Rating: 
Summary: read it!
Review: I loved this book!!! it was incredibly amazing. it kept me entertained every single minute that I read it. The characters were strongly, and wonderfully developed, while the twisted plot keeps you waiting for more. if you haven't read this wonderful novel yet, I strongly suggest it!
Rating: 
Summary: Somebody Save Me!
Review: As a reader of fantasy I was simply disgusted by "Ruins of Ambrai." I have not read any of Rawn's other books, so I reserve commment on them, but if they are in any way like Ambrai you can rest assured that I won't have a thing to do with them. The characters in Ambrai are dull, undeveloped, extremely predictable in every sense, and over all poorly thought out. The plot of Ambrai is the most boring I have ever seen in a book. The lack of prose is disgusting. I simply do not understand why so many people have given this book a 4 or 5 star rating. It certainly does not deserve one. Rawn has created a rather complex and interesting world. Too bad she doesn't do anything with it. She gets so wrapped up in the politics and history of Lenfell that she completely ignores the characters and what they're supposed to be doing. Hello! I DON'T want to read a history book here. I wanted to be entertained, enthralled, enchanted. I want the characters to be old friends, not faceless morons whose actions and words seem contradictory of what they just did or said. Also, I was rather disgusted by many of the ::coughs:: things that happened throughout the story. I'd prefer not to know about what the characters did after the sun went down if you know what I mean. What does THAT add to the story? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not that there is anything to add to in the first place. Fantasy is a wonderful toolbox that allows a writer to create beautiful work. And Rawn has a full toolbox- but all she has managed to do after 800 or so pages is nail two planks together- not build a palace. This book is a waste of time for serious readers, so I highly recommend you save your 8 bucks for a better tale. There are so many works of fantasy that have used every single one of the tools they possess, and thus have created some masterpieces. Exiles isn't one of 'em, so stay far away from it.
Rating:
Summary: Sprawling and Breathtaking!
Review: Lenfell is one of the greatest fantasy worlds I've ever visited, because in Lenfell, the ladies rule the show! With her characteristic attention to even the smallest visual and historical detail, Melanie Rawn brings her sophisticated world of Lenfell to light in a stunning debut. The book is approximately 900 pages long and at first attempt, very hard to get into. Stick it out for about 50 pages and you get sucked into a suspenseful endearing and somehow totally believable epic that leaves you begging for more. The world of Lenfell was ravaged by the wars of the two schools of the Mageborn thousands of years ago. Now, at this end of history, the Mage Guardians, dedicated to peace and protection, and the Lords of Malerris(sp?), bent on absolute control, square off for a huge and heart stopping battle. The Mage Guardians are in shambles since the destruction of Ambrai, the home of their Academy, and systematically executed by the government. The Malerrisi have more power than anyone could guess. Their battle is personified in the lives and trials of three Mageborn sisters of the line of ruined Ambrai. Glenin, the oldest, was taken away from her mother and family by her father and set on a path that would make her the most powerful and most feared of the Malerrisi Lords. Sarra, next in age, was fostered in a influential household when her mother died and her father deserted her. She is bred for a life of Lenfell's savage politics and possessed of the belief that she can change things for the better. In this spirit, she joins the Mage Guardians. Cailet is the last, born just before her mother's death and shrouded in the protection of the old, legendary Mage Guardian Gorynel Desse. Her magic power is so immense that she will either remake the Guardians' former influence, or break them altogether. These three sisters are joined by an unforgettable cast of characters, including the roguish and charming minstrel Collan Rosvenir, who vows never to marry and submit to a woman's will, and the ambiguous Auvry Feiran, father of the three Ambrai sisters, their staunchest ally and most lethal enemy. This book is absolutely fabulous. I think anyone who loves fantasy will love this. It's also very funny...there are parts I still laugh aloud at. Also read the sequel, The Mageborn Traitor, though I'd suggest waiting till next october when #3 The Captal's Tower comes out, because there's way too much mystery at the end!
Rating:
Summary: Ruins of Ambrai (Exiles, Vol 1)
Review: This was the first Melanie Rawn book I have read. She is so descriptive that it made it so easy to see and understand. I really got into all the characters and plot lines. I couldn't put it down. I am a reader, I will read absolutely anything and I can honestly say that this is the first book in a long time I did not put down just a little disappointed. I loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: worth reading :)
Review: Lenfel and its many inhabitants cast a spell on the reader. The well-developed plotline keeps you interested throughout, especially the scenes where Collan and Sarra want to kill eachother. It's definately worth your time. A friend recommended this to me, I saw it...and bought it without a second thought. The first few chapters left me a little reluctant to continue, but I read the whole thing and loved it. It's one of my favorite books, even though two of my favorite characters died. My very favorite character (and thankfully, a surviving one) was Lady Lilen's cactus. I've read the second book and am eagerly awaiting the third.
