Customer Reviews

The Misted Cliffs

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This is the story of Melody, the daughter of Chime and Muller, and Cobalt, the son of King Varquelle.

This story picks up about eighteen years after the end of "The Charmed Sphere". King Varquelle comes back to regain his throne and his son Cobalt is helping him. Cobalt and Melody end up getting married and one part of the book is about their marriage. The other part of the book is about Cobalt's past, his family, and his building of the Dawn Star Empire.

I really liked this book and I thought that it was much better than "The Charmed Sphere". I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice, light, romantic fanatasy. I am looking forward to the next book in the series, The Dawn Star.

The Misted Cliffs (2005) is the second fantasy novel in the Misted Cliffs series. In the previous volume, King Varqelle of Harsdown was removed from his throne by the victorious army of Aronsdale and imprisoned in the Citadel of Rumors. Prince Muller of Aronsdale was placed on the throne. Chime became the queen and soon was pregnant with a girl child.

In this novel, Princess Melody is the despair of her father. She would rather wear trousers than a skirt, especially when she is riding and practicing with the sword. She often returns home with her hair all tousled and leaves snagged in her locks.

Prince Cobalt the Dark is the son of Princess Dancer Chanberlight of the Misted Cliffs. Dancer is the wife of former King Varqelle, but she had left him when Cobalt was a small babe and returned to her father, King Stonebreaker. Although Cobalt has asked her many times why she left Varqelle, she only tells him that it was for his sake.

Prince Cobalt leads a raid on the Citadel of Rumors and frees his father. King Stonebreaker offers sanctuary in the Misted Cliffs. However, Cobalt initially takes his father to his own home, the Castle of Clouds.

Both Cobalt and Dancer prefer to live away from King Stonebreaker. Her father had long abused her and her son. Yet Cobalt eventually grew large enough to threaten the King if he ever touched either one again. Stonebreaker is a bully, but even he is afraid of his grandson.

In this story, Melody and Cobalt are married. Originally, Varqelle and Stonebreaker wanted to invade Harsdown, but Cobalt believes that the Misted Cliffs army would destroy itself fighting both Harsdown and Aronsdale. Moreover, he would prefer that Harsdown not be devastated by warfare. So he suggests the marriage with Melody.

Cobalt has a very bad reputation in Harsdown, so Melody has no desire to marry him. Yet their marriage would bring a peace treaty between the Misted Cliffs and Harsdown/Aronsdale. She and her parents decide to accept the marriage.

When Cobalt comes to Harsdown to marry Melody, she is surprised to find that he is a very large, but handsome man. On the way back to his home, she finds herself seeing more compassion in his manner. Moreover, she soon falls in lust with him.

This story tells of the gradual growth of love between the pair. Due to his abusive upbringing by his grandfather, Cobalt has never dared love anyone, but his mother. When his father praises him for his efforts, Cobalt is overwhelmed by the positive remarks. Then he is enthralled by Melody's warmth and positive attitude.

Cobalt the Dark finds himself with more light in his life. When Melody invites Cobalt and his mother to visit her parents, Cobalt thinks that such a visit would help protect Dancer while he is away. He convinces his mother to travel to Harsdown and she grows to like the ambiance.

Highly recommended for Asaro fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of family conflicts, positive influences and profound romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Verquelle was the King of Harsdown but when he was defeated in battle to annex the Kingdom of Aronsdale, the monarch vanquished him to a place where he has been imprisoned for eighteen years. King Muller and Queen Chime are the rulers of Harsdown and the country has flourished under their reign. The heir is Princess Melody, a bright beautiful and loving person who is adored by her subjects

Verquelle's son Cobalt the Dark rescues his father and brings him to his home the Castle of the Clouds. Cobalt was raised by a sadistic grandfather and a distant mother but his newfound father gives him the approval he needs. Both his grandfather and his father want to go to war with Harsdown so Verquelle can reclaim his throne but Cobalt convinces them that he should marry the heir and their offspring will sit on the throne. Melody has no choice but to agree to this arrangement as she doesn't want her country to go to war but she concludes that Cobalt is not evil but a person deprived of kindness and affection. He decides to conquer two countries that border Aronsdale using his grandfather's troops and his father's knowledge of war. Melody hopes that her love will temper his dark side so that he doesn't become a tyrant others fears.

Catherine Asaro has written a beautiful and vividly descriptive tale that is a cross between a romantic fantasy and a swords and sorcery tale. The heroine is a bright lodestar that attracts her dark prince who is a tragic figure in the tradition of Heathcliffe. Hearts will go out to the beleaguered anti hero who seeks love and acceptance. Catherine Asaro is one of the reigning queens of brilliant romantic fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

To prevent war, a beautiful princess must go against her heart's love and marry a prince known for being incapable of love. Although Mel Dawnfield does not love Prince Cobalt, she willingly weds him, only to discover that while in modern terms, he could use some counseling because he has repressed emotions and enough issues to fill a magazine shop, he can love. Therefore, Mel wages her own search and rescue mission for her husband's soul, setting her in an undeclared war with his father and grandfather, one that could cost her everything dear to her.

*** This fairy tale for adults treads familiar ground. Though most readers are more aware of this author for her futuristic science fiction, her fantasy surpasses her skills in the other genre. ***

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.

