The Heart of Stars

Finally got around to reading this book after buying it right when it came out in the US. Not because I hate the story or the author (because I LOVE them both) but because I find the main character annoying.

It was so nice to see all my favorite characters again: Isabeau, Dide, Finn the Cat, that I could get over not liking Rhiannon. The middle section of the book with Dide and Isabeau was so heart-wrenching but I'm glad it worked out in the end. I was distressed over the whole Margrit deal because of all the hard work Isabeau went through in the first series to get rid of her, good thing for great aim huh?

I wish that Kate Forsyth would write more in this universe because it is exquisitely created, easy to get lost in, and makes me wish show more I could live there and study at the Theurgia too! show less

Kate Forsyth has done it again. She has deftly interwoven her characters, world, and the history of that world to create a beautiful tale of love, pain, adventure, and heartache.

In THE HEART OF STARS, half-satyicorn girl Rhiannon, Keybearer Isabeau, and Banrìgh Bronwen all struggle in their own way to save Eileanan from the treasonous plots hatched by a gang of villains.

This book is absolutely gripping, exciting, and powerful. There are some scenes here that will leave readers in awe at what the characters manage to do. Forsyth doesn't waste time with perfect happiness - Eileanan is a true-to-life reality that is so detailed, so well-crafted, you will have a tough time pulling away. And tragedy happens.

One of the major questions here show more is on resurrection: Can it be done? And if it can, SHOULD it be? Characters in Eileanan take it as a fact that No, it should not. I didn't find, however, that there was a good enough reason not to bring people back to life. There needed to be more stress on the order of life, and the consequences of such an act, to convince us why not.

Another gripe: what's with the order of the book, and the synopsis at the beginning? For a hundred pages you get Isabeau, then for another sixty you get Rhiannon, and so on. In the past, Forsyth has always kept us hanging, a much better tactic when one wants to stress the intertwining of time and life while also making things more exciting.

But despite that, there are so many things going on - so many subplots and motivations and intrigues to grasp - that it all feels like one giant reality. Unfailingly, everything ties together, and nothing is left undone. It's lovely and complex, just like those tapestries of life Forsyth writes of in her books.

Pretend this is 4 and 1/2 stars, and after you've read all the other books in the series, go out and get this one. It's worth it, because aside from a few minor pitfalls, Forsyth weaves a beautiful tapestry of intriguing, honest-to-earth human (and half-human) beings. Their motivations, their thoughts, all ring true for some reason or another. That alone makes it worth the read. show less

With the leading clan bitterly split and the court torn apart, only fierce, half-human Rhiannon and her winged mare have any chance of rescuing Princess Olwynne and her twin brother. But what duty requires, the heart may regret.

An evil necromancer has kidnapped the royal twins, plotting to spill their blood for revenge and to restore his own family to life. Chaos reigns in the capital, and Rhiannon finds herself burdened with a heavy charge: to save the one woman she hates above all others. It will not be easy to forgive or forget that Olwynne attempted to steal Rhiannon’s true love, the handsome apprentice witch Lewen, especially when it seems that Olwynne would still be her rival for his affections.

And as the necromancer’s show more intrigues grow more desperate, Rhiannon fears that saving the princess could mean risking everything, Lewen, her mare, her freedom, even her own life. show less

This is the third, and final, book in the trilogy Rhiannon's Ride. This book was a good balance of adventure and intrigue. I didn't think it was quite as good as the first two books; there were parts of the book where things got a little tedious and I had to drag myself through them. Those parts were far between and short though; so overall I really enjoyed this book.

Rhiannon takes off to rescue the twins from the Lord of Fettercain while the Keeper of the Keys must travel back through time to prevent the Lord of the Ravens from being raised. This book was, for the most part, fast paced and engaging. Forsyth's greatest strength is in characterization; even the characters with small roles seem to come alive.

As I said, this book switched show more between the two parties chasing down the bad guys and scenes at the court of Lusescere. Bronwen plays a huge role in this book as she steps up to rule Lusescere in her husband's absence. Lewen plays a much smaller role in the beginning of this book, with Rhiannon really coming into her own on her rescue mission.

This was a great book and a wonderful conclusion to the series. The plot of intricate and finely woven, the switches between viewpoint were well done, overall this was a wonderfully crafted story. A very solid fantasy. I can't wait to read more of Forsyth's work! show less

Rhiannon comes into her own and finds her place in the world, which had been unclear from the beginning (as an outcast in the herd, her only thought was of escape, not of what to do or who to become). Things are resolved in a way that feels right, but isn't necessarily completely perfect (which isn't surprising with a trilogy that begins with a character from the Eileanan books dying). Just as the things that make her unfit in the satyrcorn world make her a better fit in the human world, the things that make her atypical eventually become her strengths and lead her on her path.