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Halfblood Chronicles #1
The Elvenbane
Two masters of epic fantasy have combined in this brilliant collaboration to create a rousing tale of the sort that becomes an instant favorite. This is the story of Shana, a halfbreed born of the forbidden union of an Elvenlord father and a human mother. Her exiled mother dead, she was rescued and raised by dragons, a proud, ancient race who existed unbeknownst to elven or humankind. From birth, Shana was the embodiment of the Prophecy that the all-powerful Elvenlords feared. Her destiny is the enthralling adventure of a lifetime.
566 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1991
113 people are currently reading
8879 people want to read
About the author
Andre Norton
695 books1,384 followersAndre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 322 reviews
October 14, 2023
Hey, Reader!
Do you like fully realized fantasy worlds, but don't want anything too fantastic to happen in them? Well, The Elvenbane has got you covered. Using the device of fading to black, the narrative will simply peter out when things get too exciting.
Breathe easy as you read of protagonist Shana's mysterious half-elf (helf?) powers, knowing she will use them only to throw the occasional rock, or perhaps kill a deer. There may be mind-reading, but it's just like regular dialogue, only using colons instead of quotation marks so things don't get too crazy!
There comes a point when Shana is cornered by an elf who may be friend or foe, who demands that he join her. She insists on mind-melding with him to see if he has any evil intentions, but worry not! You don't have to read all that! The book will just jump three weeks ahead to when he's her traveling companion and love interest. It's as easy as that.
You might sweat a little when Shana and her wizard buddies plan to rescue some children due to be executed, especially after the many long pages of their intricate planning. Just when you think you'll have to read about their daring infiltration into an enemy's keep, there is a page break. Another character thereafter will tell you the plan went off without a hitch and the kids were saved. Yay!
Since all the cool stuff is skipped over, you get to spend more time reading about:
1. Dragons telling other dragons how to parent
2. A dude we never see again checking into a hotel and eating lunch
3. Shana reading history books in a dark room alone
4. Elves getting turned down for hookups with other elves
5. and Bullies. Bullies E V E R Y W H E R E
So if you want to read something where you are sure to be distracted by other things, check out The Elvenbane. It sure is a way to spend time.
Do you like fully realized fantasy worlds, but don't want anything too fantastic to happen in them? Well, The Elvenbane has got you covered. Using the device of fading to black, the narrative will simply peter out when things get too exciting.
Breathe easy as you read of protagonist Shana's mysterious half-elf (helf?) powers, knowing she will use them only to throw the occasional rock, or perhaps kill a deer. There may be mind-reading, but it's just like regular dialogue, only using colons instead of quotation marks so things don't get too crazy!
There comes a point when Shana is cornered by an elf who may be friend or foe, who demands that he join her. She insists on mind-melding with him to see if he has any evil intentions, but worry not! You don't have to read all that! The book will just jump three weeks ahead to when he's her traveling companion and love interest. It's as easy as that.
You might sweat a little when Shana and her wizard buddies plan to rescue some children due to be executed, especially after the many long pages of their intricate planning. Just when you think you'll have to read about their daring infiltration into an enemy's keep, there is a page break. Another character thereafter will tell you the plan went off without a hitch and the kids were saved. Yay!
Since all the cool stuff is skipped over, you get to spend more time reading about:
1. Dragons telling other dragons how to parent
2. A dude we never see again checking into a hotel and eating lunch
3. Shana reading history books in a dark room alone
4. Elves getting turned down for hookups with other elves
5. and Bullies. Bullies E V E R Y W H E R E
So if you want to read something where you are sure to be distracted by other things, check out The Elvenbane. It sure is a way to spend time.
May 22, 2022
Actual rating is 4.5 stars.
This is the first book of a series. In this one, elves rule the lands. They subjugate humans and there is no tolerance for children born of a relationship between elves and humans. Meanwhile, dragons exist but they stay hidden and only come out to affect the outcome of major events to shape the world.
I thought this was a terrific introduction to a fantasy series. What blew me away was the world building. There is just so much to sink your teeth into and the world building relates to contemporary times. There is the subjugation of races and the subjugation of women. And the treatment of halfbloods which is basically a product of intermingling between the two races. Within these themes we have familial love and characters challenging the established beliefs because they are wrong. Speaking of the characters I enjoyed them so much. Between the main character Shana who is a halfblood or between the group of dragons there is a character for everyone. The only thing that kept this from a five star rating is I thought the ending was a little stream lined. Which is ironic since the first half of the book is really devoted to world building. The first half was a little slow but so enthralling.
Do not let the time it took me to read this book reflect how much I enjoyed it. Work has been crazy for a while and my reading has suffered. I loved this first book and the world building was fantastic. It is a traditional fantasy world but I thought such a unique take on it. There are so many themes intertwined within this book and they should carry throughout this series. I am looking so forward to continuing this series.
This is the first book of a series. In this one, elves rule the lands. They subjugate humans and there is no tolerance for children born of a relationship between elves and humans. Meanwhile, dragons exist but they stay hidden and only come out to affect the outcome of major events to shape the world.
I thought this was a terrific introduction to a fantasy series. What blew me away was the world building. There is just so much to sink your teeth into and the world building relates to contemporary times. There is the subjugation of races and the subjugation of women. And the treatment of halfbloods which is basically a product of intermingling between the two races. Within these themes we have familial love and characters challenging the established beliefs because they are wrong. Speaking of the characters I enjoyed them so much. Between the main character Shana who is a halfblood or between the group of dragons there is a character for everyone. The only thing that kept this from a five star rating is I thought the ending was a little stream lined. Which is ironic since the first half of the book is really devoted to world building. The first half was a little slow but so enthralling.
Do not let the time it took me to read this book reflect how much I enjoyed it. Work has been crazy for a while and my reading has suffered. I loved this first book and the world building was fantastic. It is a traditional fantasy world but I thought such a unique take on it. There are so many themes intertwined within this book and they should carry throughout this series. I am looking so forward to continuing this series.
January 8, 2016
The first half of this book is a perfect case study in how “telling” versus “showing” can be wildly entertaining. The authors took a lot of time to build this world and explain the dynamics between the races within it, and I found myself devouring the pages, eager to learn as much as I could. It was such a cool concept for a story – all-powerful elves who came to the world from another realm and basically took over, forcing the humans to cater to their every whim. Enter the shape-shifting dragons, also fleeing another world, who were trying to keep their existence secret from the elves but couldn’t resist dabbling in their affairs. Then put a halfbreed girl in the middle of all of this, and I’m on board.
