The Mageborn Traitor (Exiles, Vol. 2)

Rating:
Summary: From the ruins of Ambrai to the new Mage Hall
Review: Truly told, as in the words of the book's author, this book literally was breath-taking. I am very much a fan of world-building and am a struggling author myself. I really take delight in reading books with such intruiging characters and complexed situations. Not only does Exiles Vol. 2 give your romance and humor, there is a continued mystery throughout the book: Josselin or Jored, which is Glenin's son?

Still, as I have been known to notice, there were flaws in this book that kept me from falling completely in love with it as I did Exiles Vol. 1. I am not a fan of politics. I believe the government is full of pompous fools who wish to write new laws that truly have nothing to do with common, everyday people. Also, because the main characters and supporting characters are no longer as young as they used to be, there are not nearly enough adventures in this book to keep a reader interested. That is where it falls short of its sister book. Compared to Ruins, The Mageborn Traitor was filled with govermental situations that mostly had nothing to do with the story...well, that is, until the end.

Also, I am _quite_ disappointed that one of my favorite characters died at the end, as are many readers. This person was quite intruiging and kept humor where sometimes there was none. At least, if disappointed must be leveled, the executioner received their just rewards.

The Mageborn Traitor is a book that will keep the reader glued to the pages for however long it is to come. And there are many mysteries that were not answered in _this_ book that must and will finally be answered in the concluding book to the trilogy, The Captal's Tower. Until then, I suggest anybody who is a fan of Melanie Rawn, world-building, or fantasy/romance/adventure stories, please read these books. Many readers conclude that the characters were one-dimensional, but be certain that when someone you've come to learn and love during the story dies...how one-dimensional can one be if they have broken your heart? Coming from a book-reader of a fifteen-year-old, I'm sure you can take my word for it. (Er...just add three to the little age thingy up there :p)

"You can only see life through the mist" - Misorano Kasumi, character of mine in Fatal Destinies.

Rating:
Summary: Typical middle book in a trilogy
Review: It was hard deciding what star rating to give this book. I wanted to give it a three because i felt that this book suffered from a plot that dragged in places, but on the other hand i could see where the author was heading. I can almost feel all the plot threads twisting tighter.

This is what I always feel happens in a trilogy, everyone knows that there are is another book to come so the middle book is in many cases just padding or fleshing out details. This book suffers from that in a big way. While some of the plot twists are enjoyable, the book just seemed to go on and on only getting to the point at the very end. I wish i could give this book a 3 and a half stars - which is a more accurate rating for this book - and i could get the edited version, a book that would be well over 200 - 300 pages shorter.

I will buy the next book in this series as i think it wil be very exciting to see where all the characters end up.

3.5 stars is my true rating

Rating:
Summary: 6 stars!
Review: Ok, yeah, I have to say I'm biased in my opinions on Melanie Rawn novels, simply because she's one of my favorite fantasy authors of all time. I started out reading her dragon prince novels, and then progressed to the Exiles, and I have to say, the Exiles are absolutely superb. Whereas the world they live in is not rose colored and one dimesional, like some fantasy fluff I have read, instead, the characters are real. I became so involved in these books that I would walk around in a daze afterwards. This is one of the only fantasy books, or books in general, that has actually made me cry. Wonderful wonderful work, Melanie! Only thing I don't like... waiting around for the third!!

Rating:
Summary: Interesting....Twisting plot.....Lots of Massacres
Review: Okay, this book was pretty good. The main characters are the three Sisters, Cailet, Sarra, and Glenin, but they can't reveal they're sisters, because A) Sarra would lose her job (think president of the world) and B)Cailet might lose her job as Captal (control of all mage guardians, pretty much one of the most powerful positions in the world.

Glenin, on the other hand won't be affected, so she goes out to ruin her sisters lives with her magic, as she is in control of the Lords of Malerris, (think mage guardians, except bent on destroying free will)

And around all of this,there are also sub characters like Sarra's and Glenin's kids, (we don't know who Glenin's son is until the end of the book) finding out about other characters, keeping track of who is were, and if they died during THIS massacre, who married who, how people are related, how this will hurt or help people. etc. etc. etc. Do you find this confusing? I did. I recommend reading this book only if you can do it in about 2-3 days, otherwise you forget important facts. I also found it enthralling, in some parts I laughed out loud, (mainly scenes with Sarra and her husband, Collan)c I got mad at certain parts, (although I probably shouldn't have) and at the right parts I felt infinite sadness at what happened. Oh gosh, I'm ranting now. I prefer the first book to this book, as the first book is a lot easier to understand, has a happier ending, and is a lot less negative. but what can you do? all I'm hoping is taht the next book ties up all loose ends and leaves you either feeling really bad, or really good, to make up for THIS book. read it and enjoy (or become eternally confused and swear never to read again!)

