Elizabeth Haydon

It's been about ten years (TEN YEARS!) since I first read Rhapsody: Child of Blood, and it's been interesting reading it again, now that I'm older and less naive and more world weary. I still love the book, that much hasn't changed, but I am more critical of its flaws, especially in regards to Rhapsody's character.

I've been incredibly critical of the "perfect and beautiful" character trope in past reviews, and yes, I do still find it a little annoying that Rhapsody is just so damned show more beautiful and perfect in every way, BUT she is the only character I have ever forgiven for this trait. Yes, it's over the top, and yes she's annoyingly naive about her own beauty, but it makes sense given the story, especially after she is remade in the fire at the center of the earth, and most of the time she doesn't care about her looks. She isn't vain, she doesn't flaunt it, and she doesn't let her looks carry her through life. That may be ironic to say about someone who used to be a prostitute, but by the time we meet Rhapsody, she's put that career behind her and has begun training to be a Namer. In addition to being a singer, she develops other skills and fighting abilities that she relies on much more than her looks throughout the series.

In other words, she's not like this:

Moving on from that, the book does start out a little slow. The romantic introduction of the mysteriously time travelling Sam and the quaint country girl Emily is a little simplistic and silly, but it does set up a lot of information and questions, like who the hell transported this kid back in time, what happened to the island, and will these characters ever meet again? It's not the most exciting introduction, but it works once you get past it.

For me, the book really picks up once Rhapsody meets Achmed and Gruntor. Achmed is probably the first shady, dangerous asshole character that I ever fell in love with, and he's definitely my favorite character in this whole series. I don't always agree with him, and calling him an asshole is probably a massive understatement most of the time, but I love him. And I want to smack him sometimes.

I feel like I'm losing direction in this review, but the whole point I wanted to make is that this book isn't perfect, but it is incredibly entertaining, and I've become just as invested in it now as I was when I first read it as a 17 year old who had never read anything like it before. show less

The Hollow Queen is the eighth book in The Symphony of Ages series by Elizabeth Haydon. Now this is more like it! All the set up from the previous book pays off. The story sets off at a fast pace and doesn't let up until the very end. Haydon has given herself an ambition task and was definitely up for the challenge.

Talquist's ambitions and plans reach across the entire continent and beyond. The Cymrian Alliance finds itself surrounded on all sides by the forces of Sorbold. Rhapsody has show more joined the battle, wielding Daystar Clarion, leaving part of herself in hiding with her infant son deep within the mountains. Desperate for help Ashe tries to enlist the Sea Mages and the people of Manose, completely unaware that Talquist's navy has set up a barrier effectively blocking the continent from the rest of the world. Gruhtor prepares the Firbolg of Ylorc to withstand a coming siege. Achmed takes up the quest to try and cut off the head of the snake knowing full well that even if he's successful it may not stop the momentum of the war. There are obstacles at every turn. Are the free peoples willing to pay the price to end this war?

In a nutshell, this is all about the War for the Known World. There are plots within plots, politics, betrayals, tons of action, dragons, heroics and even a smidgen of romance. Haydon handles it all well, deftly weaving many story lines together told from at least ten points of view. Unlike the last book, the story does not sit still. At times it seems to even rush ahead, short cutting from the start to ends of battles. We are constantly jumping from location to location in an effort to keep up with all of what's going on. I found it to be quite the page turner.

The Three are given a lot more page time too, for which I was mostly thankful. Achmed's story had me on the edge of my seat! He still remains my favorite character. I just wish he'd tell Rhapsody the truth about how he feels already, how much his hate for her husband is from jealousy and how he loves her. I think it's obvious to everyone but the characters at this point. The character change for Rhapsody that started in the last book continues in this book and I liked how it was handled right up until the end. Then there was a lot of dialog I found groan worthy which thankfully was a fairly short section. Grunthor gets to have his heroic moment as he holds the line back in Ylorc. I continue to find Ashe and his dragon side annoying. There are still some "memory" scenes, but they are used a lot more sparing and flowed with the story better.

All major story threads and many of the loose ends are neatly tied up by the end of the book and are mostly satisfying for this long time fan. The series could easily have ended here but there is one more book to go. show less

This book is just downright fun. I picked it up because Elizabeth Haydon writes an AMAZING adult fantasy series (Symphony of Ages, if you want to look into that), and I wanted to see how her middle grade stands up against that. The answer I found: The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme might actually be better than Symphony of Ages.

The Floating Island centers around a 50-year-old “Nain” (literally french for dwarf — very cool wordplay there) named Ven, who is just reaching his majority by show more his race’s standards. He is the son of a shipmaker and when he goes to inspect his father’s newest ship, he embarks on what seems to be a never-ending adventure full of twists, surprises, and magic. This feels like an old-fashioned, true adventure story to me, and it’s something I would have DEVOURED when I was twelve — mermaids, dwarves, pirates, kings, intrigue, revenants, magic — this book has everything I love about fantasy, and more. Even as an adult, I enjoyed it immensely. It’s well done in that it’s framed as a “true” story and these journals of Ven were recently discovered and gathered and published by the author. The narrative itself is interesting in that it switches between straight-up journal entries told from Ven’s perspective and regular narration. This definitely allowed the story to strike a balance between being fast-paced while also remaining true to the journal idea. The illustrations by Brett Helquist are great and add a lot to the story in terms of being able to imagine everything and giving credence to the journal idea.

My favorite part is how this story focuses on what it means to have a home, what friendship/family truly means, and how our lives are bettered by being surrounded by kind people. This is very much a coming of age story, and Ven is able to find his bravery in order to save his friends and stand up for what he thinks is right. He learns how to find out the truth and speak for himself, instead of just going along with whatever people tell him. It’s a great lesson for kids, especially as they find themselves growing up and also trying to figure out how to make their own decisions and be their own person. (And probably could help adults like myself be reminded of the important things in life.)

I can’t recommend this enough, I loved every second of reading this book and am very much looking forward to the sequel.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

"Pardon me, but would you be willing to adopt me for a moment? I'd be grateful."

Rhapsody, a trained Singer of some power working on becoming a Namer, is on the run from a sadistic former client, Michael the Wind of Death, who doesn't take no for an answer. During her flight Rhapsody literally runs into a couple of shady characters, two half-breeds also on the run. Not in a position to be picky she begs for their help. What at first is supposed to be a rescue ends up as an abduction. And so show more begins an epic journey. Rhapsody is dragged across half a continent and through the earth to the other side of the world. Upon emerging the trio discovers 1400 years has passed and nothing will be the same for them again.

Rhapsody is the first in the Rhapsody trilogy and larger Symphony of Ages series. The book has a little bit of everything: action, adventure, romance, magic, mystery. Haydon has a knack for world building that I enjoy. The world has a rich history and mythos. The magic system is music based, playing on the author's love of music.

The fact that the main characters are 1400 years displaced in time sets the stage for a nice mystery as they piece together what's gone on since they left and exactly what has lead up to causing several kingdoms of the current day to be on the brink of war. Did something from the old world survive or is it something brand new?

Haydon's fluid writing style is also fun to read. She keeps things moving through the character's points of view and does not hesitate to jump between characters when other view points are needed. The interplay between the three main characters is entertaining throughout the book.

This is a comfort reread for me as I've read the trilogy many times. I am happy to say the story still stands up since the last time I read it. I will likely continue on to finish the trilogy after the holidays and see if the rest of the books are as I remember. show less