Outlaws of Moonshadow Marsh #1: Sign of the Qin

I truly enjoyed this book and the depth of texture that the author gives. It reminds me very much of Barry Hugharts Bridge of Birds trilogy in the amount of mythology, theology, and philosophy that is included. I look forward to the next book - although at 33 I am a bit beyond the "target" age group!

This is a great book. The polt moves quickly, with many twists and turns. It's action-packed and full of great characters. I am a very picky reader, and the moment I started reading this book I could'nt put it down! I can't wait to read the next two in this fascinating trilogy!

My favorite character was Monkey because he was sneaky, but he took his responsibilities well. I think the author wrote very deep words and had a very positive idea about what she was going to write. For example, if she had put "Monkey was very fast," she would have changed it to "quick". It is very violent although it is soft in a way. I like how the prince was very accurate even though he was young. His personality was stubborn just like the Star Lord, Hung Wu. The Master Hand was firm, but never too hard.General Calabash had alot of patience but knew when to let his students in on advice. He was secretive and knew when he couldn't get caught. It is unusual that the author put Puk as the king of the sea, but when it came to fighting he was a coward.White Streak was a very agile fighter, but did not test the limits of life. He wouldn't go too far in trying to do something. For example, he wouldn't try to defeat Yamu without some help. I like how the author made up the name of the cave that the statue of the river goddess stood upon. It was the best book I've ever read. I hope you like my review and please make the next book soon.

My favorite character was Monkey because he was sneaky, but he took his responsibilities well. I think the author wrote very deep words and had a very positive idea about what she was going to write. For example, if she had put "Monkey was very fast," she would have changed it to "quick". It is very violent although it is soft in a way. I like how the prince was very accurate even though he was young. His personality was stubborn just like the Star Lord, Hung Wu. The Master Hand was firm, but never too hard.General Calabash had alot of patience but knew when to let his students in on advice. He was secretive and knew when he couldn't get caught. It is unusual that the author put Puk as the king of the sea, but when it came to fighting he was a coward.White Streak was a very agile fighter, but did not test the limits of life. He wouldn't go too far in trying to do something. For example, he wouldn't try to defeat Yamu without some help. I like how the author made up the name of the cave that the statue of the river goddess stood upon. The name was "The Water Curtain Cave. This was the best book I've ever read. I hope you like my review and please make the next book soon.

THE SIGN OF THE QIN is both the best and one of the most complex Young Adult fantasies being published during the first half of 2004. If book awards were given to characters the way Oscars are given to actors, then the smartass Monkey would be a shoe-in for Supporting Character of the Year. This exciting, humorous, and meticulously crafted book, an absolute piece d'resistance, is written by a highly respected children's book editor under her married name and contains not a single out-of-place word. Our most experienced middle school fantasy reader, who thoroughly enjoyed the tale, noted that it borrows heavily from Chinese legends. I have no experience with those legends, but found THE SIGN OF THE QIN to be an absolute delight to read and savor. I look forward to rereading it next year before the second book in the trilogy appears.