The Misted Cliffs follows 'Moonglow' in the Charmed Destinies-anthology and 'The Charmed Sphere'. The book is richer if you have read these two first, although I think it would still make sense on its own. Personally, I enjoyed it even more than those two. It is closely connected to 'The Dawn Star', book 4, in which the story of the two main characters continues.
After the war that took place in 'The Charmed Sphere' there have been 18 years of peace. But then Cobalt the Dark, the son of the king who lost the war and has been kept prisoner since then, frees his father and threatens to take his father's lands back through war - unless the current king and queen give him their beloved daughter Mel in marriage. That way, the throne will come back to his family with their child and peace will be preserved. Cobalt's reputation is very bad: He grew up with his cruel grandfather and feels he has to prove his worth by being a conqueror. Naturally, Mel is at first afraid of the man she only agreed to marry to keep the peace, but she soon finds out that there's a lot more to the dark and seemingly distanced man. But to heal his emotional wounds she will have to stand by his side even when he moves to conquer the kingdoms that used to be part of his grandfather's realm 200 years ago...
This is an emotionally intense book, with well-developed characters, a great plot and a beautiful fantasy world. I enjoyed it very much and would recommend it highly. Personally, I was glad I already had the sequel at hand and kept on reading - the books were that good.

Romantic fantasy is one of my favorite genres, and reading Catherine Asaro's THE MISTED CLIFFS, I was reminded of the reason why. Deposed kings, sword and sorcery, magic and spells, kings and queens, dark-hearted rulers and self-sacrificing princesses, all combine to make this story one of the best.

For Princess Melody Dawnfield, being the daughter of the current king of Harsdown means more than looking pretty and watching men vie for her hand in marriage. Trained as a mage and excellent swordsmen, Mel is her parents' pride and joy. She also feels so deeply for her town, and the adjoining towns of Aronsdale and Misted Cliffs, that she agrees to marry a man feared far and wide to save her people from the threat of war.

Cobalt the Dark is a man at war within himself. His half-crazy mother and terror-inducing grandfather raised him, and hold much of the blame for his dark heart. When Cobalt learns that his father, Varquelle, isn't dead as he once thought, but imprisoned, he risks his own life to rescue the deposed king. Now that the former king is free, however, war looms on the horizon. Although tortured at heart and feeling that war is the only answer, Cobalt agrees to marry Princess Melody in the hopes that the war, although undoubtedly inevitable, can at least be put off.

While much of the kingdom feels that Cobalt is evil, Mel learns that he's only troubled by his own inner demons and the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that stand before him. Melody, as well, is not what her husband expected. Not only is she powerful in her own right, but her love and warm heart begin to thaw something within him that he thought was long dead and buried.

THE MISTED CLIFFS is Ms. Asaro at her writing best. A tried and true formula of a haunted hero and a warm-hearted heroine, combined with the magic of a kingdom you'll want to visit again and again, make this book a true winner. I highly recommend that you read THE CHARMED SPHERE, her previous LUNA release, as well as THE MISTED CLIFFS. They are both stand alone books, but THE CHARMED SPHERE will delve you into the kingdom of Aronsdale , which plays a supporting role in this current book. I don't yet know the title of the third book in the trilogy, but no doubt it will bring us even deeper into this world where love and magic are intertwined.

The Dawnfield family returns in this second book of magic and political conflict in the fictional land of Aronsdale. Chime and Muller's daughter Melody (Mel) has grown into a beautiful, headstrong young woman. To prevent an army from the neighboring Misted Cliffs from invading her homeland, she agrees to wed Cobalt Escar, son of Varquelle, ruler of the Misted Cliffs. Despite the cruelty and darkness in the Escar family, Mel is able to find a seed of good in Cobalt and begins to nurture it. Varquelle and Cobalt, however, are not satisfied in their desire for conquest. I recommend this book to fans of romantic fantasy. However, many of the characters are quite two-dimensional and predictable.

Every time a start anew a book by Catherine Asaro, I'm always startled by the dryness of her prose (... too much of a scientific formation...?), but it's never long before the rhythm catch up with me; also, for those who do not like long technical explanation - her Skolian books are full of them - cheer up: this is fantasy, not sci-fi... no Riemann sheets or rotation through complex space here!

The Misted Cliffs is the third installment in Asaro's mage universe (after the novella 'Moonglow' in "Charmed Destinies" and "The Charmed Sphere").

I liked this book better than "The Charmed Sphere". I won't try to resume the story here - its strands are too fine and intricate to give a satisfying synopsis, and anyway, the publisher's note gives the important starting point.

As usual in Asaro's worlds, everything is well-thought, everything fits together and the characters are more than interesting: Cobalt, for example, is not an unlikely hero or a reluctant leader coming into his own, as is often seen. From the first, his greatness is plain; he hungers for conquest and for once, this scope of ambition it is not shown as an automatic bad trait. As for Mel, she's the one reaching maturity in the course of the book, developing her abilities from the bedrock of her personality, as well as very interestingly coming to occupy her important place in Cobalt's life. Together, they make choices that are not usually seen in this kind of book, and I find it refreshing... I'm definitely counting the days until The Dawn Star is out!

This is the 2nd book of Asaro's series but it can be read by itself. There aren't many books in fantasy where the story isn't about war or darkness and is still a real page turner. This is one of those rare gems. The world she creates and the characters who dwell there are always believable and fascinating.

I found The Charmed Sphere in my favorite second hand book store and I couldn't put it down. When I went to look for more like it, I was delighted to find it was a series and I lucked out to have started with the first one. I've loved all of them. I thought I would tire of the plots from book to book but they differ so to the point that even though they are similar in nature, they are still fresh and new and intriguing to read. I am unable to put the book down.

I haven't found an author that has given me so much enjoyment out of reading till now and I hope she continues with this line of writing. I love the fantasy fairytale. It's just what I love to read. It has the magic and fantasy that I love but it also draws in that fairytale that princess, castle, old world time life that takes you away and lets your imagination roam. The best of both worlds come together in one story. I haven't found anything else like it and I love it.

My favorite character so far has shown up in this book and since I've read the entire series, he still is my favorite. Cobalt is just so intense and goes from one extreme to the other. His love is almost deadly it's so extreme. I love him.