I plan to write a fuller review after reading more of the series, but really enjoyed this. As a kid I read the first couple of books in this series, and now I suspect the reason I didn’t finish is that Elliott’s adult novels are geared toward adult tastes and interests, more so than most popular fantasy, which tends to be heavy on the adolescent wish-fulfillment, action/adventure and romance. Not to say that there aren’t elements of that here, but this probably isn’t the fantasy to buy for your

Kate Elliott's "Crown of Stars" series -- 5,200 pages or so, through seven volumes -- sure is a monster, but it's worth the undertaking. Really, I'd call this one of the most underrated fantasy series ever. Don't be deceived by the generally weak cover art for all these volumes. Elliott's writing, too, is more than it seems at first glance. She writes very, very well. It's sneaks-up-on-you prose, but after you read quite a bit you realize she's very talented.I won't even begin to try to provide

I read this series in its entirety in 2020 and want to add a post-series impression. It boils down to the question: should you read this series? As much as I adore Kate Elliott's books, it's tough to recommend. She is a high-quality, hard-working, dedicated author, and this series was extremely well-researched regarding medieval life, with intriguing sources of inspiration, and unique interpretations of classic fantasy elements. This quality comes through in the books, but I am hard pressed to i...

I'm loving this!! The second one is even better so far! Mel 🖤🐾🐺💕🦄

The Crown of Stars series is well-thought out and obviously well-planned. It's epic in scope and it's got a lot of texture. There are many complex characters who we follow in parallel, as in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Some of them are very likable, and there are some really excellent villains (e.g., Hugh). Ms. Elliott's creatures are imaginative and enjoyable, and I especially liked the way they interact with the humans. Ms. Elliott uses a lot of description and therefore her plot moves very...

I'm usually much too lazy to give reviews, but I felt obliged to write one for this series because I believe Elliott's writing is somewhat under-appreciated. Among the plethora of epic fantasy series that came out over the last 30 years, the Crown of Stars is relatively unknown, so I wanted to make it easier for people to decide whether to start on this 7-book series or not with no spoilers attached. Language style: I guess it's comparable to George RR Martin's ASOIAF, not as intricate as that o...

No spoilers here. After reading this first book of a seven book series, I must say that I wonder why it doesn't come up on more lists of finished fantasy series, perhaps for the lack of readers. Thinking it may be the covers, which do not work at all compared to the story itself. This story takes place in a medieval setting where magic looms about, and has a gritty feeling to it. The book is written in two points of view, and later on third point of view is inserted. You do have the typical youn...

I picked this book up for a book club in July and I'm glad I did. It's a bit of a chonkster, weighing in at a hefty 636 pages for this first volume in a (completed!!) seven book series. Despite the high page count, I thought the book read pretty quickly despite being a bit slow in developing the plot.Our story unfolds through the eyes of two main characters, both adolescents and roughly the same age (around 16). Until I reviewed my notes for this review though, I thought Alain (the boy) was youn...

FINALLY! A new-to-me epic fantasy to get lost in. I devoured this book, even though it contains lots of things I don't like, just because the world, the magic, mystery and characters are all that good.CONTENT WARNING: (view spoiler)[ slavery with attendant issues of violence and rape, harm to animals, violent ableism, religion, alcoholism, loss of a parent, lots of gore, war scenes (hide spoiler)]Things to love:-Dual POV. It took basically the entire book to sort of kind of figure out why we we...

Finished this in a day! The whole series of The Crown of Starts was a gift from my boyfriend, and I was eager to start in on this. There is so much going on already in this book. It seems a typical fantasy at first, lost elvish nations, scary lizard-ish bad guys, a brother and sister fighting for the thrown, and a couple of kids caught up in the middle. Mostly, I'm intrigued by the religion Elliot creates in it. Clearly, there is a lot of traditional, Medieval basis in it. Fathers and "biscops"

“Be bound, as I am, by the fate others have determined for you. That way you’ll remain safe.” A book that combines Guy Gavriel Kay’s writing finesse with Jacqueline Carey’s opulent world building. And I bet you have not heard about it before. Your bad.OK. Maybe you are not a seasoned fantasy reader and the names I mentioned do not ring a bell. Additionally, you are quite partial to dragons (welcome, welcome, here is your complimentary Who Cares About Dragons Society membership card) and the hide...

I'm giving up @ 64%. I'm trying to find something to like but it's so boring. I think the only reason i held on this long is because i own three of the other books in the series. Too many characters and lordly titles and way too much silly sounding religious BS! Not for me.

Swank 90s woman-authored fantasy on sale for $2.99????HELL YESAlso I found books #2 and #3 at the clearance section of my local used bookstore, so a bitch is gonna READ

I really loved this book. It was one of those rare ones that I took my time to savor without thinking about what I was going to be reading next. As with many books that I've loved, it's hard to explain why. I really just love Kate Elliott's writing. Her world is so vivid and real, with a deep sense of history and of hidden things that will be revealed. At the same time, she also makes me care about and fear for the characters so effortlessly, and because of the characters, the world feels very i...

This book was a pleasant surprise. I had never heard of this series before and have never read anything by this author. If not for the mention of it on my updates feed by GR friend Mayim (see review), I likely would’ve remained unaware of this little gem. Told in third person, it mostly follows the experiences of two main protagonists, Alain and Liath. Both are sixteen at the start of the book but if you’re worried that this is another YA book, don’t be. Take it from someone who mostly avoids th...

*Trigger warning for: Rape, Abuse, Violence, War*This is the start of a promising Fantasy series in the classic style of LotR or WoT but the nice difference here is that this is firmly rooted in medieval society and Elliott has clearly spent time researching and fleshing out the world. The other thing I liked about this is that this society is very much gender-balanced. Just as many women are in positions of power as men and it's a nice thing to see the eve split across the book.We're following

“It is bright in the wilderness now, warm and inviting, in those trackless lands where she has thrown away the key. Only she can walk safely there.But it is never safe.”Spoilers follow, as well as a discussion of sexual violence and abuse.So What’s It About?The kingdom of Wendar is in turmoil. King Henry’s reign is contested by his conniving sister Sabella, and she begins to gather allies to her banner- some willing and others ensorcelled through her dark arts. Meanwhile, the monstrous Eika raid...

For what started out as a fairly standard entrence into an epic fantasy series, I was quickly surprised. Elliott spends a lot of time world building and the result is impressive. This book is thick with history, politics and religion which has been a negative to several reviewers I have read online. In my opinion, I enjoyed reading the history, politics and the religion because it made the world so much more vivid and set the foundation for an incredibly complex, realistic series. It really help...

I had a really, really hard time getting into this book. I probably would have neither started nor finished it if it weren't a book of the month for a reading group I belong to. I just hate getting into multi-volume (7) epic fantasies. This one took about 200 pages (out of 600+) to get interesting. I was never able to pinpoint quite why it was so hard to get into. For the record, I'm going to list some positives and negatives of this book.On the positive side:1. There aren't too many central cha...