A gifted healer and fierce warrior, Erin has been a Servant of the Bright Heart her entire life, fighting for millennia against the enemies of her ...
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Feb 03, 2012
Mykle
rated it: 
It probably only deserves 3 stars... but I guess I liked it. It does feel a little slow moving for quite a while-- and I always wanted better description of the action scenes.
Chosen champion of the light, Erin of Elliath, Sarillorn the descendants of Lernan, God of Light-- encounters one of the most powerful servants of the God of Darkness, Malathorn (or whatever his name is...) Said servant does not destroy Erin-- as had been his initial intent, and Erin becomes much more intimately aware More...
Chosen champion of the light, Erin of Elliath, Sarillorn the descendants of Lernan, God of Light-- encounters one of the most powerful servants of the God of Darkness, Malathorn (or whatever his name is...) Said servant does not destroy Erin-- as had been his initial intent, and Erin becomes much more intimately aware More...
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Jan 15, 2012
Marajean
rated it: 
So I love the theme of the good girl and the evil guy and the love between them. Every time someone asks for recommendations this book comes up, so I finally bought it and read it.
This book lacks details. That much is true. There's a fine line between too much detail and not enough. I felt like I was given a decent idea of the characters but I was also plugging things in from similar types of books. I really couldn't tell you what any of the characters looked like, including the main More...
This book lacks details. That much is true. There's a fine line between too much detail and not enough. I felt like I was given a decent idea of the characters but I was also plugging things in from similar types of books. I really couldn't tell you what any of the characters looked like, including the main More...
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Dec 01, 2011
Chris
rated it:
Could have been a 4 star!
I agree with several of the other reviewers who gave this book a low score.
It jumped around way too much in the beginning, it took way too long to get interesting and to get to the real heart of the story (it was the author's first book I think).
I started this book, and by page 85, was ready to give up and give it a review of two stars.. Then I went and read some of the reviews, decided to give it another chance, and skipped ahead to where the heart of the More...
I agree with several of the other reviewers who gave this book a low score.
It jumped around way too much in the beginning, it took way too long to get interesting and to get to the real heart of the story (it was the author's first book I think).
I started this book, and by page 85, was ready to give up and give it a review of two stars.. Then I went and read some of the reviews, decided to give it another chance, and skipped ahead to where the heart of the More...
Sep 19, 2011
Feliciamarie
rated it:
i loved it!
Ok it may seem stupid and childish but i cried when i read the part when Erin's father died and she went to the funeral i loved seeing Erin struggle through her difficulties and the determination she showed to achieve wad she aimed for, somehow in a really weird way i am proud of all that she has achieved....
I oso liked the fact that we were able to see her grow up throughout the book. Stefanos is a cool character whom i like as i am into the books where heroes are evil bu More...
Ok it may seem stupid and childish but i cried when i read the part when Erin's father died and she went to the funeral i loved seeing Erin struggle through her difficulties and the determination she showed to achieve wad she aimed for, somehow in a really weird way i am proud of all that she has achieved....
I oso liked the fact that we were able to see her grow up throughout the book. Stefanos is a cool character whom i like as i am into the books where heroes are evil bu More...
Aug 02, 2011
Mlle.
rated it:
I read this one because I it was described to me as high fantasy with a good, very dark romance. The first half of the book traces the heroine's childhood and early adulthood - growing up as a high-caste warrior and healer for the God of Light. The novel jumps from key moment to key moment so we get a sort of highlights reel of everything that happened during Erin's early years.
The meat of the novel - the Beauty and the Beast tale - gets started about halfway through, when Stefanos, More...
The meat of the novel - the Beauty and the Beast tale - gets started about halfway through, when Stefanos, More...
