Rating: 
Summary: Conclusion to a finely written trilogy
Review: 'The Chalice' picks up right where 'The Ring' left off, with Gavril and Dain heading off to Nether to recover the chalice in order to cure the poisoned Princess Pheresa. Of course, the poison was meant for Dain, and Gavril is responsible, but Gavril's responsibility is never dealt with. As a matter of fact, Gavril's responsibility is never dealt with for anything, in any of the books. He might not win in the end (well, what did you think, the bad guys win?) but neither does he ever have to face consequences for his actions.After Gavril tries to force Dain to reveal the location of the chalice, Dain flees with Thum, and two of the Thirst knights for the Nether border. Gavril continues on with the church knights and Pheresa to Nether in order to get a supposed cure that they can offer. Alexeika and Dain finally meet, and Alexeika recognizes him from when she parted the veils in book one ('The Sword.') Alexeika, Dain and company go on to solve all of their problems, facing down one obstacle after another with surprising ease. Too much is going on in this book, and all of it is dealt with in a very haphazard slap and dash fashion. Dain, Alexeika and Thum are captured, escape, find their way to the fortuitosely waiting army, etc. etc. Everything happens very quickly without reason, and without dealing with any of these episodes. This is especailly disapointing after the first two books where Dain and Alexeika actually suffer their way through the books. Here, the suffering is extremely transitory, except for Pheresa. In all, the ending of this trilogy is a little too pat for my tastes. Everyone gets what they want in the end, and the only messyness is the lack of a treasury that Dain is left with. So, although the writing is quite good, the book is rushed. A good ending, but a little more detail would have been nice.
Rating:
Summary: Conclusion to a finely written trilogy
Review: 'The Chalice' picks up right where 'The Ring' left off, with Gavril and Dain heading off to Nether to recover the chalice in order to cure the poisoned Princess Pheresa. Of course, the poison was meant for Dain, and Gavril is responsible, but Gavril's responsibility is never dealt with. As a matter of fact, Gavril's responsibility is never dealt with for anything, in any of the books. He might not win in the end (well, what did you think, the bad guys win?) but neither does he ever have to face consequences for his actions. After Gavril tries to force Dain to reveal the location of the chalice, Dain flees with Thum, and two of the Thirst knights for the Nether border. Gavril continues on with the church knights and Pheresa to Nether in order to get a supposed cure that they can offer. Alexeika and Dain finally meet, and Alexeika recognizes him from when she parted the veils in book one ('The Sword.') Alexeika, Dain and company go on to solve all of their problems, facing down one obstacle after another with surprising ease. Too much is going on in this book, and all of it is dealt with in a very haphazard slap and dash fashion. Dain, Alexeika and Thum are captured, escape, find their way to the fortuitosely waiting army, etc. etc. Everything happens very quickly without reason, and without dealing with any of these episodes. This is especailly disapointing after the first two books where Dain and Alexeika actually suffer their way through the books. Here, the suffering is extremely transitory, except for Pheresa. In all, the ending of this trilogy is a little too pat for my tastes. Everyone gets what they want in the end, and the only messyness is the lack of a treasury that Dain is left with. So, although the writing is quite good, the book is rushed. A good ending, but a little more detail would have been nice.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it Down!!
Review: Although I agree with some other reviews that the ending seemed rather rushed,this is one of the best Trilogies I've read.I couldn't put it down.Needless to say ,at three in the morning that can be a problem! Deborah Chester has the ability to draw the reader into the story and feel a kinship to her characters.You feel their losses,triumphs,and,yes,sometimes you wanted to slap some sense into Dain,or Alexeika.Pure Fantasy,but with all the human foibles and emotions that make you feel that you are living the story.I want more! If you read The Sword,The Ring and The Chalice,you would love Ann Marston's Rune Blade Trilogy,and the followup Trilogy,The Sword in Exile.Some of the best.
Rating:
Summary: Seemed too quick and easy.
