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  <id>1116395</id>
  <title><![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[0007196156]]></isbn>
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  <description><![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]></description>
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  <original_publication_month type="integer">9</original_publication_month>
  <original_publication_year type="integer">2006</original_publication_year>
  <original_title>Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)</original_title>
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    <author>
    <id>25307</id>
        <name><![CDATA[Robin Hobb]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>1</rating>
  <votes>5</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jul 16 18:33:35 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Aug 02 10:50:33 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I read this book immediately following the first book in the trilogy. The first books ends with adventure, conflict, moral dilemmas, strong character interaction and hope that the main character had learned something that will help him in the adventures to come. Instead, this book throws us back int...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27475517">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27475517]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>1772888</id>
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    <id>122788</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Korynn]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Berkeley, CA]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>4</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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            <shelf name="sci-fifantasy" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[masochists]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jun 07 22:33:09 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jun 07 22:43:08 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Robin Hobb excells in writing characters that are tragically human. Time and time again her characters deny their destiny, struggle against fate, make astoundingly bad decisions, have terrible luck, and are put through the most soul tearingly body wracking experiences.  Ms. Hobb fulfills that most h...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1772888">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1772888]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1772888]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>3385147</id>
    <user>
    <id>211800</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Heather]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Saint Paul, MN]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/211800-heather]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45106.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>3</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jul 22 14:51:58 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Aug 10 18:51:11 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[If you are a huge Robin Hobb/Megan Lindholm fan, you will probably enjoy her latest Soldier's Son books. These books are just as character driven as her previous work; the characters just as solid and fleshed out (no pun intended), the overall writing is just as polished. If Hobb explored moral ambi...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3385147">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3385147]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3385147]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>74800</id>
    <user>
    <id>5102</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Andy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Mountain View, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5102-andy]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1171917815p3/5102.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45106.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>3</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Those with a perverse love of tragedy]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Feb 22 13:54:53 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu May 24 05:16:49 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[So, I really like Robin Hobb as an author. I have read everything else she has ever written under this name. Always, the books are well written but always follow the troubled life of the main character.<br/>Well, this book marks the first time I have given up on a character of Hobb's. Fitz-Chivalry...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74800">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74800]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74800]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>24701453</id>
    <user>
    <id>1003057</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Myridian]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Gilbert, AZ]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1003057-myridian]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">521594</id>
  <isbn>0060758295</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060758295</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">10</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/521594.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.36</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>69</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Plague has ravaged the prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia, decimating the ranks of both cadets and instructors. Yet Nevare Burvelle has made an astonishingly robust recovery, defeating his sworn nemesis while in the throes of the disease and freeing himself&#8212;he believes&#8212;from the Speck magic that infected him. And now he is journeying home to Widevale, anticipating a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> But there is no haven in the bosom of his kinfolk, for his nights are haunted by grim visions of treachery&#8212;and his days are tormented by a strange side-effect of the plague that shames his family and repulses the lady of his heart. And as the still-potent magic in his blood roars to life, Nevare realizes a terrible truth: that the enemy who seeks to destroy everything he loves dwells perhaps not without but <em>within</em> him. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jun 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jun 17 08:00:43 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jun 24 13:05:47 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is the second in the Soldier Son trilogy. I had serious doubts about the first one, but found this second to be much more palatable. The main character, Nevare, is forced to break with this traditional beliefs/goals in a much more significant way within this book when he is expelled from the mi...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24701453">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24701453]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24701453]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>717902</id>
    <user>
    <id>58925</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Steph]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Nashville, TN]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/58925-steph]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Apr 14 08:39:15 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 16 17:58:00 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Hobb usually does an amazing job of keeping her characters in conflict, challenging the reader with charged conversations and gut-wrenching tragedy. But her latest entry in the Soldier Son Trilogy is 700 pages of Nevare's whining and indecision and frankly... it gets boring fast. All the interesting...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/717902">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/717902]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/717902]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>17154239</id>
    <user>
    <id>916170</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Nathan]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Auburn Hills, MI]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/916170-nathan]]></link>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45106.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="fantasy" />
        <shelf name="reviewed-2008" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Robin Hobb fans, most fantasy readers]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Mar 06 08:26:24 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Mar 06 08:29:26 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book was good, but hard to read, and probably about 200 pages longer than it needed to be.<br/><br/>Hobb tells an engaging story that suffers from two distinct problems.  The first is the &quot;idiot plot&quot; where her protagonist has to be an idiot to do lots of the things that he does.  T...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/17154239">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/17154239]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/17154239]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>56530483</id>
