The second book in the Half-Blood chronicles begins slowly. It is a year after the revolt and we begin in a new location with new characters getting ready for a fete. If I heard anymore about choosing a dress for a function by an elven lady I may just have whipped that CD in the audio-book out the car window. There were a couple of other places where the book dragged, and if I had of been reading the paper copy I likely would have skimmed quite a few pages here and there. A case in point, the sudden yet insipid pairing up of the main characters. It was as if it was an afterthought to throw in some "romance". Then, boom, the book did pick up, to the point where the ending was actually rushed. The best part of this series is its strong female characters. In Elvenblood, we meet Rena, who essentially keeps her brother Lorryn and herself alive by the use of her "small magic". This level of magic has always been poo-poohed by the male elves and underestimated by the female, yet here it is saving the day. It let Rena be a strong female character without aping males. There were some other cultures introduced, but I would have liked to have known more about the Iron People. Where did they come from? Were they indigenous to the planet? How did they fall off the radar and stay off of it for so long? And why?I'll carry on with the series but I can't say that it is the most captivating fantasy set that I have read. (less)
This second installment has the advantage of better pacing than the first, since its moved past the "beginning" stages of the plot. However, where the first had rich descriptions of the world and its people, and the characters were well-developed, "Elvenblood" failed to deliver the same quality. Shana came across as increasingly shallow and her character unbelievable - although the changes are understandable as she moves up the social ladder, I found it hard accept her dramatically developed interpersonal skills.The plot of Elvenblood, rather than picking up where it left off at the end of Elvenbane, begins rather abruptly and leaves the reader confused. Scenes and events are disjointed, as if the author threw together a bunch of plot devices and action scenes rather than assuring that it both made sense and flowed. The ending felt rushed; a deliberate attempt by the authors to set up the next novel.The only reason why this book received a 6/10 instead of a 5 was due to the enjoyment factor. I still enjoyed the book reasonably, which is something to say in its favour. It's a shame the glaringly obvious flaws in the writing were impossible to ignore. Let's hope the third in the installment is an improvement.
Elvenblood is a book about blood, and the power struggles between those you do know and those you don't.Sheyrena and Lorryn find their freedoms threatened, Sheyrena because her elven father arranges a marriage, and Lorryn because his father was human, not elven. So they must flee, and turn to Sheyrena's human slave who is strangely knowledgeable about dragons, Myre.In the wake of a victory against elves, halfbloods like Shana, human wizards, and dragon shamans like her brother Keman have gathered only to find that they aren't the only people seeking freedom, there are the human nomads and traders, the Iron People. They must in the end forge themselves anew into a weapon against elves, while becoming a shield for their friends.
—Serena
When I decided to re-read The Halfblood Chronicles, I was excited to read the brand new (to me) third novel in the series. As for this second book, though I only vaguely recalled the events of the previous novel in the series, this one felt a bit more familiar. At first I chalked it up to a familiarity with Mercedes Lackey’s writing style. But as more and more of the plot came back to me, I realized that my clearer memory came from originally enjoying this sequel even more than the first book in the series. This sequel is even more fun to read (and to re-read!). It’s an adventurous fantasy with a lot of sympathetic characters and a very entertaining plotline. I am anxious to see where it all concludes in the third volume in the series!
—Victoria
The pacing seemed a little off in this book. The themes of power, and what the introduction of checks and balances to that power would do to a society seemed interesting, but this came much to late in the book, for my taste.There are intrigues introduced to the story that never gets resolved, at least not in this volume, as the focus is turned elsewhere. In fact, what I perceive to be the climax of the struggle in this volume, happens "off camera".Finally, one tip to female fantasy writers, who'
—Heine
