13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Chaotic dancing, December 27, 2005
Some writers mature as their careers go on, and some just jump from one weakness to another. Too bad Amelia Atwater-Rhodes seems to be one of the latter kind.
"Falcondance" is the third novel in her new series, about several shapeshifting races who barely keep from strangling each other. And for a time it seems that this will beAtwater-Rhodes' best novel yet -- until the plot implodes in a messy, inconclusive finale.
Nicias is the son of two falcon exiles, although he has spent his whole life at the serpiente-hawk Wyvern Court, serving the dual heir Oliza Shardae Cobriana. But when his latent magic starts to awaken, his parents send him to the falcon city of Ahmik, to be trained by his cruel grandmother. If they don't, he'll lapse into the coma-like state of Ecl.
While there, he gains a lover and begins to suspect that his grandmother is hiding some sinister secrets. Even stranger, he is hearing the voice of a condemned prisoner, who promises to give him the answers he needs. What Nicias learns is a hideous secret that threatens the existance of Wyvern's Court itself -- and is terrible enough to kill for.
For most of "Falcondance" it seems as if Atwater-Rhodes is on a roll. Her character of Nicias is well-drawn, conflicted and afraid of his own heritage, and she takes the time to draw out some interesting conspiracy stories that show where the serpiente-hawk conflicts started.
Even her writing is maturing, since she is willing to (awkwardly) handle the subject of sex. Death is still only touched on, though. Then, we reach the final chapters, and it all collapses, as if Atwater-Rhodes had been making it up as she went along and had no idea how to untangle the various crises. So the climactic buildup ends in a showdown... where nothing happens.
Even worse, Atwater-Rhodes sets up interesting conflicts -- such as the segregation within the Court, the Ecl dream-state, and the plots by the falcons -- and then just lets them sit. What's more, some of these these plots only come up near the end, rather than being hinted at before. One major character even vanishes halfway through the book, as if Atwater-Rhodes didn't know what to do with her.
Another flaw is that there is little connection to the first two books of this series -- Nacola Shardae appears in a flashback, but Zane and Danica are curiously absent. Others like Danica's baby sister and the wyvern Oliza, are brought up and promptly left on the shelf, rather than being explored as people.
While "Falcondance" overcomes some of Atwater-Rhodes' writing problems, it also collapses as it reaches the finale. Strong as it starts, but falters as it continues.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A complicated and darkly suspenseful story, September 23, 2005
FALCONDANCE is the third book in the Kiesha'ra series; the first two dealt with Danica Shardae and Zane Cobriana, shapeshifter leaders who marry to join their worlds in peace. The series left off with Danica being pregnant, but FALCONDANCE is not about Oliza, their child and heir. Rather, it focuses on Nicias, a falcon who is one of Oliza's sworn guards.
Falcons are not looked upon favorably in Wyvern's Court, and when Nicias begins to experience falcon magic, he knows he must go back to the land of his ancestors to understand these strange new powers. What he learns there is that he does indeed have power and is considered of royal blood. This fact is both powerful and dangerous in the falcon world and back at home in Wyvern.
Terrible things are in his history that forever have been wiped from the memories of his parents, exiles living in Wyvern. But once he knows the truth about where he comes from, he sees that the future of Wyvern's Court and Oliza are in danger unless he acts to ensure otherwise.
Nicias brings a troubled woman back from Ahnmik, the falcon land, who is related to the serpiente. She could be a threat to Oliza but needed to go to Wyvern to survive. Her actions, and Nicias's, likely will be spelled out further in the next volume.
Beautifully described settings and Nicias himself will draw readers into this complicated and darkly suspenseful story. Readers will need to follow along carefully as in any fantasy series.
--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Third in the Series, April 12, 2006
Falcondance is the third book in The Kiesha'ra Series. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is the child prodigy who wrote In the Forests of the Night at the age of thirteen.
Falcondance, unfortunately is the weakest of the three books in the series. This is a fantasy novel with a heaping helping of adventure that eventually falls flat. In spite of this, Falcondance is nonetheless a mesmerizing tale of magic, dreams, power and the internal struggles that rage within oneself. This is an enjoyable fantasy book overall because it delivers an attractive storyline that leaves you with a craving for more. There are a multitude of compelling characters introduced in this book, however, many of their roles lack further development. There is much less sentimentality in Falcondance than in the previous books, and this includes a decrease in romantic relations. Falcondance is better reserved for more mature readers; nevertheless it could be read as a bedtime story by parents for their children who read less well.
Still, the language flows very easily, and is beautifully executed. However, this is a book that should be read in chronological order with the first two in the series read first: Hawksong and then Snakecharm, and then finally onto Falcondance. There is an enormous amount of suspense and expectation built up throughout the book, but the finale is indecisive, and leaves one with the feeling of not only unresolved issues, but also of miscalculated turns.
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