Rating: 
Summary: A promising kick-off
Review: Andre Norton and Sasha Miller deliver--again. It would be a pity to give away too much of the story, so I'll just say that you'll find strong female characters and a great story with original twists.It's apparent that this book is the entry point for a new series, and my only criticism is that I really don't want to wait 18 months for the next book to be released. I greatly enjoyed this book and tore through it in about two days.
Rating: 
Summary: Confusing
Review: Andre Norton is one of my favorite authors, but this book does not represent her best work. It skips around a great deal, leaving the reader confused as to who is doing what. I also found it hard to complete -- something I normally never have problems with with Norton's books. I recommend waiting for the paperback version, or reading it at the library (I donated my copy to the local library). Not worth the hardback price, unfortuntely.
Rating: 
Summary: Not one of her best
Review: As an avid Norton fan for more than thirty years, I was extremely disappointed in this story. It led one to believe a major confrontation between good and evil was about to take place any moment yet nothing ever happens. The ending was a complete let down. If I had picked up this book thirty years ago, I would have miss out on some of the greatest works of SF ever written. This simply is not up to Norton's standards and cannot compare to the Witch World series.
Rating: 
Summary: Unpolished, but has potential
Review: As other reviewers have reported, this book is not up to Andre Norton's standards. Its characters are somewhat sketchy (especially the latecomer character "Marcala," really the Queen's spymistress). Zazar seems intriguing; there are hints about her past, but little attention is paid to her in the text. The emotional focus of the book is clearly on Ashen Deathdaughter, so I was disappointed that so much of the book was spent examining other characters -- Ysa, the Queen, for example, gets chapter upon chapter of page-time, though her character seems forced and stiff. The physical environs and cultures described in the book are somewhat better treated. It seems clear that the kingdom of Rendel is meant to resemble medieval French culture, with its intricate politics and emphasis on grace and beauty. The "Sea-rovers" are rather less convincing as Viking analogues, but nonetheless rather interesting. The Bog-culture I thought poorly handled, particularly the habit of the Bog folk to speak in ungrammatical "ugh ugh me savage, kill you good" fashion. It goes beyond the point of adding regional flavor and well into the realm of caricature. The book's single biggest flaw was its pacing. It took an AGONIZINGLY long time for all of the disparate characters to meet one another. If you think of Ashen, Obern, and Ysa as the three main characters, I'd say about two thirds of the book passed before any one of them met any one of the others. That said, the series might have potential. Now that each of these characters has been introduced, in the next book the authors can roll up their sleeves and get down to some actual story with all the elements that have been set up. This first book seems to me to be mainly a way of setting the stage for things to come, though it certainly could have been better done in about half the space. I mentioned above that this book is not up to Andre Norton's standards... I am somewhat doubtful of Ms. Miller's abilities based on this book; but you have to start somewhere, so I would be willing to buy and read one or two more books of hers before rendering a final judgement.
Rating:
Summary: Unpolished, but has potential
Review: As other reviewers have reported, this book is not up to Andre Norton's standards. Its characters are somewhat sketchy (especially the latecomer character "Marcala,"...). Zazar seems intriguing; there are hints about her past, but little attention is paid to her in the text. The emotional focus of the book is clearly on Ashen Deathdaughter, so I was disappointed that so much of the book was spent examining other characters -- Ysa, the Queen, for example, gets chapter upon chapter of page-time, though her character seems forced and stiff. The physical environs and cultures described in the book are somewhat better treated. It seems clear that the kingdom of Rendel is meant to resemble medieval French culture, with its intricate politics and emphasis on grace and beauty. The "Sea-rovers" are rather less convincing as Viking analogues, but nonetheless rather interesting. The Bog-culture I thought poorly handled, particularly the habit of the Bog folk to speak in ungrammatical "ugh ugh me savage, kill you good" fashion. It goes beyond the point of adding regional flavor and well into the realm of caricature. The book's single biggest flaw was its pacing. It took an AGONIZINGLY long time for all of the disparate characters to meet one another. If you think of Ashen, Obern, and Ysa as the three main characters, I'd say about two thirds of the book passed before any one of them met any one of the others. That said, the series might have potential. Now that each of these characters has been introduced, in the next book the authors can roll up their sleeves and get down to some actual story with all the elements that have been set up. This first book seems to me to be mainly a way of setting the stage for things to come, though it certainly could have been better done in about half the space. I mentioned above that this book is not up to Andre Norton's standards... Notice that the book is *co-authored.* I think most of the actual book was written by Sasha Miller, and that Norton served primarily for oversight and advice. I am somewhat doubtful of Ms. Miller's abilities based on this book; but you have to start somewhere, so I would be willing to buy and read one or two more books of hers before rendering a final judgement.
