Elske

Rating:
Summary: A timless tale of loyalty
Review: Cynthia Voight has woven a colorful tale that captures and steals the heart of the reader. If you enjoy reading a book about a timeless devotion to one another then this book is for you. The intricate tale of two women striving to bring order to the Kingdom will cause you to wonder and question the outcome of the book. you wiil find yourself caught in the tale until the last page has turned. If you do not believe me, then i sugest that you go and buy yourself a copy. Yes buy it, not check it out. This book will be one you want on your self so that you may enjoy it time and time again.

Rating:
Summary: The writing is good, but some of the characters are poor
Review: ...ringing in my imagination, I left Voigt's novel after the second chapter. It's not as though I feel I'm prudish about topics dealing with issues young adults face. I loved Laurie Halse-Anderson's, Speak. Elske, however, disturbed me because I felt as though I were reading an illicit child-pornography tract. Instead of a thought-provoking examination of the exploitation girls may encounter, society's response to it and the ultimate successful resolution of that girl finding her voice and becoming healthy and whole, Voigt treated us to Elske's grandmother getting gang-raped to death in her stead so that she may run away... to what? Having left that horrendous experience in the first pages, life didn't seem worth much point.

Rating:
Summary: perfect adventure story for everyone
Review: Clean, effective writing and a great plot are trademarks of Cynthia Voigt's work, and the more she writes, the better she gets. I read some of her earlier books beginning around the age of eleven -- Homecoming, Dicey's Song, Seventeen Against the Dealer, Jackaroo, The Callendar Papers -- and I've never forgotten them. Voigt doesn't shy away from complex, adult issues; instead she makes them challenging and yet accessable for anyone.

I saw ELSKE on this site and couldn't resist buying it to see if Voigt was still as good as ever. Turns out she's even better -- I've read all the books in the "Kingdom" series and this, though I love the others, is my favorite. It's an adventure story about two young women making their own way in a world against them, and it's got everything: "primitive" tribal customs, plots against a royal family, narrow escapes, war, even love. It's got morals, too, but Voigt skillfully avoids hitting you over the head with them. All told, it's as great for adults as for kids.

NOTE: I would recommend that any "kid" reading it be old enough/mature enough to understand and handle things like rape and sexual innuendo, which are in no way graphic or overdone, but certainly are important elements in the story.

Rating:
Summary: perfect adventure story for everyone
Review: Clean, effective writing and a great plot are trademarks of Cynthia Voigt's work, and the more she writes, the better she gets. I read some of her earlier books beginning around the age of eleven -- Homecoming, Dicey's Song, Seventeen Against the Dealer, Jackaroo, The Callendar Papers -- and I've never forgotten them. Voigt doesn't shy away from complex, adult issues; instead she makes them challenging and yet accessable for anyone.

I saw ELSKE on this site and couldn't resist buying it to see if Voigt was still as good as ever. Turns out she's even better -- I've read all the books in the "Kingdom" series and this, though I love the others, is my favorite. It's an adventure story about two young women making their own way in a world against them, and it's got everything: "primitive" tribal customs, plots against a royal family, narrow escapes, war, even love. It's got morals, too, but Voigt skillfully avoids hitting you over the head with them. All told, it's as great for adults as for kids.

NOTE: I would recommend that any "kid" reading it be old enough/mature enough to understand and handle things like rape and sexual innuendo, which are in no way graphic or overdone, but certainly are important elements in the story.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and memorable
Review: Elske is a book of unusually clear insight and resonant truth; Voigt never lapses into cliches to avoid ugly situations that many other authors would. Set in the same world as earlier Kingdom books (Jackaroo, On Fortune's Wheel, The Wings of a Falcon), Elske has very rich and believable settings that are always gritty and realistic. No pink sugar-spun clouds here. Voigt is ruthless in presenting some of the ugliness in life, but she emphasizes truth and honor and love in life in spite of betrayals and falsehoods. Characterization is also some of the best I've read for awhile, and Elske's in particular develops realistically and well. My only criticism is the pacing, as I felt more time ought to have been spent on Beriel's reclaiming of the Kingdom and on Elske's romance.

All in all, a most excellent and heartfelt novel for the mature teen. The funny thing is that I don't know that I would have cared to see the truths it shows two years ago, so I'd recommend waiting to read it at the ripe old age of fifteen or sixteen. Also, for those who like the rich setting-- not quite fantasy, not quite history, try The Raging Quiet, by Sherryl Jordan.

Ailanna

Rating:
Summary: A compelling story that adds to the puzzle of the kingdom.
Review: Elske is the next part of the puzzle as Voigt reveals piece by piece the perspectives, history, and tales of the kingdom. The story Elske certainly holds you attention, while the main character is fiesty and new to her surrondings. A short summary is:

Elske tossed into an un-known world makes her way as a hated enemy. Surprisingly enough attracts many types of friends, through her innocence as well as decieving appearence. As she turns away many situations where she could live a peacefull life, only to serve a "feindly princess." Beriel a girl fighting for what was hers as well as mustering a dark secret..... Together they make do with each other and even befriend each other.

The one thing about this that makes it so appealing is that Elske is not your average distressed maiden making it through life suffering, but always content while sharing a romance with a good hearted man of higher or lower status. Beriel and Elske's characters are very captivating.... You'll love this book if you are a fan of or have read: Jackaroo, On Fortunes Wheel, or Wings of a Falcon. New readers will enjoy this book just as much because no other former "tid bits of the last books plot" are key facts.

Rating:
Summary: A nice fantasy/adventure
Review: For readers of fantasy books, this is a good choice. My only warning: it starts out rather grimly, but don't panic, it only gets better. The ending is perfect, and I love the fact that the characters have depth, and motives, not to mention Elske is a powerful female character, with intelligence and purpose.

Rating:
Summary: Elske
Review: From the beginning, Elske pulls you into a different world. From the first sentence, Cynthia Voigt plants curiosity into your mind, and soon the story wraps around you. Elske is only 12 years old, but she is the Death Maiden and must follow her King into death. Her grandmother saves her, however, by secretly taking her place. Thus, Elske travels North, to a city whose ways, whose people, are unfamiliar. But Elske, with her honesty and open smile, makes her way in this world. When she is fifteen she becomes maidservant to Beriel, the rightful Queen of a distant and isolated Kingdom. Beriel is willful, proud, and angry; but she is a Queen through and through and Elske chooses to serve her and help her reclaim her throne.
Moving through various landscapes, with richly drawn characters, the thought provoking Elske is a worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: a kingdom book
Review: I guess I would have to call it "historical fantasy." When I read the book, I was unaware that is was part of a larger series, or for that matter if any of the cultures portrayed were parts of actual ancient cultures. That said, Elske is the story of a young girl who escapes the "Wolfers", a barbaric band of people. She eventually ends up in Trastad, where she makes contact with a women rumored to be a queen, Beriel. I disliked Beriel, and felt that after Elske met her, that the book went downhill. I also wondered why the painting shown on the front of the book was chosen, for it is the same painting used for "Girl in a Pearl Earring", a much better work.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I read this book several months ago, and I loved it. The whole attitude Elske has and the way she looks at life is so naive and innocent - but not annoyingly so. I thought the book was baeatifully written, and this is the book that made me read On fortunes wheel and Jackaroo(which are both about the kingdom and by Cynthia Voigt also). I wholly reccomend this book to anyone, even if you don't like fantasy.