Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, complex, interesting
Review: Having read all of Melanie Rawn's books and finding the majority of them to be highly entertianing and well done (I did not like the Golden Key), I find this to be one of the best.Ms. Rawn has a gift for creating complex characters in a tangle of situations that does not diminish the main plot, character development, historical development, vivid decriptions or any other aspects of a good book or book series. The Exiles : Ruins of Ambrai is the being of her newest series of books. It is set upon a planet similar to pre-industral Earth, but with one major differnce, magic. There are two groups of magicians histroically struggling for political control that are almost completely destroyed at the beginning of the book. The book itself is interwoven around the lives of three sisters that are separated at a very young age and raised in completely different social environments. The sisters are destined to be reunited, but their homecoming is not what is generally expected. Definately read this book and its sequel. These books are highly re-readable!!
Rating: 
Summary: a good read
Review: I loved reading this book! It takes place on another planet, where magical people called mages live. Not everyone is a mage and those who aren't are frightened of those who are. One of the weird things about this book is that instead of the males being all powerful, women rule this world (it takes place in the equivalent of a.d. 1000 or something like that), and that confused me for a while. The author really makes you care about the characters, important or not. Other books only concentrate on the main people in the story. Some parts (especially in the second book) were tasteless though. Other than that, you should read this!
Rating:
Summary: 5 million stars
Review: I read this book and it's sequal for the first time three years ago, and loved it, but got tired of waiting for the third book to come out. Recently I read the Golden Key, and the title of the third book in this series was mentioned, so I figured it would be coming out soon. I re-read the first two books in this series, and loved them even more than the first time! Of coarse, I also found out the third book won't be coming out for another two years.*sigh* I guess I'll just have to read them again untill the third book comes out. :-)
Rating:
Summary: Intricately detailed society and characters.
Review: I liked "The Ruins of Ambrai", it is definitely different from what I'm used to reading. One of the best things about the book is the matriarchal society, which is a riot. I loved every aspect of it. It is hysterical the way she turns the tables on certain things. Another reviewer mentioned the bower custom and that they were disgusted by it, but I thought it was brilliant! If you want something to be disgusted by, look at the parallel of the bower custom in our own world - I find that to be the truly tasteless thing. I wish more books would have matriarchal societies that are so detailed and thought out as Melanie Rawn's. Rawn establishes the major characters by telling their stories seperately. It was annoying to be pulled away from one character to go to another, but never for long. The way each of their lives unfold is intriguing. They are each on unique paths that will inevitably intertwine. Rawn's characterization is extremely skillful. They are never portrayed in a black and white fashion in which they are only good or evil. Although it was a good book, I had to read certain parts over several times. "The Ruins of Ambrai" can be confusing at times. The character's motivations to do certain things aren't always clear. You will also be inundated with complicated names of characters who aren't vital to the story. I had expected the second book in the series, "The Mageborn Traitor" to be the same way but I found none of these things to be a problem. For the length of this book, it could have been better. But I don't think anyone should pass it up. If you like this one, the second one is **ten times better!**
Rating:
Summary: drug-like adicting book
Review: The books of Melanie Rawn, make your skin crawl when you finally finiched one and know there is no sequall, her books have paralized me for the 3 days it takes me to read each book, this is the first book I read of the author, I have read all of them, and quite frankly, you get hooked on every one of her books. This one is worth the while, as all her other time shortening wildly adventurous writing. She has an excelent imagination.
