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The Hollow Queen – Symphony of the Ages #8 by Elizabeth Haydon

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Title: The Hollow Queen

Author: Elizabeth Haydon

Series: Symphony of Ages

Sexual Content: Minimal

Objectional Content: Violence

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Acclaimed author Elizabeth Haydon returns with a heartbreaking tale of love and valor in The Hollow Queen, the eighth installment of her USA Today bestselling Symphony of Ages series that began with Rhapsody.

Beset on all sides by the forces of the merchant emperor Talquist, the Cymrian Alliance finds itself in desperate straits. Rhapsody herself has joined the battle, wielding the Daystar Clarion, leaving her True Name in hiding with her infant son. Ashe tries to enlist the aid of the Sea Mages. Within their Citadel of Scholarship lies the White Ivory tower, a spire that could hold the key to unraveling the full extent of Talquist’s machinations. Achmed journeys to the reportedly unassailable palace of Jierna Tal, to kill emperor Talquist—all the while knowing that even if he succeeds, it may not be enough to stop the momentum of the war.

As they struggle to untangle the web of Talquist’s treachery, the leaders of the Cymrian alliance are met with obstacles at every turn. Rhapsody soon realizes that the end of this war will come at an unimaginable price: the lives of those she holds dearest.

My Review

I’ve been trying to think of how best to write this review. I started reading it back in January, got about a quarter of the way in and then just…stopped. To say I’ve been in a reading slump would be a bit of an understatement. I didn’t read anything for nearly 5 months, which is very unusual for me.

In the last week or so, I picked up the Hollow Queen again. I read a couple chapters here and there, then last night I started reading and finished the book.

This is honestly one of the worst reviews I’ve ever written. The amount of time it took me to read it and how I basically forgot most of what happened in the beginning of the book really makes it hard for me to really say anything negative or positive.

What I will say, is that if you have read the rest of the series, The Hollow Queen is a must read. It brings a conclusion to the war of the Known World and wraps up things nicely. I know there is a ninth book, that I do intend to read, but I’m not sure it needs to be read. The Hollow Queen wrapped everything up so nicely I’m not certain this next book is really necessary. I guess I’ll find out.

My rating for The Hollow Queen is 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for reading this random and not so great review!

The Merchant Emperor – Symphony of the Ages #7 by Elizabeth Haydon

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Title: The Merchant Emperor

Author: Elizabeth Haydon

Series: Symphony of Ages

Sexual Content: Minimal

Objectional Content: Violence

Synopsis (from Goodreads): The war that they had feared is now upon them. Ashe and Rhapsody, leaders of the Cymrian Alliance, are gathering their allies to combat the machinations of Talquist, who will soon be crowned emperor of Sorbold. Gwydion Navarne remains by Ashe’s side. Anborn, Lord Marshal, has taken to the field. And Rhapsody has been forced into hiding to protect the life of her infant son.

The Merchant Emperor of Sorbold has unintentionally allied himself with a pair of demons and has begun targeting the dragons that remain on the Middle Continent. Talquist will stop at nothing until the Cymrians are wiped out and the entire continent and the rest of the Known World is under his rule.

Assailed by danger from all sides, surrounded by lies and intrigue, Rhapsody is left with one undeniable truth: if their forces are to prevail, she must join the war herself, wielding the Daystar Clarion, an ancient weapon whose power is nearly unparalleled. As she struggles to reconcile her duties as a mother and ruler, a danger far more devastating than Talquist is stirring beneath the surface of the land itself.

My Review

The Merchant Emperor starts off a bit slow, with a lot of dialogue. Rhapsody and Ashe have called a secret meeting of those they trust most to share what they all know of the current situation in the world. By the end, the various members of the council part ways, each to tend to their own duties in the coming war.

The Three are united once again as it is decided that Rhapsody should return to Ylorc with Grunthor and Achmed in order to protect the newly born Meridion. While there, Rhapsody assists Achmed in testing out his Lightcatcher.

