Customer Reviews

In Stone's Clasp (Final Dance, Book 2)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"In Stone's Clasp" is the second in Golden's "Final Dance" series. This one had some good plot twists that made it much more interesting than the first book, "On Fire's Wings." Golden is slowly revealing more about the world of the Dancers, although she still hasn't told you the reasons for why certain attempts worked and others failed. I liked how she continued to develop Kevla's character while introducing Jareth, and that the heros/heroines aren't perfect people, but have their own personal demons to fight while saving the world.

The one thing I didn't quite believe was the explanation behind the long winter. (Warning - spoiler coming up!) If the Ice Maiden was the one responsible, but she was merely a construct, then how could she possibly be able to create the winter? Technically, wouldn't the Emperor be responsible for the winter and/or her magical abilities over people? I guess I find it hard to believe that the Emperor, powerful bad guy though he may be, has that much power.

Overall, a really good book. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Courtesy of Love Romances

The saga of the Final Dance continues with In Stone's Clasp.

Kevla's journey takes her far into the North to find the second dancer needed to keep the Shadow from destroying their world. She has dreamed of the Stone Dancer and has followed her dreams to find him. Along the way she finds others who can help her on the quest for the dancer.

When Jareth is finally found, he is nothing like what Kevla expected. Having lost his powers to bring Spring to the land and having lost his family to the endless winter have made him a bitter, angry man. He is far from ready to accept his duty to fight the Shadow. The hatred he feels for what has happened leads the small band of stragglers on a journey to find a legendary beauty, the Ice Maiden. Will he be able to conquer his pain to accept his destiny?

Christie Golden shows yet again why she is a gifted author of the fantasy genre. Her strong characters and brilliantly created worlds are sure to grab readers from the first page. The lands from which the players come are so vivid and full of life that one can envision the landscapes and their people. Add a few mythical beings and a mystical bend with the premise of the Dance, and readers can't go wrong.

Kevla is an incredibly strong woman, who has seen much in her young life, all of which prepares her for the role she now plays. She has her weaknesses and her strengths, making her all the more believable for the reality of her person. Jareth is emotionally wounded, never having been able to recover from the deaths of his family and the loss of the one thing he considered his strongest gift. His agony over what happened and his desire to fix it makes readers feel his pain with him, and empathize with his plight. Watching the characters grow is one of the best things about this series. They go through so much in their lives that their transformation into the mystical dancers is a sight to behold.

Of course, adventure is not lacking, as readers follow Kevla and company to Jareth, then on to the Ice Maiden, and where they go after that will leave one breathless with anticipation of what is yet to come. The enemies are powerful and readers long to know how they will be defeated, as much as they want to know what drives these villains to be who they are. This series is as much about the journey as it is the characters. This reviewer is a fan and doesn't know how she'll be able to wait for book 3, Under Sea's Shadow, to arrive in 2006.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2005. All rights reserved.

This book was great, and I loved the previous as well. Unfortunately, due to low readership, this series has been discontinued by LUNA.

If you like this book, please write them and the author, explaining it. Join the discussion boards and start the taking.

This book is set in another land locked in ice as our heroine and her companion search for the next member of the Dancers. Jareth, our new hero, experiences the loss of loved ones and sense of self and has to struggle to grow into a new person.

Full of a spiritual lesson under the words, it is well written and the third book (which is only being published in an ebook format) promises to enthrall.

I truly believe that Ms. Golden should find a different publisher. I have a tendency to just dimiss Luna books (they're just sci-fi fantasy books by Harlequin Romances) as trash. I got the first book in this series by accident and I read it. It was really wonderful. The characters are well-drawn and different. Things don't have a happy ending.

The quest for the Stone Dancer was deeply moving. The loss and grief of this man was palpable and real. Don't read them because they're Luna, read them in spite of it.

Let's start things off for this review. First off, if you haven't yet read On Fire's Wing by Christie Golden you need to read that book first to understand what is going on in this book. On Fire's Wing is a great book too so don't worry.

Now on to In Stone's Clasp. I need to start by saying that, if you think this is a 'chick' book or a romance novel you are wrong. This is a FANTASTIC fantasy novel. What I said in my review of On Fire's Wing still applies to this book. The world building and character developmet are second to none. It is quite obvious that Ms. Golden has put considerable effort into the world development on this series. It's refreshing to see what she can do.

The character development is also top notch. Kevla appears in the first book, On Fire's Wing, and is on of the main characters in this book as well. Her development as a character is still progressing, in fact she makes some monumental choices to further that in this book. Another main character is introduced to us in that of Jareth. Jareth is the Stone Dancer, and needs to make some huge choices and develop as a person. In the two books in this series I have rarely come across characters this 'real'. They make choices that real people would make, they face real fears and uncertainties. They are not the all powerful, hack and slash everything everything in their path type of characters.

Now on to the story. The story itself has two parts. The most imediate is that of Jareth's struggle to realize he is the Stone Dancer and all that entails. The second part of the story is a carry over from the first book in tha of the Emperor wanting to stop the Dancers. I don't want to give away any spoilers here, but sufice to say that Jareth's journey is well worth the read and the more I read about the Emperor the more I hate him. I would be willing to bet in the two books in this series we have probably read about 30-40 pages about the Emperor and already I hate that man. Pretty strong emotion for so few pages, I hope that gets across just how good these characters are.

Saddly, I have a feeling this book will be overlooked by most, either because they think it's a 'chick' book or simply because they don't know about it. If you are a fan of the fantasy genre and have not read these two books you need to do yourself a favor and read them. They are fantastic reads and I am eagerly awaiting book three, which will probably be out in September 2006. I can't recommend this book enough.

this is a good series. just wish that there were more in paperback instead of needing an e-reader for the rest of the series.

I picked up this book at a conference I was at as a reading selection for finishing another book. This book has a great plot line and keeps the reader engaged. I was surprised to find out that this is a branch off of Harlequin Romance books. I do recommend this book. I am looking at getting the other two books in the series.

This has been an enjoyable series, it's too bad that the last books will be e-books only.

This is one of those series that you can just tell that its going to get more intense with each book. No pressure there Christie! :p Really this is an excellent book of growth in every way.

Four times the Shadow came to different worlds and on two occasions the Dancers, along with their Loremasters and Companions have been able to defeat it. The trio is reborn onto each world and the Loremaster remembers their previous times. Jareth knows nothing about the Shadow but when he was thirteen he became the Spring-Bearer able to change the seasons, allow crops to grow and commune with the earth and the animals. Twenty years, later perpetual winter came and Jareth's powers deserted him. He decides to find the gods and demand that his powers be returned otherwise all of Lamath will die.

Kevla the fire dancer and her companion a dragon know that Jareth is the Stone Dancer. They accompany him on his quest to find the gods, knowing he will find his Companion the tiger to help him accept his true destiny. Before searching for the other Dancers, he must find and destroy the Ice Maiden who blocked his power and stopped spring from returning to Lamath. Working together, Jareth and Kevla find the Ice Maiden and if they are able to stop her they must set out to look for the other Dancers to fight the coming Shadow.

The Dancers are elementals who wield magic that is basic to their nature. Readers will love this romantic fantasy whose happily ever after is not a guarantee and the quest to unite the dancers leads to danger, treachery and romance. There is one enemy who wants to see the Dancers fail. He is the emperor and what he is will be made clear in future books in this series. Christie Golden is a brilliant world builder and her characters are people it is easy to care about.

Harriet Klausner