It was unique, to say the least, and the best part was the spin on traditional race roles within fantasy novels. Not to mention the abundance of dragons! Sure, they behaved more like humans than dragons, but there was enough dragon lore involved that I didn’t mind it. Watching a small girl grow up among them was easily my favorite segment of the entire novel. It really is a shame it only lasted a couple of chapters…
The thing that knocked this book off of its five-star rating for me is that I got about 80% through it, then had to stop and figure out what the arc of the story was supposed to be. You see, the authors took a couple of weird tangents – ones I enjoyed reading, but I couldn’t figure out how they advance the plot or developed character. Now, I love tangents as much is the next girl, but to have them loaded near the end of the book? And to have them be so jarring? I kept thinking maybe I had missed something only to flip back a page and realize: nope… It really did just take a left turn. Had it been any other time during the novel, it would’ve been okay, but in this case it pulled me out of it when I felt I should’ve been the most engaged. I’m betting it had something to do with the difficulties of coordinating a book between two authors. This is the only time I’ve noticed a definite discord within a dual-authorship involving Mercedes Lackey, so it was probably a fluke.
Overall, I liked Elvenbane because I’ve never read anything quite like it. It had so many great ideas that, despite trouble with pacing near the end, I will be picking up the sequel. If you already read a ton of fantasy/dragon books, I’d recommend this one. However, if you’re new to the genre I’d have you read some of my favorites first.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
It was unique, to say the least, and the best part was the spin on traditional race roles within fantasy novels. Not to mention the abundance of dragons! Sure, they behaved more like humans than dragons, but there was enough dragon lore involved that I didn’t mind it. Watching a small girl grow up among them was easily my favorite segment of the entire novel. It really is a shame it only lasted a couple of chapters…
The thing that knocked this book off of its five-star rating for me is that I got about 80% through it, then had to stop and figure out what the arc of the story was supposed to be. You see, the authors took a couple of weird tangents – ones I enjoyed reading, but I couldn’t figure out how they advance the plot or developed character. Now, I love tangents as much is the next girl, but to have them loaded near the end of the book? And to have them be so jarring? I kept thinking maybe I had missed something only to flip back a page and realize: nope… It really did just take a left turn. Had it been any other time during the novel, it would’ve been okay, but in this case it pulled me out of it when I felt I should’ve been the most engaged. I’m betting it had something to do with the difficulties of coordinating a book between two authors. This is the only time I’ve noticed a definite discord within a dual-authorship involving Mercedes Lackey, so it was probably a fluke.
Overall, I liked Elvenbane because I’ve never read anything quite like it. It had so many great ideas that, despite trouble with pacing near the end, I will be picking up the sequel. If you already read a ton of fantasy/dragon books, I’d recommend this one. However, if you’re new to the genre I’d have you read some of my favorites first.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
April 22, 2010
This book was literally shoved into my hands by my fiancee, who had been quite insistant that I read it. I'm glad I have now, for I have a lot to say about it.
My first impression was of an extremely dense narrative, with a few flashbacks of mild interest, but mostly a front-heavy descriptive piece which was difficult to slog through. Things honestly do not start happening until five chapters in, and I found a very clunky -- if thorough -- method of introducing a world, for that's primarily what the first four chapters do: build the world and introduce three characters.
Staying with the novel is worth it, however, as immediately thereafter I was greeted by a plethora of very well-built characters, who grew realistically as the novel progressed. And that's what Elvenbane really has to offer: deep, complex characters, a deep, vibrant world, and a heaping helping of some fantastic imagery to pad it out. You won't find much in the way of action (more on that later), but this story is held together by its protagonists and their relationships with others.
At its core, Elvenbane is a tale of progress vs. stagnation, wrapped around a more heroic story of an oppressed people rising up against their masters. That story is told unromantically -- this is even admitted halfway through -- and that makes the characters feel all the more real. Elvenbane is really meant as an introduction rather than a means to an end. I was quite dismayed, upon reaching the halfway point, to realize that there wasn't enough book for the premise to be concluded sufficiently by the end. Book two it is! But the ending is in no way unfulfilling, and it even taught me something.
I mentioned before that there is little in the way of action. What we get near the end is a full-scale battle, but told only in snatches, and focusing on the protagonists. This is the first time I have ever seen this sort of writing technique employed, that I can recall, and I find it intriguingly effective. We really need to know no more than the major events of the battle, and seeing it through the eyes of our heroes keeps the reader grounded. In the end, it is those heroes who will carry on the fight in the next book, and I look forward to seeing what happens next.
My first impression was of an extremely dense narrative, with a few flashbacks of mild interest, but mostly a front-heavy descriptive piece which was difficult to slog through. Things honestly do not start happening until five chapters in, and I found a very clunky -- if thorough -- method of introducing a world, for that's primarily what the first four chapters do: build the world and introduce three characters.
Staying with the novel is worth it, however, as immediately thereafter I was greeted by a plethora of very well-built characters, who grew realistically as the novel progressed. And that's what Elvenbane really has to offer: deep, complex characters, a deep, vibrant world, and a heaping helping of some fantastic imagery to pad it out. You won't find much in the way of action (more on that later), but this story is held together by its protagonists and their relationships with others.
At its core, Elvenbane is a tale of progress vs. stagnation, wrapped around a more heroic story of an oppressed people rising up against their masters. That story is told unromantically -- this is even admitted halfway through -- and that makes the characters feel all the more real. Elvenbane is really meant as an introduction rather than a means to an end. I was quite dismayed, upon reaching the halfway point, to realize that there wasn't enough book for the premise to be concluded sufficiently by the end. Book two it is! But the ending is in no way unfulfilling, and it even taught me something.
I mentioned before that there is little in the way of action. What we get near the end is a full-scale battle, but told only in snatches, and focusing on the protagonists. This is the first time I have ever seen this sort of writing technique employed, that I can recall, and I find it intriguingly effective. We really need to know no more than the major events of the battle, and seeing it through the eyes of our heroes keeps the reader grounded. In the end, it is those heroes who will carry on the fight in the next book, and I look forward to seeing what happens next.
July 28, 2012
I see that many really enjoyed this book and that many others found it, "not bad". I'm in a definite minority in rating it a 1 star book and maybe I'd consider going 2 stars except for one thing. I disliked it enough to lay it aside.
I see flashes here of why many like this one and my one star rating is strictly subjective, it's my experience of the book. The characters were a bit stock to begin with and I just couldn't get involved with them. The first one we meet, angry at what's been done to her (as she looks at it)and in a bad way. Yet I just didn't get drawn in to the story. It left me cold. When I met the Dragons I believe that the story is again supposed to draw us in and make us care about the participants. I just never did.
