Rating: 
Summary: light and fun - but what happened to Sharon Shinn?
Review: I agree with many of the other reviewers on this book. It is a fun, simple tale that feels like it was targeted towards a young adult audience. The main character is likeable, but quite naive (or in my mind, not the sharpest knife in the drawer). Many of the more interesting plot details are not explored throughly - such as the aliora world and the deeper character aspects of Kentley and Coriel's half-sister. If you are expecting anything as good as Archangel, prepare yourself for yet another disappointment. Having read all of her novels, I think that Sharon Shinn is potentially a very talented writer. I keep buying her books in the hope that she will turn out something as good as Archangel, but I am getting sick of waiting (and buying those annoying trade editions). I don't understand why she seems to be rushing herself to turn out ridiculous numbers of half-finished books that betray her talent. Look at Robin McKinley - she takes her time between each book, polishing the details, plot, and language so that each page is worth reading. As a result, each finished book is a treasure. This author needs to take a lesson and spend the time required to explore and develop her ideas completely. Samaria was a brilliant idea, but she rushed through 500 years of history in the last 2 rather confusing books - there is still a lot of potential left there (hello, prequel) in that world. Maybe she is under some bizarre book contract or is paying off a lot of bills, but slow down and get a good editor! Quality matters.
Rating: 
Summary: A Happy Sigh
Review: A happy sigh is exactly what I released as I finished the book. I felt a bit like Goldy Locks finding the story that was just right. Wonderful characters that I enjoyed following. Bad guys that get theirs. All bound in a fast read that was easy to enjoy. Ms. Shinn is a favorite author of mine and I look forward to her future work.
Rating: 
Summary: Pleasant but misses the mark
Review: Although I bought this novel eagerly, and whiled away a few hours in a fairly entertaining fashion, in the end I came away disappointed. Shinn's previous novels had such vividly drawn characters; their plots were driven forward as the characters searched for answers to important questions about themseles and their world. Shinn may be trying to create a YA version in this coming-of-age tale, but for me (a Not So Young Adult) she did not succeed. I found it impossible to enjoy Coriel's (our protagonist's) learning journey, because what she has to learn is so blindingly obvious to every other character (and underlined so often by the author). Enslaving the feys is indeed wrong. Yes, the young king is a spoiled lout. Every other character knows this on page 2, so we spend the next 300+ passing the time listening to other characters say things like, oh Coriel, you'll understand when you grow up. I enjoy Shinn's writing, and will look forward to her next book -- but this one, pass along to your 13 year old daughter or niece.
Rating: 
Summary: Shinn is a master of character and voice
Review: This is a delight of a book, with a charming and convincing set of characters and a beautiful Victorian voice to the narration. No one does romantic fantasy better than Sharon Shinn, with a consistency to the magic and to the plot that delights even the mainstream reader. I highly recommend this lovely novel.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable romantic fantasy tale
Review: Her father is noble, but her mother is not, and they never wed. Coriel Halsing spends much of the year under the tutelage of her grandmother, who is teaching her to become a herbalist or perhaps a witch, depending on your perspective. One season of the year she spends at Castle Auburn, home of her sire and her older half-sister.As she matures, Coriel becomes concerned with her patriarchal family and the royalty's hunt for the Aliora, a fairy-like people that the humans enslave. Soon, instead of the delight she once saw during her youthful summers at the Castle, Coriel observes prejudice and injustice. Still, her teen obsession with the spoiled Prince Bryan has turned to adult admiration and seemingly unrequited love for his levelheaded relative Kent. Realistically alone because of her divided heritage, Coriel wonders what one intrepid, but frightened woman, can do to make things right. SUMMERS AT CASTLE AUBURN is an enjoyable medieval romantic fantasy showing why Sharon Shinn is an award-winning author. The tale is filled with action sprinkled with Faerie dust and solid characters. Though romance readers will relish the growing affection between Kent and Coriel, fantasy fans will feel a bit slighted as the Faerie community offers possibilities, but never is explored. Still, Ms Shinn provides her audience with a delightful novel that readers will demand sequels with more than just a paranormal dusting. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: A pleasant fairy tale
Review: Readers of Ms. Shinn's other books will not be surprised by this one. The story moves smoothly and the characters are well defined. Shinn's style of writing is well suited to the medieval setting. She seems more comfortable in this environment than she did in the sci-fi settings of her last two books. If you're looking for a fun read look no further; if you want food for thought keep looking.
Rating:
Summary: Sharon strikes again!
