Rating: 
Summary: I know the author....
Review: ....but I'll try to be objective anyway. The story line was cute, although some of the ideas seem a little too familiar (the concept of writing in the human world affecting the fairy world- anyone here see "The Neverending Story"?). I thought the story flowed well to a perhaps predictable conclusion. Character development was not as strong as it could have been, but still better than I've seen from a lot of more "experienced" writers. Bottom line is: if Rebecca's first effort produces this well, I can't wait to see her third, fourth and beyond!
Rating:
Summary: A light read...
Review: ...And a sweet, airy book. Though the plot was light and stayed entirely out of the dark cracks that could have been present in the story line, I still found this an interesting read. It was sweet, but not saccarine, light as air, but not frivolous. Piper is an engaging character, and her eccentric family was fun to read about, and I would like to have heard more from them. Her relationship with Aerlvarin had that wonderfully vague quality that romances in YA fantasy posess. The wise dwarf did not appear often enough in my opinion, and the evil just wasn't bad enough. I did like the use of stories to define the Faerie, and the aunt's cottage and Piper's ability and presence reminded me of Mary Stewart's THORNYHOLD, which is one of my favorite books. All in all, I'd say this is a must read.
Rating: 
Summary: Reader General's Warning: This book may contain...
Review: ...Flat characters. Punctuation and grammar mistakes that would make my old English teachers cringe. And worst of all, a mystery whose solution is obvious from almost the very beginning, though the main character remains oblivious until it's almost too late.Charles de Lint raves in the cover blurb, but _Eccentric Circles_ never achieves the power and luminosity of which de Lint is capable. I'll give Lickiss the automatic star, plus one more because it's her first novel. I'll read her next one, most likely, and I will hope it is better.
Rating:
Summary: Reader General's Warning: This book may contain...
Review: ...Flat characters. Punctuation and grammar mistakes that would make my old English teachers cringe. And worst of all, a mystery whose solution is obvious from almost the very beginning, though the main character remains oblivious until it's almost too late. Charles de Lint raves in the cover blurb, but _Eccentric Circles_ never achieves the power and luminosity of which de Lint is capable. I'll give Lickiss the automatic star, plus one more because it's her first novel. I'll read her next one, most likely, and I will hope it is better.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice, light reading
Review: A simple story with simple language. The idea of the world of fairy and the real world merging is not new, but the story is entertaining. The characters are not deeply developed, but likable. I had no trouble putting this book down when it was time to go to work, but it was enjoyable. No deep thinking involved, just a relaxing read.
Rating: 
Summary: A good try, but wide of the mark
Review: Eccentric Circles begins with the burial and wake of Piper Pied's Grandmother. Due to a happy circumstance, Piper, a struggling writer, was left her Grandmother's house, and in the midst of cleaning and organizing, she stumbles upon one of her eccentric neighbors, Aelvarim. Handsome and charming, this eccentric man is also an elf, of the realm of Faery, which Piper discovers lies right outside her doorstep if she "concentrates hard" on finding it. Far from merely introducing himself to his new neighbor, Aelvarim comes to her with a plea: he believes her Grandmother has been murdered, and he knows that the key to her killer lies in her manuscript secreted somewhere in the house. A bit of fantastical fluff that fails to live up to its hype, Eccentric Circles was not the enjoyable read I expected from the other reviews. The writing style made it feel as if it was written for children, and yet there is the adult theme of sexual desire running throughout that precludes its inclusion within that genre. I found the constant focus of the writer on the protagonists' longing for the handsome elf to be distracting and unnerving. As a result of the small cast, the murder mystery aspect of the book proved quite dull and predictable: I would certainly agree with past reviewers in recommending to the author that a larger number of people would be advantageous in terms of plot development. Perhaps in this manner the author might avoid the constant dwelling upon the sexual tension and move to a greater grasp of her other descriptive powers, especially in the realms of character development and scene description. If you'd like to see the way a first novel should be written, read Sharon Shinn's The Shape Changer's Wife: you won't be the same afterwards.
Rating:
Summary: A good try, but wide of the mark
Review: Eccentric Circles begins with the burial and wake of Piper Pied's Grandmother. Due to a happy circumstance, Piper, a struggling writer, was left her Grandmother's house, and in the midst of cleaning and organizing, she stumbles upon one of her eccentric neighbors, Aelvarim. Handsome and charming, this eccentric man is also an elf, of the realm of Faery, which Piper discovers lies right outside her doorstep if she "concentrates hard" on finding it. Far from merely introducing himself to his new neighbor, Aelvarim comes to her with a plea: he believes her Grandmother has been murdered, and he knows that the key to her killer lies in her manuscript secreted somewhere in the house. A bit of fantastical fluff that fails to live up to its hype, Eccentric Circles was not the enjoyable read I expected from the other reviews. The writing style made it feel as if it was written for children, and yet there is the adult theme of sexual desire running throughout that precludes its inclusion within that genre. I found the constant focus of the writer on the protagonists' longing for the handsome elf to be distracting and unnerving. As a result of the small cast, the murder mystery aspect of the book proved quite dull and predictable: I would certainly agree with past reviewers in recommending to the author that a larger number of people would be advantageous in terms of plot development. Perhaps in this manner the author might avoid the constant dwelling upon the sexual tension and move to a greater grasp of her other descriptive powers, especially in the realms of character development and scene description. If you'd like to see the way a first novel should be written, read Sharon Shinn's The Shape Changer's Wife: you won't be the same afterwards.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful ideas, classic themes...
Review: Eccentric Circles has sound basis for a plot and some very clever ideas about our world and the world of Faire. The character development however, is not really there. The relationship between Piper and the elf appears totally physical. Piper's own thoughts admit that her attraction is only to the elf's looks, but suddenly she finds that shes "in love" with him. Perhaps a sympatheic reader can overlook that. However, the apparent ease with which this elf can walk around modern day Colorado is hard to swallow. Perhaps in some of the larger coastal cities few eyebrows would be raised at a man dressed like an elf. But Colorado? If the author had attempted to explain this in some way it might have helped. However, there are some truly funny moments when Piper brings the elf home to meet the family! Of course they accept him without batting an eyelash. In fact, Piper's family is the most enjoyable aspect of the book. They are just plain hilarious. All in all the ideas were there, but it didn't seem to quite come together. This is a book I would recommend when you want to take a break from Tolkien and just enjoy a light story for its own sake.
Rating:
Summary: Shockingly Lame
Review: I am a great fan of character fantasy where the novel features one main hero or heroine and generally sticks to his or her point of view. It gives a unique bias that you can only find inside another persons' head. Unfortunatley, the main character of Eccentic Circles, Piper, has no definete opinion on anything throughout the whole plot except to say, "Oh my, I'm confused and upset." Piper lacks the conviction of a real personalitiy and therefore the entire story comes off as lame, weak, and underdeveloped. With no real goals or emotion, Piper ambles through a mystical world and has virtually no reaction except to giggle and the horribly cliche comic releif. If you were reccommended this book after reading such dynamic novels such as "Daughter of the Forest", "War of the Oaks", or "Kushiel's Dart", do not waste your time with this book. While faintly amusing, it does not measure up to the greater works.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy for even the Non Believer....
Review: I read this book and LOVED IT!!! I normally do not read Fantasy, I'm more into psychology, and new age books, but I really enjoyed Eccentric Circles. Its truly magical and changed the way I will forever think about fantasy, I strongly encourage reading this book.
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