The Divided Crown (Hardcover)

by Isabel Glass (Author) "Work stopped at the port as the ship sailed into the harbor..." (more)
Key Phrases: dragon towers, forest folk, court magicians, Bound Folk, Lord Noldeth, Lord Ezlin (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this undemanding sequel to Glass's The Daughter of Exile (2004), 14 years have passed since Lady Angarred Hashan married Mathewar, the Master of the College of Magicians. Queen Rodarren of Karededin has died and her young son, Jerret, is king. In the two short years since his ascension, the now 14-year-old king, under the sway of the evil lord Noldeth Haru, has managed to bring his country near bankruptcy and embroil it in a senseless, immoral invasion of neighboring Goss. When the boy-king summons Mathewar and Angarred to court, the couple are horrified by the presence of nearly mindless "Bound Folk," a sure sign of trouble. It's obvious to everyone but Jerret that Haru is behind all the mischief. Mathewar leaves Angarred to deal with the royal court while he journeys north in search of answers. Less-than-complex intrigue, a simple plot and characters who at times are as mindless as the Bound Folk add up to mildly agreeable fantasy lite.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
In the sequel to Daughter of Exile (2004), Glass provides new conundrums for Lady Angarred Hashan. The realm of Karededin had been peaceful and prosperous during the reign of Queen Rodarren, but the crown descended to her 14-year-old son upon her death. The spoiled lad has come under the influence of an ambitious lord who uses both wiles and dark sorcery to influence the king. Lady Angarred and her husband, Mathewar, master of the College of Magicians, are summoned to court. They discover that Lord Haru, though recently exiled, has left at court an ambitious daughter and assassins enspelled to destroy the king and his supporters. Despite the willful young monarch, Angarred and Mathewar must find out how to defeat Haru before the realm falls into chaos. Glass' narrative technique has improved since Daughter, but her characterization and plotting are still uneven. She pulls things together though, by the end of the novel, which is well and rather grimly written and hints of a possible third book. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (June 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765307464
• ISBN-13: 978-0765307460
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,220,598 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fine romantic fantasy, June 29, 2005

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It has been two years since Mathewar, the master of the College of Magicians and his wife Lady Angarred visited the court in the capital city of Pergodi in the kingdom of Karededin. They are surprised to get a summons from fourteen year old King Jerret to return to court. When they arrive they see much that distresses them as Jerret went to war with Goss because he bankrupted his treasury and needs the wealth of Goss to stay solvent.

In the castle are the Bound, soulless men and women who have no sense of identity and must obey the Binder who is a member of the Huru family that the king exiled for treason. The king is prepared to recall the Huru family, Noldeth and his two sons Polgar and Cullen while leaving Drustig in exile in Og. A palace coup leaves the king dead and Cullen on the thrown but Drustig is coming to take his power away from him. Both brothers possess half of a magic crown. One that binds and one that loosens the binding and drives people mad. Mathewar must find a way to destroy Drustig and bring the two halves of the crown together otherwise Karededin will plunge into a civil war.

This sequel to the DAUGHTER OF EXILE is more action oriented but there is enough romance between the various couples so that fans of romantic fantasy won't feel cheated. The protagonist has some life lessons to learn and he must gain the wisdom to wear the crown without succumbing to its temptations. All the various sub-plots tie back to the main storyline so that readers feels satisfied with the way the story ends. It is hoped Isabel Glass, a gifted and creative fantasist, visits this world in the future books.

Harriet Klausner