Elizabeth Boyer (1)Critiques

This is the third book in the Skyla series. I have not read the first two books in the series but the books are only loosely related. I read the first 120 pages and just couldn’t get into it. This wasn’t an awful book, it was just slow moving and boring. There wasn’t a lot going on here that I was interested in; the writing style felt very stilted and dated to me.

The story is about a 19 year old girl who is sent to live with her five grandmothers. The grandmothers are obsessed with their cats that they say aren’t cats at all but are magical creatures from another realm.

I really struggled to stay engaged with this story and decided to set it aside. The world wasn’t explained that well and none of the characters were that interesting to me. It looked like an interesting mystery might be developing around the grave barrows near where Jetta is sent to live; however it was just so slow moving that it never really grabbed my attention.

The book does have a very classic mid-90’s fantasy feel to it. So if you are feeling nostalgic for an older, slower moving fantasy you might enjoy this one. As I said, it wasn’t awful it just wasn’t all that great either. If I had nothing else to read I would have probably finished it.

Overall an okay fantasy book but a bit too slow moving and boring for me. Has a very classic fantasy feel to it. I wish the world had been better developed, the characters more interesting, and the story more fast-paced an engaging. I don’t plan on reading anymore by Boyer.

Of all of Elizabeth Boyer's books, this has been and always will be my favorite of them all. When I was an impressionable teenager, I stole a copy from my father's book stash and read it so much that it fell apart.

There was and always will be something alluring to a young thief on the run who, forced into a chance, finds himself rising to become a better man. Or elf as it were.

When it comes to Boyer's books, there's always something a little formulaic about them: wizards all act the same, the heroes all have the same brazen stance, and yet the blend and the fact that the stories don't always *follow* the same old story formula makes the rest more than alright. I've always felt her books stood a little apart from the rest and don't get the recognition they deserve. This book is definitely at the top of them.

While it took most of the book to stop being annoyed with the main character (basically until about 18 pages left), the book was otherwise quite good. The only other problem was that, occasionally, the author will be very obvious. For example, you're read the whole book, and she'll say, "Mikkla is very stubborn". Like you would have forgotten that or wouldn't have picked it up every time he's stubborn. Fortunately, it doesn't happen very often.

Spoilers: a young man travels to the "Alfar" realm where he tries to open a box with "something" in it of great importance and everyone he meets seems to want to get it. The surprises in the book (ie the box contains a magical gauntlet and Sigurd's father is Halfdane) are very good. And the not-so surprises (Jotull and the other Warlord being the worst) are not so obvious that you're annoyed. As I noted above, some rough, meandering, editor-fail writing, but I still mostly enjoyed it. Probably will not read again because Sigurd (the main) is almost insufferably stupid, stubborn, and arrogant throughout. Probably some good stuff about Norse mythology here and all the norse names, places, and customs are cool. A very original book.

Pretty sure I've read this :!

This is an old fantasy book that belonged to my dad. Ivarr is tired of being stuck at home, so when he gets the chance to work for a witch, he takes it. He finds that he really enjoys the work, until a powerful necromancer kills his teacher. Ivarr is stuck in the Other World, but he's not leaving until he gets revenge. Then he meets up with a group of elves who need his help. It seems the same necromancer, named Lorimer, has gotten them into trouble too.

Wicked trolls, a disembodied head, an enchanted maze, and a fire-breathing dragon -- this book has it all. It was good fun. I understand that she wrote more, but they might be hard to find. Recommended, and thanks to Dad. 3.5 stars½

The Troll's Grindstone is the 5th in the 'World of Alfar' novels; the other side of the human country of Skarpsey, a world where Ljosalfar battle Dokkalfar (light and dark elves).

Leifr, the hero, is taken from the land of Skarpsey to the Alfar realm to impersonate one of the Alfar, break an alog that keeps all metal edges within its influence dull, and defeat the Dokkalfar wizard who cast the curse.

A lot of the action takes place after nightfall, or in swamps, or underground (as a consequence of attempting to reverse the Dokkalfar curse), and I felt the author conveyed the gloomy atmosphere well. Though I found some of the phrasing a bit old-fashioned, the action flows along nicely as our hero gathers his friends in a race against the dark wizard to clear a powerful pentacle (5 significant landmarks) of his malign influence, in spite of being handicapped by not knowing everything about the Alfar he is impersonating.½

Leifr, a scripling from Alfar, and his friends rescue the wizard Thurid from the Fire Wizards' Guild and protect themselves from the evil wizard Sorkvir.

Easy to read, nothing really memorable or earth-shattering.½

WORLD OF ALFAR