1999, July, Aspect

Who recommends: Julie, Lori, JW
Who discommends: Lynn, Barbara, Leila

This book was great! Had a super love story, great hea and a set-up for a sequel. It's pure fantasy, the normal quest plot. I'll highly recommend it, a good quick read.--Julie

I gave the "Harp/Maiden/whatsit" new book of hers a try and bombed out after 30 or 40 pages. I may try again, but I felt like I was slogging through. I don't know why the society and the magic system seemed respectable, and there was nothing disgusting about the characters, but. . . it wasn't happening for me.--Lynn

Okay, now that I've read this, I can add my recommendation. I enjoyed it, though it's not, IMO, an outstanding book. The book is standalone, though there's a possible sequel, which I'll probably read.--Lori (30 Jul 99)

I just finished reading this, and you can add my recommendation. I liked it a lot. A strong story of a young woman facing adversity and finding true love. Nothing particularly new in the storyline, but well done, even if the world building for future stories is a bit obvious.--JW (04 Aug 99)

Hmmm, okay, I really speed read this one. Good plotting but the h/h meet way too late in the book for me. Am of two minds about the reader knowing parts of the plot from a second POV - didn't really like knowing what Cariad was doing and where he was going while leaving our h in the dark. (Like the horror movies with wierd music and lightning and knocking on a door and the door creaking open, you want to yell, I'll come get you, just stay outside.)--Barbara (03 Sep 99)

I probably should put some kind of qualification here. I didn't love the book, barely remember it, and have no real desire to go out and read anything else by the author. But reading it wasn't painful. I guess I realized it was a bit odd that I recommended this, and did not recommend Jane Emerson's book, when I enjoyed the latter more. But I think the problem with the latter was that I thought it had a bit too much unfulfilled potential (as if it could have been very good, but missed), so I was more disappointed in it. There are advantages to reading unknown authors at times.--Lori (16 Oct 00)

Attempted Anne Kelleher Bush's THE KNIGHT, THE HARP, AND THE MAIDEN. At the risk of sounding iconoclastic, couldn't develop the smallest spark of interest. Gave it up as yet another medieval-flavored quest and wizard book. Thoroughly bored with the genre.--Leila (08 Jul 01)