Prince of Magic (Children of the Sun, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Linda Winstead Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2007

The firstborn children of the Fyne witches have finally come into their own, each with a special gift...

Independent Ariana Kane Varden, daughter of the Sun Witch, has never let family duty keep her from reaching her dreams. She learned the practice of her gift, the power to heal others, at her mother's knee. And now she is the Palace healer, tending to her emperor...

The last prophecy of magician Sian Chamblyn's late grandfather points to Ariana as the one to save Columbyana from a growing evil. Sian has hightailed it from lands afar to deliver the message. When he must prepare her for the fight of her life, Sian intends to remain undistracted by his sensuously beautiful protŽgŽe. But in the heat of battle-and passion-diligence might be his downfall...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This next generation follow-up to the Sisters of the Sun trilogy finds the Sun Witch's daughter, Ariana Kane Varden, facing her own epic quest and the prospect of romance in Jones's richly realized fantasy world. Up until the wizard Sian Chamblyn appears at court with dire news, the witch Ariana has used her modest powers of healing to aid the ailing emperor of Columbyana. That changes, however, when Sian's alarming prophecy points to her as one of three cousins who must lead the land against as-yet-unrevealed forces of evil—an evil that promises to unleash monsters on the land and "a very ugly death" for the unprepared. Neither the cynical Sian nor Ariana believe she's capable of leading an army, but they're forced to work together to train her for the struggle ahead. Bit by bit, Ariana develops powers that help her divine the true nature of their foe, at the same time she's reluctantly falling in love with the equally recalcitrant wizard. Punchy battle scenes and steamy lovemaking will please genre fans, but it's Jones's gift for creating complex heroes and villains that lifts this story out of the ordinary. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

The first in Jones' Children of the Moon trilogy reveals a prophecy: Columbyana must be defended by the first born of three Fyne witches. Stern magician Sian Chamblyn is dismayed to learn that two of the prophesied heroes are female. Ariana Kane Vaden, the emperor's own healer and the daughter of Sophie from The Sun Witch (2004), is destined to fight against the evil that is menacing the empire. While training Ariana for the war to come (and falling in love with her), Sian accompanies her to the dread thirteenth level of the palace, where Ariana is possessed by the soul of a long-dead evil empress who reveals that the enemy is the Isen Demon, who gains strength as he consumes souls. Crown prince Ciro is now under the demon's control and has raised an army of the soulless. Jones' paranormal adventure works well both as heroic fantasy and fantasy romance and will appeal to readers of Barbara Hambly and Lois McMaster Bujold. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Sensation (March 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425214486
• ISBN-13: 978-0425214480
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #623,533 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Children of the Sun, September 4, 2007

By 

M. Nix - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prince of Magic (Children of the Sun, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Ariana Varden is the first-born child of the Sun Witch, Sophie Fyne. For the last two years she has gone against the wishes of her parents to be the palace healer of Arik, the ailing emperor of Columbyana. Using the knowledge she learned firsthand from her mother, Ariana utilizes daily everything she knows to continue to keep Arik alive. Her good work will be in vain if Arik's missing son and heir is unable to be found because if Arik succumbs, the kingdom very likely could end up in turmoil without an emperor.

The plot thickens with the arrival of Sian Chamblyn, the grandson of a powerful magician who is hell bent on relaying his grandsire's last prophecy about Columbyana. As he is waiting for his audience, a blonde beauty leaves the imperial suite and Sian can't help becoming angry at being kept waiting while the emperor diddles with his latest ladylove, and he verbalizes that exasperation very loudly, much to the chagrin of the woman. Too late Sian realizes that the woman he just called a concubine is in fact a healer. Things continue to get worse when, after telling Emperor Arik about the last prediction of his grandfather, Arik sends for the sun kissed healer. It seems that Ariana is part of his grandfather's prophecy, whether Sian likes it or not.

Sian must train Ariana for the battle that will ensue. He vows to ignore how alluring and sexy she is but that proves easier said than done. Then, to top it off, Ariana just might be as attracted to Sian as he is to her.