Oct 13, 2011
Illuminate
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Apr 05, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
The first half of the book sets up the overarching plot of this series, which is the war between the servants of the Light (like angels) and their descendants and the servants of the Dark (demons) and their descendants. This is told through the eyes of Erin, a mortal descendant of the Light who is largely shaped by the losses she suffers in the war. The second half then switches gears and focuses on the unlikely and doomed love affair between Erin and Stephanos, the immortal first servant of the
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Oct 22, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
I love Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra series and so was really looking forward to reading more by the author. But this one was a chore to get through. It's her first book, and I think it definitely shows. It started out well, but the heroine (who seemed promising at the beginning) spends almost the entire last half of the book weeping. Which was annoying, no matter how good her reasons for being upset were. Sagara's writing tends to be dense and isn't the type of writing you can skim through, wh
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Jun 19, 2010
Starfire
rated it:
Hmmmmm... to be honest, I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I was hoping to. I got into Michelle West's books with the Sun Sword set and absolutely LOVED it - and everything she's written since, whether under the Sagara or the West name, I've similarly loved.
Unfortunately, the two sets I've read that she wrote before then, I haven't enjoyed nearly so much.
This one felt... just too black and white. I'm not sure why, but light and dark as specific, tangible beings More...
Unfortunately, the two sets I've read that she wrote before then, I haven't enjoyed nearly so much.
This one felt... just too black and white. I'm not sure why, but light and dark as specific, tangible beings More...
May 19, 2009
Sbuchler
rated it:
Genre: High Fantasy
This is set to an epic backdrop of the fight between good and evil (known as Light and Dark in the novel). The main characters are only part human, the other part is divine.
I'm guessing the arc of the series is love balancing pain, and accepting neither the Light or the Dark as ascendant. This novel (the first of 4) is a love story between the First Servant of the Dark and the avatar of the Light. A good half of the book is setting up how Erin (the ava More...
This is set to an epic backdrop of the fight between good and evil (known as Light and Dark in the novel). The main characters are only part human, the other part is divine.
I'm guessing the arc of the series is love balancing pain, and accepting neither the Light or the Dark as ascendant. This novel (the first of 4) is a love story between the First Servant of the Dark and the avatar of the Light. A good half of the book is setting up how Erin (the ava More...
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Sep 20, 2011
Jordan
rated it: 
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful read!!! The characters are simply gripping. I can't wait to read the next books in the series. The last third of the book was a bit difficult to get through for someone who loved the action of the first part and really getting to know the different peoples, their beliefs, and their way of life. But the final third is where the romance hits and some SERIOUS character development takes place. While I'm VERY upset at three of the deaths, I'm praying they will have pr
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Mar 09, 2010
Chris
rated it:
Okay, before other Michelle West lovers burn me in effigy, let me explain why I'm giving this two stars, and let me also say I love West's writing. The Sun Sword series is one of the best series ever. Go read it now!
This, you will notice, is not the Sun Sword series. It is West's first book, a fact that West tells you and will be obivous to any experienced reader. At times it is unclear who is thinking what and even what is happening. Some of the scenes feel like gothic gone bad More...
This, you will notice, is not the Sun Sword series. It is West's first book, a fact that West tells you and will be obivous to any experienced reader. At times it is unclear who is thinking what and even what is happening. Some of the scenes feel like gothic gone bad More...
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Feb 02, 2012
Michelle
rated it: 
I love all the Kaylin and Esselieyan books, so I was pretty excited to get her out-of-print debut via ILL. Ouch.
In the later books I like her formal, lyrically descriptive style, and I love her detailed and original world-building. In this one the prose is just stilted, the world-building is cliche and incoherent, and to top it off the characters are pancake-flat with no believable motivations.
Oh well, everyone has to start somewhere. I'll keep on waiting eagerly for more Je
In the later books I like her formal, lyrically descriptive style, and I love her detailed and original world-building. In this one the prose is just stilted, the world-building is cliche and incoherent, and to top it off the characters are pancake-flat with no believable motivations.
