Of Swords and Spells

Rating:
Summary: Easy to Read? Well, good!
Review: Personally, I don't always go for edifying, thoroughly enriching books for my bedtime reading. Ms. Turner's books are perfect for the other kinds of books -- the ones that make you feel good and don't make you want to fall asleep with complex plots and interwoven ideas. Not that there isn't a place for the books which do have complex plots and interwoven ideas, etc., but that place certainly is not when I just want to enjoy myself with a book and not have to figure out the significance of anything. :) I really *liked* Malka, and I think the main character was developed in a way that shows the author settling into her style. I'm certainly looking forward to more.

Rating:
Summary: Swords and Spells?
Review: Spells, yes there are plenty of them, used to save the main characters when everything else fails. Sheesh, such a dull plot. Trite, simplistic, easy to read, thin, cheap paper. Well, the artwork will look good for another year or two so that's a plus. Don't bother to read this book, there's better ones out there. Like THE BAKER'S BOY or COURT DUEL.

Rating:
Summary: Uneven follow-up to her excellent debut
Review: There are some really interesting and unique ideas about magic in this book, but the story is not compelling enough to make this book worthwhile. This book is no where near as good as her first book, Nameless Magery. This book is missing all of the elements of the first book that made it such a great read. There is little humor, the writting is uninspired and characterizations are weak. At times the story was exciting and I could hardly wait to see what happened next and at other times the writing seemed irrelevant. Like Namesless Magery this book also got side-tracked on a romance that came out of the blue and added absolutely nothing to the story. Not recommended unless you were absolutely in love with the first book.

Rating:
Summary: nothing like her first book
Review: This book was a big disappointment. I read the first book Nameless Magery which was excellent. In this book there were too many characters for good development to take place. There was no explanation about Malka's past or who she was until I was utterly disgusted with the book. It took three attempts at reading it for me to finish it.

Rating:
Summary: Wow- Whatta book!
Review: This is one of the finest sci-fi/fantasy books I've read in recent memory. The story is intense and well paced, with characters who are so well rendered that they could be people I already know, or maybe people I wish I knew. I couldn't put it down. The author, Delia Marshall Turner is a master of her art, and is destined for literary imortality. Philosophical, action-packed (the scene between Sefir Zul and Malka had me holding my breath!) and intriguing, this little gem of a novel is distinct and refreshing in a genre full of macho males with zinging one-liners. I'll definitley be ordering Turner's first novel, Nameless Magery.

Rating:
Summary: If only this woman could write a book a day!
Review: Wonderful! Excellent! Delightful! Magnificent! Darn-near perfect! All I can say is, if you haven't read this book, read it. Now. And read her other book "Nameless Magery." And prepare to be blown away...