    <user>
    <id>2258787</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Evie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Los Angeles, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2258787-evie-byrne]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1246205864p3/2258787.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45106.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon May 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon May 18 15:31:55 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon May 18 15:44:56 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I'm a little worried about this series. I really admire what she's trying to do--i.e. not dish up the same old young male fantasy hero that we all know so well. She's not afraid to make her characters  suffer and fail and be unlikeable. As an author, I know how brave that is. In addition, the hero o...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56530483">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56530483]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56530483]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>53701672</id>
    <user>
    <id>74794</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Tracy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Olathe, KS]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/74794-tracy]]></link>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45106.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="ebook" />
        <shelf name="fantasy" />
        <shelf name="fiction" />
        <shelf name="kindle" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Apr 23 07:03:38 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Apr 23 07:12:05 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I gave this 3, but it's a very weak 3 and briefly I was tempted to give it 2.<br/><br/>Epiny and Spink are the only things that really save this book.  Nevare is driving me up the wall with annoyance, because he is 1) so incredibly passive this entire book and 2) really not the brightest.  I'm not...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53701672">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53701672]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53701672]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>67430852</id>
    <user>
    <id>817278</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Jennifer]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Japan]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/817278-jennifer]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1222037457p3/817278.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45106.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Aug 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Aug 14 17:14:08 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Aug 18 20:12:16 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I find Hobb's books so frustrating--she creates amazing, interesting worlds, and then inevitably seems to make the main character such a clod that he's completely unable to appreciate them at all.  The reader is left to seethe in annoyance as the protagonist seems to willfully refuse to do what's ne...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67430852">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67430852]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67430852]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>66842179</id>
    <user>
    <id>1852971</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Ann]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Sacramento, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1852971-ann]]></link>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45106.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Aug 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Aug 10 09:19:46 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Aug 15 21:00:04 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Can tolerance be crippling? In <em>Forest Mage</em>, Nevare makes an excellent case for the pitfall of transcending dualities. As he approaches individual and cultural identity from the widest and most open vantage point, Nevare becomes stifled by an inability to commit to any one ideal or warring force with...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66842179">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66842179]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66842179]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>61981130</id>
    <user>
    <id>615352</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kim]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Snoqualmie, WA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/615352-kim]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1215037206p3/615352.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45106.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jul 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jul 02 21:13:39 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jul 13 19:28:34 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Nevare has the life he's always dreamed of lined up for him and ready to go. He's handsome and strong, he's in the academy to become an officer in the cavalry, he has a family that's proud of him and he has a beautiful young lady waiting to become his wife. But then, as this book, the second in a tr...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61981130">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61981130]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61981130]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>8859116</id>
    <user>
    <id>591339</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Leslie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Sacramento, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/591339-leslie]]></link>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45106.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Nov 08 17:50:33 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Nov 16 19:33:11 -0800 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[And Robin Hobb's grand tradition of torturing her characters continues.  Infuriating to read - it took over 700 pages for the main character to stop whining about his fate and figure out what was going on, even though more than one character told him over and over again.  Somehow still compelling an...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8859116">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8859116]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8859116]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>56898277</id>
    <user>
    <id>697519</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Michelle]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Notre Dame, IN]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/697519-michelle]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat May 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu May 21 16:45:32 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jun 03 08:07:42 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book was hard to read, especially after the first one. It's too long -- by the end, I often found myself staring into space rather than reading. There are a lot of points of interest, though. Nevare's obesity and issues with body image are interesting, but never really fleshed out to my satisfa...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56898277">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56898277]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56898277]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>38862367</id>
    <user>
    <id>1615507</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Karen]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Lafayette, IN]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1615507-karen]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45106.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Jul 28 00:00:00 -0700 2006</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Nov 29 07:53:00 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Nov 29 07:53:14 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Nevare has recovered from the Speck plague, but unlike other survivors, he is not weak and wasted away. Instead, he grows fatter and fatter, no matter how hard he works himself or starves himself. Spurned by his father, he tries to make a new life for himself, but he cannot be successful because the...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38862367">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38862367]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38862367]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>62184610</id>
    <user>
    <id>2485666</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Mieneke]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Leiden, 09, Netherlands]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2485666-mieneke]]></link>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">521594</id>
