Sunlight and Shadow (Once Upon a Time)

Book Description

A new spin on "The Magic Flute" by an acclaimed author!

In a time when the world was young and many things were quite commonplace that are now entirely forgotten, Sarastro, Mage of the Day, wed Pamina, the Queen of the Night. And in this way was the world complete, for light was joined to dark. For all time would they be joined together. Only the ending of the world could tear them apart. In other words, in the days in which my parents married, there was no such thing as divorce....

Thus begins the tale of Mina, a girl-child born on the longest night of the darkest month of the year. When her father looked at her, all he saw was what he feared: By birth, by name, by nature, she belonged to the Dark. So when Mina turned sixteen, her father took her away from shadow and brought her into sunlight.

In retaliation, her mother lured a handsome prince into a deadly agreement: If he frees Mina, he can claim her as his bride.

Now Mina and her prince must endure deadly trials -- of love and fate and family -- before they can truly live happily ever after....

Customer Reviews:

Wow!.......2007-09-02

I have to admit, I was skeptical when I picked up this book. I don't really like romances, and I wondered if I'd be bored. I figured I'd read a chapter and put it down. I was sure wrong about that.

Cameron Dokey's got an amazing way with words and how she weaves them together: It's magical and the story flows together brilliantly. I just couldn't get over how likable she made the characters: ALL of them, not just the "good guys." The "bad guys" are not all bad, nor are they hopeless, and problems are resolved in interesting ways. I couldn't tell you who my favorite character is (though I lean toward Lapin, who is Mina's best friend and defender, player of the bells.) They have depth and their feelings are interesting, not dull or run-of-the-mill, and these characters do not have any yawn-ish conversations, either.

The story is fun and easy to follow, but it's not simple, as in predictible. In order to prove his love, Prince Tern (how cool of a name is that?) agrees to "Boss of the Day" Sarastro's conditions of a very interesting set of trials: And Sarastro's daughter, Mina goes with him. Ever wonder how mourning doves came to be? Clever Cameron Dokey tucks this into the trials that Tern and Mina endure.

I won't give away anything about the ending other than to say it is very satisfying, on more than one level. I will definitely pick up another Once Upon a Time book by Cameron Dokey!

The Magic Flute, made more magical.......2007-08-13

The Magic Flute isn't one of the classic Grimms' fairytales, so I wasn't at all familiar with it and failed to recognise it in the blurb. The story looked intriguing nonetheless: Sarastro, "Mage of the Day", and Pamina, "Queen of the Night", have a daughter who spends her life with her mother until she is 16 - whereupon she must leave to live with her father. The blurb then promises treachery and betrayal when Pamina lures a prince into a deadly agreement to win Mina as his bride.

Cameron Dokey puts a new spin on this story with first-person accounts from different - and very likeable - characters - mainly Mina, but also an orphaned girl who is brought up by Sarastro, Gayna; Lapin, a boy who owns a magical set of bells (not a flute), and Tern, the prince. Through their voices you get a glimpse of how they think and of how fate unfolds.

This is also a story of opposites. Night against day. Mina against Gayna. Mina with Statos and Tern. Gayna with Statos and Lapin. Love against hate and treachery. And of course, good against evil.

While everything seems quite separate at first, all the threads do wind together in the end quite satisfyingly. Everything that Sarastro does is based on trying to outwit a prophecy about Mina. The only problem is that, careful as he is, he may not have all the cards in his hands.

The tone of the book was refreshingly modern even though it is set in "a time that was young and many things were commonplace that are now forgotten". Sarastro and Pamina don't speak to each other, so Mina grows up wondering what her father is like. Sarastro tears her from her mother when she is just shy of 16, breaking the original agreement and causing a great deal of defiance on Mina's part. Gayna is hopelessly in love with Sarastro's guard Statos, but he's not interested in her. It makes absorbing reading.

And in the background there is Lapin, whom I count as my favourite character. He inherits a set of magical bells which can call your true love to you. While he practices listening to the music of his heart, he ends up calling birds instead. Lots of birds.

What Lapin and Pamina do after Mina has been stolen away by Sarastro is ingenious, and entirely within the rules of the game. I felt the blurb was totally misleading when it claimed that Pamina had lured Tern into a set of deadly trials. Sarastro set those trials, and Tern agreed to rescue Mina of his own free will.

Of course everything ends well and all live happily ever after. The story is shorter than I would have liked but it's very easy reading but sticks with you for a long while after. That's the best kind of story to own.

"The Magic Flute" Retold.......2007-07-09

"Sunlight and Shadow" was the first book in the "Once Upon a Time" series that I read. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed it.

The story is a retelling of Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute", but it still manages to be original. The author puts some nice twists on an old story that was interesting and pretty original to begin with. It can be a little confusing because there are several narrators who switch without much notice, but it's not too hard to figure out. The plot has nice pacing, and the book is just the right length.

Best of all, she gives life to characters who were previously flat and stereotypical. The characterizations are nothing really special by themselves (still better than the stereotypes, but they're pretty typical of this kind of book), but it's interesting to get insight in the the characters' thoughts about events.

The writing was well-done. The romance was all right, but it seemed a bit shallow. But it was good for love at first sight, which was what it was in the opera. The author did a good job with it considering her resources. She does include a few themes about life in general, but they were nothing we haven't seen before.

