Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy for the fantasy lover!
Review: As a reader of fantasy, I can say that I was thoroughly impressed by Emma's telling of this tale. It held the most imortant aspects of fantasy fiction, without becoming drab and boring as a lot of first-time authors do. I take my hat off and salute Emma for the telling of a tale that is sure to become a classic in the fantasy genre!
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy for the fantasy lover!
Review: As a reader of fantasy, I can say that I was thoroughly impressed by Emma's telling of this tale. It held the most imortant aspects of fantasy fiction, without becoming drab and boring as a lot of first-time authors do. I take my hat off and salute Emma for the telling of a tale that is sure to become a classic in the fantasy genre!
Rating: 
Summary: Large promise in the small characters
Review: Despite the large amount of mediocre fantasy being pumped out these days, there are rare treasures still to be found. One of these is "The Penny Prophecy". Emma Sharon Rich turns a beautiful tale with protagonists that are well rounded and interesting. These are not just your cut and paste characters. Aliane is smart, strong-willed and beautiful, but she is also naive and easily manipulated. And while his part in the novel is relatively small, Thalan is a character worth getting to know.The main antagonist in the story, Jaerak Thorin, is not only evil, he is intelligent and seductive. Despite his obvious black-hearted nature, Rich is able to make the reader hope that Jaerak Thorin is not as bad as he appears. Much like other loved villains, one hopes Jaerak may be redeemed from his evil ways. The story is full of the lore of Ms. Rich's world which adds depth and history to the story. With the captivating style of storytelling, this book is truly a gem waiting to be found!
Rating:
Summary: A pretty Penny
Review: Despite the large amount of mediocre fantasy being pumped out these days, there are rare treasures still to be found. One of these is "The Penny Prophecy". Emma Sharon Rich turns a beautiful tale with protagonists that are well rounded and interesting. These are not just your cut and paste characters. Aliane is smart, strong-willed and beautiful, but she is also naive and easily manipulated. And while his part in the novel is relatively small, Thalan is a character worth getting to know. The main antagonist in the story, Jaerak Thorin, is not only evil, he is intelligent and seductive. Despite his obvious black-hearted nature, Rich is able to make the reader hope that Jaerak Thorin is not as bad as he appears. Much like other loved villains, one hopes Jaerak may be redeemed from his evil ways. The story is full of the lore of Ms. Rich's world which adds depth and history to the story. With the captivating style of storytelling, this book is truly a gem waiting to be found!
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and Captivating
Review: Emma Sharon Rich's "The Penny Prophesy" will captivate your imagination and keep you reading beyond the very end. Through the well rounded characters and colorful imagery, the reader finds themselves wanting to know more about the characters and caring about what happens to them. Emma's universe is full of danger, desire, and magic - all the things that delight the mind and senses. It is all one expects to find in quality fantasy and more
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and Captivating
Review: Emma Sharon Rich's "The Penny Prophesy" will captivate your imagination and keep you reading beyond the very end. Through the well rounded characters and colorful imagery, the reader finds themselves wanting to know more about the characters and caring about what happens to them. Emma's universe is full of danger, desire, and magic - all the things that delight the mind and senses. It is all one expects to find in quality fantasy and more
Rating:
Summary: The Princess and The Prophecy
Review: Feisty princess escapes castle, falls in with sympathetic companions, joins quest. We know this story, right? Not quite. Said princess is a loyal daughter, an excellent sword fighter, a powerful if untrained user of magic, and anything but the standard royal brat turned heroine by hardship. She draws her strength from the love of family and friends, and unlike so many tortured genre heroines, returns it in full. Rich's *The Penny Prophecy* is a well-written first novel that's gotten much less attention than it deserves. Her heroine, Aliane, and her two companions, Gwynne and Thalan, are richly imagined, as is their chief nemesis, Jaerak. Perhaps the most interesting element of Rich's novel is its exploration of gender roles in the mythos surrounding The Eye of Truth, a woman prophesied to come in messianic splendor to save the warring kingdoms from themselves and to free the magic users within each realm to practice their healing arts once again. Aside from the prophecies, the real women of Rich's novel are powerful in their own right, though not always kind, and the men she draws for us, most of them, are capable of the same tender compassion that Aliane herself shares with such facility. The world building is deft and seamless. The action and the dialogue will keep you reading long after your bedtime, whatever that may be.
Rating:
Summary: The Princess and The Prophecy
Review: Feisty princess escapes castle, falls in with sympathetic companions, joins quest. We know this story, right? Not quite. Said princess is a loyal daughter, an excellent sword fighter, a powerful if untrained user of magic, and anything but the standard royal brat turned heroine by hardship. She draws her strength from the love of family and friends, and unlike so many tortured genre heroines, returns it in full. Rich's *The Penny Prophecy* is a well-written first novel that's gotten much less attention than it deserves. Her heroine, Aliane, and her two companions, Gwynne and Thalan, are richly imagined, as is their chief nemesis, Jaerak. Perhaps the most interesting element of Rich's novel is its exploration of gender roles in the mythos surrounding The Eye of Truth, a woman prophesied to come in messianic splendor to save the warring kingdoms from themselves and to free the magic users within each realm to practice their healing arts once again. Aside from the prophecies, the real women of Rich's novel are powerful in their own right, though not always kind, and the men she draws for us, most of them, are capable of the same tender compassion that Aliane herself shares with such facility. The world building is deft and seamless. The action and the dialogue will keep you reading long after your bedtime, whatever that may be.
Rating:
Summary: Large promise in the small characters
Review: I must say that I liked the cat best. The essence of a bookstore cat, rich and deep in character and history, he sets a brassy tone for the rest of the characters to live up to. Rich's book is full of the promise of a developing writer. Her best moments are when she forgets the nods to Tolkien's descriptions and Jordon's tangled plots and prophecies and strikes out on her own, drawing her minor figures in clean, aesthetic lines that catch in your mind -- Aliane's father weeping alone, big-nosed Thalan staring into a fire or refilling a cup unasked, Thelma and Koris rich in selfless caring and thoughtless goodness, standing inside their inn as the flames begin to crackle. Yes, the standard fantasy story elements are here to please the purists or anyone just looking for a fix -- the usual polarization of facinating evil, beautiful and baleful, and marred goodness struggling and hopeful, magic and earthy elementalism against the corruption of organized religion, tangled plots and intrigue, missed clues and obvious blunders that the audience can enjoy catching before the characters do
-- though there be no dragons here. But the true gems of the story aren't those Jaerak finds or the Seekers talk of; they are found in those characters who seem to have come the most naturally and who people the story with spirits we can recognize, though they do not stride so boldly across the landscape. Sketched without artifice or heavy embroidery, they rise seemlessly from the needs of the story and serve it utterly without outside influence or awkward pretension, providing the best evidence of what this author can do and what readers have to look forward to.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Fantasy Novel!
Review: This is a great book for those who hold fantasy close to their hearts. Rich weaves a tale that draws the reader in, making it incredibly hard to put the book down. The characters are very real, and the story is made even more personal by showing that not all of the good guys are all good, and the bad guys, not all bad. A fun read! I have already recommended this book to my friends who love a good story. Great work, Emma!
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