Rating: 
Summary: * * * * *
Review: Sharon Shinn has definitely succeeded in creating the funny, playful character of Corie. Though Corie does seem a bit naive (in the views of some people), she takes away the story completely. It was definitely a can't-seem-to-put-down book. The ending was throughly satisfying and the plot quite clear. Read this book, and you will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: The two sides of Castle life
Review: This book reminded me of Jane Austen's heroines, and Lothlorian elves. The uncertainty of romantic feelings brought back memories of "I Capture the Castle," and there is a sense of a disillusioned Cinderella too. As the first book I have read by Sharon Shinn, I am anxious to read more of her work. SO... the tale covers about 5 years of Coriel's life, between summers spent at the royal castle, and the rest of the year in a small village as an apprentice wise woman and healer. Coriel finds she is growing increasingly uncomfortable with both venues as she approaches womanhood. Her enjoyment of castle life dims as she realizes that the fairy tale marriage of her beloved half-sister to the prince is a loveless match. The prince that she has always adored displays increasingly rash behavior that alienates the nobility and threatens to set in motion the dissolution of the kingdom into rival territories.
As the illegitimate daughter of a high ranking nobleman, Coriel always felt insulated from royal intrigues, but as the coronation approaches, she too becomes a pawn in the game to shore up the kingdom. I won't tell you where the elves fit in; you'll have to crack the cover yourself to figure that out. This is a delightful book, with tangible characters and complex loyalties. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Annoying, but very enjoyable!
Review: This story is about a somewhat high-status girl named Coriel(nickname Corie). She has this crush on the king-to-be, Bryan, who is really a big jerk. Of course, everybody else realizes that--except for Corie and all those other lovesick girls. Then there's the aliora, the magical and beautiful faerie-like creatures. They're being enslaved by humans, and nobody cares that it's not right to enslave things like that. Don't forget the WAY HUGE cast of characters(I actually had quite a bit of trouble remembering who was who). There's Kent, the serious but sweet guy who will be king if Bryan can't, Roderick, the quiet and kind guard, Jaxon, Corie's "aliora catcher" uncle......the list goes on and on. Time moves quickly in this story, starting at 14 and going up to around 22 or something like that.
All in all this was a captivating and magical fantasy, keeping my attention all day. What I really couldn't stand though, was the fact that Corie was so darn STUPID. It took her FOREVER to figure out that aliora shouldn't be captured and Bryan was a stupid jerky pig. Throughout 3/4 of the book I was like, 'Come ON Corie, you're ____ years old and you still believe all this stuff???' She was totally clueless when it came to political and romantic things. What she figured out on page 350, I figured out on page 5. However, that did keep me reading the story so I could find out when Corie would figure out the blaringly obvious. I do suggest you read this book, it's very entertaining. But if you're very practical and you get nearly everything right, you may not be able to withstand Corie's immature stupidity.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I loved this book! It is a good story with great characters. I read this book in two nights. I recommend this book to my friends.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed but with something special
Review: Like so many of Shinn's books, a large part of the resolution is obvious by halfway through the story, but there are enough twists and turns to keep it worthwhile and the characters are sympathetic enough that you want to know what happens to them. Yes, Corie is clueless, but I liked that about her. Her relationships with all the other characters are a lot of what I felt made this book so wonderful, as all the secondary characters are well-drawn and interesting. Her opinions of them grow and change as she does, and being so clueless she's set up for some good revelations and susprises. I'm not sure how to put it, but there was just something in this story that made it special.
Rating:
Summary: A satsifying fairy tale; pleasing to ones sensibilities
Review: This wonderful fairy tale is exactly the kind of book you'd want to curl up with in a comfortably cushioned chair with a cup of hot chocolate and a roaring fireplace on a cool night because everything about it is *just right*.The story centers around Corie, a natural daughter of a dead prince whose life, before her summers spent at Castle Auburn, was mainly humble and provicial. In Castle Auburn, she enjoys the luxuries and privileges of being a prince's daughter and is easily accepted by her uncle, cousins, half sister and the fey race known as the Aliora; all the while never forgetting where she came from. She is impressionable, intelligent and true to her heart, which is essential to the outcome of the events that unfold in her summer retreat. As Corie grows older, she comes to realize that all is not well in her fairy-summer world. And as is her wont, she sets about changing things for the better, her perception of things becoming clearer and clearer the darker things get. Everything about this book satisfies. It touches-down gently on strong human emotions; not overly dramatic, not at all bland. The characters feel real, even the fantastical Aliora. One could sympathize, and perhaps the reader would be delighted to find that the characters do not fall short of ones expectations of them, though they are by no means predictable. Realizations creep up on characters in the most pleasing fashion and in the end, everything pretty much comes full circle. The heroine, Corie, is someone everyone could relate to. She isn't a warrior with swords blazing, but she has strength that we should all strive to find in ourselves. She used her own resources to fight for her principles and her character remained consistent to the very end. I was quite involved with this book. I couldn't really say that the plot is terribly orignal, but it was presented so well, in such elegant prose, that it felt fresh and I didn't feel a hint of tedium. It was so simple it was brilliant. I couldn't help but think that this is somewhat a chick-book. It's not necessarily a bad thing. I suppose a guy could enjoy this book as well. But I would recommend this book to those who have grown tired of the Sword Weilding Warrior Woman; the cantankerous, ornery bitch; the poor, underdog young lad; the evil sister; the horrible step mother (there's a mother and she's not so nice, but she's not Fairy Tale Step Mother worthy, which is to say she isn't all that bad); the lovelorn prince; etc., etc. I recommend this book to lovers of romance but haters of mush. I recommend this book to those who'd like to see the good guys win, in one instance in the most un-good-guy fashion (you'll see).
Rating:
Summary: A treat
Review: I picked up this book because I like Ms. Shinn's Samaria series so much, and I was not disappointed. This book is delightful. Another reviewer said it was fluff, and better suited for a thirteen year old niece. Well, I'm twenty and my sister is eighteen and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. This story perhaps lacks the scope of some of Ms. Shinn's novels, but it is thoroughly entertaining and I would definitely recommend it!
|