I was not familiar with "The Magic Flute" before reading this, but it was a good way to introduce myself to it. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was still worth my time.

Very mediocre for a Magic Flute fan..........2007-04-11

I was excited about this book because "Magic Flute" is one of my favorite stories. However while I did find myself enjoying it, I am not sure if I really appreciated this particular feminist take on it. Sometimes I think that a feminist take on an old beloved tale is great, however there are other times where it just distorts the story. I think that Nights Daughter by Marion Zimmer Bradley probably has a better attempt at having a feminst take on the story. And for an even better treat, score a copy of the Ingmar Bergman production of Magic Flute through netflix or your local library.

Poorly Done.......2007-03-11

The good side of this book is the writing style. It is moody, and the descriptions are interesting. On the other hand, the characters are shallow and not rememberable. The story is confusing, unbelievable, and jarring. The author attempted to tell the story from five different points of view without clarifying when this switch between people was made. The character's voices are not distinguishable from one another. The author draws you out of the main story line several times to tell you pointless back stories on other characters. Dokey's novel Beauty Sleep has the same flaws. Her best in the Once Upon A Time series is The Storyteller's Daughter and Golden.

Fugitive Prince: The Wars of Light and Shadow (Third Part) (Alliance of Light/Janny Wurts, 1st Bk)

Average customer rating:

A satisfying read...best in series since 'Curse.'
Good read for a middle-of-the-series book
A must read!! If you haven't read it, get it!!
Great Book in a series of great books
darker but still gripping

Fugitive Prince: The Wars of Light and Shadow (Third Part) (Alliance of Light/Janny Wurts, 1st Bk)
Janny Wurts
Manufacturer: HarperPrism
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0061052914

Book Description

Two half brothers, cursed by a Mistwriath to a lifelong enmity, whose gifts of Light and Shadow are set into violent conflict.

Lysaer, Prince of the Light. A dedicated, charismatic leader, sworn to uphold justice and set humanity free from the sorcerer's rule, he will claim divine power to safeguard his people from an enemy he firmly believes will destroy them.

Arithon, Master of Shadow. Brought up a trained mage, given a musical talent that has won him the title of Masterbard, he wishes for nothing but to defuse war and strife, and search out the vanished old races, whose grace holds the key to the world's fragmented peace.

With the appalling destruction of the Vastmark warhost, recoil and grief reshape the balance of power in the Five Kingdoms. Koriani enchantresses join forces with Lysaer in a desperate bid for power, and their intrigues threaten Arithon's hard-won autonomy.

The aging Koriani Prime Matriarch wants the Shadow Master taken captive, no matter what the costor the means. For his life stands as her bargaining chip to break the deadlocked rivalry with the fellowship sorcerers.

Here begins the Alliance of Light. With faction set against faction, heart set against heart, and spells of high mastery engaged to cast down the ancient mysteries, the moves made by hunters and fugitive alike will remake the course of world destiny.

Customer Reviews:

A satisfying read...best in series since 'Curse.'.......2007-05-09

Wow - looking at previous reviews, the newest of which is in 1998 or 1999 I guess this isn't an overly popular series. I have no idea why. I find the characters and the premise to be positively engaging. Can't imagine why more people aren't reading - and reviewing.

Okay - so anyone who has read my previous reviews on all of the preceeding books knows that I have an issue with Lysear and how he is written. Well - he is given more attention in 'Fugitive' and let me just say...he is definatley becoming less and less likeable regardless of the curse or geas that he is under because of the mistwraith. On more than one occasion Lysear is given the opportunity to really *see* beyond the curse and how his actions are affecting the world of Athera. He has the potential to overcome the curse, as Arithon has, and does not take it on at least three different occasions. It would be difficult - but it could be done. Despite or because of this the reader still cannot help but feel for the fair haired prince. In his quest for 'justice' he loses many things - two of which in this book that can't help but pull at your heart. It's all the more sad as you, the reader, know that it didn't have to be so.

My irritation in the previous books that Arithon was always upstaging Lysear in an unfair turn of events and was always written as the martyr and hero was really turned on me in this book. I got what I thought I wanted in that it appeared that Lysear finally had the upper hand. Turns out that is not what I wanted at all. I was on the edge of my seat as the Alliance closed in on Arithon and found myself hoping against hope that he would be able to come up with another clever trick to get himself out of the situation. He could not. Due to assistance from the Korianni, Arithon was all but out of commission and unable to aid in his own escape. Luckily, those around him, the loyal band of followers that have sworn oath to him (including Dakar) were able to pick up the slack. Some secondary and highly likeable characters really come into play to help save their soveriegn. And in an act of desperation, Asandir, one of the fellowship sorcerers open a grimward to help aid in Arithon's flight. It is an amazing journey within a dragon's dream and across time that is definately one of the highlights of this book.

New allies, enemies, betrayals and plots all come in to play in this fourth installment and will have long reaching implications well into the next few books. One particularly startling plot is only hinted at towards the end. It involves the Korianni and will take years to come to fruition. The means and method used is horrifying - as well as the person forced to participate. For this alone you will want to read and see how it all plays out. Exactly what is done is revealed at the beginning of the next book...Grand Conspiracy.

