The Broken Citadel [Paperback]

Joyce B. Gregorian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000

Brought to a strange world where strength of mind and spirit are constantly required of her, Sibby finds friends, adventure, and a sense of belonging.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Futura Orbit (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0708882900
• ISBN-13: 978-0708882900
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,129,204 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic and sensitively-written young adult fantasy, June 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Broken Citadel (Paperback)

Gregorian's book is a multi-layered gem, in which her young heroine's greatest gift is her empathy and caring for others, and the courage to be true to her own heart. I first read this book in 1978, and is it still my favorite fantasy, both because of the strength of Gregorian's writing, and because it is part of a unique trilogy that tells the story of its heroine as a young girl (The Broken Citadel), as a young woman (Castledown), and as a woman in her 30's (The Great Wheel).

The Broken Citadel introduces the heroine Sibby as a spunky and sensitive child. The book is illustrated with graphic designs by Gregorian herself, depicting the playing cards used in her book to predict the future.

Sibby, steps through a broken window from the world of Massachusetts into another world, Tredana, in which things are not always what they seem - including herself. The world is a heady blend of European and Middle Eastern culture, in which the rich past of by-gone temples, kingdoms

and religions is symbolized by the broken citadel. Using desert warriors, dying priests, dragons and phoenixes clad in their own unique cultural context, Gregorian manages to evoke potent archetypes without falling into cliche, as so many mass market fantasies do.

Sibby joins a questing prince, Leron, and his friends, who seek to rescue the princess Dastra from her tower, where she has been hidden by her mother, the power-hungry Simirimia. Simirimia was once worshiped with her sister Rianna as part of the Double Goddess in Ornat, but she cast down her sister and the temple in exchange for greater power. Now Simirimia threatens Tredana itself.

But nothing is precisely as it seems. In Tredana, Sibby discovers, nobility of the spirit matters more than nobility in name, although the former is much rarer than the latter.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Magical Door, June 19, 2002

By 

Lydia Nickerson (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Broken Citadel (Hardcover)

I was thirteen when I read _The Broken Citadel_. I'm 40, now. It hasn't lost its compelling beauty, although I've read it numerous times in the 27 intervening years. The abandoned house with the stained glass window and its door into magic still haunts my day dreams and my night dreams.

"Misfit child finds place in magical world" is a very common trope for YA fantasy, partly because it is so seductive for a misfit child with a streak of escapism. _The Broken Citadel_, however, satisfies not only the passions of a teenaged girl wanting to flee imminent adulthood, but the woman she will grow into. Gregorian has an intense compassion for that girl with an adult's insight.

The world and the story are compelling. Gregorian's world has the lights and shadows of a real place, complexities that many YA fantasy novels eschew for fear of confusing child readers. The whole glows like a stained glass window at sunset. Not only is there magic in the world, but the experience of reading it is magical.

This is a book that anyone who likes fantasy is likely to enjoy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy comes to life..., April 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Broken Citadel (Hardcover)

I absolutely loved this book when I first read it, and I spent years searching for the sequel in used book stores. It was magic for me -- I spent most of my childhood wishing I could stumble my way into an alternate world and have great adventures, just like Sibby does. I found the book perfect except for the end, which is a bit of a cliffhanger to say the least, and left me very frustrated by the out-of-print status of the sequel! I think there's actually a third book as well, because I know that the plot itself (lifeline on her hand) requires it, and I seem to remember finding it at some point. However I was never as fond of the sequels. I think, in retrospect, they were much more adult in content. I would recommend this trilogy (and especially this book) to anybody looking for a good read in the "average girl finds her way into another universe" genre.