The Island and the Ring

Ahh, what can I say about The Island And The Ring? It is a truly beautiful story, but given the amount of reviews, I'd say it's not well known. That is terrible as far as I'm concerned, so I'll try to do a basic plot outline for everyone out there. Tania is the daughter of Campion, a king of one of the provinces in Elyssonne, and island kingdom. Campion wants to bring back the golden age in Elyssonne, a time of peace and beauty before the evil and manipulative (as well as seemingly immortal) ruler Ascanet conquered it. Campion is trying to form an alliance of some of the other provinces to defeat Ascanet and Tania is informed that she will have to marry Prince Radnor to help accomplish this. Naturally, she isn't thrilled with the idea, especially when she sees how cold he is. The only people who seem to feel sympathy for her are her brother and the enigmatic, disfigered lutenist, Eliar. During her betrothal banquet, an army of Ascanet's fearsome warriors, the Silver Souls, appears and Tania rushes to the secret door in the stables to escape. There she overhears a struggle between Prince Radnor and a captain of the Silver Souls. Apparently, Campion was betrayed by his allies. However, the captain kills Radnor to prevent him from talking and Tania notices a strange ring that falls off his hand. She hides it in her skirt to keep it from glinting in the moonlight and betraying her and forgets it until later. (title hint: the ISLAND and the RING. Paying attention?) Tania escapes to a cave in the woods where she hides until dawn. Then she meets up with Eliar who also escaped from the castle. He informs her of the death of her father and brother, and tells her that they are the only two survivors. He offers to take her to her mother's people, where she will be safe, and Tania agrees. Tania's mother died when she was very young and no one knows who her people are. They set off and a good portion of the story is about their trek through the country to the secret land of Dacaria. They have many adventures which I won't go into for brevity's sake, but it is still very exciting. When they near Dacaria, Eliar reveals some more of his life to Tania. He once studied the lute with Ascanet and Ascanet told him that he could become the master of music if he only corrupted Dacaria. He refused, but can never go back to Dacaria for fear of the temptation. He finally tells Tania that he cares for her in a round about Eliarish sort of way. She misunderstands and thinks that he is trying to use her the same way her father wanted to - for political reasons. It is only after she hurts Eliar that she realizes that she misunderstood him and how painful it is for him to not talk to her. However, before they reach Dacaria, and before they can make up, a hippogriff attacks and wounds both Eliar and Tania. They are discovered by the Dacarians and Tania is brought into their valley. Eliar stays in a hermit's hut outside the valley since he feels he can't safely enter

My wife and I read this novel to each other as bedtime reading about a year ago, and it has stuck with me ever since. We are lucky to have our own copy, as well as to know the author personally! She is an amazing person and a truly talented writer and teacher. This novel, as has been mentioned, *is* tremendously satisfying and I would recommend it for anyone who likes fantasy (or even those who don't; Laura's insight into human psychology and human emotions is right on). Kids love it, adults love it...just read it.

I came across this novel in a library a few months ago, and could NOT put it down. This book has a certain charm that will surely send lovers of adventure, good vs. evil, and romance head over heels. Princess Tania is the daughter of King Campion of Ellyssone, who is determined to unite the fueding lords of the island and overthrow it's tyrant master, Ascanet. When peace negotions go awry, a massacre ensues in which none of the negotiators are left alive, save two: Princess Tania and the enigmatic Eliar, a scarred and disfigured lutenist with a cryptic past. Together, they struggle through Ellyssone in a journey towards the sanctuary of Tania's mother's home. However, Tania soon realizes that a peculiar ring that she bears invariably connects her to the fate of Ellyssone, and draws Ascanet to her wherever she goes... This book makes for a satisfying meal for even the greediest fantasy gluttons. The plot itself is a six-course meal, with the characters adding a delightfull texture - and the growing affection between Tania and Eliar is nothing but savoury.

This is one of my favorite books. It can be read over and over again and each time you will find something new or something that you forgot the last time you read it. A definite must for those people who like to read fantasy/romances but don't like the story to dwell only on the romance.

I think that this story was exactly what this adventure-seeker/reader needed on a rainy day. Tania is a compelling heroine bound to save her beloved island. There should be more books written like this! Wonderful