The Fugitive Prince is definately an engaging and enjoyable read.

Good read for a middle-of-the-series book.......1998-11-10

As always, the characterization is excellent. Janny's editors might want to watch word repetition. I had hoped for a more satisfying development of the story, but even so I recommend this series without reservation.

A must read!! If you haven't read it, get it!!.......1998-10-13

Just read it!! Wonderfully created, you can't help but feel sorry for both princes, especially the clans that follow my fav - Arithon, Master of shadow. Your doing great work Janny, keep it up(which is not hard for some one so talented) and you'll still have your many readers here in the 'land of the long white cloud', plus the tongans.

And that creep from new york, as if the person had written a master piece in their miserable little life! How dare they be so negative! About something so far out! Anyway, like great wine, great magic takes time... So anyone waiting long has definitely not been to nz, where it so happens we get everything last!

Great Book in a series of great books.......1998-09-27

First I want to make a point. There are plenty of useless fantasy writers out there, and Ms. Wurts is completely and utterely, and without a shadow of a doubt, NOT one of them. So naturally I am horrified when I see some of the commentaries on this book, where the occaisional Philistine urged people not to read the book, or worse still, urge Ms. Wurts to stop writing. I have read every last one of her books, and, countrary to the general Law of Sequels, they get better as they go on. The Wars of Light and Shadows series is my number #1 series in any type of book (and I read a LOT). I make weakly visits to the local book store to see whether the next in the series has come out. Fourtunately, I found that those who liked the book far outweighed the detractors of it. So I will now enjoy complementing Ms. Wurts on another really first class book. I openely invit any who wish to comment on my comments to e-mail me.

darker but still gripping.......1998-09-26

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series being a follower of Janny's work since her Feist collaborations (thoroughly recommended). This book fully lives up to Janny's development as a writer of compelling, believable characters and far from being a slow read, it carried me on a very consuming journey. Why does this installment feel so unleavened with humour and joy? I found this novel too dark to merit a full five stars - not enough of Elaira's presence, Dakar's growing maturity and a catastrophic event in the weave of characters might be a few of the reasons. I don't know if I can take too much more desperate straits, depletion of Arithon's resources and faint hope in the face of adversity without some moments to lift my sinking heart. I care about these characters and reading this actually put a strain on my emotions. Please, Janny, give some thought to what you are doing to us! Marvellous work, though - I am waiting earnestly for the next installment.

Fugitive Prince (Wars of Light & Shadow)

Average customer rating:

The Noose Is Tightened...
Great setup for later conflicts!
A strong mid-series volume
Otherwise Imaginative, Complex Tale Still Hampered By Prose
Not as captivating as other Wurts novels, still a good read.

Fugitive Prince (Wars of Light & Shadow)
Janny Wurts
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0061054682

Amazon.com

The third cycle in the Wars of Light and Shadow series begins with Fugitive Prince, book 1 of the Alliance of the Light triptych. Lysaer and Arithon are brothers divided by a curse of enmity; one driven by rapacious pride, the other marking a lonely fugitive path. In a style reminiscent of Tolkien or Herbert, Janny Wurts has concocted a world of enchantresses and runes, ciphers and prophecies, conjurers and plotters, in which the forces of good and evil are distilled to their most human levels. Be warned: after a taste of her potion, you may be under her spell for a very long time. This series is Ulyssesean in scope, comprising eight volumes at last count. --Jhana Bach

Book Description

The wars of light and shadow

With the appalling destruction of the Vastmark warhost, recoil and grief reshapes the balance of power in the Five Kingdoms. Two half brothers, cursed by a Mistwraith to a lifelong enmity, are set into violent conflict: Lysaer, Prince of the Light. Arithon, Master of Shadow. And there are those between who will stop at nothing to fulfill secret desires and consolidate their own power. With faction set against faction, heart set against heart, and spells of high mastery engaged to cast down the ancient mysteries, the moves made by hunters and fugitive alike will remake the course of world destiny.

Customer Reviews:

The Noose Is Tightened..........2006-06-16

If you've blindly stumbled onto this book, I would recommend reading the prior books (Curse Of The Mistwraith, Ships Of Merior, Warhost Of Vastmark) to understand and appreciate the depth and scope of the epic that Janny is detailing.

Fugitive Prince revolves around Arithon's quest to escape the blind, fanatical following of his equally cursed half-brother, Lysaer. At first Arithon seeks escape across the sea, and when he returns, seeks to bring captured clanborn out of slavery under Lysaer's rule.

Playing in the background, the leader of the Koriani (a group of herbalist witches, for want of a better description), seeks the demise of Arithon by setting a trap of frightening intricacy and proportion, and working in league with Lysaer.

For those with short attention spans, I would advise staying clear of this series of books. For those with more patience, I would thoroughly recommend it - Janny populates her world with vibrant, well-crafted characters, details complex battle scenes and the intricate nature of spellcraft, while masterfully interweaving separate plot lines into a complex tapestry, leaving the reader wanting more, and always wondering what will happen next.

