Love, love, loved it! Even better than the first book! Mel 🖤🐺🐾

This series is a bit "dark" for me, though well written. Kate Elliott holds nothing back from her abusive priest whom one comes to love to loath, hate and despise. Pray he gets hung from a very tall tree by his gonads at some point in this series. He cannot leave our young heroine alone. Abusive is a kind word.The series is set in an Alternat Europe with all that was medieval. Included is a nasty race of creatures, sorcery and of course the machinations of the royal court.Onto book three. Whethe...

As opposed to the first book, there's about 75 pages in here that are interesting. There are plot lines that I'm really interested in and would like to see continue, but is it worth having to slog through 600 pages of religious dogma? Hmmmm..... no. I gave up on the series after this.

That was quite enjoyable. Things are starting to come together somewhat. People are deciding who to trust and not simply taking everyone at their word. Which is refreshing. Alain is still crying a lot、but I find it endearing so it is okay. I especially enjoy learning more about the Eika culture、so I hope that Fifth-son goes back to unite all of them. That would be fun and exciting. Liath needs to learn to stand on her own and trust people. I am glad that she is talking to Alain and Sanglant.

More just delicious fantasy book-cake.CONTENT WARNING: (view spoiler)[ rape, psychological abuse, torture, dog attacks, harm to animals (hide spoiler)]Things to love:-Epicness. If you like epic fantasy, this is probably for you. Battles, great magics, ancient beings, prophecies, unrequited love, loyal animals. It's got everything!-Not your average middle book. So much happens! Definitely not a case of the second in series syndrome.-Alan. I think he really became one of my favorite characters he...

My impression of Kate Elliott is that she is a masterful, terribly hard-working writer. She writes mature and original fantasy that will not suit impatient readers. I have not read much of her work to date, randomly introducing myself to her a few years ago with her Crossroads trilogy (Spirit Gate and sequels). She appears to do a ton of ground work to establish the culture and setting for her books, and writes in a slow build. She does a ton of revisions and polishing. There is very little fluf...

I do not know why I find this series about bloody war, sorcerers, dragon-vikings, and the fae so soothing, but I do. Maybe because it is stuffed right to the brim with classic medieval references and texts that are just slightly, delightfully different? Heleniad instead of the Odyssey, church council deciding against jesus's divinity instead of for, women being considered natural scholars? This is like a fantastic pan of brownies for me and I never want it to end. Also I guess the fact that I tr...

”We must all learn the measure of our strength. Otherwise we exhaust ourselves striving for that which we can never gain.” “Crown of Stars” is a series written with great sensitivity and an ability to surprise the reader. Unconventional ideas draw you in with an irresistible strength. Book after book. Just to remind you: Action takes place in a world similar to medieval Europe from the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries. The royal court of Wendar, the state in which most of the action takes pla...

3.75 starsTwo books in and I think it's safe to say that this is not a fast paced series. It moves with a leisurely yet sure-footed pace. In the story of the hare versus the tortoise, this series book is the tortoise but, just as in that fable, slow and steady wins the race. Once again, the story follows the paths of Alain and Liath. Alain is adjusting to his new, elevated status while Liath finds herself facing an old threat. In addition to those two, there are also some additional POV characte...

This book was a good second installment in this epic fantasy series. It continued the main characters stories in interesting ways and brought in some new characters that were intriguing, particularly Fifth Brother and Antonia, and I liked the conclusion. It did however suffer from the boggy middle that plagues most epic fantasy novels. I was also not excited by the reappearance of Hugh and his constant attempts to rape Liath. I think Liath is an interesting character whose story is much better s...

This is definitely a slow-moving series. I knew it from the first book, but I didn't feel it as much then. Maybe I should have taken a break before starting book two, because I found myself a bit impatient at the slowness this time around. I felt like events had built to a point in the last book that I was anxious for more to happen, only to have it spread out more and begin to build all over again. So, the pace is slow. Not much actually happens in this installment. It is a second book, and it

Not a lot to say about this one, simply because it's book 2 of a 7-volume fantasy epic, so it'd be like reviewing the second 15 minutes of a film. I'll just say that I enjoyed it as Alain and Liath started to come into their own (not without, of course, complications) and we were introduced to additional POV characters who will have their own roles to play and/or who helped provide additional context for the larger events that are taking place; and as soon as I finished book 2, I was opening boo...

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.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 descr...

My investment in these characters continues to grow. On to Book 3.

I continue to enjoy this series; my forays into epic fantasy are infrequent these days, but I am glad I finally took the chance on this series despite mediocre reviews. Again, I intend to write a fuller review after reading the whole series.So, this is a fun book; like the first, it features a grounded medieval world peopled by a large cast of believable characters. Elliott takes an unexpected turn in this book – after reading a lot of epic fantasy, I generally expect that I know where the plots...

Since Elliott introduces about half a dozen new subplots and at least ten new characters, Prince of Dogs is a fair bit more complicated than its predecessor King's Dragon, and as a result feels like a massive undertaking even though the book itself is only slightly more than 600 pages (long, yes, but not massive). The new plot threads blended well with those set forth in the first book (and will probably become more important later in the series), but they did slow down the pace of the story, an...

The problem with re-reading a series that you read quite a while ago is you have a vague idea where the story is going and what is going to happen, but you forget most of the details.Actually, that might be a good thing. I got to enjoy most of this series twice that way. :)This book is no different. If you aren't pulling for the heroes and cursing the villains by now, stop reading. You don't deserve this series.Seriously, Kate Elliot has created some of the most believable characters I've read.

I put this one down for a while, debating whether to get involved in another long series, even though completed. I'm glad I did pick it up. This volume continues immediately after volume one. Here we have the Prince a prisoner, tortured, and due to his mother's gifts, cannot be killed. Treated awfully and degraded.Meanwhile, the King's progress continues towards the occupied city.All of our characters stories are advanced throughout. Great world building and storyline.Look forward to the next vo...

*** 5 ***This series! It is only the second book and it is not a fast paced plot, but it already has me in its clutches. The Fantasy World it takes place in is based on early medieval Europe while the pagan traditions and the different branches of Christianity intersect and each is finding its own shape and place in the hearts and minds of the populous. During that same time the political power was very intertwined with the prevalent religious orders and this book is the Fantasy mirror of all of...

Slow to start but I enjoyed the characterization and conclusion. Not a ton happened and I will be continuing with the series.