I have to admit that Sian fought a good fight but from the first moment he saw Ariana at the emperor's palace his fate was sealed. Unable to remain impassive, his falling for Ariana was a powerful as her finally becoming the compelling healer she was meant to be. Love was the key and Prince of Magic was emotional, steamy, and for want of a better word, simply magical.

Having been a fan of Linda Winstead Jones since reading her Sisters of the Sun trilogy, I had to read Prince of Magic. In reader heave at the thought of experiencing the Sun Witch's daughter's story, I began to read. Seven hours later I read the last word and the first adjective that came to my mind was "magnificent". Simply magnificent so much so that I had to run out immediately and get the next two installments.

Prince of Magic is the first book of a trilogy called The Children of the Sun. Lovers of paranormal romance won't want to miss this first installment. It was gripping, addictive, and stunning. I loved it.

Talia reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars My least favorite of the three, August 11, 2008

By 

Maria Waltner (Cincinnati, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prince of Magic (Children of the Sun, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Prince of Magic was the first in this Trilogy that for some reason is called "The Children of the Sun Trilogy." Since the three main characters of these novels are the children of the Sun Witch, the Moon Witch and the Star Witch (from the Fyne Witches Trilogy, a name that makes perfect sense...) the name doesn't quite make sense to me.

Reading these easy novels is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. There seems to be some small plot lurking somewhere and it has to do with the emergence of a demon that eats souls and has inhabited the body of Emperor Arik's son Ciro. Ariana, Sophie Fyne Varden's firstborn, is a witch who has been working in the palace at Arthes to help heal the Emperor who has been dying since his son disappeared (when he was taken by the Isen Demon).

Sian (which is not a great name in my opinion) is a wizard who has the general ability to move things and make illusions. He enters the palace bearing a prophecy from his grandfather which has to do with the firstborn of three "fine" women which the Emperor (knowing the Fyne Sisters) is immediately able to translate to "Fyne." Ariana, being one of the firstborn of the prophecy seems too delicate to be of any use in the war to come so Sian takes it upon himself (stupid, arrogant man) to teach her to strengthen her magic and combat skills.

As any good guilty pleasure goes, Sian falls irrevocably in love with her, risks his life to save her and in the end she saves him and maybe the world as they know it since she is one of the few who can weaken the Isen Demon that threatens them. It was my least favorite of the books I think but then I had trouble finding Sian's character to be likable. Perhaps it was the odd illustration on the cover or her description of his too large nose. Maybe it was his spiky, snarly personality that seemed completely undeserved. I have no problem with a tortured hero but he didn't really have the past to justify his snarky behavior. All in all a 3 of 5 but stick around for the next two as I think they get better.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent fantasy, March 8, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prince of Magic (Children of the Sun, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Healer Ariana Kane Varden does everything she can to keep Emperor Arik from dying, but she knows she is failing. Making matters worse, his only child Prince Ciro is missing. Wizard Sian Chamblyn tells Arik that his grandfather is dead, but left a prophecy that darkness grows and only three fine women can stop it. Arik tells him that fine is actually Fyne, the witch women, and the prophecy means their first offspring, Ariana and her two cousins, Queen Keelia of Anwyn and Prince of Swords Lyr Hern are the champions. Sian says Ariana is too weak, but will teach her though he hides from the healer and his patient that she will die during the quest.

Although he disdains her power, he teaches her to read the colors of souls. She takes him to floor thirteen, a special chamber where the previous Emperor tortured prisoners. The chamber is dark and the spirit Dellia takes control of Adriana demanding a kiss from the wizard for information as she states she knows her host desires him and he wants her. As they work together and he realizes her courage as they begin their quest, they fall in love, but he knows he must let his beloved die if they are to stop the Darkness spread by a demon.

The lead couple is an enchanting pairing of teacher-student while the villain is a fascinating demon. The mystery of the missing Prince is a key element as the lead couple begins her quest. Though this is the opening book of the Prince romantic fantasy trilogy, the well written story line provides closure to Ariana's segue and sets the stage for the next Fyne witch to continue the war against the demon. Fans from both genres will appreciate this terrific first tale especially those who enjoyed Linda Winstead Jones' previous Fyne witch trilogy (see THE SUN WITCH, THE MOON WITCH and THE STAR WITCH)

Harriet Klausner