  <isbn>0060758295</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060758295</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">10</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255668225m/521594.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255668225s/521594.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/521594.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Plague has ravaged the prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia, decimating the ranks of both cadets and instructors. Yet Nevare Burvelle has made an astonishingly robust recovery, defeating his sworn nemesis while in the throes of the disease and freeing himself&#8212;he believes&#8212;from the Speck magic that infected him. And now he is journeying home to Widevale, anticipating a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> But there is no haven in the bosom of his kinfolk, for his nights are haunted by grim visions of treachery&#8212;and his days are tormented by a strange side-effect of the plague that shames his family and repulses the lady of his heart. And as the still-potent magic in his blood roars to life, Nevare realizes a terrible truth: that the enemy who seeks to destroy everything he loves dwells perhaps not without but <em>within</em> him. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="2009" />
        <shelf name="fantasy" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jul 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jul 05 00:34:46 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jul 29 04:46:18 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[<p>The second novel in the Soldier Son trilogy was a lot darker than the first one. In <em>Forest Mage</em>, Nevare falls from grace and faces an astonishing amount of disfortune. He's terribly lonely and dejected and though a lot of it isn't his fault, his almost constant cry of 'It wasn't me, this isn't fair'...</p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62184610">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62184610]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62184610]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>54949246</id>
    <user>
    <id>2249988</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Wayne]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Saratoga, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2249988-wayne-wilson]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1240501292p3/2249988.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45106.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Jun 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon May 04 16:28:09 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jun 05 17:19:33 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[An interesting twist of a protagonist. Since it is a fantasy we can blame Tolkien for giving us physically flawed heroes. This hero is a young man who gets sick from a plague and dies. He goes to a magic realm where he is given the choice to die or to choose to be a servant of magic. He makes this c...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54949246">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54949246]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54949246]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>62949887</id>
    <user>
    <id>1645810</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Lee]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Elk Grove Village, IL]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1645810-lee]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1256615081p3/1645810.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">521594</id>
  <isbn>0060758295</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060758295</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">10</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255668225m/521594.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255668225s/521594.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/521594.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Plague has ravaged the prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia, decimating the ranks of both cadets and instructors. Yet Nevare Burvelle has made an astonishingly robust recovery, defeating his sworn nemesis while in the throes of the disease and freeing himself&#8212;he believes&#8212;from the Speck magic that infected him. And now he is journeying home to Widevale, anticipating a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> But there is no haven in the bosom of his kinfolk, for his nights are haunted by grim visions of treachery&#8212;and his days are tormented by a strange side-effect of the plague that shames his family and repulses the lady of his heart. And as the still-potent magic in his blood roars to life, Nevare realizes a terrible truth: that the enemy who seeks to destroy everything he loves dwells perhaps not without but <em>within</em> him. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="fantasy" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Aug 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jul 10 13:47:48 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Aug 15 14:39:16 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I read in a review at work that, while the second in the Soldier Son trilogy was good, it was partial to the “middle book syndrome” (or something like that). In which it doesn’t have a very good beginning and an unsatisfying end, because it’s not really the beginning or the end of a series, ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62949887">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62949887]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62949887]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>70368155</id>
    <user>
    <id>2712609</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Stephen]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Phoenix, AZ]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2712609-stephen]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-M-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737m/45106.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170273737s/45106.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45106.Forest_Mage</link>
  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Sat Oct 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[This is the second book in the Soldier Son Trilogy.<br/><br/>In this world, the second son born in the family is dedicated to the military according to the religious views.  Nevare, being of noble decent, gets to start as an officer in the King's Army.  The second book picks up with Nevare after h...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70368155">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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  <id type="integer">45106</id>
  <isbn>0060757639</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060757632</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">83</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Forest Mage (Soldier Son, #2)]]>
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  <average_rating>3.35</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1126</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[<p> The prestigious King's Cavalla of Gernia has been ravaged by the Speck plague. The deadly disease has decimated the ranks of both cadets and instructors, and the few survivors remain weak and frail. Many have been forced to relinquish their military ambitions and will return to their families to face lives of dependency and disappointment. </p> <p> As the academy infirmary empties, cadet Nevare Burvelle also prepares to journey home. But far from being a broken man, Nevare has made an astonishingly robust recovery from the Speck plague. Furthermore, while in the grip of the plague, he defeated his Speck nemesis, freeing himself, he believes, from the Speck magic that infected him. As he begins the journey to his ancestral home of Widevale, he is in high spirits, expecting a jubilant homecoming, a tender reunion with his beautiful fiancée, Carsina, and a bright future as a commissioned officer. </p> <p> Yet back in the shelter of his family, Nevare finds his nights still haunted by visions of his Speck self betraying everything he holds dear in his waking life, and his days tormented by a rare side effect of the Speck plague that shames his family&#8212;and repulses Carsina. Though he expected to slip back into his family fold effortlessly, Nevare finds himself instead caught between the sensual, enchanting realm of the Specks and his own ancestry, the world he has always known. </p> <p> And then the magic in Nevare's blood&#8212;magic that he thought he had destroyed&#8212;roars to life, and he realizes that his most dangerous enemy, an enemy that seeks to destroy all he loves, might dwell <em>within him</em>. . . . </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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  <read_at>Sat Feb 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Fri Feb 27 08:05:40 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[A stunning work that challenges how we think of American frontier history and what we think of fantasy. <br/><br/>Hobbs has a penchant for upending all the usual tropes and devices of fantasy. And she does this all with real characters and an entertaining and stirring plot. We see &quot;sword and ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47684126">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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