The Conjurer Princess

I picked this book up at the library just because it looked interesting. Now I'm hooked. Vivian Vande Velde's way of drawing you into the story has me yearning for more.On her sister Beryl's wedding day, Lylene watches in horror as she is kidnapped on the altar. She knows something must be done but the law and church have turned a blind eye to the matter. Lylene determines that the task of saving her sister has fallen to her. Her quest takes her to the door of a wizard whom she bargains with to teach her magic. But that bargain has a dark side that Lylene is too late in finding out.Now on her own again, armed only with her newly acquired magic, she stumbles into the lives of two theives, Shile and Weiland, who help her out of a bad situation. Seeing that Lylene can not complete this mission on her own, they agree to help her rescue her sister.Peppered with adventure, intrigue, betrayal, humor and a smidge of romance, Vivian Vande Velde has weaved a truly superb fantasy that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The ending was a little abrupt and left me wondering what happens to our heros but all in all it was a tremendous read that I highly recommend.Also recommended: THE CHANGELING PRINCE, COMPANIONS OF THE NIGHT, DRAGON'S BAIT...basically anything by Vande Velde.

This book is a great book that had me on the edge of my seat. Every chapter has great twists and unexpected turns. The main character, Lylene, is on a mission to rescue her "pretty" sister after she was kidnapped on her wedding day. Lylene seeks the help of the wizard, Harkta. He agrees to teach her magic but Lylene was less than satisfied with her new 'powers'. She stops at a small inn in a strange town seeking the help of anyone who will help her retrive her sister. She makes two unexpected friendships when she meets Weiland and Shile, two traveling friends who help Lylene out of a sticky situation. The trio set out on an exciting adventure that lead them through twists, turns, death, betrayal, magic, suspicion, and even a little romance. This is a fantastic novel that I would anyone who likes great books.

Lylene is not your average sixteen-year old. Instead of obsessing over what to wear, or who to marry, she is more concerned with saving her sister Beryl's life. In the Conjurer Princess, the young heroine of the story faces many tough challenges while befriending two handsome men. I picked up this novel while at a book fair in my school several years ago. Within that time span, I must have read this book 10 times or more. It's a truely great book; it's of fantasy genre, so of course I would love it. I believe this to be Vivian Van Velde's greatest work. I've read Curses, Inc. but couldn't really get into it, and I've also read Companions of the Night, another great book, but did not intrigue me as much as Conjurer Princess. This should be a must-have for all fantasy lovers!

I really enjoyed this book. I'm a fast reader and due to that my reading habit costs quite a bit of money, yet reading VVV's books make me read them even faster because of the level of suspense and I never want to put them down. This doesn't bother me at all because I go back and read them again and again because I love them. This is the third book I've read by VVV and although her book Companions of the Night is my favorite this book is much better than the Changeling Prince and if you have to chose between the two of them better choose this one!!

The Conjurer Princess is a modern sort of fairy tale-- dark, quirky and bittersweet. All the usual cliches are avoided successfully. Lylene is not a sweet and beautiful princess; closer to a determined and basically honorable person on a quest that is not what she thinks it is. Those who appear to be enemies are not what they seem...nor those who seem to be allies. The ending, like those in all of Vivian Vande Velde's books, is not quite a happily-ever-after conclusion. Left wide open to speculation about the future...If you're looking for a realistic and biting fantasy in which nothing is ever quite as it appears, give this one a try.