Rating: 
Summary: This series is great!
Review: All I can say is Mrs. Haydon can take you away to another world. She has actually ruined all other books for me, lol. I am currently waiting patiently for her 5th book. I truley think that if you like fantasy books you will enjoy this series. Best books I have read in years.
Rating: 
Summary: Discordant "Rhapsody"
Review: High fantasy is a hard genre to write convincingly -- too often books end up as bad clones of Tolkien or "Star Wars." Unfortunately, "The Symphony of Ages" is bad fantasy... with a flaky girl-power twist. While there's quite a few pretty descriptions and interesting new ideas, Elizabeth Haydon's series ends up flopping like a morbid fish.
"Rhapsody" introduces us to a potentially interesting heroine and world -- Rhapsody is an ex-prostitute bard who is also a Singer, able to change reality by her voice. After a run-in with a former "client's" henchmen, she ends up with a hired assassin and his ogre-ish sidekick -- and then goes through "The Root," in a life-changing trip through time.
"Prophecy: Child of Earth" continued the story as Rhapsody and Co. battle a demon, gain new powers, and battle the future Battle That Will Either Save Or End The World. Okay, whatever. In the finale of the trilogy, "Destiny: Child of the Sky," the group is battling the evil F'Dor, and Rhapsody learns the secrets of her past and what might destroy her love.
Here's a tip for all wannabe authors: No matter how much you want us to like your hero(ine), don't make him/her perfect. Apparently Elizabeth Haydon never got that tip. Her excruciating heroine makes the angels look positively selfish -- and it's enough to make you sick. Too bad Haydon didn't focus the series on creepy assassin Achmed or part-dragon Ashe -- either one would make a more interesting lead than Rhapsody.
Haydon does redeem her book somewhat with her writing, which makes good use of language and has quite a few prettily written passages. She also conjures up some truly intriguing ideas, such as Rhapsody's singing ability and the Root. But in other areas, her writing has the feeling of a kiddie fantasy cartoon -- a magic sword called "Daystar Clarion"? Come on.
Rhapsody is the biggest problem: ridiculously sweet, annoyingly clueless, and inspires all other characters to follow her like so many lovestruck sheep, or quiver after her. She even has her virginity magically restored, and doesn't realize that her goddesslike beauty practically causes men to wet themselves. Even dragons get the hots for her. Who can like a character like that? She reads like the private fantasy of an author who desperately needed to get this out of her system.
"The Symphony of Ages" had promise at the start, but a grotesquely saccharine heroine and her army of lust-addled followers kill that promise. As fantasy goes, Haydon's first three books are an exercise in irritation.
Rating:
Summary: ALWAYS BETTER THAN GREAT!!!!
Review: I totally disagree with Steven Sammons! he is completely wrong! all 3 of these books are better than great! he is a stupid idiot! in the first book two young teenagers find ru love with each other but then are separated by fate. when next they meet they have both changed in fenominal ways and do not even recognize each other. 1 is 1/3 of the team that came to the future to save it. the other is in great pain for more than 1 reason.
in the second book they again meet up this time as traveling companions. she is going to the dragons lair to return something and he is her guide. along the way they unknowingly dall in love(again!) when she gets back she figures out partly who he is and decides to help him. she does and they finally find out that they are the two that met 1400 years in the past!
i have to go 3rd book later!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Waste Your Time and Money
Review: I was on the lookout for a new series and I came across this one. Some people loved it, some people bashed it, and I made the mistake of buying it. I will say I read the whole stupid series thinking it may redeem itself eventually...instead, it got worse. By the middle of the first book, I hated Rhapsody in all her impossible perfection and self-righteousness. As far as characters go, Rhapsody was ridiculous...not to mention her boyfriend, who had to be the most unmanly male love interest I've ever read. Yes, I read fantasy to escape reality (I think a lot of us do) but I don't read fantasy to be bombarded with mush. I can appreciate a splash of romance as much as anyone, but this was just plain dumb.
Rating:
Summary: A little too dues ex machina for my tastes.
