3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling and Fast Paced!, January 9, 2010
This review is from: The Turning Tide: A Novel of Crosspointe (Paperback)
As King William of Crosspointe secretly prepares for the immanent war with the Jutras (we learn a little of these preparations in The Black Ship), King William issues a task for his son Ryland. A most heinous task that will devastate the trust he has with his best friends, Fairlie and Shaye. Ryland is torn between his loyalties to his friends and his loyalty to his father. Sadly Ryland's obligations lie with the king, no matter that this incident will tear him apart.
But what the completion of this task creates is something that no one would have ever predicted. It proves just how powerful love is. The king may have thought he was doing the right thing for Crosspointe, even if the deed is a horrendous one, but he never expected that deed to create something even more powerful and frightening.
I was captivated from page one of The Turning Tide. The story starts off establishing the relationships between Fairlie, Shaye and Ryland. You get a strong sense of how close they are, and even learn that Shaye and Fairlie love each other. But shortly after Shaye reveals his love and Fairlie realizes that she returns that love, that tragic, yet amazing incident occurs. And wow, what a moment of reading that was for me. Intense. Engaging. Tear-inducing! I thought, yes, this is it! This is why I love reading. To have moments that just grab hold and suck you in, with either tears or laughter.
When I first read The Cipher, I must admit that the world confused me a bit with the magical substance found in the waters of the Inland Sea called sylveth, and its uses and the majick created from it, and the ciphers, but as I read, it became more intriguing, and of course more understandable. I think this third installment in the Crosspointe Chronicles is an amazing addition. Each book adds something new, expanding the world, further enhancing the already vivid details. The sylveth adds such a unique spin on this magical world, something so terribly feared, is also the secret that keeps Crosspointe safe. And we learn so much more about sylveth, shedding a whole new light on the majickal substance.
Encompassing the pages of The Turning Tide is another fascinating and compelling spawn-filled tale of politics, friendship, love and a whole lot of betrayal! I am eager to read The Hollow Crown to see how the incidents in The Turning Tide affect Crosspointe and its people. The Turning Tide is an apt title, for the tides were most certainly turned!
Happy Reading!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solid and enjoyable, August 23, 2009
I like the way Diana Pharaoh Francis has created a world and a story line that are all moving forward but with each book completely separate. The characters, and the hardships they endure in this book set is a solid plot made this book very enjoyable to read.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deeply human characters, May 26, 2009
This review is from: The Turning Tide: A Novel of Crosspointe (Paperback)
I first read Cipher (the first book in this series) less than a week ago. I found the story to be engrossing and the characters to be so vivid. I've since read all three books currently available from this series and have loved them all. The real humanity of all the characters just amaze me. I have mourned the death of villains and worried about the success of hero's more in this series than any I've ever read. This book makes a new art of the shades of gray between right and wrong.
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