I really enjoyed this. It started out really well but then toward the middle it slowed way down. I still enjoyed it. I'm guessing the second half of this was background set up for the next one. ( )

I'm not a big fan of fantasy, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Robert Fanney. He has created a vivid, believable world of elves and monsters with a delightful female protagonist.

Luthiel is a gentle, compassionate and loyal character who has some amazing talents but also struggles with her inner turmoils and I think teenage girls, especially, will relate to her. She is supported by other great characters including Othalas, the werewolf, Melkion, the little dragon, and Mithorden, the scorcerer.

The book starts fairly slowly and I was constantly referring to the glossary as characters are introduced and the plot developed, but I soon found myself engrossed in the story. There is the classic good verses evil theme throughout, but there are times when the two become blurred and the question is posed, can evil ever be excused?

This book will delight fantasy lovers and I'm really looking forward to reading the next story in the series. Thanks, Rob. ( )

I was a little apprehensive at first--I don't always enjoy when there is a glossary or any type of appendix in a book. However, I've been wanting to read this one for a while--I got the Boston Public Library to purchase it. (Yay!)I started into it with high hopes and...

I was on page 300-something, finished the book, and now I have to get the sequel to see what happens! The story is interesting, fast-paced, and pretty inventive.

I'm not the biggest fan of epic fantasy books because of how many made-up words there are but it wasn't terribly hard to keep up with this one and, like I said, it was a ridiculously quick read. ( )

Luthiel's song is a lovely fantasy novel with an epic quest. The Lord of the Rings inspiration is obvious but by no means a rip-off. She does meet a wise Sorcerer and there are times when the action stops for the obligatory meals so no character goes hungry.

Luthiel's song is pretty chaste and the capacity for the character Luthiel to commit the errors Frodo did don't appear to be there. I never once doubted she would do the right thing which created a safe atmosphere despite all the danger she faced when she headed through the vale to offer herself up as a replacement. That aspect is why I only gave this four stars. Maybe the character development will evolve as the story progresses.

My only problem with this book was the lack of showing why Luthiel felt like an outsider. They certainly accepted some dodgy leadership but she seemed well liked if not loved. She did seem loved. I think the community of elves accepting their own up as tributes was well handled in a myriad of ways to back up the story. The village are too accepting of wrong simply because it is the law. I hope the warning she received about not trusting people who claim to want to help actually comes into play however. She made friends quite easily despite that foreshadowing. No one has betrayed her trust yet.

If you like the Dark Angel trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce this might be your cup of tea. It is mine. I found those and this book refreshing that (so far) the series is about showing others compassion. The adventures are exciting and well paced. The relationships she had with each creature were all well developed outside the Elven home she grew up in. No character was shunted for alpha male love interests.
All and all this was a great book. ( )

Not too long ago, I read A Game of Thrones, an excellent fantasy novel with exceptional world building (with fantasy elements kept in moderation--just the way I like it), intrigue and suspense provided by a complex plot, and fully realized characters. That sucker grabbed me and wouldn't let go.

As a fantasy, Luthiel's Song failed because it lacked all of the above. It didn't grab me. Hell, it barely groped me. It was like the awkward boy who took you to the 10th grade dance and was so set on making a good impression that he barely made an impression at all. By the end of the night, you would have welcomed an attempt at copping a cheap feel because it would have given you a good story the next day to tell your friends and verify that he did, in fact, know of the existence of the bases. Suffice it to say, this book did not give me a good story to tell my friends. And I began to wonder if it even knew where the bases were.

In Luthiel's Song, the fantasy world was overkill and full of self-referential terms and concepts that are seldom clearly explained. Granted, that could have also been because tedium set in early on and I found myself not caring much about piecing all that mumbo-jumbo together. (Oh, and you know what really irks me? When fantasy novels have a "helpful" appendix in the back and half the words and terms you look up aren't listed.) We have elves, we have werewolves, we have talking animals, we have giant killer spiders, we have giants, we have dragons, we have fallen-angels-who-have-become-vampires, we have ghosts, we have wizards, we have valkyries, we have magic crystals, we have swords that are important enough to have names, we have portals between worlds. It's a bit like the author won a shopping spree at Ghouls R' Us. In other words, we have every fantasy trope and cliche under the two suns of Oesha (yup, even two suns).

The problem with all of this fantasy "clutter" is it leads to the second problem: weak characterization. The characters never really differentiate themselves based upon personality. We never know much about Luthiel other than, as an orphan, she has always felt out of place (and, like all orphans, she will predictably turn out to be more than she seems) and she loves her sister, Leowin, so much that she's willing to offer her life in her sister's stead when Leowin is chosen as a sacrifice for the Vyrl. Cue the adventure in which Luthiel will learn about herself as she encounters mystical threats and finds unlikely allies. Yawn.

Now, all of this might be a little more entertaining to someone who hasn't glutted themselves on fantasy as I have over the years. Most of this is predictable with a very "been there, done that" flavor. It's not necessarily that bad, but it's not necessarily that good. Instead of moving on to the next book in the series, I think it may be time to check out George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings. After all, those Lannisters know where the bases are. ( )