Great setup for later conflicts!.......2005-07-16

Fugitive Prince begins the third arc in the overall five arc series and develops Lysaer's chilling new strategy for dealing with his half brother as well as the eventual rammifications. Arithon also changes his strategy to one of avoidance and goes sailing to find the lost Paravians, much to the frustration of the Koriani Prime. However, the Prime has her own plans for using Elaira and others to lure Arithon back to shore to further her own plot against the Fellowship.

This arc is longer than the previous two which allows for more character and insidious plot development. Janny does an excellent job of showing us each person's viewpoint, creating truly three dimensional characters that are never all good or all evil. She couples that with her unique descriptive style, which may seem awkward to those new to her writing, but is rich in imagery and perfectly describes each scene. This series is also unique from others i've read in that you gain more knowledge and shift your perception of characters after each new book comes out. Rereading the entire series becomes a treat because of this. I highly recommend reading this book and this entire series even though it isn't finished, because each book wraps up fairly well, instead of leaving readers in a cliffhanging lurch.

A strong mid-series volume.......2005-07-12

This book begins the Alliance of Light portion of the Wars of Light and Shadow. As with the rest of the series, the characters are compelling and well-rounded, without the cookie-cutter villains I've come to expect in fantasy. The plot points introduced in this volume are built upon in later volumes. However, I recommend starting with Curse of the Mistwraith, since that is the first book in the Wars of Light and Shadow, and you miss a lot if you haven't read that first.

Otherwise Imaginative, Complex Tale Still Hampered By Prose.......2000-08-13

There is much to recommend this series: an imaginative world and realm of magic, strong and diverse character development, and a complex, multi-layered tale. This book, along with the "Warhost of Vastmark," are improvements upon the first two books in the series, and under normal circumstances I would be tempted to give it a higher scoring. However, the author's dense and often over-wrought language continues to obstruct both the pace and the accessibility of the narrative, through style further convoluting an already complex tale, and often interrupting and intruding upon the rhythm and evolution of the plot. Action is often halted by digressions into unnecessary and over-stated detail, and when a simple explanation or description would suffice, a heavily laden sentence instead is interjected. Though often the author's use of language can be applauded for its vividness of description or singular expression, she turns this strength into a fault, unable to distinguish when language would best serve the story rather than its own internal and stylistic voice. As many other readers have noted the author's propensity to over-work her prose, I think that it must be admitted even by the series' adherents that the use of language here presents an obvious flaw that distances many readers from the tale it is supposed to serve.

That said, there continues to exist much merit and interest in this epic that will continue to propel the reader along if they are willing to wade through the author's self-conscious and at times unnecessary verbiage. It is readily apparent that the author takes her work seriously and has ample creative power to render a complex and multi-dimensional tale. And when her writing skills are not distracted by studied considerations of style, she is able to imbue her story with all the emotional and imaginative engagement present in the best fantasy has to offer.

Not as captivating as other Wurts novels, still a good read........1999-12-21

By far the best of Janny Wurts' works is this series, however I must admit that at times I found this chapter in the series a trifle boring.

I suppose I am expecting the same very high standard that marks her previous novels. She is by far my favourite author, and this novel simply falls short of her standard - however, it is still a very good book and worth the read - just don't expect too much, like I did ;)

This novel focuses on the growing power of Lysear's Alliance, Koriathian plots and intrigues, and Arithon's efforts to escape their traps and manipulations. The novel does provide a lot of valuable information that will no doubt become instrumental in the following novels.

I have one big complaint though - There was certainly not enough about Elaira. Am I wrong to assume he is the lead female character? When, (Oh when!) are we going to learn more about her, and her experiences. And when will she meet Arithon again?

One thing I must praise Mrs. Wurts about - her excellent and unsurpassable talent for creating deep, vivid and beautifully captivating characters. People that are very hard to forget. I simply cannot wait for the next instalment!

Average customer rating:

shadow castle

Delicious!

Magical classic back in print

Shadow Castle

Finally found it again!!
Shadow Castle: Expanded Edition
Marian Cockrell
Manufacturer: Backinprint.Com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Enchanted Castle (Puffin Classics)

The Velvet Room

The Phoenix and the Carpet (Puffin Classics)

David and the Phoenix

The Little White Horse

ASIN: 0595092969

Book Description

In the middle of a deep forest is an enchanted valley and a castle where only shadows live, shadows of kings and queens who have waited for hundreds of years for the spell cast upon them to be broken.

One day, a girl named Lucy follows a little dog through a tunnel into the valley and meets the mysterious red-haired Michael, who takes her into the shadow world to meet Prince Mika and his mortal wife Gloria, their children and their children's children, and learn the magic that will lift the spell.

This version of Shadow Castle is a new, expanded author's edition with material never published before!

Customer Reviews:

shadow castle.......2007-09-11

i'm thrilled that this book is back in print..my sister and i have fought over our copy for years...our kids have loved it also...they need to write more books like this

Delicious!.......2006-07-08

What a pleasure to see this charming children's chapter book back in print. It was a favorite of mine when I was grade-school age, and an old, taped-up and battered copy still sits on on my bookshelf. In this tale, the lives and adventures of a family of fairies and half-fairies are paraded before the eyes of Lucy, a little human girl who has wandered into the borderlands of their world. A mysterious young man named Michael takes Lucy to a deserted castle where the shadows of past inhabitants can be seen on the walls of a tower room. As Lucy watches the shadows move about, Michael identifies each figure, and recounts their adventures of long, long ago.