I'm sorry, but I just didn't care.
I got through about 6 or 7 chapters and finally, as the saying goes, "laid it by".
Please if this is your taste enjoy but I just don't. As I've said about other books I suspect that I'm simply not the writers' target audience. The narrator's voice was (to me) staid and slow and I found the story (horror death and all) just a bit slow. So, try it for yourself. If it's your taste fine it's not mine however.
I see flashes here of why many like this one and my one star rating is strictly subjective, it's my experience of the book. The characters were a bit stock to begin with and I just couldn't get involved with them. The first one we meet, angry at what's been done to her (as she looks at it)and in a bad way. Yet I just didn't get drawn in to the story. It left me cold. When I met the Dragons I believe that the story is again supposed to draw us in and make us care about the participants. I just never did.
I'm sorry, but I just didn't care.
I got through about 6 or 7 chapters and finally, as the saying goes, "laid it by".
Please if this is your taste enjoy but I just don't. As I've said about other books I suspect that I'm simply not the writers' target audience. The narrator's voice was (to me) staid and slow and I found the story (horror death and all) just a bit slow. So, try it for yourself. If it's your taste fine it's not mine however.
November 19, 2024
4 Stars
Re-read 3-6-22
I read this series years ago, and it was my favorite fantasy trilogy with dragons. Past me had excellent taste as this one has held up well.
Re-read 3-6-22
I read this series years ago, and it was my favorite fantasy trilogy with dragons. Past me had excellent taste as this one has held up well.
Read
June 28, 2012I first read this series when I was 13 or 14 and I loved it! Of course, back then I was strictly reading fantasy, heavy on the Mercedes Lackey. So, I can say with certainty this is one of her best creations..... and I have to add that I think Andre Norton had plenty to do with that fact. That sounds mean, but she's written so many books that seem to run together and this series definitely stands on it's own. I just reread the first book and it was highly enjoyable even at this older age. huzzah! All the little romances are so much more interesting than I'd first thought because I'd forgotten that almost all of the main characters are related to each other in some way! lol! Half-siblings, cousins, half-cousins, foster siblings! It's all very interesting. I remember liking Mero more than I did this time around. :/ And this time I really liked Valyn. I can't wait to read the next one and see what's up! WHERE'S THE PROMISED FOURTH BOOK!? Little 13 or 14 year-old me was excited and then progressively more disappointed! Apparently, Andre Norton died!? :( I still want "ElvenBred." Make it happen, lady.
September 27, 2019
What a great story! And great characters! I really dig the 'coming of age' genre within the Fantasy world. Elvenbane is very different than any other fantasy book I've ever read.
Basic story: Feral human raised by dragons, learning her powers, and how she will fit into the world of humans, elven lords, half-bloods, and dragons.
I think some people rate this book low because it's a thick fantasy novel that is slow paced. You just need to accept that it's slow paced, understand that, learn from it, and move on. It bothers me when people say 'ahhhh nothing happens until like half way through the book wahhhh' - go read a quick and easy teen fantasy novel then. This book is filled with great narrative and description and detail and I loved every moment of it.
I usually don't write a recap of a whole story but this fantasy story is so great that I had to <3
Story: (the more you read the more spoilers)
Basic story: Feral human raised by dragons, learning her powers, and how she will fit into the world of humans, elven lords, half-bloods, and dragons.
I think some people rate this book low because it's a thick fantasy novel that is slow paced. You just need to accept that it's slow paced, understand that, learn from it, and move on. It bothers me when people say 'ahhhh nothing happens until like half way through the book wahhhh' - go read a quick and easy teen fantasy novel then. This book is filled with great narrative and description and detail and I loved every moment of it.
I usually don't write a recap of a whole story but this fantasy story is so great that I had to <3
Story: (the more you read the more spoilers)
May 31, 2010
In The Elvenbane, a young fiery halfblood (half elven, half human) girl named Shana, is raised by a Kin of dragons. After using her magic to defend her foster brother Keman, Shana is banished to the desert where she is captured by human servants of elven lords; races she thought no longer existed. A rare mystery, Shana is about to be sold in a slave auction when she is rescued by disguised halfbloods who take her to a Citadel where wizards live in secrecy. Yet fate intercedes and soon the most diabolical of elven Lord’s, and presumably Shana’s father, discovers the location of the hidden city and Shana and her friends must fight for their lives.
Slow to build and exhaustively descriptive, The Elvenbane is 566 pages of introduction to the next book in the sequel. This first book in the trilogy takes place over approximately sixteen years of time, and you certainly feel it. While I found the story interesting and the writing good, the pace was just too slow for me. Admittedly, I am not a fantasy/sci-fi aficionado so please take this review for what it is worth.
Slow to build and exhaustively descriptive, The Elvenbane is 566 pages of introduction to the next book in the sequel. This first book in the trilogy takes place over approximately sixteen years of time, and you certainly feel it. While I found the story interesting and the writing good, the pace was just too slow for me. Admittedly, I am not a fantasy/sci-fi aficionado so please take this review for what it is worth.
November 9, 2012
Originally posted here as part of the 30 Day Book Challenge.
Heh. The topic for today makes me laugh.
A Book I've Read More Than Once
More than once? At least 10, but I think more.
I owned this one, and since my small town library was never open more than 2 days a week during the summer, I did A LOT of re-reading.
Cruel elves, shape-shifting dragons, half-bloods, slavery, bicorns - man, this book had it all.
I last re-read it...probably 10 years ago? When I found out that there was FINALLY A THIRD BOOK.
Did I still love it?
Hell yes.
Sadly, though, there won't ever be a fourth book. I would have been all over it.
I wonder if there's Halfblood Chronicles fanfic? [runs off to check]
Heh. The topic for today makes me laugh.
A Book I've Read More Than Once
More than once? At least 10, but I think more.
I owned this one, and since my small town library was never open more than 2 days a week during the summer, I did A LOT of re-reading.
Cruel elves, shape-shifting dragons, half-bloods, slavery, bicorns - man, this book had it all.
I last re-read it...probably 10 years ago? When I found out that there was FINALLY A THIRD BOOK.
Did I still love it?
Hell yes.
Sadly, though, there won't ever be a fourth book. I would have been all over it.
I wonder if there's Halfblood Chronicles fanfic? [runs off to check]
September 3, 2021
I don't normally take the time to write reviews on here, but I think it's important to share whenever you read something fantastic or new or beautiful, OR something so terribly written that I wouldn't want another human being to ever waste their precious time reading it. This book is of the latter category.
