The Shining City: Book Two of Rhiannon's Ride

If you've read the first novel in this series and are uncertain about getting the second one, trust me on this: GET IT. You will love it. And if you've never read any of Kate Forsyth's work before, get it too - it's a great introduction to her richly imagined world of witches, faeries, and lords. Rhiannon is a half-satyricorn who unwittingly gets herself caught up in the affairs of the country of Eileanan when she flees her tribe. Found to possess strong magic, Lewen, a young man who finds her hurt in the forest on a winged horse, urges her to cultivate her powers at the Tower of Two Moons. But first she must face charges of murder and treason: Rhiannon has killed a Yeomen of the guard. We get to really delve into all the characters in THE SHINING CITY. From Lachlan, the ruling Rìgh of Eileanan, to seemingly flighty Bronwen, engaged to the heir, every single character is driven by their own beliefs, ambitions, and wants. The best part of it all is that it's all completely believable, and when I say "completely," I mean it. Forsyth is gifted with the ability to really get to the heart of every single driving force in her characters. The constant change in perspective Forsyth provides us with gives us a better look at the bigger picture, and it really works to illustrate the scope and depth she has imbued her world with. Some authors might stumble here, but she does it with grace and careful attention to detail. Speaking of detail, the characters all speak in dialect, something that becomes a fun sort of "secret language" that only Forsyth readers know. This is that rare sequel that is better than its counterpart. While THE TOWER OF RAVENS was wonderful in and of itself, I find that it worked much better as a set-up to all the events in this second book. THE SHINING CITY is jam-packed with adventure, intrigue, romance, drama, and a rich, well-imagined history and fantasy world. This is a book to enjoy!

This book is wonderful and the series depicts the children of the main characters from the first 6 novels. I was very happy to see Iseult thrown down and Maya have a small victory. Bronwen deserved to be treated as the heir, not her cousin. I have always disliked Lachlan and Iseult and it was great to read that they finally fell. Lachlan has always been stupid and selfish and did not deserve to be king. The keybearer has always been a good person and I hope that she continues to be a strong female character.

This book was even more gripping than the first. It made me angry, distressed, sad, relieved, excited, and more. I fell in love with the characters even further. I was glad to see some of the original relationships from the original series still existing. Although an angsty plot, I adored this book and am chomping at the bit for the release of the final book. I need to know the consequences and the outcomes! Can't wait. Kate Forsyth has become my favorite author, hands down!

If you want a plot summary, look that the other reviews, but I'm just going to write my reaction to the novel. This was an excellent read but at times frustrating. I loved The Tower of Ravens and found this book to be excellent as well. The reader is pulled into the plot right away, and the ending is pumped full of action, but I found the middle pages to be a bit slow. Rhiannon is in jail for the entire legnth of the novel and there is a lot of side tracking to the other characters in the novel. I find that I am most engrossed when the author is talking about Rhiannon though so found myself waiting until Forsyth returned to Rhiannon's plight. Another frustrating aspect of the novel was that everything that possibly could go wrong for Rhiannon does. Still, this novel was an excellent read and I can not wait until the next novel "Heart of Stars." Forsyth is an excellent writer who creates an enchanting and engrossing world.

First off, Kate Forsyth is a fantastic writer, and not just of fantasy. She has brilliant command of language and imagery and I almost wish she would branch out and write a non-fantasy novel to explore her skills. In the meantime though, this is one dozy of a book that I heartily recommend, even if you didn't love her previous novels. The Shining City is the second book in Rhiannon's Ride (pronounced Ree-annn-on) which is a trilogy offshoot of the Witches of Eileanan series. In this book Rhiannon is taken captive to the shining capital city and held on trial for murdering one of the king's guards, Connor the just. In the last book it was reveled that she killed him, but she also feel in love with Lewen, who is also part fairy and desperately in love with her despite her being half wild. The book starts as she's taken to prison. Of course Lewen has his own life in the city as a student witch a squire for the king. He's also best friends with the king's daughter, Olwynne. She's been in love with him her whole life and upon hearing about his new loves, decides to concoct a love potion (which are illegal in this world) to win his love away. All this is happening while evil forces gather in the background with some very peculiar helpers we know from previous books. Soon a terrible thing will happen. Will Rhiannon be hung for her crime? Will Lewen fall for the love spell? If he does it mean that he and Rhiannon can never be together again? Will the evil necromancers from the last book be reveled as having an even more sinister purpose? Can this all end happily? I don't know-there's one book left in the series called the Heart of Stars which should come out next year. I await it eagerly. This book is fantastic and edgy and romantic and you'll be on the edge of your seat the whole time cheering for the good guys and booing the bad ones (particularly Olwynne who seems inoccent and good because she's in love with Lewen-not that that's an excuse for what she did) until it ends...with a cliffhanger. I will count the days until the next book and hope for a happy ending. I actually ordered the last in this series from Australia! I'm happy to share info with anyone, who, like me, needs reasurence that everything ends well. Email me for details at [email protected]. Five stars.