28 reviews matched your criteria:

Assassin's Quest, by Robin Hobb

Surprising plot twists abound in the emotional rollercoaster that is Assassin's Quest, the final volume in the Farseer series. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The time of the mages is nearly over; only one mage still lives, the elusive Lord Eldrich. There's one man who has first-hand knowledge of the mages -- Erasmus Flattery, a young empiricist who studied in Lord Eldrich's house as a child. Flattery has been trying to avoid his past, but is nevertheless drawn into a web of intrigue and mystery as he joins a diverse cast of characters in a race to discover the secrets of an ancient temple. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The Blue Sword is a vivid fairy tale that immediately draws the reader in and doesn't let go until the tumultuous happy ending. I have just re-read it, probably for the first time since middle school, and I find myself as enchanted by it now as I was then. I don't know if it's been around long enough to be called a classic yet, but it's definitely a classic in waiting. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

A schoolgirl's life is turned upside down when she has to rouse the occult powers that are her birthright to save her brother from a supernatural threat. Intense and subtle, The Changeover is as sleek as a stretching cat. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

I love a man who can speak forsoothly. Edghill's characters are witty, smart, and stay in parlance. The action continues at the same breakneck pace as the second book, and a lot of the romantic conflict reaches fever-pitch and/or resolution. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

The fantasy genre has traditionally been devoted to sagas of ancient royal families, whose members possess an innate nobility that allows them to overcome evil. Princess Lissla Lissar, however, must find the courage to flee the evil within her own family and build a meaningful life for herself. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

A perfect beginning to a great series, Dragon Prince never seems to sit long enough on my shelf to gather much dust. It keeps me coming back with its passionate portrayal of romantic love and hate, political intrigue, unique system of magic, well-drawn characters, and gorgeous descriptions.

Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Building on a solid first book in this series, Stephen King starts to hit his stride with this one. The gunslinger, who is now seriously injured by an encounter with a "lobstrosity," missing fingers from his right hand, and lethally infected, begins his poisoned and feverish way along the beach he has reached toward the dark tower. Along the way he collects a band of interesting companions to accompany him on his quest. Read the full review by Greg Ferrar.

Firelord is probably the most historically accurate of all the King Arthur fantasies I've read, yet it's no less a compelling fantasy for its air of realism. It's a bold, gritty, unforgettable tale. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The heart of The Fledgling is the author’s love of nature, embodied in the main character, Georgie Dorian, a little girl who is taught to fly by a Canada goose. Besides being a well-written coming-of-age story, The Fledgling is also a paean to the transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Fool on the Hill is some of the best fun you can have while lounging in your favorite easy chair, at least with your clothes on. Full of quirky language and good humor, it's a roller-coaster of a story that lurches along merrily from beginning to end, offering laughs and thrills along the way. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The Golden Compass is suspenseful, action-packed, and full of both beauty and horror. It's stunning. It's magnificent. I'm running out of superlatives, so if you're still with me and not running as fast as you can to the bookstore to get your own copy of The Golden Compass, read the review. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The Grey Horse is a sweet, funny story about the romantic travails of an Irish púca, set at the end of the nineteenth century. A perennial favorite of mine, I return to it again and again because I love to spend time in the world that MacAvoy has portrayed and with the characters that she has created. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

This hilariously disturbing novel about gender, childhood, and the banality of home life balances a cruelly realistic look at modern life against a colorful, romantic vision. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Densely written and packed with literary allusions and subtle themes, this book isn't for everyone, but for those who can appreciate it, it's a book to treasure. If I had to pick my all-time favorite book, this would be it. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Both funny and unexpectedly touching, this warm-hearted story about a prince who is half a man is likely to carve itself a small but hallowed place in fantasy literature. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The Beatles sang, "All you need is love." But in this story, a bit of well-placed magic helps, too. An excellently written, touching book. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

I like a heroine who doesn’t pull her punches. Pity the hero, for neither Dexter nor the valiant Kessalia ever let up.On the surface, this is entertaining farce. but under the humor lies pain and loneliness and courage. I loved this book. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Ship of Magic, the first installment of a new series called The Liveship Traders, is set in the same world as Hobb's Farseer books, but in a different country and featuring a new, wider range of characters. It also is more ambitious in scope than the Farseer books and is told from many more points of view. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Every day is new for Latro, and his surroundings are as alien to him as they are to us, thanks to a head injury. Wolfe handles the subject of amnesia more competently than any other author I've read. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Edghill takes us inside the New York neopagan scene, peopled with characters both ordinary and wildly eccentric in a realistically paced mystery with a gritty attention to detail. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Throughout this book, Edghill retains her grasp over her characters and settings. We view her people and places through a tight focus that lends a depth of realism to a story which might otherwise be mistaken for light fantasy. Light this book is not. Read the full review by Rebecca Parkhurst.

Heroes of legend. Mighty thews and mirror-sheened armor and six outriders to carry the baggage. And up rides ... Titch. The third book of the Warhorse of Esdragon series marks a return to the humor of the first, without succumbing to slapstick. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Stephen King continues to outdo himself in this series. From an intriguing but somewhat uninspired start, he has built an epic story worthy of a master. With a gripping plot line and excellent character development, The Waste Lands is the best so far in an excellent series. Read the full review by Greg Ferrar.

It's unfair to pigeonhole this magnificent work as a mere classic of children's literature; few books in mainstream literature have ever matched it in beauty, warmth, and just plain goodness. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

What good is life spent at another's call? Druyan, the lead character of Susan Dexter's The Wind-Witch, is willing to do anything rather than endure this fate again. This book is rooted more deeply than its fellows The Prince of Ill Luck and The True Knight. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Those who believe that great literature is in the past have not read King at his best-- this is a novel to be compared with Wuthering Heights and A Tale of Two Cities.

Read the full review by Greg Ferrar.

Replete with hidden jungle cities, mysterious runic languages, court factions, blood magic, beauty and sensuality, World Without End unfolds at a measured pace and keeps the reader guessing. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.