Stronghold

I love this book and was ecstatic to find it in hardback. The only drawback is the dust jacket is missing.

I've read the complete series. Rawn draws you into each scene, crafting the pages in the book as some would sculpt. I laughed, I cried and I will always be a Rawn fan.

There are hardly enough words to describe the talent of this woman. She ingeniously drew her characters along, new and old ones, to wrap both serious together in an incredible style. She leaves you bouncing and hopping from foot to foot while you wait to get to the next one, but unwilling to finish her last book as you wish for the story to never end. That is, that's how it was for me. *Smiles* Indeed, there are some characters that seem to have no impact on the storyline. But those who see those characters that way have no insight into the amazing storyline of this book. Each person, and each scene, no matter how inconsequential it may seem, lend to the book's overall lessons and the lives of the characters. Melanie Rawn, also, is an author that has no problem (seemingly) killing of her main character; in this way as well she is an incredible author, for doing such unexpected things, expecially after getting attatched to them, wrenches the reader's heart in sorrow. And that is the whole point to reading a book--getting drawn in so strongly that you feel as if you are the character at the moment, and you feel as they do, and those feelings change as the book goes on. Overall, her storyline, character growth, and the in depth information she creates for this knew world is amazing and one of the best. If you are in the mood for an emotionally wrenching storybook that lasts longer than most, or just in for a good read--I highly reccomend this book!

I'm a huge fan of Melanie Rawn. I think that she is able to create a fascinating world, complex and realistic characters, interesting stories. There are a few warnings that I have though for others who are debating her books. 1. Yes, this book is the first book of the SECOND series concering the same realm and people. I have read a lot of criticism that this should really be the fourth book, and I disagree. There are many authors who break their series up. It's not uncommon. It is confusing to pick it up in the middle, but I think that the series itself should be two trilogies, not one never ending series. (ahem, jordan and goodkind, would you mind ENDING your stories already?) There are a number of series that I started on and realized that it was the second or third series concering different people. Many of the Valdemar series, the Deryni novels, the Fey, to name a few. The first series was about the internal struggles of the people and the desert's quest for enough power to provide stability. The second is about an invading force. 2. Melanie Rawn focuses a lot on her characters and descriptions of "sunrunning" and other things of that nature. Many may find this to be boring or simply too much. I obviously don't, but to each their own. Just a warning. In this novel, there is a description of two people, their love and romance and stuff like that. Then they are killed. Some found that to be pointless and meaningless. It didn't advance the plot a great deal and it does slow things down. I found it to make the story more tragic. It conveys that there are so many people who will be lost, that we will never "know" and also how pointless and tragic war is. I think it adds depth to the story. Still waters run deep. So, if you don't like extra info that isn't necessarily critical to the plot, you might become irritated with any of these novels. Those are my warnings. Here is what I loved about the book. Many have criticize Rohan as being "too perfect." Like Rhapsody, in Haydon's series, I sort of think that his greatest strength is his greatest weakness. This book sort of showcases that in the situations of this book, he is far from perfect. His strengths in the pervios books, become weaknesses in these books because in his own way, he deals with things too narrowly. He likes to internalize all conflicts, but it just doesn't work here. He has had a lot of years of success with his way of dealing with things, and perhaps just can't change at his age. He also becomes somewhat bitter and tempermental. Understandable of course. Pol--definitely the "flawed" hero. His development is well done.Meiglan. What a surprise. She really developed and realistically. Did she become a roaring lion like Sioned? She stayed iwthin character, yet grew. I loved it. You start Nope. see it a little in this book, and it just gets better.Andry. One of my favorites. His development into a fanatic is pretty complete by now, but there are still a few surprises left in him. I'll

I almost regretted picking up this book by the time I reached the last pages. It was totally emotionally wrenching, especially if you had followed the series since Dragon Prince, book one of the first series. Rawn has brought the plot to a deeper dimension, that makes the "crises" of the first series seem minor. She had brought us from the micro level of that world, with succession disputes and politics, to the macro level, where war could mean complete destruction of what the characters had known for all their lives... their heritage, the dragons, their species.The plot developments were extremely engaging, and as destruction looms over the land, you find yourself cheering or despairing with each character in the face of such insurmountable challenges. Rohan's and Sioned's strength, passion and loyalty is admirable, but they have their weaknesses too, that you have grown to know so well (if you followed the first series) that your heart goes out to them when they are defeated at each turn, by obstacles big or small.The new characters introduced here were engaging on their own, but what struck me most is the reality that Melanie Rawn injects into her stories. Mortality is very real, and it tears at your heartstrings to see the characters fall in battle, or in sickness. It is not just the bad guys who die, but the good guys and the innocent ones too.I cried at the last few pages of the book, and it felt as if I was crying for a friend whom I had known for a long time. And amidst these losses, you will come to admire and love Sioned for her strength of character, and cheer for her as if she's the last champion who can change the fate of the world.This book is truly unforgettable. An Excellent Epic!

I found the Dragon Prince series exciting and wonderful. The Dragon Star series is the same. I have read all six books twice. I accually cried during the reading of these books, and when I was done reading them, I felt like I lost something. I sincerely hope she writes another series to follow up the Dragon Star books, I need to know what happens to all the characters.