wasted by the emphasis on Rhapsody's looks. Her dedication to children made sense, and it would have been more palatable had she not "embodied beauty," but instead was just an ordinary woman escaping a sometimes brutal past. In other words, a normal person. I recommend Rhapsody if you're looking for a light read. If you want something that's dark and daring, and will keep you on the edge of your seat for days on end, then look no further than george rr martin, and JV Jones. In the meantime, there are books like Rhapsody to tide you over.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing first step into the world of Rhapsody
Review: Rhapsody is an incredibly enjoyable book. With stunning detail and a great cast of charactors, this book rivals any book I've read before.
J R R Tolkien's Lord of the rings was an amazing trilogy, but frankly, Rhapsody is just much more enjoyable. With it's moments of peril to it's charming humor, it keeps you until the series is done.
Though Rhapsody is the main charactor, most would find her two companions, Achmed and Grunthor, much more enjoyable. Rhapsody is a great main charactor, but she just can't throw insults like Achmed can. And the jolly giant Grunthor will always bring a smile to your face.
Though the book may be a little slow, and a bit confusing at first, it quickly draws your attention as the charactors get thrown into various situations were more and more of the plot is revealed.
Though much of the plot is uncovered in the other two books, Rhapsody is a great book. The perfect way to start a trilogy that will someday be considered a classic. (I am not 12 ^.^)
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