Rating: 
Summary: Human characters and high adventure
Review: Most heroines, sadly, are a little too perfect to like. Mel is far more human than that--prickly, impulsive, and young enough to make mistakes. She is neither overwhelmingly intelligent nor especially gifted. She is an indifferent swordswoman, a mediocre diplomat, and totally lacking in magical or supernatural powers. Her only virtue, besides her undying sense of loyalty and strong sense of right lies in her sheer stubbornness. Mel is indomitable. She may be defeated, but she is incapable of giving up.
Add in civil war, intrigue, danger, betrayal, and hidden agendas, and you have a fantasy novel that is rich in adventure as well as characterization. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed a book so thoroughly. This is the first book I have read by Ms. Smith; I guarantee it will not be the last.
Rating:
Summary: An awesome Fantasy!
Review: Part 1: A story about a teenage Countess named Meliara who swears to her dying father that she and her brother Branaric would defend their people from the tyrant King Galdran, who's greed that has grown immensley. During a raid, Meliara gets her ankle caught in a metal trap, she tries to get the trap off, but the pain is too unbearable, the darkness consumes her...Meliara wakes up in the hands of her enemies. Blacks out again. When she wakes up from her sleep. She meets the interrogator(Vidanric also known as the Marquis of Shevraeth) who has large gray eyes and long pale blond hair. They don't get along... well at least Meliara can't seem to get along with him. Part 2: Meliara makes a promise to someone that she will go to the royal palace. She learns court ettiquette(can't spell). She ends up having a secret admirer known as 'the Unknown'. Crown/Court Duel has always been 2 of my favorite books. I think it's awesome how both books are now put into 1! It's wonderful that there is a really short story about Vidanric's birthday at the end of the book. Can't hardly wait til Sherwood Smith's 'Beauty' comes out in Sept.2003!!
Rating:
Summary: Crown Duel
Review: The Crown and Court Duel books have to be some of the best I have ever read. Countess Meliara, a young girl, swears to her dying father that she and her brother will protect their land, Tlanth, from the king, who is planning to overthrow them. However, with no army, few supplies, and little money, she and her brother are sorely prepared for the war that begins. Eventually Meliara is captured, but when an unexpected ally joins their side, the king is finally overthrown. After the war, Mel must learn a new way to fight. In the courtroom in the second book Court Duel. Little does she expect that one of her oldest enemies will become her greatest friend, or that one of the seemingly most innocent of them all could become the deadliest of foes.
Rating:
Summary: Very good.....
Review: I could not put this book down-it was awesome! Usually the whole war thing isn't me, but Sherwood Smith made it very interesting (somehow....don't ask me). It was also a very easy read if you know what I mean. It wasn't as if you had to make sure you read every word to get the full meaning of the book. And I know some people don't like the character Mel (real people...not in the book....that was obvious wasn't it? nevermind, I'm on my rambling again....) beacause she's so naive, but I am (was) naive to the whole war and court thing, so it helped that it was explained to me. And the romance was.......like a river; sometimes slow going, then quickly turning to fast pace, with turns and twists everywhere (well, actually, the whole book is like that), and then at the pivotal moment-like a waterfall, no like going down a waterfall, not one of those trinkle down slowly ones, no the straight down ones, just whoosh and you feel this bliss for the two characters in comparison to just a moment ago of the rough currents of the river; just bliss, you have this momentary bliss that you never want to leave and I'll shut up now because I'm writing too much. But of course it doesn't end there........it was one of those books I wished would never end, I mean, I've wished a Harry Potter book would never end, but I still wanted to get to the ending to see the book as a whole since J.K. does all the most exciting parts (usually) at the end, so I kind of wanted it to end-to know the end. But this book had me so intertwined with the characters, I never wanted it to end, just to read on and on forever, never ending like time, because there is no such thing as time, it's just a figment of our human mind that there has to be a label for everything-I mean time does exsist but not like life...I'm using too many similies, I'm sorry, you must think this is the stupidest review you've ever read--at least I'll be known for something: Writer of Stupidest Review....in conclusion, I truly loved the book.
Rating:
Summary: I could not put it down!
Review: This book was AMAZING! I literally could not put it down. I opened it as a present on Christmas Eve, and I read it until 3 a.m the next morning! I love Mel because she is such a realistic character. She is spunky, cute, and yet sarcastic. The story has action, adventure, intrigue, and even a wonderful romance. This is the best book I have ever read, no doubt about it!!!
Rating:
Summary: Totally cool book ....
Review: I really injoyed these books and was very excited to see what I thought was a third. But as it turned out was the first two put back together as Smith had first intended, with some more added to the end. I hope that by adding more to this book she is considering writting more about this land and time. I would like to know more about the Woodland people, the magic she is learning, her brother ect... She does a very good job at portraying a young girl who doesn't check all the facts and jumps to concluesions. You get so involved that you want to reach out to this girl and shake some sence into her. But in the end she learns alot about herself and those around her and tries to better her self despite it.
I truly hope that Mrs. Smith will continue with this series. I want to see what happens next.
Rating:
Summary: WHOA!!!
Review: My father bought me this book without me knowing, and at first i was reluctant to read it. First chapter over. BANG!!! i was in love with it. THere are two parts, Crown Duel and Court Duel. I found both HIGHLY entertaining. I loved this book because it is adventurous, romantic, and funny! The main charachter is a women, which for me, is a wonderful change. If you are a girl or even a boy, buy this book because it is WHOA!!!
Rating: 
Summary: a good book
Review: I did enjoy this book, but (yes there is a but) I think it could have been composed more precisely. While some of the points/ideas/creations are very well thought of, there was a vauge sense of deja-vu. The plot: a young woman, both parents deceased, Countess of something or other, desperatly trying to save her country and it's people by winning a war and restore peace and happiness to the surrounding lands. While the countess (Mel) is very clever and witty, it seemed to me that she often contradicted herself and skipped key points in the story. I occasionaly found myself wondering where she was and what she was doing. It seemed like the characters could have been more developed and the plot more defined. I have not read the sequel so I do not know if it is any better or worse.
If you are looking for a quick read, try this book. If you're looking for a series with a twist and a female hero with a sense of humor try some of the Tamora Pierce books ('Alanna: The first adventure' is one of my personal favorites) or the Sally Lockhart Trilogy by Philip Pullman. For a single book, try The Hollow Tree by Janet Lunn.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended for Young Adult Readers
Review: This novel is now on my recommended reading list for junior high and high school readers. It's exciting, funny, heartwarming, concerns moral choices without being at all didactic, and most of all is full of adventure, with females getting to buckle swashes as much as the males. The prose is excellent, and the world is complicated, hinting at stories on the "edges," which I trust means the author has more stories to tell. The social setup is fascinating, though at times it might be a challenge for the younger reader who is not familiar with historical contexts from which the novel is drawn. The adult reader, on the other hand, might wish for more details about government, policy, and some of the older people in the book--the things young readers don't really want in their adventures. It also addresses the pitfalls of attraction without going into inappropriate detail--which is very rare these days.
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't anyone write good fantasy?
Review: This is adequate writing, but the plot, characters, and setting are so hackneyed I'm glad I didn't pay money for the book. ...there's more to fantasy than this tripe.
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