The story reads almost as if the 2 authors alternated paragraphs, Norton writing one, then Lackey, then Norton, and so on. There was no internal consistency of pace, subject, viewpoint, characters' values, motivations, knowledge etc., sometimes literally from one page to the next. The story was commonly unclear about how much time had passed between sections and chapters. And to introduce a possible love interest 400 pages into a 500-page book? Maybe it goes back to my alternating paragraph theory - perhaps the authors were trying to surprise each other...? Even the laws of magic were inconsistent, which is an ABSOLUTE catastrophe in fantasy literature.
I'll not bore you with the plot, because it was nearly nonexistent. I didn't care about the elves, their human slaves, or even the dragons. They all seemed extremely 1-dimensional and frankly, pathetic. I did finish the book, because I try to make it a point never to quit a book (I've only quit 2 books that I can recall, and now can only remember one of the titles, but that's another story), but was RELIEVED when it was over. My wife was also relieved - she got very tired of me complaining about the inconsistencies after the first dozen or so.
One last note, in case M. Lackey ever reads this: I've now read two of your books. In fantasy (as in life, really) it should be VERY unusual for characters to find secret tunnels, doors, passages, compartments, etc.
And now I will do what I have only done a handful of times; I will recycle the paper of this book, rather than donating the book to a charity for resale. Then at least one tiny bit of good can come from my reading this disaster - I'll have removed one copy of it from circulation.
The story reads almost as if the 2 authors alternated paragraphs, Norton writing one, then Lackey, then Norton, and so on. There was no internal consistency of pace, subject, viewpoint, characters' values, motivations, knowledge etc., sometimes literally from one page to the next. The story was commonly unclear about how much time had passed between sections and chapters. And to introduce a possible love interest 400 pages into a 500-page book? Maybe it goes back to my alternating paragraph theory - perhaps the authors were trying to surprise each other...? Even the laws of magic were inconsistent, which is an ABSOLUTE catastrophe in fantasy literature.
I'll not bore you with the plot, because it was nearly nonexistent. I didn't care about the elves, their human slaves, or even the dragons. They all seemed extremely 1-dimensional and frankly, pathetic. I did finish the book, because I try to make it a point never to quit a book (I've only quit 2 books that I can recall, and now can only remember one of the titles, but that's another story), but was RELIEVED when it was over. My wife was also relieved - she got very tired of me complaining about the inconsistencies after the first dozen or so.
One last note, in case M. Lackey ever reads this: I've now read two of your books. In fantasy (as in life, really) it should be VERY unusual for characters to find secret tunnels, doors, passages, compartments, etc.
And now I will do what I have only done a handful of times; I will recycle the paper of this book, rather than donating the book to a charity for resale. Then at least one tiny bit of good can come from my reading this disaster - I'll have removed one copy of it from circulation.
June 20, 2011
2.5 stars
I listened to this novel while commuting in May 2011. I found few characters to relate to or care for. I rolled my eyes multiple times at the antics of the adolescents, chalking their behavior down to young adult fiction norms. However, when the adults behaved with even less maturity or even common sense than the youths in their care, I cringed and about gave up reading further. It became a chore to finish. Too much melodrama.
Shana seems to be the only one with any inkling of where her moral compass points and overflows with her need to pursue what she perceives as doing the right thing. Laudable, but not always the wisest course. She came across as a bit over the top.
I thought young adult fantasy would be similar to a fable, or a similar story type that teaches a moral or other shows an example of a character trait to strive after. Perhaps this subgenre has changed beyond recognition in the three (almost four) decades since I read similar stories.
Aasne Vigesaa read this Brilliance Audio production and did a fine job, only using a couple of strange pronunciations of words a couple of times (most notably 'ubiquitous' which only appeared once in the novel).
I listened to this novel while commuting in May 2011. I found few characters to relate to or care for. I rolled my eyes multiple times at the antics of the adolescents, chalking their behavior down to young adult fiction norms. However, when the adults behaved with even less maturity or even common sense than the youths in their care, I cringed and about gave up reading further. It became a chore to finish. Too much melodrama.
Shana seems to be the only one with any inkling of where her moral compass points and overflows with her need to pursue what she perceives as doing the right thing. Laudable, but not always the wisest course. She came across as a bit over the top.
I thought young adult fantasy would be similar to a fable, or a similar story type that teaches a moral or other shows an example of a character trait to strive after. Perhaps this subgenre has changed beyond recognition in the three (almost four) decades since I read similar stories.
Aasne Vigesaa read this Brilliance Audio production and did a fine job, only using a couple of strange pronunciations of words a couple of times (most notably 'ubiquitous' which only appeared once in the novel).
August 4, 2021
Read as part of my ongoing shelf audit. Verdict: I do enjoy this kind of pulpy fantasy, but since a) I remembered nothing about it from my first read and b) I don't think the series is ever going to be finished, it's going on the 'donate' pile... though I'm gonna reread book two anyway, since I have it.
This is one of those books that's compulsively readable, but not really 'good' when you take a step away from it. The worldbuilding is very shiny - dragons! interplanetary magic portals! elves! telekinesis and telepathy! - but the plot is muddled and the pacing odd, with very little sense of actual 'rising action'. When things do start to happen, it's exciting at first, and then immediately gets mired in a long detour involving some awkward interpersonal dynamics, only to all come together in a rush and a climactic battle within the last few chapters, with critical events hinging on a character who only appeared in the final 20% of the story.
It's not good writing. But it is fun, and addictively entertaining, and honestly I do respect and appreciate that.
This is one of those books that's compulsively readable, but not really 'good' when you take a step away from it. The worldbuilding is very shiny - dragons! interplanetary magic portals! elves! telekinesis and telepathy! - but the plot is muddled and the pacing odd, with very little sense of actual 'rising action'. When things do start to happen, it's exciting at first, and then immediately gets mired in a long detour involving some awkward interpersonal dynamics, only to all come together in a rush and a climactic battle within the last few chapters, with critical events hinging on a character who only appeared in the final 20% of the story.
It's not good writing. But it is fun, and addictively entertaining, and honestly I do respect and appreciate that.
March 6, 2008
convincingly created a whole new world for the reader with a complicated hierarchy and fascinating gender dynamics. sexy, traumatic, enchanting, and most definitely Epic!
June 1, 2021
I’m going to be honest, I have a love/hate relationship with Mercedes Lackey’s work. I usually end up loving her fantasy series, but I struggle so much with all of her endless description! And Elvenbane was certainly no exception to this rule, even though it was written with another esteemed author, Andre Norton. Unfortunately, that same never-ending description, along with other writing choices, as well as the heavier content of human trafficking and slavery, had me struggling to make any progress through the novel. However, I did end up enjoying some parts of Elvenbaneand would not be completely opposed to reading other installments.