There is a fair amount going on with various characters in difference places in this book. I’m happy to see more of Grunthor as he is definitely one of my favourite characters in this series. Achmed seems even grumpier than usual, though the exact reason isn’t really revealed until later. Ashe, on his own without his family, is slowly losing his mind. Finally, it is decided the best thing for him to do is leave Highmeadow in search of what has happened to distant allies, leaving Gwydion Navarne in his stead. Thankfully, this mission snaps him out of his madness and he’s actually useful once again.

About three quarters of the way through the book, Rhapsody makes a life altering decision that will change every thing. I honestly did not see this coming. It was mentioned that she would eventually have to enter the war, as the wielder of Daystar Clarion, but I would never have guessed what she would do in order to make that happen.

My rating for The Merchant Emperor is 4 out of 5 stars.

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?

The Assassin King – Symphony of the Ages #6 by Elizabeth Haydon

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Title: The Assassin King

Author: Elizabeth Haydon

Series: Symphony of Ages

Sexual Content: Minimal

Objectional Content: Violence

Synopsis (From Goodreads): The Assassin King opens at winter’s end with the arrival by sea of a mysterious hunter, a man of ancient race and purpose, who endlessly chants the names of the pantheon of demons that are his intended victims, as well as one other: Ysk, the original name of the Brother, now known as Achmed, the Assassin King of Ylorc.

At the same moment of this portentous arrival, two gatherings of great import are taking place. The first is a convocation of dragons, who gather in a primeval forest glade–the site of the horrific ending of Llauron, one of the last of their kind. They mourn not only his irrevocable death, but the loss of the lore and control over the Earth itself that it represents. The ancient wyrms are terrified for what will come as a result of this loss.

The second gathering is a council of war held in the depths of the keep of Haguefort: Ashe and Rhapsody, rulers of the alliance that protects the Middle Continent; Gwydion, the new Duke of Navarne; Anborn, the Lord Marshall; Achmed, the King of Ylorc, and Grunthor, his Sergeant-Major. Each brings news that form the pieces of a great puzzle. And as each piece is added it becomes quite clear: War is coming, the likes of which the world has never known.

Cataclysm, both large and small, await in this sixth volume of the USA Today bestselling fantasy series, The Symphony of Ages. A twisting, fast-moving tale, The Assassin King promises endless surprises–most of which lead to pain.

My Review

Given the amount of set that occurred in the previous book, I was expecting the Assassin King to be much more fast paced. Instead, it starts with a meeting and a lot of dialogue. The characters have all come together to share what they learned in Elegy for a Lost Star. Anwyn is still alive and hunting for Rhapsody and a new character appears, searching for Achmed.

I don’t really have a lot to say about this books, in terms of a review. I found the beginning slow, but it picks up later on. I liked reading it, I’m ready for the next book. Three more novels and this series will be complete, which has been a goal for quite some time. i think it will be very satisfying once I have finished the entire series.

I may update this review in the future when my brain is working better.

Anyway, 4 out of 5 stars!

Destiny: Child of the Sky – Symphony of the Ages # 3 by Elizabeth Haydon

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Destiny: Child of the Sky - Symphony of the Ages #3 by Elizabeth Haydon

Title: Destiny: Child of the Sky

Author: Elizabeth Haydon

Series: Symphony of Ages

Sexual Content: Minimal

Objectional Content: Violence, Sexual violence, violence against children

Synopsis (From Goodreads): A FELLOWSHIP OF THREE

To stand against the F’dor– an ancient, vile being intent on destroying the world– a fellowship has been forged: Rhapsody, a Singer of great talent and beauty; Achmed, an assassin with unearthly talents; and Grunthor, a giant of jolly disposition and lethal skill with weapons.

Driven by prophetic visions, the three know that time is running short, know that they must find their elusive enemy before his darkness consumes them all. But after their final, brutal confrontation with the F’dor, their world crosses the threshold of disaster and faces utter oblivion. The action reaches a fevered pitch, achieving a crescendo of tragedy, love, and triumph of human spirit over world-shattering cataclysm.

