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Summary: A wonderfull book
Review: I love this book. You get to know the characters very well. Routing for the good guys the whole time this book keeps you in suspence till the end. Then it gets wraped up nicely. Read it and enjoy!
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Summary: A Review From Kat!!!
Review: I recently read The Seer and The Sword, by Victoria Hanley. It begins with a young princess, Torina, awaiting her father comming home from a war. When he gets there, he gives her 2 things: a crystal ball and the son of the king he had defeated, Landen, as a slave. She sets him free immediately and he is put in training to fight in the King's army. Secretly, they become friends. She discovers she is a seer, which is one of the many things they talk about. However, the King's 'right hand man', Vesputo, is planning to marry the princess. Landen warns her about him but she only gets angry at him and remains vulnerable to Vesputo's evil plan. Read along as the evil Vesputo plots to gain the throne and make Torina's life miserable. But don't worry, she and Landen make it out all right! This is a totally awesome book for readers my age (13 and up)! OMG. If you like mystery, suspence, magic, or stories of royalty, this book is a mixture of them all! Read The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley today!
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Summary: Four at once
Review: Most stories can be classified as one kind of story, but "Seer and the Sword" can count as four: fantasy, coming-of-age, political adventure and romance. Fans of Tamora Pierce may find something very much to their liking here. The story opens with the spirited young princess Torina of Archeld, a beautiful and strong kingdom -- of which she is the only heir, when she marries. Her father has just conquered the peaceful kingdom of Bellandra and brings her back two gifts: a tiny crystal globe and the captured Bellandran prince. Torina frees the prince, Landen, who is allowed to learn how to fight along with the young soldiers-in-training, who see him as a weakling. Torina soon discovers that she can see glimpses of the future in the little ball, and befriends Landen after she saves his life. A few years pass, and Torina is betrothed to Vesputo, a cold and ruthless soldier who pretends to be kind and loving around her. But Landen knows that Vesputo only want to marry Torina for her crown, that he really cares nothing for her. But Landen has to leave when he is suspected of rebelling against the king -- and then the king is murdered. Landen changes his name and becomes a respected soldier -- and waits to move against Vesputo. Torina, the only witness to her father's murder, is blackmailed into agreeing to a marriage with Vesputo, and to using her crystal to show him the future. Using her wits and skill, she escapes and hides away in the countryside of a neighboring land. But when a King-Arthur-like high king gives her the chance to defeat Vesputo, she takes it. And in Archeld, Landen and a friend move in to find the famed Sword that supposedly will allow him to defeat any enemy... This is, despite the terrible plot description on the jacket flap, a very intense and multilayered novel. Hanley, unlike many authors, manages to evolve the characters' personalities throughout the book: Torina goes from naive, emotional and trusting to more mature, guarded and thoughtful; Landen transforms from an embittered teen to one who is more forgiving and merciful. Fans of Tamora Pierce and Robin McKinley will probably like the generic medieval setting, without the cultural influences of reality, along with the tough heroine and the dashes of magic. Fans of Patricia McKillip may also enjoy the subtle musings on revenge. But it's the clashes between kingdoms and characters that really sell the plot, paralleling the maturation of the heroes, and finally them both springing into action. The only real flaw? Well, sometimes the writing is too brief and undescriptive in important scenes. I actually missed one of them and had to skim back. The climax is breathtakingly written, however, and the dual concepts of the seer (one every generation, for all the lands) and the sword (which is actually a rather small part of it). In addition, some peripheral characters are neglected, and some questions left unanswered. However, the overall result is a tight and well-written, well-plotted and well-characterized fantasy/adventure/romance. Though Torina and Landen spend a great deal of the book away from each other, you know that they've fallen for each other. Another theme that is dealt with but not beaten to death is gender roles and the ability of anyone to help protect their land, by whatever means they can. As far as objectionable material: there's mild profanity used in this book, no dirty content, but there are a large number of murders, a few near misses, and very blunt threats toward Torina's mother. Given the political content (which will bore younger readers), the deaths and the emotional intensity of the characters losing friends and family, this book probably isn't for the younger fantasy reader, but will be fine for twelve and up. Fans of McKinley or Pierce will definitely enjoy this story. Highly recommended.
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Summary: the best book
Review: This book is for Harry potter fans, who are growing out of Harry Potter (is that possible). It is the best book, and I'd recommend it to everyone who loved to read even before reading became trendy.
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Summary: A promising start to this author's career!
Review: Whatever I was expecting when I cracked this book open, it wasn't this! I keep wanting to compare it to The Princess Bride, except it is not a book with tongue in cheek humor and satire. It is a book about kingdoms, the price of power and leadership and those who struggle to bring about good in a dangerous world. Victoria Hanley does an impressive job of showing readers the tactics and political maneuvers of warfare and diplomacy, but doesn't bog this book down in extraneous detail or explanation. The characters are strong and capable, with interesting reflections on male/female roles in the struggle. Hanley gives power to both roles--and creates characters that act outside the roles they were given. There is a sense of completness in this story--no teasers leading into a miniseries which allows the reader to enjoy this book all on its own. Readers interested by Tamora Peirce's Lionness series and Robin McKinley's Damar Duology should definately give this new author a try!
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Summary: This is her FIRST book?!?!?!?!? Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This is a VERY good book and I would recomend it to anyone who likes medieval stories, adventure and a little romance. Try it, I KNOW you will like it.
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Summary: My Favorite Book ^_^!
Review: I loved it. Everyone should read it. My copy is worn out from reading too often. It has a great plot.
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Summary: best book
Review: I read this book at sleepaway camp and COULDN'T put it down! All i wanted to do all day is read this book, it was THAT good! I have definetly decided that its my all time favorite book. I had my mom, sister, and friends read it and they all really like it. This book has everything you could ever want. Theres always action and the plot is so twisted and enchanting. The charaters are so real too. I hope everyone who comes to this page reads this book because its the best book and everyone is missing out. -kyra
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Summary: I abosolutely love this book!
Review: This book was great! I loved how the book was full of intrigue and treachery, love and hate, spies and killers, feeling and honor. I couldn't put it down. I loved how the book didn't just have one high point, it had many, each keeping me at the edge of my seat.
You'll like this book if you're the kind of person who likes to see secret spies and ingenious plans, without knowing how good will ever triumph over evil. It was great!...
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Summary: The Seer and the Sword
Review: I REALLY enjoyed this book. I read it in 1 day, because I couldn't put it down. The thing that made this book different from all the other fantasy books I've read is...... IT ACTUALLY MADE SENSE!! Everything any character did, did it for a logical reason, and made the characters more understandable. This is Victoria Hanley's first childrens book, so wherever it says "12 and up", it means, "12 and up".
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