The Barbed Coil

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Plot, but not much substance
Review: I usually read books in a few days... I've spent weeks on this one because it just doesn't hold my interest. The Magic of "Illuminations" is rather vague, and the rest of the plot is all too common. I'd wait for this to show up in used book stores.

Rating:
Summary: Ho-Hum Fantasy Gets Mired in Overwriting
Review: Flashes of of tightly paced writing get mired down in a ho-hum attempt. Tessa, transfered from our world to another by the mysterious Barbed Coil finds herself in a violent medievil universe. Her entry into the world centers around the Barbed Coil crown and her ability to create complex magical illuminations. Alas, the pedantic writing does not live up to the premise. Perhaps two hundred fewer pages would have tightened up the whole affair, making it a fairly readable adventure. Instead we are subjected to violent deaths and very little introspection.

Rating:
Summary: An American womans struggle to use magic to save a new world
Review: The Barbed Coil is something of a departure for Julie Jones as it is a one off fantasy tale that features a heroine, Tess, who is pulled from our world into an altogether different world by putting on a magical ring at a magical moment. As usual Julie manages to weave an intricate and involving story. A particular strength in The Barbed Coil is, I feel, her characters. I especially like Ravis a mercenary who will work for whoever pays the highest price; he is definitely an interesting hero, as is the villain of the piece Izgard. The seemingly ruthless king driven mad by possession of the Barbed Coil, and yet there are moments of love, when he is with his scribe, that add an extra dimension to his character. Another strong theme of The Barbed Coil is the unusual magical element. Julie's use of Illuminations, which was obviously extremely well researched, is extremely innovative and clever. The Barbed Coil is an excellent stand-alone fantasy that has you turning page after page. My only real criticism of it is that because it is a stand-alone book Julie has had to finish it extremely neatly (in case she was persuaded to continue the possible plot lines I suspect!). This said the book is an excellent place to start if you are new to Julie's writing, or if you simply want an engrossing, horrifying and often spine chilling book that has you ready to fight one minute and crying the next.

Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: It's better to read the wheel of time or the death gate cycle series than this book...

Rating:
Summary: Incredible!!!
Review: I had never before read a J.V. Jones novel, but I was incredibly impressed with the mix of adventure, magic (different from the usual wizards and lightning bolts), and a small romance. She skillfully crafted the characters until you felt you were right there with them -- feeling their struggles, heartache and happiness. Way to go!!!

Rating:
Summary: great!!
Review: This book was so fantastic I couldn't put it down!!It's the first time I tried her books and it's really good!!

Rating:
Summary: Great characterisation - intrigueing use of illumination
Review: As good as Baker's Boy, if quite different in concept. As far as I know, it's the first book to use illumination combined with mineral / gem / herb powers to invoke magic. I thought that Emith's character was wonderful - gave me the same feeling for him as for The Fool in the Farseer Trilogy - more and more depths to his seemingly pathetic character are uncovered, culminating in his ability to slay the most terrible monster that magic could unleash.... and Mother Emith is my Grandma reincarnated! I did find the scar-chewing a tad annoying, mainly because I have one and it made me chew it at every reference! Although not quite the same page-turner as The Still, I found it every bit as good as Baker's Boy and I look forward to a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous New Author
Review: Julie is not only a very good author, but she's a personable author as well. She has a nice web page on the internet, and she's also responsive to email. I too, discovered her first book: The Bakers Boy as an employee of Walden Books, several years ago while hunting through my favorite section for a new read. She is humorous, unique, detailed and intriguing in her writing. I find her plots rather interesting and not at all exacting to read. I cannot wait for the first book of her new trilogy, set in the world of the Baker's Boy, to finally come out. I thought the Barbed Coil better than her first three, displaying her growth and confidence in her writing. I didn't notice the -lip- biting someone else commented about (And perhaps the character DID have it habituated so it was supposed to be annoying as many habits can be) which I think only added depth to the character -- one more flaw to the endearing whole.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing...
Review: I came across J.V. Jones when I picked up the "Baker's Boy" (great series...read it) and have thoroughly enjoyed her writing, which is vivid and compelling. Also, her views on the working of magic are quite different from the traditional ways magic works and can generally do. The book is a worthwhile read for just about any fantasy reader.

Rating:
Summary: This is one of the best novels I have ever read.
Review: Although there aren't any monsters in this novel,

it has an excellent plot. J.V. Jones is (next to

myself, of course) one of the most gifted fantasy

writers in the field.