Rating:
Summary: You have to read this book
Review: I do have to admit, the very first time that I read the begining, I was having trouble keeping the book open. I thought that all the details were too much trouble, so I skipped it. Well, I ended up going back to read it because I had no idea who or what anyone was, but after really reading it, I couldn't put it down. I have read one copy (the paperback) to pieces, and have kept my hardcover for heavier use. I am here to re-buy the paperback so that I can at least have a copy here with me in college. And to say the least, I have read this book about 30 times, and it just keeps getting better and better. This is a must have for fantasy lovers. P.S- Having a female dominated society isn't all that bad. Things start to change in the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I bought this book at a store for no other reason than it caught, and held, my eye. I absolutley adore it! (even though it is almost too think to rest comfortably in the hand..) The first time through can be a bit hard to comprehend at times, but I haven't yet grown tired of it (6 times!). The characters always continue to grow on the reader and the story takes wonderful twisits and turns. Rawn's theories are facinating - some may complain about a woman-ruled magic-world, but I enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: A friend gave me book 2 of this series saying "oh you don't have to read them in any order" :P. couldnt follow it at all so i took book 1 from the library and barely read 5 chapters before i went and bought it. i ADORE her sense of humour! The politics and heritage can get a little longwinded and she has several "steamy" type sections but nothing overly much... but all of it is sprinkled with a refreshing sense of humour that kept me laughing out loud throughout. I got VERY attached to the characters. She has an annoying habit of killing off all your favorite characters though... and some things are a little too "far out" to believe, tending to use magic as an excuse for everything. But this IS a fantasy book right? what fun is it if it's all believable hehe. I highly recommend it, but it probably won't be for everyone and Women will probably enjoy it more than Men will (not saying that men won't.. but all my male friends snorted a bit about it :P)
Rating:
Summary: Riveting and deeply thoughtful
Review: Exiles begins a new series by a writer who is so excellent that words are inadequate to describe her talent. If you have the time and interest please read my review on book two of this series: The Mageborn Traitor. This story, however, is of wrenching betrayals, infuriating losses, grand, exhilirating passions and rampant humor that is so sly and funny at times that you laugh out loud. I adore the tantalizing, outrageous sexiness in both books of this series. In this one where the characters are young and just full of raging hormones, their sexuality is so earth shaking powerful that, well, just for fun, let your imagination roam the convolutions of all THAT can mean to you as you heat up to the sizzle while you read about Collan and Sarra's struggles against and surrender to hot nights of lusty passion. Yum! The balance of the review for this book is included with The Mageborn Traitor. I found these books, on every level, simply irresistable!
Rating:
Summary: Everything you ever wanted
Review: When I begin a fantasy book, there are so many things I hope it will have, which it so seldom does. One of these, of course, is good writing. From the first sentence of 'The Ruins of Ambrai', "He remembered the wind", I was drawn in and couldn't let go. Rawn's prose is colorful and evocative, effortlessly conveying an atmosphere of magic, and liberally sprinkled with gentle humor. Another thing I hope for is a richly detailed world. Lenfell comes alive with its distinctive magic system, its history and its customs. The arrangement of Bloods and Tiers and the role of Mages are all well thought out and believable. But most importantly, when I begin a fantasy book, I want characters that I will love and enemies who are flesh-and-blood, and I want the relationships to be deep and fully developed. In this Rawn delivers, and then some. Glenin's evolution from a scared young girl to a powerful Malerrisi is brilliantly charted; Sarra and Cailet both have brilliantly drawn personalities and ample reserves of strength; Auvry Feiran's treachery is a shadow over a man who otherwise seems in every way likable. Alin and Val are unforgettable, and Collan is simply one of the best male characters in fantasy. His relationship with Sarra is developed so beautifully and without any cheap voyeurism, that for once we are given a glimpse of the real thing, elusive as it is: true love. The drama which plays itself out from the luxurious Ryka Court to the desolation of the Octagon Court and the terrors of the road is gripping in the extreme, with never a dull moment. And yet, this does not mean there is constant battle as in most fantasy. The action is primarily character-driven: this makes for a read that is emotionally charged and deeply moving. My complaints? Well, I, personally, thought the female-dominated society was unrealistic. While the story behind it was interesting, Rawn did not fully explain why Lenfell did not evolve the way all other societies do: with survival of the fittest. Men have been dominating society because before technology, their physical strength gave them power over women. It is unclear why Lenfell should be any different. I also did not appreciate the tasteless bower custom, as well as other sexual references which seemed equally tasteless. However, to her credit, Rawn does not indulge in gratutitous explicit sex. These flaws are not enough for me to give this book a lower rating, because it was otherwise so wonderful. I have never read any other books by Melanie Rawn, and do not plan to, as from what I have heard they are far different from this. I would recommend this to anyone who loves an intricate plot with incredible characters, regardless of their opinion of Rawn's earlier works. Now I am just hoping someone else will write a fantasy as great as this.
| 