The stories of the fairy princes and princesses, and their human and non-human relatives and associates, are told a simple but descriptive prose that young readers should find appealing. For children still a little bit young for the vocabulary of Harry Potter, but too old for Dr. Seuss, this is a perfect read. The illustrations are delightful as well--how I loved the pictures of beautiful Princess Meira and her friend, the dragon Branstookah!

Magical classic back in print.......2006-05-28

This compelling fantasy is back in print after many years, and would make a great gift to any 7-11 year old. It was my mother's favorite growing up, then mine, and I have this expanded edition to my 8 year old niece who says it is better than Harry Potter!

Shadow Castle.......2006-04-08

I was so very happy to find that Amazon has this book....I have looked for years for this book..I had read it has a child and loved it I read it so many times it was worn out..Then for some reason it disappeared...I was quiet upset for the loss of my book
I know Shadow Castle almost Verbatim......This is perhaps one of the best childrens book ever written if not the best...I have bought a copy and shall keep it safe to read to my grandchildren
Thank You for bringing back one of the happy memories of my childhood....Shadow Castle...

Finally found it again!!.......2006-02-01

I read this book when I was about 10 and then it disappeared. Since I couldn't remember the name of the title it took me about 3 weeks of typing in every key word I could think of and had just about given up when I found it again. I think this is one of the best children's books ever with great characters and plot and just seems timeless! I know my niece will enjoy it as much as I did and still do and I'm so glad it's back in print.

Average customer rating:

susan krinard
Paranormal werewolf romance
Good "Were" Story
Just wonderful
boring

Prince of Shadows
Susan Krinard
Manufacturer: Fanfare
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553567772
Release Date: 1996-07-01

Book Description

A rising star in the fantasy romance firmament, Susan Krinard returns to the land of the bestselling Prince of Wolves in this mesmerizing new love story.The legend of the werewolf is reborn in this thrilling tale from the author who "set(s) the standard for fantasy romance" (Affaire de Coeur). Wolf researcher Alexandra tries to help a gorgeous wolf she discovered in the wild, only to discover the unimaginable: that the animal has vanished and a man has taken its place. Following a grisly murder, the weight of suspicion falls heavily on Alexandra's mysterious companion who wields legendary powers--and soon both are scrambling to escape.

Customer Reviews:

susan krinard.......2007-01-10

abit slow in parts, definitely not as good as some of her others

Paranormal werewolf romance.......2004-05-18

Alexandra Warrington, first went to Minnesota as a child, where she struck a friendship with shadow, a young black wolf, during the summer holidays. 17 years later, she returns to Minnesota, as a wolf researcher. There she saves a black wolf, not knowing that he is the same wolf that she met many years ago, when her life was carefree. The next morning, she wakes up and the wolf has disappeared but finds a handsome stranger lying next to her in bed. Alexandra slowly realises that the stranger called Kieran Holt is the one and same black wolf called shadow. For Kieran Holt is no human, he is a werewolf, a shape shifter. Kieran has amnesia and cannot remember his past. Alexandra vows to help Kieran unravel the mystery that is his past. With murders occuring at places where Kieran has been to, Alexandra must help him to find his memory and to clear his name.

This is a fast paced story, which will keep you turning the pages, especailly the chase scene across Minnesota up into the Canadian provinces. Alexandra is not a typical beauty but Kieran sees through her physical scars and helps her to overcome her mental scars. Alexandra fights with all her might from falling in love with Kieran but succumbs after she overcomes her fears. The evil charachter of Joseph Arnoux is a true villain and you'll be jumping up and down rooting for Alexandra and Kieran to beat him. Plus we get to meet again the gorgeous Luke Gévaudan from Prince of Wolves. This is a great read and highly recommended for all paranormal romance readers.

Lealing

Good "Were" Story.......2004-03-11

This is my first novel by Susan Krinard and it will not be my last. I really enjoyed this "were romance." Alexandra Warrington first met "Shadow" her best friend and wolf when she was a young girl. Now years later, she is physically and mentally scarred and returning to her grandparent's home to conduct research on "wolves." At her grandparent's home, Alex finds a hurt wolf and takes him home with her. The next morning Alex discovers her wolf gone, and a man in her bed with no memory of who he is. At first, Alex panics but she soon discovers that this man is in actuality her wolf. Alexandra decides to help him discover what happened to him to make him lose his memory. Also, during this time Alex finds herself growing attracted to him. Still, she has to be careful because a murder has also occurred that has all the markings of a "large wolf." This is a very good story. I connected with the heroine and really enjoyed her. I would recommend.

Just wonderful.......2003-01-30

Really high-quality wriing has a rhythm and tempo all of its own. In this superb book the author gives us two fascinating characters, and a startling introduction to the world of wolves. Alex is determined and brave, Keiran sexy and noble. I loved every word of it. The descriptions of nature and the wolves were incredible. Am looking forward to reading more by this author.
Sorcha MacMurrough

boring.......2002-05-15

Well I was really excited about this book. The cover is wonderful and the back made it sound exciting. It wasn't. It took me days to get through this book. I had to force myself to finish it. I was very disapointed in this story. The characters were glossed over. There was no real passion between the main characters. It wasn't very exciting and the ending just kinda left you hanging. I was hoping it would get better and it just didn't. Hopefully her other books will thrill me.

