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: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Bittersweet Relief
Review: I read/skimmed some of the other reviews and had to agree with what i read. The book is too sketchy and not enough focus on the main character, Ashen. But, what is most agonizing is not that it takes forever for the main characters to meet, but at the time frames of the story. In one section you are in one scene and time and the next you are back in time a few hours, even days ago. there doesn't seem to be an understandable reason for how the sections are split. there is no build up of anticipation over wanting to know what'll happen next. you know what will happen next.
this is a good start though. i was relieved knowing that this was a series. the authors of this book didn't do enough editing for the book to stand on its own.
i was intrigued by the other characters. Ysa was shown not to be a complete villian, but an actual human being. Zazar does seem interesting and i hope she'll show up again with a looser tongue. Ashen did disappoint a little. at the beginning her character seemed tougher, and toward the end she just seemed lost and weak.
I did expect more of Andre Norton having read her Elven Blood books co-written with Mercedes Lackey. I'll cut Ms. Miller some slack assuming that she has just started.
I hope the series proves to be more exciting and enchanting.
Rating:
Summary: It's an Adventure Story Not James Joyce for Goodness' Sake
Review: I was so disappointed in this book. Ms Norton is the person who started me reading that "trashy science fiction" as my grandmother called it. And it is largely due to writers like her that science fiction and fantasy have a reputation for dealing with not just the nuts and bolts of science, but also the workings of the human heart. Her stories, whether written for young adult readers or older adult readers were clear, nicely plotted and could usually be read on two levels, one a simpler level of adventure, the other a deeper level for those who wanted more. That being said, WHAT HAPPENED HERE? I read the book first, then the reveiws. I went back and re-examined the points in the book that I felt were unclear. Then I had to admit-- the faults were in the book, not my reading. The role of the author is to communicate. If there is a failure in basic communication, in story telling, to the point where numerous literate individuals, many of whom have loved Ms Norton's other work, are wondering "What is going on here?" then it isn't the reader's fault. There's a failure on the part of the authors. As I said in the title to this review, this is an adventure story, it's not Ulysses so it should be accessible and pleasurable to read not a chore. The book is derivitive of Ms Norton's other work, but lacks its virtues. There is no strong sense of place or plot. The characters are cliched and one dimensional. In other books by Ms Norton the hero or heroine is very often out of place or time, must overcome some perceived physical or mental obstacle to find his or her place. In this book Ashen seems to be just going through the motions. There's no real sense of urgency about her situation, even when the villagers turn against her. Compare this for instance to the situations that Tritha and her Falconer find themselves coping with in Ware Hawk or Kaththea in Sorceress of the Witch World and you can see how weak this book is compared to even minor efforts written by Ms Norton alone. Please don't form any opinion of Ms Norton based on this work. Try The Zero Stone or Witch World instead of this one.
Rating:
Summary: Paint-by-numbers
Review: I've heard excellent things about Andre Norton, but I fear that the praise is either misplaced, or deserved by other books. Many aspects of this particular novel read like a paint-by-numbers fantasy: action! Adventure! Nasty nobles! A crumbling monarchy! Overdone enviroments! A beautiful hero(ine) discovering who she/he is! A few gratuitous monsters! Oh, the suspense... This book starts off strong, with the Lady Alditha of the House Ash (four houses: Yew, Oak, Rowan and Ash) escaping from the wrath of the new queen. Alditha is pregnant with the king's illegitimate heir, and she is taken in by a wysen-wyf (wise-woman, witch) to give birth to her baby. She dies shortly thereafter, and the wysen-wyf Zazar names the child Ashen. Years pass. House Ash is pretty much dead, Rown is following, the king is in a soused stupor and not expected to live long, the only known heir Florian is a sadistic brat, and the queen Ysa is willing to quietly "silence" anyone who threatens her control of her crumbling kingdom. Suddenly the king rallies, then sickens again, as the Rings of power (deep groan) magically zap from his hands to those of his wife. She knows that Florian is a sadistic brat, and that the Rings won't choose him--at the same time, she must deal with the fact that as a woman, she won't be allowed to rule officially, and about the strange rumors about a young woman near where Alditha died. Meanwhile Ashen grows into a young woman, whose beauty is not lost on the muddy misfits in the village near Zazar's home, and who mistrust her as an Outlander. She narrowly escapes, venturing into the sickened land that her mother narrowly escaped, and finding the beginning of her destiny. I had high expectations for this book, given Andre Norton's reputation. The book started off strong with the political strife, the escape into the swamp, and the mystery of Zazar. The problem is that when the initial thrill is over, the book settles into a slow, unimpressive pace unmarked by any future "wows!" or twists that we couldn't see a mile away. For example, when you hear that Kazi dislikes Ashen, you know precisely what actions Kazi will take many pages later. When