Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful series...
Review: My only complaint with this series is that -- while the plot line is wonderful and characters engaging -- there seems no end in sight after four books, which wouldn't be too upsetting if there wasn't such a long break in time between them!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent fantasy
Review: She has been expecting the summons forever, but Misfit Elspeth always hoped it would never come. Alas, the time arrives and she reluctantly starts her trek to forge an alliance between the paranormal Misfits and the rebels against the Council and the Herders, who want all Misfits dead.
Elspeth's dreams demand she destroy the weapons of destruction left behind by the Beforetimers when they obliterated their world. However, her nocturnal visions remain mysteries to even her. Adding to her discomfit, the rebels have doubts about a coalition with the Misfits because the leadership thinks there are safer, better unions available to forge a stronger team. Can Elspeth obtain the cooperation the Misfits needed in their fight for survival and can she learn the secrets of her haunting dreams that propel her to leave her mountain home to risk everything including her life.
ASHLING, the third book of Isobelle Carmody's powerful Obernewtyn Chronicles, is the strongest tale of a wonderful fantasy series. The story line moves quite a bit forward with the action remaining at the high peaks of the previous novels, but readers gain tremendous understanding of the charcaters, especially the lead heroine. Other cast members are also developed to a degree that allows the audience to fully understand the varying people and animals populating Obernewtyn. Fantasy fans have quite a treat with this superb entry that raises an already wonderful saga to much higher levels of quality. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: it's great!!!
Review: This is the first book I read in the Obertenwyn series, on a dare, as the book resembles a house brick, and 'you couldn't possibly read that!' so, i read it to prove i could read long books in a short amount of time...i didn't know i'd be hooked on Carmody's writing afterwards! This would have to be my personal favourite book in this series, I've got some of my other friends (...)to read them also and they too think they're great. This proves that Carmody's writing appeals to a large range of readers, as all of my friends have different tastes in books. The characters are really good in this book, and the Keeping place, the 4th book, is also really really good. only one more to come after the Keeping Place...;( i hope she continues anyway! Good reading!
Rating: 
Summary: A maturing, developing series
Review: What frustrates me about Carmody is that she seems to be unable to keep on track when it comes to this series - the readers are promised a book by a certain date, which is constantly pushed back, and during which we see printing of other books and series. It's all a bit in the strains of Robin Hobb, and immensely irritating. Particularly when a series is as good as this one. Whilst Obernewtyn began as a highly readable but formulaic post-apocalyptic fantasy, and The FarSeekers only began to push the envelope, in Ashling Carmody finally begins to spread her own creative wings, and move beyond the tried and true recipes, that until now she has slavishly conformed to. The secondary characters really blossom in this book, allowing us even greater understanding of them and Elspeth, through her interactions with them. Not to mention how it paves the way for the protagonist's relationship with Rushton, pushing off from the sexually charged end scene in The Farseekers.
This series just keeps getting better.
Rating:
Summary: Wow....
Review: When Elspeth's friend Brydda and his fellow rebels seem to be pushing for war against the council, many of the misfits feel that they should be joining in the fighting. After all the council has been hunting people with misfit talents and burning them at the stakes for years. So when Maryon, a member of the futureteller guild, sees Elspeth traveling to Sutrium, where the rebels are stationed, Elspeth and Rushton realize that this is the time to strike. Elspeth has another task on her hand, returning a gypsy woman to her people. Elspeth soon realizes that neither of these tasks will be solved easily. The gypsy woman is dying, and Elspeth doesn't know where to find her people. Worse yet is the rebels. Very few of them are willing to accept misfits with powers as their allies. It looks like the only way that they can be convinced is if the misfits prove themselves, a very dangerous task indeed. I absolutely loved this book. After The Farseekers, I didn't think that the series could get much better. I was wrong. Not only is Ashling the longest book in the series so far but it's defiantly the best. Characters that were introduced in the last two books have really grown and developed into different people completely. The most obvious is Domick, the coercer who's job at the council has turned him cold and heartless to everyone, even his own bondmate. The plot is fast paced and exciting. There is rarely a dull moment in this 450+ page wonder. Another perk is the new places that your introduced to. Not only Sutrium but in another country entirely (read the book if you want to find out). Amazing revelations are made about the beforetimers that are strikingly prophetic to our own world. Isobelle Carmody ends up telling an amazing fantasy story while weaving in serious question about the lives we live ourselves.
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