Now that Tobin has become Tamir fate is calling for her to complete her destiny and wrest her lands from her beloved cousin Korin no matter what the cost.

The last third of this tale is just as gripping as the first two parts as evidenced by the fact that I just spent about the last eight hours straight reading the book! The only part that I kind of skimmed over was the chapter about Niryn's past history which I wasn't very interested in. Other than that it was a wonderfully engrossing tale. I loved all the little references that harken back (or forward, I guess) to the Nightrunner books, especially the creation of Rhiminee. The battle scenes had me on the edge of my seat throughout and I generally just had a really hard time putting the book down at all.

This is a highly imaginative dark fantasy story that I enjoyed immensely and would whole heartedly recommend, although you may want to make sure you have the full set in your possession prior to starting. ( )

Third and final entry in the Tamir Trilogy, in which Princess Tamir (once Prince Tobin, Tamir being revealed in the previous book when a mystical fire burns away her male body, a shell and illusion held in place by magic) takes her place as the leader of Skala from the prophesy--or she will as soon as she can thrust her cousin Korin and his evil wizard Niryn from the usurper's role. Gathering her army and supporters, Tamir begins without much confidence, but grows in assurance as the leader of her country each day. Her personal life is a shambles, of course, what with the big adjustment to her new gender ('there's an empty spot in my breeches!' LOL) and her feelings for Ki, her squire plus her worries over Korin, believing him to be a victim of Niryn's dark wizardry and manipulation . The ending to this was fairly predictable, but I really enjoy Flewelling's writing style and her characterizations, and this was certainly among the most unique series I've read in recent years with its strange premise and storyline. Will be checking out other series by this author for certain! ( )

I suggest that anyone starting this trilogy -- which begins with The Bone Doll's Twin followed by Hidden Warrior get all three books at once. The plot is engrossing and the characters are sympathetic, memorable, and imminently human. ( )

My Bookspotcentral review ( )

The Oracle's Queen is the third book of a trilogy that begins with The Bone Doll's Twin and continues with Hidden Warrior, though there is no obvious indication on the cover or front pages that it is part of a series. Surprisingly, the book can be read as a standalone novel since it is fairly well self-contained. However, I wouldn't recommend it, because it will lose some of its entertainment value without the pleasure of seeing how it winds up storylines from the previous books.

The story opens with a new heir to the throne of Skala - Tamir, a 15-year-old girl who spent the first fifteen years of her life as a boy in an effort to hide her from her murderous uncle. Her former sex was magically burned away at the culmination of a battle to fend off a brutal invasion which resulted in the destruction of the capital city and the scattering of former friends into two camps, Tamir in one and her cousin, Korin, the son of a usurper uncle, in the other. The uncle's death left ignoble Korin, a man of weak character, as the heir apparent. Then Tamir changed form and claimed title to the throne as the only female direct descendent of the last rightful queen. Korin has not seen the transformation from Tamir's male form to her feminine, and believes it is a lie or a necromancer's trick. The primary storyline of the book resolves their conflicting claims on the throne.

This primary plot is not played very well. At the beginning of the book both factions are in their respective camps. Except for two brief military skirmishes by Tamir's forces, they remain in those camps, out of contact with each other, until the end of the book. There is thus not much of interest in the conflict between Korin and Tamir until the obligatory final battle looms at the far end of the book. The story would have benefitted from a little intrigue to keep the reader wondering what was going to happen.

The second most prominent storyline is the response of Tamir's squire, Ki, to her sex change. This storyline occupies perhaps as much as a hundred pages scattered throughout the book, but unfortunately becomes quite repetitive. It resolves well at the end, but far too much is made of their relationship - unless, of course, a slow-moving but well-indulged romance without any twists or turns and with an ending that can safely be assumed from the beginning is just your cup of tea.

Tamir's own adaptation to her sex change doesn't seem to be taken too seriously by the author. The only things remarked upon are the obvious physical differences and the difficulties in new clothing style. Opportunities for social commentary were passed upon.

Another storyline involves the scheming of a truly despicable antagonist, the wizard Niryn. He puts Saruman of Lord of the Rings to shame in despicable deeds and is a fascinating if truly slimy character. He only appears here and there in the story, rarely taking direct part in the action, but one nevertheless keeps hoping to see him get his well-deserved comeuppance, which... well, you can probably guess whether he does or not.

The most interesting storyline involves loyal friends of Korin who see him being influenced by the evil Niryn and want to see him restored to his better self. They must somehow reconcile their opinions of his deeds with their love for him and sense of loyalty towards him. Many parts of this storyline are extremely well-done and the different ways in which characters resolve their impossible position are quite moving at times. The weakness of Korin's character is depicted with skill, and it meshes perfectly with his friends' concerns.

Another storyline involves a demon Tamir calls "Brother." He is sometimes with her, but as a character his role is extremely minor in this book. In earlier books in the series he has been shown to be untrustworthy, but in 'The Oracle's Queen' he is merely an unwelcome attendant to her dreams and an occasional helper. He consistently demands revenge for his murder. It is Tamir's task to find who was responsible and how she can satisfy him. In general, this storyline is weak and doesn't impart much motion to the plot of this volume. One never knows quite what to make of Brother. The "secret" behind his murder in the end seems contrived and not well explained - though it may make more sense taken with information in an earlier book of the series - and the resolution of his relationship with Tamir doesn't seem very satisfying.

Another interesting character is a "hill witch" named Mahti, who is in the opening scene of the book and then disappears till half-way through. He plays a more direct role in the story than the wizard Niryn, and his magic, dispensed through music played on a wooden horn, is fascinating. At the end there is a hint that more tales about him could be forthcoming in a spin-off from this trilogy, and they would indeed be welcome.

Another storyline involves fulfillment of prophecies. The primary prophecy doesn't seem very original - it basically just directs Tamir to get her army out of the castle and get ready to fight. A secondary prophecy involves founding a city. This is a little more original, but at least in the context of this book is not very inspiring. The benefit of the city to the world is not described well enough even by the end of the book, so one never particularly cares about how the prophecy is fulfilled.

There are a few loose ends left at the end. We are told that dragon bites imply dragon friendship, but those that happen in the book lead to nothing. One of the wizards is banished but promises to be in touch, but then she never seems to be in touch. One is never told why Mahti was selected to help Tamir. There is the beginning of friendship with the hill people, but one never sees it come to fruition. Mahti seems to say there was a viable alternative to Brother's murder, but it is never laid out and the reason for his mentioning it isn't clear.

In summary, the book has a few memorable and engrossing characters whose fate will be of sufficient interest to keep you reading, and the action scenes, though few and far between, are well written. The use of language does not seem very sophisticated and it seems to take a lot of pages to get through a plot in which there isn't really all that much going on. Some loose ends are not tied up, but the most important story lines are resolved and one does have a sense at the end that things have turned out as they should. It's not one of this reviewer's favorite books, but it is entertaining enough, especially if the long romance tickles your fancy. And of course, if you have read the first two books of the trilogy, you will want to know how things turn out. This book should not disappoint you. ( )