The Prince of Shadow (Seven Brothers, Book 1)

Average customer rating:

Good story, acceptable writing
So much potental, wasted
An Entertaining Start...
Excellent. Completely engrossing.
I don't get it....

The Prince of Shadow (Seven Brothers, Book 1)
Curt Benjamin
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0756400546
Release Date: 2002-09-03

Book Description

This first novel in the Seven Brothers series draws upon the rich legends, cultures, and traditions of the East to create an epic tale.

Llesho was only seven years old when the Harn invaded Thebin, slaying his father and selling the boy into slavery.

On Pearl Island, he was trained as a diver-until a vision changed his life completely. The spirit of his long-dead teacher revealed the truth about Llesho's royal family-his brothers were alive, but enslaved, living in distant lands.

Now, to free his brothers-and himself-Llesho must become a gladiator.

He must go face to face with sorcerers.

And gods.

And more.

Customer Reviews:

Good story, acceptable writing.......2007-09-17

This is a review and rating of the entire series, not just this volume.

The oriental theme is very refreshing and a great change of pace from the pseudo-medieval-Europe and SF settings found in most fantasy works. The plot is engaging, as well, and does not develop nearly so slowly as some other reviewers would suggest. I've given the book 4 stars on originality, story, and "enjoyablility" alone.

The writing is, with some degree of generosity, average at best. Those who have criticized this series due to lackluster writing are correct in their assessment of that point. I am fairly forgiving in that regard: so long as the writing is neither so poor nor so high-literary as to distract me from my enjoyment of the tale being woven, and the tale is itself intellectually or emotionally engaging, then I am quite content. (Which is not to say that excellent, non-artsy writing does not add substantial enjoyment to that experience.) The particular literary deficits described by the other reviewers of these volumes were not so severe as to put me off this series but one heretofore unmentioned problem came very close: the author occasionally uses modern idioms which are severely anachronistic or culturally inappropriate. One which I particularly remember, though I can't recall the exact context or volume, was a reference to a physically attractive character as being "hot." While those usages were fairly rare, there were at least a couple per volume which absolutely screamed from the page. (And the word they screamed was, of course, "Editor!") If the reason you read fantasy is to enjoy great writing or if you are easily put off by so-so writing, this series is not for you.

Nonetheless, I could not bring myself to rate this series less than three and one-half stars. Given the choice between three and four stars (since half-stars are not available), I thought it worth rounding up rather than down because I did enjoy the cultural novelty of this series quite a lot and do warmly recommend it for that reason.

Namárië! Nai hiruvalyë Valimar!
(Farewell! May it be that thou wilt find Valimar!)

So much potental, wasted.......2006-06-07

This book is really... well... bad, actually. Who on earth was the editor who allowed this to be published? And who approved matching this book jacket with this book?

It started out just fine. The cues that this book is indeed a fantasy novel were a little abrupt and poorly handled, I thought, but easy to forgive. And for the first hundred pages or so, the story proceeds well enough. But around that hundred page mark, things start going badly. Very badly.
From the begining the author resorts to happenstance and unseen forces manuvering around the main character to advance the plot. For a certain amount of time that's great, the reader expects the writer to keep a few secrets -but this author never learned to quit while he was ahead.

Every single solitary major character behaves as if he or she posesses some special secret knowledge about the main chararter, and exists for the sole purpose of serving and educating the hidden prince. One or two of these mysterious, inscrutiable mentor figures is fine. An entire book FULL of them is rediculous!
And after a hundred fifty pages or so we are pounded over the head with tired, overdone cliche's. The child prince is programmed from birth to kill with a knife. The little gladiator becomes violently ill at the thought of actually killing. The main character unexpectedly gains some skill that alienates him from his friends. Harsh treatment early in the book causes such psychological trauma that the main character crys and becomes sick on demand -IN A FANTASY NOVEL! It wasn't even "Asian flavored"; the only thing Asian about the book was the names of SOME of the characters. It was, in all respects, generic, pre-procesed and uninteresting.

Yuck. I gave up. Thank god I was able to return it.

Don't buy this one, folks. Get it at the liberary if you feel compelled to read it. Maybe a young teen might like this book, but I expect he or she will leave the book feeling somehow insulted.

An Entertaining Start..........2006-04-06

Curt Benjamin in The Prince of Shadow starts off the Seven Brothers Series quite well. The writing flowed incredibly easy from page to page and chapter to chapter, allowing me to immerse myself in the Eastern style world for long periods of time. Benjamin's unique style, enjoyable characters, and entertaining conclusion creates an entertaining mixture in a book that I rate highly on my fantasy bookshelf.

As a slave, Llesho dives for pearls day in and day out. He knows nothing different in his world until his mysterious tutor dies and leaves him a message. Lleck, his teacher, tells him to find his brothers and restore his lost Thebin Kingdom. But as the youngest of seven brothers, Llesho doubts his teacher's words. How can he leave if he slaves away in the pearl beds and why him and not one of his other brothers? Llesho decides then that his only way out of slavery will be to fight, to fight as a gladiator. Thus starts the impressive journey of Llesho's restoration of the lost Thebin Kingdom. Along the way he will meet Gods, find unlikely friends, and be chased across the lands by a ruthless sorceror. He has the skill and the talent to complete his quest, but will he have the courage?