Review: It's an interesting concept, but too many things are just too coincidental to be entirely believable. Also, Rhapsody's extreme humility is annoying beyond belief, the characters take forever to figure out what was obvious to me, and the end was mostly predictable. That said, I did finish the series, mainly because I hate leaving stories unfinished (even when they're not to my liking). I certainly have no plans of ever buying the follow up, Requiem for the Sun, nor would I borrow it from a library to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Sometimes great, sometimes not
Review: Really I would give the whole series about a 3.5 star rating, with books 1 and 3 being somewhat lower than Book 2. I found these books to be a good start for a promising new author, but reading them can be frustrating at times. Hayden starts out with an enjoyable concept and heroine, this girl who starts off with a grounded family life in the country only to throw it all away when she meets and is betrayed by (she thinks) the love of her life. Leaving home, she plunges into the darkest and lowest strata of human society. Finally pulling herself out of it, she goes on to learn a trade as a Singer, kind of like a bard with some curious powers. Untimely bereft of her mentor/teacher on the eve of her "graduation", Rhapsody (as she now calls herself) is trying to decide what to do with her life when she runs afoul of an old client from her dark days who wants her to return to that profession. This is where we catch up with her, as she takes matters into her own hands, turns her back on her old way of life forever and in the process of doing so meets the other two major characters, the Brother, an amoral assassin of supernatural ability, and his sidekick Grunthor, a huge ogre-like being who is jolly, but enjoys chopping up people with swords and other assorted bladed weapons (and eating them, if he can be believed). Together they turn the tables on her one-time suitor and embark upon a mighty adventure that spans the rest of the three books. I have to agree with a lot of the comments posted here and under the individual book titles. While the overall plotline is quite entertaining and certainly deserves the often lavish praise doled out by the reviewers on the book jackets, at times the story drags almost interminably. At other times it rockets along and before you know it you have consumed 100 pages. In general, in my opinion the good parts outweigh the bad, but with a little more careful writing (and editing) these books could have realized the concept's greatness. Rhapsody's world is a compelling, well-thought out one, and I give kudos to the author for the obvious work she put into creating it. The characters are generally good, but the perfection of the main heroine after she emerges from "the Root" into the new world is tiring at times. Up until Rhapsody is transformed into this almost-goddess-like caricature, she is actually a very interesting character. We like at least some flaws in our characters, something we can identify with even as they look past their flaws to win against enormous odds. The problem is that Rhapsody has few flaws in the new world, other than possibly being too nice and unable to make hard choices when it comes to fighting the demon-like F'dor. That could in itself be a flaw, except that somehow Rhapsody ends up saving almost everyone she ever cared about in all 3 books while still triumphing in the end despite her propensity to forget the larger picture in favor of her "grandchildren". The other characters do not have this perfection to such a degree, although all but Achmed (the former Brother) are very noble and likeable. Life is hard and war is hell, and at times the whole thing just seems to be a little too easy, a little too neat and convienent to be real. But all that being said, I do recommend this trilogy. Be warned, the ends of books 1 and 3 drag pretty badly at times, Book 2 is clearly the strongest. I can only hope that Hayden uses Book 2 as a template for furture efforts, because she definately has potential to create great books.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes great, sometimes not
Review: Really I would give the whole series about a 3.5 star rating, with books 1 and 3 being somewhat lower than Book 2. I found these books to be a good start for a promising new author, but reading them can be frustrating at times. Hayden starts out with an enjoyable concept and heroine, this girl who starts off with a grounded family life in the country only to throw it all away when she meets and is betrayed by (she thinks) the love of her life. Leaving home, she plunges into the darkest and lowest strata of human society. Finally pulling herself out of it, she goes on to learn a trade as a Singer, kind of like a bard with some curious powers. Untimely bereft of her mentor/teacher on the eve of her "graduation", Rhapsody (as she now calls herself) is trying to decide what to do with her life when she runs afoul of an old client from her dark days who wants her to return to that profession. This is where we catch up with her, as she takes matters into her own hands, turns her back on her old way of life forever and in the process of doing so meets the other two major characters, the Brother, an amoral assassin of supernatural ability, and his sidekick Grunthor, a huge ogre-like being who is jolly, but enjoys chopping up people with swords and other assorted bladed weapons (and eating them, if he can be believed). Together they turn the tables on her one-time suitor and embark upon a mighty adventure that spans the rest of the three books. I have to agree with a lot of the comments posted here and under the individual book titles. While the overall plotline is quite entertaining and certainly deserves the often lavish praise doled out by the reviewers on the book jackets, at times the story drags almost interminably. At other times it rockets along and before you know it you have consumed 100 pages. In general, in my opinion the good parts outweigh the bad, but with a little more careful writing (and editing) these books could have realized the concept's greatness. Rhapsody's world is a compelling, well-thought out one, and I give kudos to the author for the obvious work she put into creating it. The characters are generally good, but the perfection of the main heroine after she emerges from "the Root" into the new world is tiring at times. Up until Rhapsody is transformed into this almost-goddess-like caricature, she is actually a very interesting character. We like at least some flaws in our characters, something we can identify with even as they look past their flaws to win against enormous odds. The problem is that Rhapsody has few flaws in the new world, other than possibly being too nice and unable to make hard choices when it comes to fighting the demon-like F'dor. That could in itself be a flaw, except that somehow Rhapsody ends up saving almost everyone she ever cared about in all 3 books while still triumphing in the end despite her propensity to forget the larger picture in favor of her "grandchildren". The other characters do not have this perfection to such a degree, although all but Achmed (the former Brother) are very noble and likeable. Life is hard and war is hell, and at times the whole thing just seems to be a little too easy, a little too neat and convienent to be real. But all that being said, I do recommend this trilogy. Be warned, the ends of books 1 and 3 drag pretty badly at times, Book 2 is clearly the strongest. I can only hope that Hayden uses Book 2 as a template for furture efforts, because she definately has potential to create great books.
Rating:
Summary: What a terrific imagination
Review: These books are truely AMAZING! Elizabeth Hayden has created a whole world full of magic, mayhem, romance and sorrow. The detail she goes into in these books really makes you able to "see" these places and really get to know the characters. I have completely fallen in love with the characters and often find myself talking aloud telling them what they should and shouldn't do, haha. In each book there is more than one plot and each of them seem to "thinkin". The detail in the action sequences are so wonderful that I felt I was witnessing it myself. These books are number 1 on my list of favorites! Deffinately a must read!
Rating:
Summary: What a terrific imagination
Review: These books are truely AMAZING! Elizabeth Hayden has created a whole world full of magic, mayhem, romance and sorrow. The detail she goes into in these books really makes you able to "see" these places and really get to know the characters. I have completely fallen in love with the characters and often find myself talking aloud telling them what they should and shouldn't do, haha. In each book there is more than one plot and each of them seem to "thinkin". The detail in the action sequences are so wonderful that I felt I was witnessing it myself. These books are number 1 on my list of favorites! Deffinately a must read!
Rating:
Summary: I agree with Katie!!!!
Review: These books were fantastic - the depth of characters and twists kept me entertained through the 3 separate books. If you love the Jordan's, Wurt's and others - you will love this author.
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