With death at hand and the world crumbling at their feet, these three will finally discover their true …

DESTINY

My Review

Destiny picks up where Prophecy left off. Rhapsody and Ashe have parted ways. While Ashe goes off to prepare to take on the mantle of Lord Cymrian, Rhapsody heads out into the world with Achmed to find the children of the F’dor. It is their hope to separate out the demon blood for Achmed to use to track it down and kill it once and for all.

i have to say, I enjoyed this book more than Prophecy. I think because the story focused a lot less on Rhapsody and Ashe’s relationship. She is with Achmed in the beginning of this book, looking for the demonspawn children. After, she goes to find several of them on her own, allowing her to be an independent person once again. The focus also shifts onto other characters as well, though I would say Grunthor doesn’t get nearly enough page time.

Rhapsody goes through a great deal in this book. It’s actually pretty amazing how she’s able to survive perilous situations, nearly dying, and overcoming overwhelming despair. Rhapsody is definitely a fantasy heroine for the ages.

While above, I indicated that the sexual content was minimal, what there is comes close to a rape scene. This is a warning for anyone who might be triggered by such scenes. It is thankfully relatively brief.

I feel like the reader gets to see a lot more into Achmed’s mind and feeling in this novel as well. He may not be one for emotional displays, but he is utterly devoted to Rhapsody and loves her in his own way.

If you wanted to, you could stop reading the series here. It was originally meant to be only a trilogy and the plot is nicely wrapped up by the end. The series does continue on with Requiem for the Sun, which I will be reading next.

My rating for Destiny is 4 out of 5 stars (Ashe is still annoying) and I would recommend that anyone who has read Prophecy, read Destiny. And if you haven’t read any of these books yet, start with Rhapsody.

Thanks for reading!

And if you are interested in any handmade book related accessories, please check out my shop!

Prophecy: Child of Earth – Symphony of the Ages #2 by Elizabeth Haydon

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Title: Prophecy: Child of Earth

Author: Elizabeth Haydon

Series: Symphony of Ages

Sexual Content: Descriptive

Objectional Content: Violence, Sexual violence, violence against children

Synopsis (from Goodreads) In Rhapsody, a fellowship was forged–three companions who, through great adversity, became a force to be reckoned with: Rhapsody, a singer of great talent and even greater beauty; Achmed, an assassin with unearthly talents; and Grunthor, a giant Sergeant-Major whose jolly disposition stands at odds with his deadly skill at weapons. Having fled the F’dor–an ancient, powerful evil–the three emerged on the other side of the world, only to discover fourteen centuries had passed. Their homeland had been destroyed, their people scattered across several continents, and everyone they ever knew had long since passed away…except, perhaps, the F’dor.

Prophecy continues this powerful epic. Driven by a prophetic vision, Rhapsody races to rescue the religious leader of her new homeland while Achmed and Grunthor seek evidence of the F’dor. These three may be their world’s only hope, the heroes spoken of in the Prophecy of the Three, but their time is running short. They must find their elusive enemy before his darkness consumes them all.

My Review

So, I’m not really sure how to review this. I started reading Prophecy in January, right after I’d finished the first book, Rhapsody. It is now June and i just finished it. i don’t think it’s ever taken me six months to get through an entire book before. This should not be taken as any sort of reflection the book itself, because the book is fantastic. I really enjoyed reading, when I read it. The problem here is me. For some reason, I just did not want to read.

The latter half of the book (the part most fresh in my mind) focuses quite a bit on the relationship between Rhapsody and Ashe. Now, I have no problem with romance in books, but in this one it meant a fair amount of sex scenes. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it just didn’t feel like it added a lot to the story overall. Mostly, it makes Ashe look a little pathetic. He’s been in love with Rhapsody from the moment he saw her and his desperation is really starting to show. Their relationship also causes Rhapsody to ignore some of the things she should be responsible for, much to Achmed and Grunthor’s annoyance.