Despite not really enjoying the book until after I hit the Chapter 5 mark (that’s 108 pages in, in case you were wondering), it suddenly got a lot more tolerable. Main character Shana is raised by “The Kin” or dragons! I’m sure you can tell that this was my favorite part of the entire book. Shana has a foster-mother dragon named Alara, who is a shaman, a foster-brother dragon named Keman, and a hateful foster-sister named Myre. Shana learns the hard way that she is not actually a dragon stuck in two-legger form, and is eventually kicked out of the lair to live among her own kind (and when I say kicked out, I mean she’s dumped in the middle of the desert with no food or water). But the Kin fail to warn her that not only is all of human kind enslaved to elves—complete with breeding programs, concubines, and gladiators—but also that she’s actually a Halfblood, a powerful and illegal mix between humans and elves that comes with dangerous “wizard powers.”
But before we learn all of this, strangely enough, the authors decide to describe Shana’s mother’s (a well-respected human concubine of a powerful elf named Lord Dryan), fall from grace. Sabotaged by a rival in her lord’s harem, Serina is not given her mandatory contraceptives to prevent producing half blood offspring. She falls pregnant and has to flee before both she and her child are killed. I really couldn’t stand any of this part of the book—not just because the slavery is upsetting, but also because Serina is very much a product of her environment, aka she is shallow and awful—and frankly, at the time of reading it, I was very confused about who the heck Serina was and what she had to do with the characters on the blurb of the back of the book. I was also not thrilled that we spent literally five chapters hearing about some shallow side character who just [spoiler] drops dead immediately anyways. .
Thankfully, Shana is nothing like her mother. She is able to sympathize with everyone she meets, regardless of their species. Though she is young and naïve from growing up ostracized from the rest of man and elvenkind, she is brave, determined, and sticks to her guns. She also never believes anything anyone says at face value and researches things for herself. I admired her strength of character a lot, despite it being a little over the top. I also really liked her foster-brother Keman, who was very devoted to Shana, and also a black sheep of the Kin. I loved his depiction as a dragon who tends to and cares for other animals and how that translated into raising and protecting his foster sister. I adored every bit of what these two accomplished together and for me, their bond was the highlight of the novel, as was the interesting depiction of dragons as shapeshifters from another planet.
Unlike this interesting and unique portrayal of dragons, the magic system itself wasn’t really anything special. Some humans have their own innate version of magic, allowing them to do various kinds of “mind-magic,” despite the elves’ attempts to breed it out of them. Elves, on the other hand, have more powerful magics such as shape-shifting, transformation, glamories, etc.. And halfbloods, or the children of Elves and humans, have both types of magic, rendering them wizards. And that’s literally all there is to it. Shana, a Halfblood, can use telekinesis, speak telepathically, plant thoughts into others' minds, see across great distances through mediation on a jewel, and some other things. Honestly, I wasn’t impressed by the magic system, nor was I awed by the powers of a Halfblood, but the authors did at least believably develop their entire world around it.
Elvenbane takes place over sixteen years, with very odd, jarring jumps in the narrative, which didn't really help me to enjoy my reading experience. Throughout this time, readers learn more and more about how the wizards/Halfbloods almost overthrew the elves that were enslaving the human race in a previous gigantic war. As Shana reaches the hideout of the remaining wizards, known as the Citadel, she is initially faced with opposition due to her strong powers and beliefs that they should actively be fighting back against the elves and doing more to save humans and Halfbloods. But weirdly enough, that opposition just goes away? And then she very easily unites the entire Citadel against the Elves, and in the blink of the eye, the war happens and is over?
Honestly ¾ of Elvenbaneled up to this great battle, which I honestly didn’t think would even happen until the future installments of the series, only for it to be over in probably less than ¼. I felt very letdown by this less than epic showdown. It also didn’t help matters that the elves weren’t really fighting themselves and just sent slaves and disturbingly enough, slave children to act as meat shields, to storm the Citadel. It's strange how such a dark book doesn't spend more time with the war it was leading up to.
It goes without saying that, Elvenbane suffers from severe pacing issues. It was a constant battle between the endless descriptions and then the extremely random time skips. Just when I got invested in something in the story, which did not happen as often as I would have liked, it jumped ahead weeks or years later. One would think this sort of time skip would not happen at a pivotal moment in the book, but it did, and it was very frustrating. Other narrative choices are often infuriating as well. For instance, in one section Shana learns she can see the rainbow colored aura of a dragon with her magic, so if the bully dragon that torments her and her foster-brother is hiding or in another shapeshifted form, she will be able to see him anyways and to protect herself. But does she ever actually use this power? No! It goes absolutely nowhere!
What’s worse is that the whole eponymous Elvenbane thing that I thought I would be reading, wasn’t even a serious thing. It sent the message that “hey, your heroine is special, but not really, and who cares anyways” and it was just a very odd narrative choice. I wish I could read the book that was described in the synopsis, but sadly, this wasn’t it. To be quite honest, the fact that the blurb says absolutely nothing about human trafficking, slavery, or anything is quite shocking to me.
I honestly could not believe the harsh realities this fantasy novel represented. It does a realistic job presenting some of the horrors of slavery—complete with slave collars, auctions, leashes, and more—but it was all a bit much for me. I hated that Shana was taken from the desert, drugged, beaten, questioned, and bound while anyone that defended her was beaten and slowly killed. I felt palpable relief that she wasn’t raped because I was very scared that it was inevitable. And if that weren’t enough, it was discouraging seeing the heroine regarded as no more than an animal by all other species around her. I particularly didn't like that even most of the dragons viewed Shana in that manner because I generally like to read them as higher and wise beings.
I'd like to at least think Shana will prove them all wrong with her title as Elvenbane, but I am not so certain that will ever come to pass. Honestly, if Elvenbane were a Youtube video, I'd say I got click baited by the description. If you fantasy novels with darker content, you might like this novel, but as the time skips are jarring and the pacing poor, I'm not sure it's worth the read. Those that are triggered by violence, slavery, murder, human trafficking, or those that simply love to escape to happier places in their reads should definitely steer clear of Elvenbane
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Despite not really enjoying the book until after I hit the Chapter 5 mark (that’s 108 pages in, in case you were wondering), it suddenly got a lot more tolerable. Main character Shana is raised by “The Kin” or dragons! I’m sure you can tell that this was my favorite part of the entire book. Shana has a foster-mother dragon named Alara, who is a shaman, a foster-brother dragon named Keman, and a hateful foster-sister named Myre. Shana learns the hard way that she is not actually a dragon stuck in two-legger form, and is eventually kicked out of the lair to live among her own kind (and when I say kicked out, I mean she’s dumped in the middle of the desert with no food or water). But the Kin fail to warn her that not only is all of human kind enslaved to elves—complete with breeding programs, concubines, and gladiators—but also that she’s actually a Halfblood, a powerful and illegal mix between humans and elves that comes with dangerous “wizard powers.”
