Rating: 
Summary: An admirable Celtic fantasy, inventive and often surprising.
Review: Ann Marston's first novel bodes well for her career in
fantasy. Always inventive, often surprising, "Kingmaker's
Sword" leads in directions that are inevitable -- once they
have occurred. Deftly weaving elements of sorcery, Celtic
mythology, swordfare, clan honor and family loyalty into
her saga, the writer takes few false steps and always leaves the reader waiting eagerly for more. I look forward to
whatever Marston has in store for the future!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: Anne Marston has a beautiful literary voice. She weaves a beautiful scene for her readers. The sotry of Red Kian is not terribly complex, but it does not need to be. Marston's male characters are very masculine, sensual men. Her female characters are far from the silly, mindless milk sops usually found in books like this. On the contrary, they are strong intellegent women that can also hold their own in a sword fight if need be. All of Marston's books are quick easy reads and incredibly poetic.
Rating: 
Summary: Dull and unimpressive
Review: Do you ever get a feeling of dread as you pick up a book you're reading? I can't stand it when that happens to me. I enjoy reading and if I'm dreading it it takes all the fun out of things! If you understand what I'm saying RUN FROM THIS BOOK NOW!!! This is quite possibly one of the worst books I have ever read. It was just dull. It was uninteresting, cliched and it just never picked up. It never became REAL for me. It was just a book with paper pages - far from the new, intriguing world that beckons me to enter when I read Fantasy.I felt as though I was reading a book that took a bunch of great ideas from other popular Fantasy books and recycled them into one. I have no problem with that, if something interesting is the result. This was not the case with _Kingmaker's Sword_. If you'd like to read a book that brings all to life what this book failed to, read Jennifer Roberson's Sword Dancer series. I felt as though I was reading a very poor imitation of it!
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: Even the cover calls to mind one of those fuzzy yet pleasantly warm fantasy stories read/or told as a child. This book is a short fantasy novel, not really all that remarkable until the cover is opened, and the characters are embraced. Once this occurs though, it is almost impossible to put this book down. There is romance, tragedy, a lost heir, courage, and indescribable evil. All the ingrediants that characterize a good fantasy book. You will see this book, and the cover might not grab your attention at first, and maybe the description won't pique your interest, but believe me, open this book and magic happens.
Rating: 
Summary: A GREAT BOOK AND A GREAT SERIES!!
Review: I found Kingmaker's Sword to be a compelling book, but it had some problems that made it less than perfect. For one thing, the author jumps around quite a bit, leaving out huge gaps in the story, and only occasionally filling them in. I would find myself enjoying a section of the story only to have it come to a close, and find the next section was set years in the future. Parts of the story I felt to be important were left out, and perhaps only briefly mentioned in passing later. I found this to be quite frustrating, and put the book down many time. However, I was drawn back to reading it, because there are some redeeming qualities. The main characters are enjoyable. Another drawback though is the plethora of minor characters. I couldn't keep them all straight in my head, and this also detracted from my enjoyment of the book. I liked the book well enough, but it is not one I would put on my to be re-read list, and I am not particularly interested in reading the sequels. I hope, however, that the author improved with experience, and tightened her rough skills.
Rating: 
Summary: Disjointed, but not without merit.
Review: I found Kingmaker's Sword to be a compelling book, but it had some problems that made it less than perfect. For one thing, the author jumps around quite a bit, leaving out huge gaps in the story, and only occasionally filling them in. I would find myself enjoying a section of the story only to have it come to a close, and find the next section was set years in the future. Parts of the story I felt to be important were left out, and perhaps only briefly mentioned in passing later. I found this to be quite frustrating, and put the book down many time. However, I was drawn back to reading it, because there are some redeeming qualities. The main characters are enjoyable. Another drawback though is the plethora of minor characters. I couldn't keep them all straight in my head, and this also detracted from my enjoyment of the book. I liked the book well enough, but it is not one I would put on my to be re-read list, and I am not particularly interested in reading the sequels. I hope, however, that the author improved with experience, and tightened her rough skills.
Rating:
Summary: 3 E's= Exciting, emotional, enthralling
Review: I found Kingmaker's Sword to be one of the best books I've read in quite a while. It grabbed my attention from the first page & held onto it thru the last. The book made me laugh & cry. I would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy & am looking forward to finishing up the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Shallow Setting
Review: I found this book unrelentingly average. It is predictable, I found myself skipping over lengthy sections, the setting is not well thought out, and it desperately needs a good editor. The obvious mistakes begin on the cover, which displays two swords of the convex tapering type created in the fourteenth century for bashing against and then punching through plate armor. There is no such armor in the book. The swords should be broadswords with long fullers, tapering only slightly to broad points. These are slashing - cutting swords designed for use against flesh. Now, admittedly the author probably had minimal input in or control over the cover. However, there should be some evidence, in this kind of story, that the author at least knows the difference between the various types of swords and their proper use. I did not see any. This lack of depth persists throughout the novel, in everything from horses (no mention of rouncy, palfry, or etc., just "horse") to magic. The characters were interesting, and I was concerned about what happened to them, but not enough to purchase the next volume in this series. Regretfully, Glen
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely enchanting!
Review: I have read all three books in this series. Many times. I wrote a letter to the author for a school project. I loaned all three books to my best friend and bought her a set of her own for her birthday. I haven't read a series that was so good in a very, very, long time. It was so refreshing to read these books. I laughed, I cried, I almost shouted in frustration. I sure hope Ann Marston writes more books soon because I love her creative stlye.
Rating:
Summary: New favorite
Review: I haven't read a book this good in a long time. There's really nothing new here, and I guess you could say it's even a bit predictable. What was so good about this book was how well written it was. The author has a way of sucking you into the story. I really got a feel for the characters and the setting. I even cried--and I don't recall every crying reading a fantasy novel before. I highly recommend this book!
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