Rating:
Summary: KITA book, mind you.
Review: Cailet, Sarra and Glenin-all the esscence of ambition, abyssmal pride, and different passions.
Cailet, taking iniative and creating the infamous Academy. "Tought" by Gorynel Desse himself, while her role as the Mage Captal harshly reminds her daily that she is the last hope for the Mage Gaurdians.
Sarra, the authoritian councillor of Shreve, deeply passionate to her husband Col...and a loving mother of two twin children. An imposing and influencing figure, holding more power than she can see...
Glenin, the Leader of the Malerissi, a mirror image of Cailet , but tinted with dark malice and dangerous pride, the seemingly removed mother of a certain green eyed boy...
These three women are the main characters of the Exiles series. Unique as they are, characters like Gorynel Desse, Collan who is just Col, Josselin, and Jored also have a pleasant influence on your mind. All the different colours in this book weave together to create an intricate fire that is Exiles. Traitor add's it's special tint of dark mischief that really makes an impression on ones mind.
Creative displays of magic, colourful characters, and complex plot, I challenge anyone out there to make me aware of a better book.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, but confusing
Review: Note: However people rate this review, take it with a grain of salt - Rawn has legions of fans, as does every epic fantasy author. I doubt they'll enjoy my review, but it doesn't reduce its relevance. I'm trying to be fair but honest here. These books are *not* horrid enough that I feel I must refrain from recommending them. I do think you should get the first one from your library, though. If they appeal, then spend money.

The Mageborn Traitor has few things to recommend it. It will keep you well occupied for a while, and it will keep you thinking. Unfortunately, it's the length that will keep you occupied and the enormous number of supporting characters that will keep you thinking as you attempt to keep track of them.

The main characters are easy to track. You get to know them, and somewhat enjoy them. However, though their existence spans decades, their aging is invisible as many of those years pass unseen between book sections, and there is little increased maturity evident to clue you in. This probably accounts for the frequent mention of characters' everlasting beauty despite their age. They seem not to learn from their mistakes over time, or get over their self-doubt despite years to work out their issues. We feel the passage of time only because it is harped on.

The supporting characters are numerous - too much so. This was a hallmark of Rawn's previous series, but at least that one had a reference list in the back. This series lacks such a reference, an omission I find deplorable. I found myself flipping back and forth trying to locate the first introduction of characters. Almost every character that Rawn introduces with a name figures into her plot in some fasion, sooner or later. This means keeping track of these characters if you want any hope of following the plot. Her method of dealing with this excess of humanity is having a massacre every so often. Dozens of characters are killed off, and rather than feel sad at their loss, you're left trying to remember who they were. If it's a particularly climatic scene, she'll kill off a major character as well, and then you *do* feel sad - you've lost one of the few you cared about enough to keep track of.

Don't get me wrong - I admire an author with the wherewithal to kill off characters. I expect it to mean something, though, and to have had enough exposure to the character to care. Katherine Kurtz is an example of an author who pulls this off well. Rawn has her characters grieving over losses that are evidently huge to them, and we're left confused since we haven't seen enough interaction to justify such emotion.

The big plot twist in this book had limited mystery. Clearly one of the two dark, handsome men was Glenin's son. We were not given a lot of clues as to which it was, and the scenes where Glenin's son was present but his name was not used felt stilted. The revelation scene felt shallow as we had just been handed three other major events - the appearance of a mystery woman, a vague possible death waiting to be confirmed and the plot twist before that, which I'll only refer to as the revelation of Ambrai secrets. That last felt extremely forced. The reactions seemed severe, as did the fact that otherwise smart characters had let it come to this. I don't enjoy it when an author dumbs her characters down on one issue for the sake of the plot. The readers are smart also, and we'll *know* we're being handed a line of bull.

