In the Coils of the Snake: Book III -- The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: truce circle, elf lord, elf bride, Marak Catspaw, King's Wife, Seven Stars (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10–In the final volume in the trilogy, the action moves to the next generation. Marak, the goblin king, is dying, and his son, Marak Catspaw, is taking over the throne. Miranda, the human girl whom Marak has raised to be Catspaw's wife, has come to the underground goblin lands eager to start her role as King's Wife. When a new elf leader arrives and offers Catspaw an elven wife, Miranda's destiny disappears. She escapes the goblin kingdom and is captured by the elf leader, Nir. Meanwhile, elven Arianna, Catspaw's new Wife, is deeply unhappy with her underground life. In the end, both girls play a role in choosing a new life for both elves and goblins. Dunkle has created a tightly drawn fantasy with a pair of strong, independent female protagonists striving to find their places in new societies. The author's themes of the need for tolerance and her exploration of the often-superficial differences between races are continued from earlier volumes and add meaning to the text. Because of this book's focus on the elf and goblin worlds, less attention is given to the alternate Victorian England of the humans than in earlier volumes. Dunkle's language and plotting help build the mood and move her suspenseful story through its twists to its satisfying finish.–Beth L. Meister, Pleasant View Elementary School, Franklin, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 7-10. Taking place 30 years after the events of Close Kin (2004), this satisfying conclusion to the Hollow Kingdom trilogy more closely examines relations between the tough, practical goblins and the sensitive, graceful elves, the two magical races dwelling in Dunkle's Victorian England. As in previous books, a plot rich in cultural misunderstandings swirls forth from the goblins' tradition of intermarrying with elves to bolster faltering bloodlines. Events center on an elf traded to goblin Catspaw as the new King's Bride, and Miranda, a human ward of the goblins who has been seized by the elven lord. The captives heighten tensions that drive the races toward a climactic clash, even as the two displaced women find things to appreciate, and perhaps even love, about their captors. Although the romance, as always, tends to mix strangely with themes of imprisonment and cool reproductive imperatives, the grounding in a fully imagined history, the chaste tenor of on-screen interactions between mates, the inventive role of magic, and the sympathetic portrayals of both societies clear space in readers' minds to accept all aspects of the premise. Followers of the series will revel in this (evidently) final opportunity to lose themselves in Dunkle's distinctive, intriguingly disquieting vision. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805081100
• ISBN-13: 978-0805081107
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #394,371 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Redeeming its predecessors, February 16, 2006

By	H. Keanum (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: In the Coils of the Snake: Book III -- The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy (Hardcover)

Book three is likely the best of them all. This draws our adventure of the mysterious Hollow Kingdom to a satisfying close. The author seemed notably more comfortable with herself and the tales and maybe it was that the first two books gave her great practice to make a nearly faultless final adventure.

Following the death of Marak, Catspaw takes his place as king, preparing to marry Miranda, a human girl raised to be Catspaw's wife by Marak himself. But things quickly don't go as planned when elves return to the kingdom and an offer of an elvish bride pushes Catspaw to renig on his promise to Miranda.

Miranda flees the kingdom once she is aware that she's being set aside and all that she was raised to do was for naught. The tales takes a spinning trail through Miranda's plight as she leaves the goblins and finds the elves... or rather the elf lord finds her. Either way, this book certainly redeemed the whole saga with its climatic ending and surprising and pleasant twists.

Had the ending of this book not been so gratifying, it would have suffered a lower score. Readers may find Marak Catspaw and Nir the elf lord too irrational for their own good and that in itself causes much conflict between the two races. What also made this book enjoyable was the underlying hint of racism and prejudices. The elves think the goblins barbaric and vice versa. Both peoples saw themselves as the better race and saw all faults and weaknesses only in their enemy.

Five bright stars for closing the story of the Hollow Kingdom with a bang. Dunkle proved her mettle in this book and she may just find a niche as popular fantasy writer alongside Sharon Shinn and Robin McKinley.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lacking something..., October 23, 2006

By	Queen Mango - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Coils of the Snake: Book III -- The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy (Hardcover)

I love this series, I really do. But the second and the third books of this series, in my mind, have steadily declined. Maybe I was too much involved with Kate and Marak's story to want anything else. But I feel that the writing is less impacting. I haven't read such a good teen fiction fantasy series in a while. In the first book, the story was captivating and it drew you in, and a major plus, the characters didn't say stupid things, and romance and kissing wasn't a deluge in the book to add something interesting. But I just didn't feel that way with the subsequent books. Mind you, this book can stand on it's own, but I've placed the first book on a pedestal.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Can't Put It Down!, January 29, 2006

By	Lacey Marie "Rachel" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Coils of the Snake: Book III -- The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy (Hardcover)

If you enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy you will fall in love with this book! In the Coils of the Snake kept me quessing about the ending throughout the whole book! Better than the second book and almost just as good as the first. If you enjoy fantasy, love, and a good story I recommend that you read this book! I promise that you won't be able to put it down!