“If there’s one thing the lords are united on, it’s that halfbloods need to be destroyed on sight.”
But before we learn all of this, strangely enough, the authors decide to describe Shana’s mother’s (a well-respected human concubine of a powerful elf named Lord Dryan), fall from grace. Sabotaged by a rival in her lord’s harem, Serina is not given her mandatory contraceptives to prevent producing half blood offspring. She falls pregnant and has to flee before both she and her child are killed. I really couldn’t stand any of this part of the book—not just because the slavery is upsetting, but also because Serina is very much a product of her environment, aka she is shallow and awful—and frankly, at the time of reading it, I was very confused about who the heck Serina was and what she had to do with the characters on the blurb of the back of the book. I was also not thrilled that we spent literally five chapters hearing about some shallow side character who just [spoiler] drops dead immediately anyways. .
“The future that awaited this [elf] girl was as bleak as a slave’s. A loveless mating to someone who valued her only for her potential power, the dower she brought from her father, the alliance she represented, and the heirs she might breed. A life spent in the confines of the ‘bower,’ the woman’s quarters, with nothing of any importance to do.”
Thankfully, Shana is nothing like her mother. She is able to sympathize with everyone she meets, regardless of their species. Though she is young and naïve from growing up ostracized from the rest of man and elvenkind, she is brave, determined, and sticks to her guns. She also never believes anything anyone says at face value and researches things for herself. I admired her strength of character a lot, despite it being a little over the top. I also really liked her foster-brother Keman, who was very devoted to Shana, and also a black sheep of the Kin. I loved his depiction as a dragon who tends to and cares for other animals and how that translated into raising and protecting his foster sister. I adored every bit of what these two accomplished together and for me, their bond was the highlight of the novel, as was the interesting depiction of dragons as shapeshifters from another planet.
Unlike this interesting and unique portrayal of dragons, the magic system itself wasn’t really anything special. Some humans have their own innate version of magic, allowing them to do various kinds of “mind-magic,” despite the elves’ attempts to breed it out of them. Elves, on the other hand, have more powerful magics such as shape-shifting, transformation, glamories, etc.. And halfbloods, or the children of Elves and humans, have both types of magic, rendering them wizards. And that’s literally all there is to it. Shana, a Halfblood, can use telekinesis, speak telepathically, plant thoughts into others' minds, see across great distances through mediation on a jewel, and some other things. Honestly, I wasn’t impressed by the magic system, nor was I awed by the powers of a Halfblood, but the authors did at least believably develop their entire world around it.
“Shana, I hope you’re keeping this to yourself. I probably shouldn’t say this, but there are those among the senior wizards who are--ah--disturbed you. I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that you have a great deal of power….Some of my colleagues are afraid of that power. Some of them are suspicious of you….”
Elvenbane takes place over sixteen years, with very odd, jarring jumps in the narrative, which didn't really help me to enjoy my reading experience. Throughout this time, readers learn more and more about how the wizards/Halfbloods almost overthrew the elves that were enslaving the human race in a previous gigantic war. As Shana reaches the hideout of the remaining wizards, known as the Citadel, she is initially faced with opposition due to her strong powers and beliefs that they should actively be fighting back against the elves and doing more to save humans and Halfbloods. But weirdly enough, that opposition just goes away? And then she very easily unites the entire Citadel against the Elves, and in the blink of the eye, the war happens and is over?
Honestly ¾ of Elvenbaneled up to this great battle, which I honestly didn’t think would even happen until the future installments of the series, only for it to be over in probably less than ¼. I felt very letdown by this less than epic showdown. It also didn’t help matters that the elves weren’t really fighting themselves and just sent slaves and disturbingly enough, slave children to act as meat shields, to storm the Citadel. It's strange how such a dark book doesn't spend more time with the war it was leading up to.
It goes without saying that, Elvenbane suffers from severe pacing issues. It was a constant battle between the endless descriptions and then the extremely random time skips. Just when I got invested in something in the story, which did not happen as often as I would have liked, it jumped ahead weeks or years later. One would think this sort of time skip would not happen at a pivotal moment in the book, but it did, and it was very frustrating. Other narrative choices are often infuriating as well. For instance, in one section Shana learns she can see the rainbow colored aura of a dragon with her magic, so if the bully dragon that torments her and her foster-brother is hiding or in another shapeshifted form, she will be able to see him anyways and to protect herself. But does she ever actually use this power? No! It goes absolutely nowhere!
What’s worse is that the whole eponymous Elvenbane thing that I thought I would be reading, wasn’t even a serious thing. It sent the message that “hey, your heroine is special, but not really, and who cares anyways” and it was just a very odd narrative choice. I wish I could read the book that was described in the synopsis, but sadly, this wasn’t it. To be quite honest, the fact that the blurb says absolutely nothing about human trafficking, slavery, or anything is quite shocking to me.
I honestly could not believe the harsh realities this fantasy novel represented. It does a realistic job presenting some of the horrors of slavery—complete with slave collars, auctions, leashes, and more—but it was all a bit much for me. I hated that Shana was taken from the desert, drugged, beaten, questioned, and bound while anyone that defended her was beaten and slowly killed. I felt palpable relief that she wasn’t raped because I was very scared that it was inevitable. And if that weren’t enough, it was discouraging seeing the heroine regarded as no more than an animal by all other species around her. I particularly didn't like that even most of the dragons viewed Shana in that manner because I generally like to read them as higher and wise beings.
