Daughter of Exile

At first when I started reading this book, I wasn't very impressed. The main character, Angarred, seemed flighty, the plot moved along haphazardly, and the other characters seemed bland or one-sided. I don't give up easily though, and my consternation turned to pleasure as the story progressed. For fans of court intrigue, romantic fantasy, and magic, this book should hold your interest. It's not the best by any means, but it is a good read. I found it slightly refreshing- Glass' writing style is completely different than any other fantasy writers that I have read. For those who liked Canavan's Magician's Guild series, you might want to check this out. I would consider this book a light read, not nearly as involved as others out there, but good nonetheless. I'll definetly be picking up the next book in the series when it is released in paperback (and for those of you who don't like to start a series before its all published, don't worry, this book ends with a lot of loose ends tied, so you should be able to hold out for the next one in patience). I found "Daughter of Exile" a worthy read.

I enjoyed this story---yes! It was the authors first and you could totally tell, but it was well written. Everyone has got to start out somewhere and she did a marvelous job. She also got a great artist for her cover---what drew me more to the story than anything else.(!) Angarrad is a strong character; the story rambles and covers a lot of ground, kills off a main character, alas!, and still managed to keep entertained to the end. I look forward to reading future works.

I initially picked up Daughter of Exile because of the beautiful cover art by Kinuko Craft, and I'm glad that I did. Isabel Glass drew me in to a wonderful world in which magic and reality intermingle. Angarred becomes an unlikely hero when she undertakes a journey to seek justice for her father's assassination. She leaves her country home for the city and the king's court where her life becomes more interesting and complicated by the moment. This story avoids becoming cliche because the characters retain individuality and grow and change throughout the novel. Glass's writing and characters will appeal to fans of Patricia McKillip and Mercedes Lackey. I look forward to reading more of her work.

When it was suspected that Lord Challo Hassan was part of the conspiracy to overthrow the king, he and his four-year-old daughter Angarred were banished from court for fourteen years. Lord Hagar plotted to find a way to get back in the graces of King Tezue, but before he could accomplish this, he was assassinated in the forest while on a hunt. When someone tries to kill Angarred in her home, she travels to the capital city of Pergodi to seek the king?s justice.When she arrives at court, she learns that the king is under the spell of the magician Alkarren, the heir Prince Norue is plotting with the Takeke and Princess Roddarren is mad. The giants are on the move to conquer Pergodi while the princess escapes the city and tries to gather up an army to overthrow the heir. Angarred realizes that someone is controlling all these events and she, along with the magician Matthewar as an ally try to find the pieces of a magical artifact said to contain the power of many sorcerers to learn who the puppet master is and stop him.DAUGHTER OF EXILE is a very complex entertaining romantic fantasy with so many twists and turns that it is impossible to predict what will happen next. The heroine changes over the course of this novel from a naive innocent to a brilliant strategist and warrior; she always seeks peace for her homeland without sacrificing her morals at court. This is Isabel?s Glass?s debut novel and it ranks with the works of Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey.Harriet Klausner

Fast-paced, engrossing, and beautifully written, leaves you drooling for the author's next book! A terrific first novel; a little more polish and the next one will be a five-star book. I would highly recommend this book to fans of Patricia McKillip or Robin Mckinley.