Rating: 
Summary: A good read.
Review: An interesting twist on your typical political/magery adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: well written but complicated
Review: It is sometimes very hard to find a captivating fantasy novel that is well written and interesting. I found Ambrai to be well written but lacking in that spark that draws a reader in and transports them to a different world. Granted, some of the ideas, such as the use of magic and politics, were very inovative. However, on the whole, I eventually began yawning when the author embarked on yet another lengthy discourse of the convoluted politics of her world. She might as well have been writing a history of Great Britain. It would have been just as dry and perhaps more relevant to the reader. Anyway, that's just my humble opinion. I leave it to you to decide for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Pointless and boring.
Review: I thought the point of writing fantasy books was to entertain. If so, the author of this book has failed miserably. I have a policy of always reading through the entire book, no matter how much I dislike it--otherwise I don't feel entirely justified in critizising it later. So I slogged through the ENTIRE length of this hideous book only to be rewarded by--you guessed it--a flat, boring ending. At least it was in keeping with the rest of the book.The characters were boring, the plot was not complicated--though it certainly tried to be, adding in all kinds of pointless political manuvering--and the whole thing left me with a bad after taste. Frankly, I felt cheated. I had been expecting things to pick up and get good at any time in those eight hundred pages and they NEVER DID. This book needs a cliff notes version. It would be just as pointless, but a whole lot more entertaining, and less of a waste of time. If you really like those long series, read Stephen King's "Gunslinger" series. But do yourself a favor and avoid this one.
Rating:
Summary: a great read
Review: this is a fabulous book... witty, imaginative, and intricate, with completely unique characters with every turn. Rawn's societies are amazingly detailed and completely thought out and planned... most of her books include a fair amount of politics, and a ridiculously large number of characters. If you can keep the names straight, you will grow close to them all! Rawn juggles her huge casts amazingly well... and often provides a 'whos who', just to help you out. :)
sometimes the politics got to be a bit much for me... a little longwinded in parts. But Rawn gets you through those remarkably well by presenting these parts through the eyes of a character who is utterly fascinated with them, or by making the events and politics essential to the plot.
The book, in my opinion, was a little hard to get into... but once you are through the first chapter, you should be hooked. Just give it that much of a chance, and forget how long it is! you will fly through it once you get started.
Rating: 
Summary: Something You Can Enjoy a Third Time Around...
Review: This is a book that can be read and reread and is still interesting. If you enjoy a world that has many sides to it, as any world should then you'll enjoy this book. If you enjoy characters that aren't perfect and make human mistakes you'll enjoy this book. This story has twists and turns that keep you guessing and rooting for the "good guy" but understanding the motivations of the "bad guy." I could go on but I think you see where I'm heading here -- completely opposite of another review. I'm anxiously waiting for the third in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Hey, I write fantasy books - and why not, everybody does
Review: Ok...I swore once I would never touch another Mrs Rawn opus after
"Dragon prince" torture. Bur seeing so many 5-stars reviews on this trilogy I desided to give her another try - bought 2$ second hand to help me through a buisness flight. I wish I did not!
What a stupid, boring book! I mean, did she ever give it one minute thought before starting the book??? I think not.
The world is "sucked out of finger" - in one land its a vicious slavery, one day on horse back and you find yourself in more like 17-th century Europe, with judges and theaters and cozy pubs and jails and a few days on a sail ship and you are in Parlament building with all-world goverment. That is if you manage to first get through like 1000 characters, second and third cousins and great aunts and nephews and what now with names that you would not remember anyway. Oh never mind, you won't meet them again, its like their only purpose is to somehow fill those 800 pages.
Yes, there is a magic in this book. Actually two groups of magicians, evil and good ones. Good ones are stupid (or it would not be a trilogy) and powerless. Evil ones - hmm... they are mean and, well, bad. Both groups share mystireos "instant" gates
to thicken the plot. Except sometimes they cant or they won't - its for the author to deside. And this is the most annoying part of the book, that is people behave and plot evolves not as characters or circumstances command but on author's whim. Book dies on every page and then author wakes up - oops, I need another 200 pages, ok, lets open another gate and send somebody through it and hopefully this somebody will do something stupid and there we are.
About main characters of this book, that is "Gandalf" the main protector, good-humored, 1000 years old good guy (and a father or grandfather or just a good friend of about every other character in the book), super-talented minestrel and three sisters with not half brain between them all - I forgot their names the moment I threw this book at Dallas airport. And there was not anything to remember, believe me.
What a waste of time and good paper and my 2$!!!!
This author is among the worst (second only to Mercedes Lackey and J.Wurst) among female fantasy authors.
Rating:
Summary: I Can't stop reading this book!
Review: I first bought this book in 1997 and I love it! This book has a very srtong female presence, whic is a nice change from this male domanited world. I found that this book has everything, romance, action, magic, and even mystry. Since 1997 I have had to buy two more copies of this book because I read the other ones raggid. I have alos gotten at least ten other people (men included)to read this book and I have not heard a bad review from any one of them, except that they can't put it down. If you like science fiction-fantacy then this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent series
Review: This and Melanie's Dragon Prince series are some of the best character-driven tales written over the last 10 years. Her worlds are fascinating, well developed and original.
I like the way she uses magic and how she is not afraid to use her characters to the best advantage for the story, even if it means killing a beloved main character.
All in all she is a well rounded, clean writer.
One of the things I like the most is that these books, while thick, do not slow down plot-wise. Unlike many authors who can get to tied up in description and really lengthy charcater devlopment for minor characters Melanie stays true to her plot and always ties up her plots by the time she is finished. Not always in the same book but you always get a spectacular finish.
Now if only she would finish book 3!!!!
Rating:
Summary: GREAT
Review: One of the best books i have ever read. If you love fantisy you will love this book
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing
Review: This book does a wonderful job of tying a lot of little plots into a cohesive whole. Three sisters seperated by various circumstances end up in three different positions of leadership with some very complex political, emotional, and power struggles between each. The interaction between each is pretty skillfully written. The biggest positive to this book, is definitely the world Rawn has created here. We've got political parallels to Communism & Democracy. And we've got gender role reversal, a deeply Matriarchal society, instead of a Patriarchal one. As a man, I found myself repeatedly getting flustered at the treatment of men in this world, only to step back and realize it draws a very significant parallel to the treatment of women in our real world. It is a refreshingly unexpected change in a fantasy storyline. All that aside, the book is not inherently perfect; there are a few annoyances. Rawn seems to take a few shortcuts here and there, the most annoying being a particular characters ability of super-intuition. There are parts where the characters seem to have a lapse of common sense and you're left screaming at the book, praying you could slap some thought into their heads. Overall, a very good book. Slight annoyances, bring it down from a 5 to a 4, but still a intriguing read. Thumbs up|down? Definitely up...
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