Rating:
Summary: Unpolished, but has potential
Review: As other reviewers have reported, this book is not up to Andre Norton's standards. Its characters are somewhat sketchy (especially the latecomer character "Marcala," really the Queen's spymistress). Zazar seems intriguing; there are hints about her past, but little attention is paid to her in the text. The emotional focus of the book is clearly on Ashen Deathdaughter, so I was disappointed that so much of the book was spent examining other characters -- Ysa, the Queen, for example, gets chapter upon chapter of page-time, though her character seems forced and stiff. The physical environs and cultures described in the book are somewhat better treated. It seems clear that the kingdom of Rendel is meant to resemble medieval French culture, with its intricate politics and emphasis on grace and beauty. The "Sea-rovers" are rather less convincing as Viking analogues, but nonetheless rather interesting. The Bog-culture I thought poorly handled, particularly the habit of the Bog folk to speak in ungrammatical "ugh ugh me savage, kill you good" fashion. It goes beyond the point of adding regional flavor and well into the realm of caricature. The book's single biggest flaw was its pacing. It took an AGONIZINGLY long time for all of the disparate characters to meet one another. If you think of Ashen, Obern, and Ysa as the three main characters, I'd say about two thirds of the book passed before any one of them met any one of the others. That said, the series might have potential. Now that each of these characters has been introduced, in the next book the authors can roll up their sleeves and get down to some actual story with all the elements that have been set up. This first book seems to me to be mainly a way of setting the stage for things to come, though it certainly could have been better done in about half the space. I mentioned above that this book is not up to Andre Norton's standards... I am somewhat doubtful of Ms. Miller's abilities based on this book; but you have to start somewhere, so I would be willing to buy and read one or two more books of hers before rendering a final judgement.
Rating:
Summary: Unpolished, but has potential
Review: As other reviewers have reported, this book is not up to Andre Norton's standards. Its characters are somewhat sketchy (especially the latecomer character "Marcala,"...). Zazar seems intriguing; there are hints about her past, but little attention is paid to her in the text. The emotional focus of the book is clearly on Ashen Deathdaughter, so I was disappointed that so much of the book was spent examining other characters -- Ysa, the Queen, for example, gets chapter upon chapter of page-time, though her character seems forced and stiff. The physical environs and cultures described in the book are somewhat better treated. It seems clear that the kingdom of Rendel is meant to resemble medieval French culture, with its intricate politics and emphasis on grace and beauty. The "Sea-rovers" are rather less convincing as Viking analogues, but nonetheless rather interesting. The Bog-culture I thought poorly handled, particularly the habit of the Bog folk to speak in ungrammatical "ugh ugh me savage, kill you good" fashion. It goes beyond the point of adding regional flavor and well into the realm of caricature. The book's single biggest flaw was its pacing. It took an AGONIZINGLY long time for all of the disparate characters to meet one another. If you think of Ashen, Obern, and Ysa as the three main characters, I'd say about two thirds of the book passed before any one of them met any one of the others. That said, the series might have potential. Now that each of these characters has been introduced, in the next book the authors can roll up their sleeves and get down to some actual story with all the elements that have been set up. This first book seems to me to be mainly a way of setting the stage for things to come, though it certainly could have been better done in about half the space. I mentioned above that this book is not up to Andre Norton's standards... Notice that the book is *co-authored.* I think most of the actual book was written by Sasha Miller, and that Norton served primarily for oversight and advice. I am somewhat doubtful of Ms. Miller's abilities based on this book; but you have to start somewhere, so I would be willing to buy and read one or two more books of hers before rendering a final judgement.
Rating:
Summary: Norton or Miller? That is the question.
Review: By the end of the first chapter I wondered who was writing the book, not the usual Norton. Story line vague, characters introduced scantily, changed scenes too quickly, and the ending....never in Norton style. The little animals and bird kept the story moving slowly. Not sure I'll read the 2nd one.
Rating:
Summary: this book was below boring
Review: I heard that andre norton was a very good author and I thought that maybe I could read a book and see how it went. I was very, very sad to find out that the book was a let down. Yeah, sure it used big words, but it was boring. There was no deepth and it felt like I was reading some boring non-fiction book. Whatever you do, don't read this book because you are going to have wasted your time. Instead read Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. Then you'll have a good time. Beware of To the King a Daughter!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing world, Good Writing Great Potential, No Action
Review: I love Andre Norton. When I discovered SF, it was Norton who turned me on. Her collaboration with Sasha Miller hasn't diminished her ability to string together a fascinating world. The land of Oak, Ash, Yew, and Rowan has the potential to be as interesting as Witch World. In this initial book in the series, however, we are treated to Ashen who never really takes the novel into her own hands. Instead, she reacts. Reacts to Zazar, the witch-woman who raises her, to the Bog people among whom she is raised, and to the man who captures her. Prince Florian (Ashen's half-brother) is not much of a character either. All he is is greedy. Although the Sea Raiders are set up as good-guys, their cold-blooded attack on the bog people put me off. I liked Queen Ysa. Alone among the characters in TO THE KING A DAUGHTER, she knows what she wants and sets about getting it. The fact that Ashen is in her way means little to her--and why should it? Ysa believes she is doing what is right for the kingdom and there is every evidence that she is right. At least she is making decisions and moving the book forward. The writing and the setting are too compelling not to look forward to the next book in this series. Although I had troubles with the novel, I still found it hard to put it down. Just don't expect a WITCH WORLD.
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