There is a lot more going on besides just Rhapsody and Ashe, but i don’t want to spoil anything so I’m not really going to say anything about it. Though I would like to say that there is some pretty descriptive violent scenes that may be triggering for some people.

My rating for Prophecy is 4 out of 5 stars. l’m on to the third book, Destiny, which hopefully won’t take me six months to read!

Thanks for reading!

Rhapsody: Child of Blood – Symphony of the Ages #1 by Elizabeth Haydon

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Rhapsody: Child of Blood Symphony of Ages #1 by Elizabeth Haydon

Title: Rhapsody: Child of Blood

Author: Elizabeth Haydon

Series: Symphony of Ages

Sexual Content: Descriptive

Objectional Content: Violence, Sexual violence, violence against children

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Rhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won’t take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world– a world so real you can hear the sweet music of Rhapsody’s aubade and smell the smoldering forges deep within the Cauldron.

My Review

Rhapsody is a book I first read several years ago. At the time, the entire series hadn’t yet been published. After what feels like forever, I’m finally rereading the entire series so I can read the last two books.

It has been so long since I first read Rhapsody that, although I remember a few key things, it was like reading it for the first time again. I think I enjoyed it more than I did the first time around. Truly, I loved this book.

The trio of main characters, Rhapsody, Achmed and Grunthor, could not be more different from one another. However, the bond they form is more than I’ve seen in most books, especially without it somehow turning romantic. Elizabeth Haydon has an amazing ability to keep the reader engaged even during some scenes that could be considered boring or tedious. I felt invested in these characters from the very beginning.

Rhapsody, especially, is a complex and intriguing character. She has lived through some very traumatic experiences and yet still manages to smile and have a positive outlook. Where some people would become bitter and withdraw into themselves, Rhapsody’s experiences make her want to help people even more, but especially children. She may be small in stature, but she is ferocious when she needs to be.

I always have any objectional content listed at the top of my reviews, but in this case, I feel the need to reiterate that there is some graphic violence involving children, some of it sexual in nature. These things are meant to disgust the reader and portray the level of evil of the antagonists. It all has it’s place in the story. However, if child violence is something that is just not for you, or may be triggering for any reason, this may not be the book for you.

My rating for Rhapsody is 5 out of 5 stars. I was honestly never bored reading this. I would recommend this book to fans of high fantasy looking for an exciting new adventure!

Thanks for reading!

Law of the Broken Earth – The Griffin Mage #3 by Rachel Neumeier

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Title: Law of the Broken Earth

Author: Rachel Neumeier

Series: The Griffin Mage

Sexual Content: none

Objectional Content: Mild violence

Synopsis: (from Goodreads) : In Feierabiand, in the wide green Delta, far from the burning heat of the griffin’s desert, Mienthe’s peaceful life has been shaken. Tan — clever, cynical, and an experienced spy — has brought a deadly secret out of the neighboring country of Linularinum. Now, as three countries and two species rush toward destruction, Mienthe fears that even her powerful cousin Bertaud may be neither able nor even willing to find a safe path between the secret Linularinum would kill to preserve and the desperate ferocity of the griffins. But can Mienthe? And, in the end, will Tan help her . . . or do everything in his power to stand in her way?

My Review

It has been approximately half an hour since I finished reading Law of the Broken Earth as I begin to write this review and honestly? I’m not entirely sure what to say. This book begins by introducing whole new characters. There’s nothing wrong with that, I like both of the characters and they play an integral part in the plot of this book.

The Great Wall created in the previous book is cracked and on the verge of breaking completely. The griffins want the wall to come down so they can invade the country of earth and destroy it. Naturally, the inhabitants of the countries of earth don’t want this to happen. Events are set in motion to prevent this from happening and find a resolution once and for all.

My dislikes about this book are pretty much the same as the previous books. There aren’t enough griffins in a trilogy called “the Griffin Mage”, the names of places and some people are impossible to pronounce and the plot moves along slowly til near the end when everything seems to happen all at once.