you hear that the leader of the locals hates Ashen, you know she will have to escape them when they turn on her. You know that Ysa's son would be a scourge. And you know that there will be some slow-growing crisis that Ashen will, at some point, be called on to fix. (Why aren't prophetic heroes ever summoned for societal reform?) In fact, Ysa herself is one of the sole aspects of the book that is original and fleshed out. She's an aging but perpetually brilliant woman, who craves power not just for herself, but for the continuation of what she believes is good. (And if she has to commit genocide to do so, fine). Her revulsion toward her soused, insensate husband and her irritating, weak son is well-drawn, as is her scheming to remain in power though she is a woman, and thus not allowed. She's bad, but she's a good character. Oh yes, and Zazar. Zazar is an intriguing, Merlinesque character who lives on the fringes and has a definite flair, and an otherworldly presence, such as telling Ashen that when she dies a new wysen-wyf will emerge from her corpse. (Like the pheonix? Anyhow, very imaginative) Her pronouncements and foresights are downright chilling, in a good spinetingling sort of way. The giant luppers (think enormous carnivore frogs) are pretty chilling as well, as is "Visp," the eerie little batcreature who spies for Ysa. The problem is that while Ysa or Zazar would make an intriguing protaganist, the heroine is Ashen. And she lives up to her name: her character is neither really bad or really outstanding, she's overall pretty blah. She doesn't accomplish much on her own, drifting through her life and reacting to those around her. She is (of course) beautiful, smart, good and kind, a teenager without any problems like acne or gangliness (why is there never an average-looking hero-of-prophecy?); what is up with that cover? Her clothes are sagging down into the mud! Prince Florian is evil, but not as textured as Sharon Shinn's Bryan in "Castle Auburn," Kazi is a typical sniveling traitor, and there is the typical monarchy-political strife. (Everyone wants to rule!) The idea of rival dynasties is not new, and Patricia McKillip put the extermination, escape and retaliation in better form in Song for the Basilisk. I was intrigued by the idea of carefully kept trees whose presence mirrors the "health" of the rival houses; I cringed at the idea of magical rings "choosing" who to bestow power on. If you read any and all fantasy, or are a major fan of Norton, you may want to read this. If you don't want another magical-medieval fantasy with a coming-of-age and some stock characters, don't read.
Rating:
Summary: Setting the stage
Review: The book had a LOT of potential but didn't really fulfill any of it. The reader is left completely unsatisfied that anything productive has been done minus that the stage has been set for (hopefully) a sequel in which there will be some actual ACTION. I found it very frustrating that the authors had three different threads of events going on and didn't weave them together into any kind of conclusion. Instead, the book is basically bringing those three threads together. End of story. Nothing resolved. I wouldn't buy this book until a sequel is published and the sequel has been determined to actually DO something. Only then will this book be worthwhile for background.
Rating:
Summary: Setting the stage
Review: The book had a LOT of potential but didn't really fulfill any of it. The reader is left completely unsatisfied that anything productive has been done minus that the stage has been set for (hopefully) a sequel in which there will be some actual ACTION. I found it very frustrating that the authors had three different threads of events going on and didn't weave them together into any kind of conclusion. Instead, the book is basically bringing those three threads together. End of story. Nothing resolved. I wouldn't buy this book until a sequel is published and the sequel has been determined to actually DO something. Only then will this book be worthwhile for background.
Rating: 
Summary: Mutable Time & Geography
Review: This was the first Andre Norton book I had read in many years and I was very disappointed in it. I had much higher expectations.
What really annoyed me about it was the highly mutable geography and timeline. The map was nothing like the geography described in text. The Bog was north, west, or south of the kingdom depending on what paragraph was being read. A teenage girl could cautiously walk through the dangerous bog in a few hours but it took a week for sea rovers to sail around the edge. The antagonist could magically scry upon the protagonist, spend several days doing other things then scry again and only a few hours would have passed in the life of the protagonist. There was no thought, logic, or consistency to matters of time, travel time, and geography; and I found that very aggravating.
Rating:
Summary: Mutable Time & Geography
Review: This was the first Andre Norton book I had read in many years and I was very disappointed in it. I had much higher expectations.
What really annoyed me about it was the highly mutable geography and timeline. The map was nothing like the geography described in text. The Bog was north, west, or south of the kingdom depending on what paragraph was being read. A teenage girl could cautiously walk through the dangerous bog in a few hours but it took a week for sea rovers to sail around the edge. The antagonist could magically scry upon the protagonist, spend several days doing other things then scry again and only a few hours would have passed in the life of the protagonist. There was no thought, logic, or consistency to matters of time, travel time, and geography; and I found that very aggravating.
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