Review: Sharon Shinn's latest is a sweetly romantic coming of age story set in a world unrelated to any of her previous books. In addition, it deals with a weighty social subject with light grace. In the end, I was cheering for the heroine. Highly recommended for readers of romantic science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: I'm really starting to like Sharon Shinn
Review: This is such a sweet book. I really enjoyed how the main character changed as she grew up. Her changing views on the people around her gave this coming of age story believability. I also liked the setting. It's was more of a historical setting than a fantasy one but the fantasy element was still there. I enjoyed this book so much I've decided to read anything by Sharon Shinn I can get a hold of.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Fantasy with Plenty of Romance and Intriuge
Review: The story starts as 14 year old Corie, the illegitimate daughter of a high noble, begins her summer with her dead father's family.The naive but engaging Corie lives most of the year learning to be a woodwitch with her grandmother in a country cottage and spends the summer with her half-sister, Elisandra, at Castle Auburn. Elisandra is engaged to the spoiled Prince Bryan, who all the ladies love and the men despise.
As the plot begins, Corie is traveling with her Uncle Jaxon, Prince Bryan, the prince's taciturn cousin,Kent; and a guardsman,Roderick. The characters are hunting aliora, which are beautiful, comforting creatures to sell into slavery.
The years pass by quickly and Corie's innocence and naivete is torn from her. Within the space of a few weeks, she discovers that the regeant of Auburn (Kent's father) plans to use her as a political pawn and marry her off to some noble. The situation grows worse when Corie finds herself disillusioned by Prince Bryan, who she now sees as hedonistic and a skirtchaser. Bryan has lost all self-control and only Kent can ever persuade him away from folly.
Corie begins to despair as her sister's marriage to Bryan looms closer. "He [Bryan] destroys everything".
This is one of the best fantasies I have ever read. The aliora are mentioned throughout the story and are extremely important.
Rating:
Summary: A five star read for what it is... prepare to be charmed!
Review: Summers at Castle Auburn is not a deep, dark, or thought provoking fantasy. It is one of the best light romance fantasys I've read in some time. ALthough I am primarily a fan of the darker more epic adventure fantasy works (i.e Robin Hobb, Elizabeth Haydon, George RR Martin, Greg Keyes, etc., I just finished a gut wrenching, tear jerking, epic adventure and wanted just a light read for a change of pass before starting another 6 to 9 book saga. I had heard of Sharon Shinns Alleiua (sp?) series but decided to try one of her stand alone novels. I delved into Summers at Castle Auburn...and was charmed.
I must agree with previous reviewers that it is an adult fairy tale that was masterfully written. It's sort of a coming of age story of a child blessed to be at least half noble, which warrants her stay every summer in Castle Auburn. The rest of the year she spends with her commoner grandmother in an obsure little village. Corie develops over the course of the book, which spans her life from early teen years to early twenties, from a precoscious (sp?) teenager to a somewhat disillusioned but competant and spriritually wealthy young woman. She discovers that all that glitters is not gold and choses to stay true to her beliefs even though those beliefs cost her, her position as a member of the nobility. Her evolution is contained within a princess story replete with the usual intrigues and court maneuverings.
Some of the previous reviewers found Corie a bit too naive at the beginning of the book, and slow to catch on the reality of court life. I found this to be excellent charachter work on the part of Shinn. Although at this time I'm pushing thirty I can still remember fourteen very cleary. I wasn't the wisest goose in the flock either. For me, as it is for Corie, life at that time was full of cotton-candy dreams. Like Corie all I could see was glitter and I also was unable to seperate the glitter from the gold.
I too found the Elves in this novel fascinating and would have liked to have seen a bit more of them, or learned a bit more about their queen (you'll meet her when you read the book). But I also found this appropriate as this tale is told through the eyes of Corie who proves be be grounded in reality and practicality. She is much more concerned about the plight of her sister and her own future as either a noble or a commoner than she is fascinated by the elves and their land.
True, the Prince was vile. His bad boy image wasn't ever truly explained. However I contest that it needed to be explained. Firstly, The Prince would hardly confide in Corie, or her sister, or her friends about his personal feelings and motivations so how would Corie even find out what motivates him? Secondly, I think it was outstandingly clear that the prince was an over-indulged selfish brat who stands to be king. As he was not overly cruel or masochistic, I think all his actions could easily be explained by his being a person with some charachter flaws that were indulged and not deterred.
Overall, I would highly reccommend this novel to any fantasy reader as a well written, light jaunt through a fantasy kingdom.
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