I'd like to at least think Shana will prove them all wrong with her title as Elvenbane, but I am not so certain that will ever come to pass. Honestly, if Elvenbane were a Youtube video, I'd say I got click baited by the description. If you fantasy novels with darker content, you might like this novel, but as the time skips are jarring and the pacing poor, I'm not sure it's worth the read. Those that are triggered by violence, slavery, murder, human trafficking, or those that simply love to escape to happier places in their reads should definitely steer clear of Elvenbane
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August 5, 2018
Andre Norton, Mercedes Lackey – The Elvenbane (Halfblood Chronicles #1)
February 20, 2011
A very interesting book that fills a kind of gap in my reading of fantasy books from its time (early 90s). I remember hearing a lot about this book around the time of its release, and seeing it on bookshelves -- I think I even owned it at one point but later got rid of it unread. I'm not sure why I never opened it -- I think I may have been put off by its cover, which, being a Boris, is gorgeous, but repelling at the same time, with its rather grotesque dragon and token torn-clothed maiden. But recently I read the first chapter online and immediately ordered it, used. It does a number of things that no other Mercedes Lackey book does, which may be the hand of Andre Norton (whose work I've been curious about and own some of but also have not read). These are elves the way you expect them, and yet slightly twisted -- same with the dragons. Both dragons and elves are interlopers who came long ago to a world with native humans and proceeded to enslave them (the elves) or avoid them (the dragons). All three have different kinds of magic, which in the humans' case is suppressed by elven ownership collars. The Elvenbane is then of course the prophesied figure who will undo all of this. There are parts of this I loved, and the world lingers in my mind after the book is done -- always the best sign for me -- but 'round about two thirds of the way through the plot just goes berserk, leaping forward, skipping key foreshadowed moments, setting up things and letting them go. Portions written separately by each of the coauthors are also evident, for good and ill -- I counted four uses of the word "sybaritic", which I don't think I've ever seen in a fantasy novel before. In all it's a worthwhile exploration if you like either of these two authors, with a solid core and enjoyable world even if it did have enough plot for a four book series crammed into its ~500 pages.
May 29, 2012
I'm a sucker for a book with a dragon on the cover, and bane is one of my favorite words, so I picked this up at the library the other day. And it was solidly OK. I did enjoy it. The characters were engaging and certainly had their own style, voice, and distinct personalities. It certainly passed the "can you tell who's speaking without attribution" test - everyone was unique in their own way.
Plot-wise, I thought this book had a huge amount of potential. It was a great premise, and I felt like the world and the overall conflict were very well thought through and developed. It was the execution where this book fell flat. The plot was very convenient. Characters just knew things, and made assumptions and guesses that struck me as outside the bounds of character knowledge. Another book where characters were force fit into plot elements, despite the characters themselves being strong. And then the final climax of the book just fell flat. The conflict was so well set up, but then was stepped away from in favor of minor conflicts. In the end, the major protagonist/antagonist conflict didn't even really happen - a minor protagonist defeated the major antagonist in a quick, almost effortless way. Very unfulfilling.
That said, I'll probably read other books in the series, because the concept has a lot of potential - and I loved the new look at dragons.
Plot-wise, I thought this book had a huge amount of potential. It was a great premise, and I felt like the world and the overall conflict were very well thought through and developed. It was the execution where this book fell flat. The plot was very convenient. Characters just knew things, and made assumptions and guesses that struck me as outside the bounds of character knowledge. Another book where characters were force fit into plot elements, despite the characters themselves being strong. And then the final climax of the book just fell flat. The conflict was so well set up, but then was stepped away from in favor of minor conflicts. In the end, the major protagonist/antagonist conflict didn't even really happen - a minor protagonist defeated the major antagonist in a quick, almost effortless way. Very unfulfilling.
That said, I'll probably read other books in the series, because the concept has a lot of potential - and I loved the new look at dragons.
August 22, 2019
Loved this book! I had tried a well regarded book called Mistress of Dragons and had been disappointed in myself because I hadn't liked it. I started this book afraid I wouldn't like it either and maybe there was something wrong with me (too picky? too impatient?).
I liked the set up of the world view, fascinating story well told. Good characters too.
It starts off with a human concubine willing to do ANYTHING to please her elven Lord, go to any effort, scheme, anything. I don't necessarily like her but then considering the world she lives in I felt some compassion for her and then it takes a twist.
I highly recommend this book to any fans of fantasy. Worth owning too as well as reading more than once of course, maybe a few years apart or so. And there's more good news... it's part of a trilogy which makes me really curious and dying to find out what happens. The bad news is there was intended to be a 4th book but Andre Norton passed away and Mercedes Lackey never wrote (or finished?) it.
I liked the set up of the world view, fascinating story well told. Good characters too.
It starts off with a human concubine willing to do ANYTHING to please her elven Lord, go to any effort, scheme, anything. I don't necessarily like her but then considering the world she lives in I felt some compassion for her and then it takes a twist.
I highly recommend this book to any fans of fantasy. Worth owning too as well as reading more than once of course, maybe a few years apart or so. And there's more good news... it's part of a trilogy which makes me really curious and dying to find out what happens. The bad news is there was intended to be a 4th book but Andre Norton passed away and Mercedes Lackey never wrote (or finished?) it.
July 31, 2020
Dragons, elves, and humans combine in this novel. I made about 200 pages (or sixty percent) before giving up. The story wasn't bad, yet I just couldn't bring myself to be fully invested in what happens, and Serina was rather irritating as a character to me. I doubt that I'll ever come back to this one, though I will keep it for my Mercedes Lackey collection and mark another one as "done". 3.5 🌟.
February 14, 2011
My only real complaint is that after Andre Norton passed away, Mercedes Lackey opted not to finish the fourth and final book. The three released were quite good and worth the read though.
September 26, 2022
It took some time to adjust to elves being bad. The elves have human slaves and have subdued their ability to perform magic. A human-elf child is prohibited because in many instances that mix resulted in great magical powers. Shana, the main character is such a creature. She was born when her mother was left in the desert to die. Her mother died in childbirth and Shana I raised by dragons. I thoroughly enjoyed the book but since Andre Norton brought me to sci-fi, I am not surprised.
July 19, 2009
First off, I would like to say that I have been a fan of fantasy/fiction novels for quite some time. This was actually my first Norton outing (Lackey contributed as well), and unfortunately I was somewhat disappointed. I read overwhelmingly good reviews on this book and heard nothing but positive things about this writing duo. Therefore I decided to give the book a shot. To my dismay, I was let down and this novel did not keep me turning the pages. Allow me to explain why...
The premise of the story has great promise, a half-elf child born in secrecy that is to become the Elvenbane and put an end to the reign of the cruel, power monger Elvenlords. The problem is, the execution of it was idle and lacking energy. The pace of this book is incredibly slow and uneventful. You have to read through many a page to get any real meat out of the story. These two authors actually spent over half of a chapter describing how the half-elven child is to be clothed! No joke, over half of a (very long) chapter on finding proper attire to protect the new born. I was unable to even complete the novel due to the excruciating minutia of every unimportant thing going on. Please trust in the fact that I read enough of the novel to write this review. Also, I would like to mention that very rarely do I not complete a book once I get into it. This is truly a testament to the fact that I was not a fan of the writing style.