Review: Although this book is as well written as the first two in the series (THE SWORD and THE RING), I think the plot was pushed along too quickly. As a previous reviewer mentioned, there were entirely too many things to accomplish in this book. The problem ends up being that the goals are accomplished both too quickly and too easily. The last half of the book seemed to be a cake walk for the protagonists. It made the antagonists seem inept and one dimensional. There was one side trip alone that I would have loved to see expanded into an entire book alone. This is not to say that everything went right for the antagonists. Chester still hasn't lost her penchant for killing off characters. Some of those deaths truly surprised me. And some of them were hardly noble; they were brutal, ignominious executions, but they made the world seem more realistic. Not all of the good guys survive. And don't think that I didn't enjoy this book. I gave it four stars because it was such an enjoyable read. I was still interested in seeing the growth of the characters. Plus, Chester's pure unpredictability had me turning pages late into the night. It lost that fifth star for being a bit rushed and easy for the heroes. However, Chester still has created a vivid world populated with believable characters that truly engages your imagination. This is a must read trilogy for any fantasy fan. I'm hoping that Chester comes back and revisits this creation sometime in the future, much like Terry Brooks does with his Shannara series, as long as she takes a break and flexes her muscles in another world in between.
Rating:
Summary: Seemed too quick and easy.
Review: Although this book is as well written as the first two in the series (THE SWORD and THE RING), I think the plot was pushed along too quickly. As a previous reviewer mentioned, there were entirely too many things to accomplish in this book. The problem ends up being that the goals are accomplished both too quickly and too easily. The last half of the book seemed to be a cake walk for the protagonists. It made the antagonists seem inept and one dimensional. There was one side trip alone that I would have loved to see expanded into an entire book alone. This is not to say that everything went right for the antagonists. Chester still hasn't lost her penchant for killing off characters. Some of those deaths truly surprised me. And some of them were hardly noble; they were brutal, ignominious executions, but they made the world seem more realistic. Not all of the good guys survive. And don't think that I didn't enjoy this book. I gave it four stars because it was such an enjoyable read. I was still interested in seeing the growth of the characters. Plus, Chester's pure unpredictability had me turning pages late into the night. It lost that fifth star for being a bit rushed and easy for the heroes. However, Chester still has created a vivid world populated with believable characters that truly engages your imagination. This is a must read trilogy for any fantasy fan. I'm hoping that Chester comes back and revisits this creation sometime in the future, much like Terry Brooks does with his Shannara series, as long as she takes a break and flexes her muscles in another world in between.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Fantasy Novel
Review: Before I buy a book, I usually come to Amazon.com to check the reviews. Unfortunately, there are so few reviews here for this wonderful book that I decided to write a review. The complete story of the Sword, Ring, and Chalice was one of the best fantasy series I have ever read. While most fantasies follow the simple pattern of -- boy goes on adventure --> meets beautiful girl --> falls instantly in love with her --> defeats anatagonist -- this series was very unpredictable. The cast of characters only enhanced the quality of the book. The way they are presented leaves the reader with an unsettling doubt of who is good or bad, at least, until the end of the story! Finally, I would just like to say that I REALLY hope that Deborah Chester continues writing about Nether and the neighboring countries!
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy Reader Reborn
Review: Deborah Chester has created one of the best Fantasy trilogies I have ever read. These books are a combination of action, adventure, magic, suspense, tragedy, and even a little romance. After more than 5 years of my nose stuck in Engineering textbooks, Chester has helped revived my excitement in Fantasy and Fiction reading. In other series I have read there have been portions of the books that were boring as the author over described a particular situation. I like to receive just enough description about characters or places to imagine them, but not so much that it takes away from the story. In my opinion Chester has mastered this by giving just the right amount of information to trigger the reader's imagination, but keep the action moving. The only negative to these books is that they had to end. I invite any who enjoy escaping the stresses of reality to envelop themselves into these books. You won't be sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointing conclusion to the series
Review: Deborah Chester tries too hard to wrap up loose ends in this book. Dain's character has undergone too much of a transformation - she makes him noble and kingly all at once, without any transition. He shows no affection for Alexieka throughout the whole book, only to suddenly marry her at the end. Chester had already implied in the earlier books that these things are going to happen; and it seems like she just threw it all in at the end without regard to developing the story properly.
Rating:
Summary: Very realistic.
Review: Everything about this book is amazing. The characters are well developped and realistic. The scenes are well described and the descripions do not carry on for pages on end. You can easily picture the scene taking place, something I have rarely found in books. You can imagine the Gantese city and the dwarf village. You can see Alexeika in the river and Dain in the hall of the believers. The characters seem real and you feel annoyed at them when, like Gavril, they are pompous and self centered. You feel embarassed for them when they do something stupid. You feel frustrated when they do and sorry for them when they die or when their companions die. It's not like reading a book it's like beeing part of it.
Rating:
Summary: GOOD BOOK
Review: Hello, Deborah, Your cousins Andrew and Aaron Chester are excited to hear about your latest series. They both love science fiction and are hoping to read your books. They are proud to know they are related to you.
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