To be clear, Elske is the fourth book in Cynthia Voigt's loosely tied together series called The Kingdom. The other three (Jackaroo, Wings of a Falcon and On Fortune's Wheel) are all set in the Kingdom that Beriel hails from, while Elske is set in Trastad, a small country to the north of The Kingdom. You don't need prior knowledge of the other books, except perhaps to understand the truth behind the 'legends' that Beriel mentions. The legend of Jackaroo for instance is covered in depth in the book of the same name, while some of Beriel's ancestors are covered in On Fortune's Wheel.

This can be a little dark at times with some of the subject matter. Elske's people, the Volkaric (Wolfers) are a barbaric, primitive people who live to eat, plunder and worship their leader the Volkking. The only place a woman has is to satisfy their needs--whatever they happen to be. Her grandmother however was from the South and was resigned to her fate, Elske was her joy and treasure. When she was chosen as the Death Maiden, to be a sacrifice for the Volkking's Death, something snapped. Idle no longer she schemed to save Elske and in doing so get the revenge she should have sought years ago.

And thus does our story start. Mirkele (Elske's grandmother) is preparing Elske to run away, and Elske (barely thirteen years old) stoically faces her newfound freedom. By chance she happens upon Tavyan and his sons as they traveled home and by chance she became Beriel's handmaiden. Two exiled souls in a city that alternately reviled them and tormented them. Beriel's story is also a sad, dark tale we don't learn for many chapters, but suffice to say they both needed each other greatly.

I love this book, I have ever since reading it in college that idle tuesday afternoon. It's a very different fantasy from what I was used to at the time (there's no magic or monsters), but captivated me with its thoughtful plotting and pace. At its core Elske is about two girls who were cut off from everyone and everything they understood, who band together to grant their hearts' desires. This isn't a fast book or flashy book, its not horrifically violent or filled with drama. Like many of Voigt's other books its a character study.

The book itself covers roughly three years altogether (with an epilogue discussing the after effects), charting the progress of Elske as she learns to adapt to her new life and Beriel as she plots to take back her throne. Beriel isn't an easy person to get along with--she's short tempered, vindictive and can be very cruel. A lot of her ire turns on Elske herself--you always hurt the one you love most right?--but Elske is the perfect target almost. Raised by people far more cruel and heartless then Beriel, she stoically takes what Beriel lashes out at her and then carefully helps her pick up the pieces.

This is dramatic storytelling at its best in my opinion--proving that sometimes the one with the quietest voice is the one with the most to say. ( )

Somewhat reminiscent of Lloyd Alexander's Westmark, and also of Diana Wynne Jones' Dalemark books.

Good story -- quite a fun read, even if not particularly fast-paced. I love Elske's defiant, straightforward answers -- the fearlessness in her. But Beriel's imperious ways do not endear her to me. The brutality of the wolfers is pretty graphically upsetting, but I appreciate the consistent commentary on the lack of women's rights in this world. ( )

The last book in the series. And like the last one - this starts completely differently. This book begins with Elske, a child of the Wolfers. She has been raised by her grandmother, a woman stolen by the Wolfers, and freed by the sacrifice of her grandmother to the big unknown world.

Elske has a worldview that matches no one. She is without most of the angst and neurosis of main characters. Instead, she simply lives her life as it unfolds - without guile and remorse. And because of that she finds herself in unexpected situations.

As she wanders from her grandma she is taken in by a father and two sons as they make their way to the large northern city of Tradstad. They find her a place as a maid and she eventually becomes the maidservant for a headstrong out-of-control princess from a far away land. And her life changes again.

Elske is caught up in the politically intrigue of the Kingdom - and her unique past become very important.

I liked this book. Elske is an interesting main character. Her attitude and her presence change those around her without her even knowing. In the world of YA main characters - that is something unusual! ( )

Elske is really several stories sewn together into one book. There is the story of Elske's escape from the Wolfers, a primitive patriarchal warrior society, and her arrival and assimilation into the city state of Trastad (think Amsterdam). There after a series of adventures she ends of in the hands of Var Jarrol, the eyes and ears of the governing council. But then she goes into service with the renegade Beriel, who believes that her family has stolen her throne away from her and given it to her younger brother. She has other secrets as well, and as Elske helps her, she gains her trust and the two set off to win back Beriel's kingdom (called, literally "The Kingdom"). Now onto story three, in which Beriel and Elske arrive back home to discover that the Wolfers have been staging raids into the northern lands and set the Kingdom in a panic. The two split up, with Beriel off to face her brother and Elske the Wolfers. In the process, she finally picks up a man worthy of her, and together the hatch a plan to drive out the Wolfers once and for all. The ending, however is a bit anti-climactic.

Elske is one of those books that I should probably have stopped rereading years ago, because ever time I read it, there are parts I like less and less. Beriel's characterization is probably the worst bit. I never understand what she does to inspire Elske's confidence in her, especially after the bit about going behind Elske's back after Elske keeps a promise that she made to her and refuses to break it. She would have been better off sticking with Var Jarrol, which would have been a very different, probably more adult book, but probably also a better one. And it couldn't have been a part of "The Kingdom" series, since the only thing the books have in common is that they take place in The Kingdom. Teens will love this one, adults will see the plot holes all too clearly. ( )