I like the character, Mienthe, even if I have no idea how to say her name properly. She was interesting to follow as she discovers her own unique gift and is instrumental in bringing everything to a satisfactory close. I liked that characters from the previous books returned and had roles to play, however small.

The ending did bring the overall conflict of the trilogy to a close, though it just wasn’t what I was expecting or really wanting out of the books. I won’t say that they were bad, as they weren’t, they just weren’t as good as I thought they could be.

My rating for Law of the Broken Earth is 3 out of 5 stars.

Thanks for reading even though this review is sort of all over the place.

Land of the Burning Sands – The Griffin Mage #2 by Rachel Neumeier

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Title: Land of the Burning Sands

Author: Rachel Neumeier

Series: The Griffin Mage

Sexual Content: none

Objectional Content: Violence, slavery

Synopsis: (from Goodreads) Gereint Enseichen of Casmantium knows little and cares less about the recent war in which his king tried to use griffins and fire to wrest territory from the neighboring country of Feierabiand. . .but he knows that his kingdom’s unexpected defeat offers him a chance to escape from his own servitude.

But now that the griffins find themselves in a position of strength, they are not inclined to forgive and the entire kingdom finds itself in deadly peril. Willing or not, Gereint will find himself caught up in a desperate struggle between the griffins and the last remaining Casmantian mage. Even the strongest gifts of making and building may not prove sufficient when the fiery wind of the griffins begins to bury the life of Casmantium beneath the burning sands . . .

My Review

As the second book in a trilogy, I expected Land of the Burning Sand to pick up where the first book left off and follow at least some of the same characters. Instead we are introduced to all new characters in the country of Casmantium. The book opens with the main character of this novel, Gareient, hiding in the cellar of the house where he is held as a slave while a sandstorm turns the city into a desert.

The Land of the Burning Sand mostly follows Gareient as he journey’s out of the desert and attempts to avoid being sold back into slavery. Griffins, are barely even mentioned and only seen from a distance for the most part. It isn’t until much later, probably half way through, that a familiar character makes an appearance. Griffins themselves don’t actually appear until near the end of the book, and then only in a brief scene.

For a trilogy called The Griffin Mage, I would expect more griffins, or at least the actual griffin mage to be more present.

There’s nothing wrong with shifting the perspective of a story to the “other side” as it were, to give a different POV but I found it somewhat annoying when I was expecting more, you know, griffins. The ridiculously long and impossible to pronounce names continue on in this book, adding in much more, until I stopped trying to sound them out and just sort of made a noise in my head while reading those words.

I wanted more of Bertaud, Kes and Karaithin, who the first novel focused on. I was expecting this book to follow Kes as she continued to live with the griffins and how her life would be. Instead, the brief glimpse we get of her is just kind of a tease.

Don’t get me wrong, I did like the book. The characters are interesting and their story is fun to follow, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. I wanted more griffins. I did particularly like the character, Tehre. She is smart and practical, though she very easily gets lost in her own mind. She was fun to read about.

My rating for the Land of the Burning Sand is 3 out of 5 stars.

Lord of the Changing Winds – The Griffin Mage #1 by Rachel Neumeier

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Lord of the Changing Winds, book one of the Griffin Mage trilogy by Rachel Neumeier

Title: Lord of the Changing Winds

Author: Rachel Neumeier

Series: The Griffin Mage

Sexual Content: none

Objectional Content: Violence

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Little ever happens in the quiet villages of peaceful Feierabiand. The course of Kes’ life seems set: she’ll grow up to be an herb-woman and healer for the village of Minas Ford, never quite fitting in but always more or less accepted. And she’s content with that path — or she thinks she is. Until the day the griffins come down from the mountains, bringing with them the fiery wind of their desert and a desperate need for a healer. But what the griffins need is a healer who is not quite human . . . or a healer who can be made into something not quite human.

