I received this book through the Early Reviewer program. More than a year had passed since I'd requested it and been notified I'd get one, so I figured it must have slipped through the cracks in the postal service. Therefore, I was delighted when it appeared and someone took the time to get it to me after all.

The story begins with a prison escape: one star hostage/lab experiment, one mutant guard, and one guy in a coma. While the characters start out with some appeal, they seem to me (split personalities not-withstanding) as if they're simplified in order to complete a goal above all. The setting is full of interesting social and technical juxtapositions, though many aspects are glossed over in my opinion.

The protagonists run to a safehouse where all of the rebels have... settled. Settled in the way that they are reletively set in their hum-drum ways and (at first) not inclined to carry on the losing battle of rebellion. Of course, everyone needs challenges...

Overall, I wasn't thrilled with this novel, but it wasn't terrible. I don't feel as if I have to know more about what happens next, but I don't regret the time spent reading it. ( )

Amazingly, I received this book some 18 months after winning it in the July 2009 Early Reviewers listing.

While giving the first book a solid 4 stars I have to say this second installment didn't quite reach that level for me this time.

At the end of the first book Princess Nadia has been captured by the Ordi - enemies of her people who created the 'demons'

Stones of Time opens three years later - Nadia is still a prisoner and has been mutated into a shape-shifter - now one of the 'demons' that her people feared.

I enjoyed the complex characters - and was glad to see many from the first book back again here. Nadia escapes her prison and travels to meet up with her former friends. From there the interaction drives the story for me.

I think I will invest in the third novel to see how it all plays out. ( )

I got this one as an early review copy, over a year after I won it. Luckily the wait was almost worth it. :) It's the second book in a trilogy and not having read the first one wasn't a handicap as the events are nicely explained. We start off with Nadia imprisoned under guard and being experimented upon in a scientific facility. Her new dragon tailed guard is persuaded to help her break out and she finds the world on the surface confusing after three years underground. It turns out that the area she resurfaces near has started embracing technology while her home kingdom is still at the swords and fire level. The group that gathers to try and stop the bad tech guys is an interesting one, with a sword wielding partial cyborg, his human mistress, her doctor father, and a few gun toting shape shifters (called demons). Prejudices are explored and bonds formed as they adventure and we're given a few more hints about how the world got where it is. The adventure itself is a bit of a macguffin, but it did feel like it got the characters through the middle book in a trilogy in a fun manner.
There were a couple of consistent word mix ups between pore and pour, and reign and rein, but other than that it was a good read. ( )

Adventure filled Sci-fi tale of friendship and loyalty. With Damewood detroyed and Princess Nadia imprisoned, she must rely on those whom she would least expect to help her in order to escape. The characters had depth and the story moved quickly. I am looking forward to the third book in the trilogy. ( )