The style and entertaining plot made The Prince of Shadow a fun read. Benjamin tells the story only in the eyes of Llesho, so I never knew which people were Llesho's friends and which were enemies. I heartily enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any fantasy lover out there. Enjoy!

Excellent. Completely engrossing........2006-02-03

I mostly read fantasy. Maybe I'm not too choosy, but I would guess I am. I like (among many) David Farland, Eddings, Goodkind, Jennifer Roberson, Robin Hobb, Garth Nix (probably my favorite fantasy author of all time), J.K. Rowlings (yes, I admit it, I do like the Harry Potter books), Simon Brown, Trudi Canavan, and most recently, Curt Benjamin. The world of the Seven Brothers series is exotic (but not so exotic as to exceed comprehension), filled with fresh perspectives on typical fantasy settings/characters/etc, and so much more. It is a very rich reading experience. Personally, I loved it. As if you couldn't tell. I'm thinking about driving down to the bookstore before dinner to pick up the next one. It is easily one of the kind of riveting books that I hate putting down and slays the rest of my life because I just want to read it all the time. An outstanding, thoroughly entertaining read. Enjoy!

I don't get it...........2005-12-14

I can't connect with this author's style. It's like he has confused points of view. He's taken 3rd person omniscient and bled some of that omniscientism into the supporting cast of the protagonist (but leaving the protagonist unscathed by this external blessing of knowledge). What this means is that there is alot of internal dialogue by the protagonist with mysterious unsolocited answers by characters in the book that are taken for granted. Because they all (ok not all... a large portion) share this "line-of-reasoning" with the protagonist, it is hard to define the edges, boundaries, and distances between the different characters. It's still good enough to want to know how it ends, but the experience is not as fun as it should be.

Average customer rating:

Practical Jokes Gone Awry
Wow... You got to read this book!!!
My favorite book to read aloud
The Shadow Club
When Revenge Goes a Little Too Far...

The Shadow Club
Neal Shusterman
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142300942

Book Description

The Shadow Club starts simply enough: the kids who are tired of being second-best get together and, for the first time, talk about how they feel. But soon the members decide to play practical jokes on the first-place winners they envy, and things begin to spin dangerously out of control.

"This is a provocative novel . . . The plot is ingeniously simple and the course of events compelling. Brisk enough to snag a popular audience, but forceful in impact, it will leave readers thinking." (Booklist, starred review)

Customer Reviews:

Practical Jokes Gone Awry.......2007-07-01

Jared, a ninth-grader, is so sick of always being the second-best runner on his team. No matter how hard he pushes himself, he is always beaten by Austin. To make things worse, Austin loves to rub it in when he beats Jared.

Jared's best friend Cheryl knows how he feels. Her cousin Rebecca, who is a year younger than her, is a better singer than Cheryl and she seems to be constantly rubbing Cheryl's face in that fact. Jared and Cheryl are both fed up.

When they feel they can't take it anymore, Jared and Cheryl decide to start a secret club to vent their feelings--The Shadow Club. They invite Cheryl's little brother Randall, who is the number two swimmer on his team. They invite the second best trumpeter, the second prettiest girl in the class, the second best basketball player, and the second best student to join.

All of the members of the club get together and at first aren't sure what to do besides say bad things about those who are beating them all of the time. Then they decide that more needs to be done. Jared comes up with the idea of playing practical jokes on those students they detest. He thinks if no one knows about the club and no one plays a joke on his or her own enemy, all of the club members will escape being suspected of playing the jokes. So it starts.

Green slime shows up in a trumpet before a big solo. The best student's pet tarantula is put in the hood of the best runner's sweatshirt. The best swimmer has his toenails painted bright red while he's asleep.

The members of the Shadow Club are thrilled with their accomplishments. But then things start getting out of control. Jokes are being played that no one seems to know about, and they are getting meaner and more destructive by the day. Could someone be trying to frame the members of the club?

I thought this book captured the attitude of many junior high school students--it highlighted the feelings of competition and the petty nastiness that occurs in students of this age. I thought Jared should have been able to see when things were getting out of control, though, and should have been able to stop the club before anything bad happened.

Wow... You got to read this book!!!.......2007-05-25

The Shadow Club
By: Neal Shusterman

Review done by: A Mid-Prairie Teen Student

You would have no idea what you would be expecting if you got a book titled The Shadow Club, I sure didn't. The Shadow Club is a great book having middle school to high schooled aged students making mistakes and seeing the consequences in the end.
Jared, a middle school aged kid, is the main kid in this story. He is the second best runner in his school and hates being second best. He absolutely hates Eric, the best runner in school, and would do absolutely anything he could to be better than Eric. This is where the trouble started.
Jared's friend Cheryl, the second best singer, wanted to start a club called the Shadow Club. This means for people to come to this club if they're second best in something. Like second best singer, second smartest person in school, and even second prettiest girl in school. All these second best kids formed this club and got themselves into trouble without even knowing it.
This is quite a story and it is written by Neal Shusterman a fantastic author. He is an American author of books for young readers, and also a screenwriter. He has won and award called the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for The Schwa Was Here, and he was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He now lives in Orange County, California with his four children. So as you have seen he has a busy life but he has certainly used some of his time to write great books.
This is an amazing book but I'm not going to tell you what happened in the end. Once you read it, it will shock you incredibly as you will see. I will tell you though that it teaches great things like making friends, the trouble you can get yourself into with just starting little things, and how much hate can really hurt someone else's life.
I dare you to read this book even if you think you're the best person in your school. Just go and read this book so that you can see the secrets some second best people may be thinking right now.