Rating:
Summary: a must read
Review: I found this book out of the blue when I needed something to read on one of my very long and frequent road trips and at random picked this book up and was enthralled by it. The characters are amazing in the way they are so different. The social reversal of roles with women as the more powerful of the sexes was interesting and in my opinion very original. The scenes of desert and lush countryside mixed with scenes of courtlife are intricate but don't get you bogged down and rawn realizes that most readers are smart enough to take subtle hints when they are given. My only qualm with this wonderful book is that the second book is almost a compulsion to read as you desperately want to find out what happens to these characters you have come to know so well and you are let down. The second book in my opinion was completely one dimensional with only a few shinning moments. If you can live without the second book definetly do for this book. It is a must.
Rating:
Summary: I'm embarrased I bought this book
Review: It's rare I don't finish a book once I start it, but I only made it to page 247 out of a 825 page book before becoming too disgusted by this mindless drivel to continue. The characters are very one dimensional, the plot thin, and the writer isn't clever enough to weave in her political agenda. It's slapping you in the face! She randomly skips over and completely ignores things she doesn't want to, or can't explain. The reason? To quote a character, "My talent is coming to a correct conclusion based on fragmentary evidence." Oh, please. If you don't have the creativity to explain your own plot, don't write the book. I wish I could get my money back. This book will be donated to my shire's next anti-raffle.
Rating:
Summary: Sigh- Of Bliss
Review: I have heard Rawn called a plodding author, and have to disagree . In 800+ pages, she certainly has ample time to indulge in elaborate world building and characterizations, but she never plods. I devoured this book and it's sequel, and found them both excellent. They are set in an intrigueing world, relatively high-tech for fantasty, replete with magic, and sprinkled with intrigueing details. Hundreds of characters superficialy similar, but each with their own history and personality- rather like real life, there- interact and form the warp of a magnificantly detailed tapestry- no Malerrissi reference intended. The book takes a while to pick up speed, but the second half launches into action, leaving the feeling that the first half of the book was simply to set up for it, and the next books. Cailet, Sarra and Glenin are very different people despite being related, but they all grabbed my attention and held it, unlike books where one or two characters alone were capable of keeping me reading. This is a book well worth reading for anyone looking for epic scope, and action with a dash of humor and romance.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: This is most definitly my favorite book ever (besides the second in the series, naturally). I fall in love with all of the characters, especially Collan, and I think the writing is amazing. It is a bit complicated, with the book being set in a world very different from ours. There is a lot of political stuff floating around that some might find confusing. I think if just adds to the realistic way of the book. I recommend this book to everyone!!
Rating:
Summary: FANTASY AT ITS BEST!
Review: The Ruins of Ambrai is an expertly woven tapestry, as neatly worked as any the Malerissi dream of. Three mageborn sisters of the Ambrai Blood take sides in a civil war between the Mage Guardians, who believe in the freedom of the individual, and the Malerissi, who believe that the mageborn should have complete control of the government, and the lives of every citizen in every Shir. The three Ambrais each have their own sphere of power, Sarra 'Liwellan' weilds political clout as First Daughter of a powerful Blood, her magic Warded so well none suspect its existance, esential as mageborn cannot hold government office. Cailet 'Rille' must grow from an unremarkable young Waster (e.g.of the Waste, the northern part of Lenfall) to the Mage Captal, leader of the Mage Guardians, almost literally overnight. Meanwhile, Glenin 'Feiran' has risen rapidly in Ryka Court, she is the daughter-in-law of the First Counciller, and more secretly, an ambitious Lady of Maleris. Cailet and Sarra will support the Rising, an underground resistance opposed to the First Counciller, and Malerissi whom she represents while Glenin poses as loyal to the First Counciler, her true loyalty lieing only with the Malerissi. The sisters are symbols, but so much more, in one of the best fantasy epics I've read in a long time. The seemingly controversial feminist theme actually fit quite well, as explained in Book 2, after the Waste War, a woman's ability to bear healthy children gave her power, and so it remained. And considering the rough era in our history Lenfall corresponds with, sexism would be more likely than a nice equal oppertunity society. But quibbles aside, The Ruins Of Ambrai will continue to hold a deserved spot on my list of favorites. I highly recomend this book, and its sequel.
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