My Review

I’m going to start this review a little differently than normal and begin with what I didn’t like about this book. There are a lot of names featured in this novel that are somewhat long and difficult to pronounce. The author clearly put in a lot of effort and creativity in these names, however, having to stop and try to sound out these words is really disruptive to the flow of reading. I also found it difficult to remember who the characters were since I couldn’t pronounce their names. This book would have benefited from a pronunciation guide and even a list of characters. Fortunately, the main characters names were not as difficult to pronounce.

Setting that aside, this book is a satisfactory fantasy novel. I haven’t read a lot of books featuring griffins so I found this to be fresh. Kes, the main character, is a quiet girl who has never really fit in with the people in her village and finds acceptance among the griffins. Except for the griffin part, I think this is something a lot of teens can relate to.

I found the writing to be quite beautiful, especially the descriptions of the griffins and the desert. The plot isn’t anything to rave about, but the world itself is interesting. Although this isn’t the most amazing fantasy novel I’ve ever read, I did find it easy to read and interesting enough that I wasn’t bored. It’s a fun quick read and I look forward to starting the next book.

My rating for The Lord of the Changing Wind is 3 out of 5 stars and I’d recommend it to someone looks for a light fantasy.

Thanks for reading!

A Tapestry of Lions – Chronicles of the Cheysuli #8 by Jennifer Roberson

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Title: A Tapestry of Lions

Author: Jennifer Roberson

Series: Chronicles of the Cheysuli

Sexual Content: minimal

Objectional Content: Violence

Synopsis (From Goodreads): Nearly a century has passed since the Prophecy of the Firstborn was set in motion—the generational quest to recreate the magical race which once held sway in the lands ruled by Homana’s Mujar. Now, Kellin, heir to Homana’s throne, has only to sire an offspring with an Ihlini woman to reach this goal. But Kellin wants nothing of prophecy, nor even of his own magical heritage. Embittered by tragedy, he refuses the sacred lir-bonding, becoming anathema in the eyes of his Cheysuli kin. But willing participant or not, Kellin provides a very real threat to the Ihlini—the ancient enemies of the Cheysuli people—for should the prophecy be fulfilled, life as the Ihlini know it will end. How can a lirless warrior ever hope to escape the traps of the Ihlini sorcerers? And how can the prophecy ever be realized when the man born to become its final champion shuns his destined role?

My Review

Going into this book, I really didn’t know what to expect. All the previous books have been about the prophecy and mixing the correct bloodlines to bring the prophecy to fruition. Only one bloodline remains, that of the Ihlini. But what Cheysuli would willingly and knowingly be with an Ihlini?

Kellin, Aidan’s son, is the main focus of A Tapestry of Lions. He is a child filled with bitterness that his own father gave him up (though he eventually does the same to his own bastard children). After experiencing tragedy and loss, Kellin rejects the gods and vows to never have a lir. As a man he has become even more bitter and rebellious, closing himself off to any meaningful relationship so he can’t be hurt by losing someone. He also resents that he is not so important as the son he will one day sire.

Kellin honestly changes and grows in leaps and bounds in this book. He starts out as a child proud of his Cheysuli heritage, looking forward to the day he receives his lir and lir gold, wanting to be recognized as a warrior of the clans. Then he experiences loss and grows up to sleep with random whores, get in fights and gambles. He goes through a lot and comes out the end a much better person.

I wasn’t sure how it was all going to end. As I was reading, I kept thinking there wasn’t enough left in the book to wrap it all up. In the end though, I was satisfied with the ending. I’m sure the author could write more books in this world if she wanted to, but I wouldn’t say it was necessary to round off the story.

Overall, I would say the series is an enjoyable one. There were definitely elements about it that I didn’t like. For instance, the first book is about a strong female character and then the subsequent books are almost all about male characters and the majority of the female characters are sort of relegated to a background role of have babies.

My rating for A Tapestry of Lions is 3 out of 5 stars. My rating for the Chronicles of the Cheysuli is also 3 out of 5 stars and I would recommend it to people who enjoy older, slower paced fantasy that covers multiple generations and different protagonists.