My favorite book to read aloud.......2006-07-29

I have been reading the Shadow Club to my 7th graders for more than 10 years. The humor, especially in the character of Ralphy Sherman, keeps the class listening. The suspense builds to the point that I have students begging me not to stop reading. Many students tried to buy the book because they just couldn't wait for me to finish reading. I was happy for a few years that it was out of print, so they couldn't find it to read ahead of me.
There are many lessons that apply directly to children of middle school age, and my favorite is looking at how the students laughed at Tyson McGaw at the beginning, but feel for him at the end of the book. Hopefully they will look closer at individuals and not make fun of them because they are different.
I have never had a student who didn't like this book and it is the only one that I have read that when I finish, the students applaud.

The Shadow Club.......2006-07-19

There are the winners, the people who are first all the time, never losing. Then there are the second bests, almost coming in first. That is what the book 'The Shadow Club' is all about, beating the best.

Jared Mercer is the second best runner, second best to Austin Pace. This Austin teases him everyday, until one day, it's too much. That was the start of the Shadow Club.

Jared and Cheryl, best friends, decide on five other people to be in their club. Randall is the second best swimmer, Jason, the second best trumpet player, Abbie, second most popular girl, Karin "O.P." Han, second smartest, and Darren, the second best basketball player. They play small, seemingly harmless pranks - painting the swimmer's toenails, giving out pages of the most popular girl's diary - but then someone listens in on a meeting, Tyson McGaw. Tyson is a foster child with no friends. Then when someone starts to frame hime, things go spiralling out of control Tyson is all to blame. But are things really how they seem?

Shusterman is a great writer. You can really relate to the book which has a ton of detail. It keeps you on the edge and so does the following book, 'The Shadow Club Rising'.

~AD

When Revenge Goes a Little Too Far..........2006-02-24

Meet the second-bests: a group of kids who, although they have one thing they're best at, still get beat daily by the "unbeatables." Although these kids are good kids, well-behaved, smart, athletic, interesting, their lives are being ruined by those who always seem to be one step ahead, stealing the limelight and rubbing it in until you just wish they'd never been born.

Thus is the basis for THE SHADOW CLUB, a secret group of seven kids who decided to get back at those who make their lives miserable by playing harmless pranks on them--pranks that will embarass them before their admirers, and give the second-besters their just due.

Except revenge, as revenge always seems to do, comes back to bite you in the butt. Pranks start getting out of control, even though they're not being comitted by the Shadow Club members. Someone's out to sabotage their club, and one of the "unbeatables" could wind up getting seriously hurt--even killed. As the Club seeks to get the biggest loser in school, Tyson McGaw, to confess to the pranks, the Shadow Club comes to realize that they might not be the all-around good kids that they thought they were.

What started out as fun is turning into something darker, and no one seems to know how to make it stop.

THE SHADOW CLUB is a great read by Neal Shusterman. Dealing with human nature, the fact that kids can traumatize each other more than anyone else can, and the fact that we all have anger inside of us is forefront in the story. A great read!

The Shadows of Boxing: Prince Naseem Hamed and Those He Left Behind

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The Shadows of Boxing: Prince Naseem Hamed and Those He Left Behind
Geoffrey Beattie
Manufacturer: Orion Books Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0752849794

Book Description

Prince Naseem is the one of most charismatic boxers the sport has ever seen. From his early days at Brendan Ingle's gym in Wincobank, Sheffield, he fought his way to his first world title in 1995, and is now a household name. The Shadows of Boxing visits Prince Naseem's roots, chronicles the contrasting fortunes of the hard men of Ingle's gym, and looks at how the Hamed family have coped with the incredible pressures of fame. It also features the first major interview with Naz since his defeat at the hands of Marco Antonio Barrera.

A Prince Among Them (Shadow of Liberty Series #3)

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A Prince Among Them (Shadow of Liberty Series #3)
Al & Joanna Lacy
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 078627364X

Book Description

Book 3 in The Shadow of Liberty Series

CBA Bestselling Authors

England, 1897. Reigning with grace, strength and austerity, Victoria is a queen both deeply loved and secretly despised. Nursing his grandfather's grudge over a slight by Her Majesty years before, Nigel Whitaker schemes to transport the monarch's beloved two-year-old great-grandson, Prince David, to the New World. When childless emigrants Jeremy and Cecilia Barlow become deeply attached to the adorable child, his royal future seems very uncertain.

Customer Reviews:

Prince of Persia.......1999-12-27

Prince of Persia : The Official Strategy Guide/for Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia 2

n/a.......1999-02-25

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