Oh well, everyone has to start somewhere. I'll keep on waiting eagerly for more Je
Jan 03, 2012
Fred
rated it:
It is a little slow starting out, but I never really felt compelled to stop reading it, it was an interesting world set up, and I enjoyed reading about it. The romance was just like you'd imagine, but the whole book is really just the set up for the next three books, and it does feel that way. However, it was definitely worth a read, especially if you are in it for the whole series, and the prices for the kindle version of the series are well worth the read.
Jan 26, 2009
Danielle
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Oct 17, 2011
Troy
rated it:
I am usually not one to read romance books, but this book really isn't a romance; it's a love story. It's also very well written. There is a lot more character-building than world-building in this book, making it a good change of pace from epic fantasy.
If you like love stories, this is a great book.
If you like love stories, this is a great book.
Feb 08, 2012
Gaynell
rated it:
I really enjoyed the second half of this book. The first half was kind of slow going. Of course, we need the back story and world building to understand the series. It is a good vs evil (good girl, bad guy) kind of story, but as the Lady of Elliath says, "There's is some darkness in the light, and some light in the darkness."
Aug 04, 2009
Lesleyw
rated it:
One of the best intros to a series I've read. With one of the few true anti-heroes. (The remainder of the series (for me) didn't live up to the introduction, but I think it was well worth it just to read this one).
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Jul 19, 2011
Jake
rated it:
This review applies to the Sundered Series as a whole.
Clearly this is a beginning effort, but already, West shows the imagination that marks her later works. This is terrific stuff. Yes, it is dark, but even with the awkward writing style, it is very powerful.
Clearly this is a beginning effort, but already, West shows the imagination that marks her later works. This is terrific stuff. Yes, it is dark, but even with the awkward writing style, it is very powerful.
Feb 05, 2012
Salimbol
rated it:
This is an early work of Michelle Sagara's, and it definitely shows - while it's got hints of the strengths her later works possess, the very standard "virtuous heroine and dark hero" romance was a little *too* standard for my liking.
Feb 19, 2009
Teea
rated it:
This series has a beauty and the beast feel to it. I was very excited and continued to read the series but became more disappointed with the direction the books were going. By the fourth and literally had to force myself to finish.
Oct 04, 2008
Stacy
rated it:
This book feels like it has two halves: the first is your typical fantasy wartime plot (I love the social/magic hierarchy the author created) and the second feels like a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast. The abrupt switch to a fantasy romance is a bit jarring, but enjoyable, nonetheless. I'm not entirely convinced on what Erin finds so compelling in Stephanos, but am invested enough in them to read the rest of the series.
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Feb 12, 2008
Allison
rated it:
Light vs. Dark - in many ways boiled down to base elements, then re-imagined with characters & setting. I enjoyed the exploration of the ying-yang element (some aspects of dark within light; some aspects of light within dark - each impossible without the other). Overall, I found it an awkward read ... I felt distanced from the characters and setting more than drawn in by them. But, I enjoyed seeing elements of Sagara's later writing style also reflected here.
Dec 16, 2009
Ravie13
rated it:
I just loved this whole series by Michelle Sagara and used to judge a bookstore's worth by whether or not they carried any of Michelle's work. (She was later writing as "Michelle West" and then she went back to "Michelle Sagara.")
Michelle writes fantasy females wonderfully!
Michelle writes fantasy females wonderfully!
Sep 29, 2011
Kagama
rated it:
I was drawn in by the premise of a heroine falling in love with the villain.Guess if I was dissapointed...Confusing narrative,characters who never come alive and lots of other problems this book has.
Id never recommend this to anyone.Period.
Id never recommend this to anyone.Period.
Sep 06, 2010
Cynthia
rated it:
Review of entire series posted under Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light.
Jun 14, 2008
I think I need to look into it later. Really want to know how things end, but this book is so dark that I wasn't completely into it and loosing it for other book was easy.
Feb 17, 2008
Kimball
rated it:
This was the coolest series I've read contrasting light and dark. Though I was young when I read it (around 13).
