A wonderful fantasy epic introducing us to the world of the Twelve Houses -- a group of 12 families in a kingdom -- poised on the brink of civil war. A powerful mystic, Senneth, with a mysterious past has been commissioned by the King to discover the source of discontent and is escorted by two of his personal guards (highly trained Riders) and a few other mystics. Senneth is a powerful heroine who is used to relying only on herself but quickly sees how much she needs her companions on this perilous quest. I was continually astounded by the ingenuity of the plot and the humanness of the characters. Such a great book and I'm so glad it's a series because I can't wait to read the rest! ( )

I'll give it 4 stars because it's part of a series so one is expected to keep reading in order to reach fulfillment. If it were a stand alone novel, I'd probably give it 3.5 stars.

It's a fast read and not very "deep". Shinn's Archangel series has much more "meat" to it than this... here there are no hidden plots, the tension between the characters is weak (particularly the "romance" feels very forced), and the "good versus evil" theme is mild as well - big difference between the wrath of God and some farmers who don't like magic.

That being said, it's not a bad story, and it's pretty quick and easy to read, so perfect for a lounge in the sun on those days you don't feel like thinking too much. ( )

Over the past two weeks I have read the first three books of the series of The Twelve Houses, by Sharon Shinn. I was forgetting to do book reviews individually for them, so I thought I would just do them as a group. The three books are Mystic and Rider, The Thirteenth House, and Dark Moon Defender. They take place in a fantasy world called Gillengaria. (Gillengaria is actually the name of the country; their are a handful of other lands in this world, where the action does not take place.) This country is made up of twelve houses, each house owning the majority of the land under their control. The politics within these noble houses are as in depth as many other fantasy novels.
The basic plotline for the entire series is that there is rebellion brewing in the southern houses, who do not believe that the king will live much longer. They have no faith in his daughter to rule after him, and so have plans to depose her once the king dies. The king's death seems to be a foregone conclusion, although he is in perfectly good health. The other issue that is causing unrest in the kingdom is the presence of mystics. Mystics are people who have various types of magical powers, and they have been around for as long as anyone can remember. But a new religious cult is spreading fear and distrust of mystics throughout the land. Because the king favors mystics, he is seen as weak, and perhaps even under their control.
Each book follows through this plotline, revealing more information and developing the story as time passes. All three books follow the same six characters that are introduced as traveling companions in the first book. These are the central characters to the story, although a few others are introduced along the way. Each book centers on one or more of these central characters, telling the story from their point of view. The relationships between the characters are very well developed, and very complex. There is also a good amount of romance, that fits in very well with the overall plot of the series, and does not seem in any way out of place. Shinn includes at least one romance in every one of the books I've read by her, and she always does a lovely job of making you really feel connected to the characters. This series is just as inventive and entertaining as her Archangel series, and I look forward to reading any new books that come out. ( )

This is a good first book in this series. The characters are well developed and you can’t wait to find out what happens to them next. ( )

This is the first book in the series and the first of Sharon Shinn's that I ever read. Like a Tamora Pierce for adult (and older teen) readers, Shinn captivated me from the first. Her characters evolve, and I can't turn pages fast enough to find out what will happen. Bliss! ( )