If you've made it this far, you're probably wondering why I'm reviewing the *second* book. Why did I bother? Well, I was bored, I was interested if not fascinated by book one, I was curious where the plot was going to go and my husband was away on business. :) My only regret is I spent money on them, not that I read them. I'll probably read book three, too. Sarra looks like she might get interesting. I'm not looking forward to the inevitable scenes where Cailet tells everyone and all the voices in her head that a certain man is all wrong for her, because I know they'll end up together eventually. Oh, come on, tell me it hasn't been foreshadowed with all the subtlety of a brick through plate glass. There's still a few secrets to emerge, and waiting for them will be painfully drawn out, I'm sure. I have high hopes for interesting developments for a certain bad guy - if done right, it will have interesting parallels to Cailet's early days. I'm not holding my breath, though.

So, Rawn fans, do your worst. (...) :) I'm just another amateur reviewer. Hope I helped.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Captivating!
Review: I am currently on my second read of this series, eagerly awaiting the release of "The Captal's Tower". I have never been so fascinated by a series...and the next closest to this is her Dragon Prince and Sunrunner trilogies. Spectacular author... marvelous stories...I cannot reccommend them higher!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Well Written and a MUST for any Fantasy Lover!!!
Review: Well, I was reading some of the reviews written by some so-called experts in English Literature, with degrees, and so on, and these people seriously need a life. This book was one of, if not the best book I have ever read, along with it's prequel Ruins of Ambrai, and I thoroughly enjoyed every part of it, even though it was confusing in some areas...the way M. Rawn sets the characters is fabulous and she makes them seem so realistic (personality-wise, not phsyically). Also, I'm NOT very emotional, and am usually practical but at a certain part in the book, my emotions actually caught up with me, and left me feeling a bit sad and depressed. Now I'm waiting for the next book, Captal's Tower. If one enjoys fantasy, or even any well written book, this is a must for you. Seriously, go out and buy this book, and you'll thank yourself for it...

Rating:
Summary: Could have been far better
Review: It is always disappointing when a good author delivers an inferior work, and it makes me harsher than is generally my wont. But in Melanie Rawn's case, stepping old cliches up a notch is unforgivable.

1) She doesn't like her bad characters, but unfortunately can't make us hate them too. I happen to like her villains more than her good guys (which are way too goody-goody in my view), and that's unhealthy. Not everyone can write people like G.R.R. Martin, of course. However, when all the remotely decent people gush out completely undeserved praise for the good guys, I personally start liking everyone who opposes them. If I find myself cheering when the _good_ guys get their comeuppance, something is surely wrong.

Come on, the bad guys are _supposed_ to win significantly and live to see the results. She managed that, marginally, in her Sunrunner series. Not here. A little more dimension to characters wouldn't have hurt either.

2) Plots _are_ predictable. Fine, so I couldn't tell which of the two boys was the evil one. But I was sure he would turn up and be evil. You call that a twist? 'Cause I don't. Just like it was clear as the summer sun that the good girl would not truly fall in love with him, and learn to do without him real fast. Or that the evil victory would turn out halfhearted at best.

And politics? Please, Melanie, don't get into politics. The intrigues of the supposedly perceptive and brilliant are stillborn to say the least. When a girl barely out of adolescence and far-off wastes can foil a (so-called) twisted ruse without half trying, or a couple of kids escape arguably the world's most powerful mage, that makes me laugh.

3) Sunrunner magic was probably the most beautiful type of magic ever described in fantasy. Really, I've read loads of fantasy, but the sheer brilliance of that idea just plain took my breath away. Or the Golden Key paintings -- that was remarkable too. Here, the magic is nondescript. In general terms, that's not a crime. For Melanie Rawn, it is.

I'd just like everyone to be just a tad less beautiful and a tad more human, that's all.

I appreciate the end, by the way. I understand how it must have hurt to make it so, too. Let's just have more of it. Better the author hurting than the reader.

Rating:
Summary: The Mageborn Traitor (Exiles, Vol 2)
Review: I enjoyed reading the book up until I realized that the most colorful person, and my favorite person in both books was killed off. It was like watching the young female doctor on ER killed off, and I stopped watching that too. The only reason I can see for killing this person off was because he was a very strong male person, and Ms. Rawn doesn't like strong males lasting too long. Because of this, I don't care when the next book comes out.