In conclusion I think this book had great promise, a good premise and some good moments early on. It wasn't entirely bad, although I would definitely not consider this a page turner. I nearly had to force myself to turn the page, because I knew it was going to be more "going nowhere fast". It truly shocks me to read all of the stellar reviews on this novel. Perhaps its solely due to the fact that Lackey and Norton have/had such a strong following? Whatever the reason, they certainly failed to impress here. Having read many a good fantasy novel in the past, I cannot recommend this.
The premise of the story has great promise, a half-elf child born in secrecy that is to become the Elvenbane and put an end to the reign of the cruel, power monger Elvenlords. The problem is, the execution of it was idle and lacking energy. The pace of this book is incredibly slow and uneventful. You have to read through many a page to get any real meat out of the story. These two authors actually spent over half of a chapter describing how the half-elven child is to be clothed! No joke, over half of a (very long) chapter on finding proper attire to protect the new born. I was unable to even complete the novel due to the excruciating minutia of every unimportant thing going on. Please trust in the fact that I read enough of the novel to write this review. Also, I would like to mention that very rarely do I not complete a book once I get into it. This is truly a testament to the fact that I was not a fan of the writing style.
In conclusion I think this book had great promise, a good premise and some good moments early on. It wasn't entirely bad, although I would definitely not consider this a page turner. I nearly had to force myself to turn the page, because I knew it was going to be more "going nowhere fast". It truly shocks me to read all of the stellar reviews on this novel. Perhaps its solely due to the fact that Lackey and Norton have/had such a strong following? Whatever the reason, they certainly failed to impress here. Having read many a good fantasy novel in the past, I cannot recommend this.
November 29, 2022
That was a fun re-read. It's been such a long time since I read this that I had quite forgotten what it was about.
This is a fun book that breaks the stereotype I tend to have about authors working together to produce a book. This particular series combines the world building acumen of Andre Norton and the realistic characters of Mercedes Lackey to create something of greater depth than either of them can achieve by themselves.
Lackey is particularly talented at creating believable adolescent characters and that shines through in this book. Despite the fact that she is dealing with several sentient species, she still manages to make a bunch of unique juveniles all reacting to the world around them in believable but unpredictable ways. There are juvenile scraps, bullies, and small kindnesses. People make mistakes and learn from them. It's really quite a good beginning of a good series.
Even the magic is quite fun with new twists on the tired old myth of elven powers. I wish I had access to the second and third book to re-read them, but alas, they are not available on kindle. I shall have to wait until I get back to the states and have access to a physical library.
The only problem I have with this book is that the older characters are a bit, stale. Alara for instance didn't grow up at all throughout the whole book. I would have expected her to grow at least a bit, in wisdom and experience if nothing else.
But, it's still a great novel. Really enjoyable.
This is a fun book that breaks the stereotype I tend to have about authors working together to produce a book. This particular series combines the world building acumen of Andre Norton and the realistic characters of Mercedes Lackey to create something of greater depth than either of them can achieve by themselves.
Lackey is particularly talented at creating believable adolescent characters and that shines through in this book. Despite the fact that she is dealing with several sentient species, she still manages to make a bunch of unique juveniles all reacting to the world around them in believable but unpredictable ways. There are juvenile scraps, bullies, and small kindnesses. People make mistakes and learn from them. It's really quite a good beginning of a good series.
Even the magic is quite fun with new twists on the tired old myth of elven powers. I wish I had access to the second and third book to re-read them, but alas, they are not available on kindle. I shall have to wait until I get back to the states and have access to a physical library.
The only problem I have with this book is that the older characters are a bit, stale. Alara for instance didn't grow up at all throughout the whole book. I would have expected her to grow at least a bit, in wisdom and experience if nothing else.
But, it's still a great novel. Really enjoyable.
November 22, 2009
This book includes some of my favorite fantasy elements: dragons, telepathy, shapeshifting, a little romance (though not as much as in Book 2) and an awesome ass-kicking heroine with some really cool friends. It also introduced me to Mercedes Lackey (well technically The Ship Who Searched did that but I didn't remember she'd helped write that till later), who has become one of my all-time favorite authors. I think I like Andre Norton better when she's co-writing with someone, so far I've enjoyed those colaborations of hers I've checked out while the Witch World books fail to keep my interest. Oh well. This was fun and I really hope the long-awaited fourth book in the Halfblood Chronicles comes out one of these days.
May 16, 2013
Well, I was able to read this book fairly quickly, though at 550-ish pages, it felt like FOR-EV-ER. The beginning exposition stuff (which felt like it lasted for like 300 pages) was pretty boring, but once we got to the actual PLOT of the story, rather than the background shit, I enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the book generally felt unbalanced: heavy on the exposition & light on plot, and as such, the ending felt a little rushed.
June 10, 2017
I read this book ages ago when it first was published. I listened to the audio this time. It was as good as I remembered it was and I immediately got the 2nd book in the series and listened to it. I was disappointed to learn that the 3rd book in the trilogy has not been made into an audio. Shanda was born of a human mother and elven father. Her mother knew it was a death sentence for both of them so she ran away to the desert and died giving birth. Shana was rescued and raised by dragons.
July 14, 2019
Read this originally back in high school and enjoyed it then. Decided to read it again and still like it as much as I did back then. Yes, it was a little slow to start, but once they got through the background and world building, everything was great!
December 10, 2024
This is my first time reading this book. I had known about it for ages, but it was never in my library growing up, and by the time I could get a copy, I thought I had aged out of it. Luckily, this book has aged pretty well!
I've read this as a buddy read, which was a fun experience. I wanted to read slow enough to analyze the text, but also not take too long, as I still have so many more books to get through! While reading it, we discussed the story. I think our main issues in the text revolved around never knowing how old the main character, Shana, is, and wishing we had more information about the greater world and society.
The story itself is well paced. I saw this as a complaint in other reviews, but I honestly don't understand it. Time moves fairly fast: the opening scenes feature a human concubine who fled from her life of slavery as she is pregnant with a half blood elf as she stumbles across a desert and reminisces how she arrived at this place. Then we have Alara, the also pregnant dragon, who is meditating and contemplating her future. They both end up at the same spring, the human dies and leaves her baby behind. Alara adopts her, and thus Shana grows up thinking she's a dragon stuck in human shape.
I enjoyed seeing Shana growing up, but I'm also glad that most of the book didn't take place there. I enjoyed seeing her get out into the world, experience other two-leggers and learn magic. There are a lot of early-fantasy elements present here, but I honestly loved it. These days so many books and works focus on magic systems and tropes, but this book didn't care about any of that. There was a bit of a magic school element, but as this was written prior to Harry Potter it felt like its own thing that never felt derivative. There was a bit of a young-teen-first-crush element, and it never spiraled out into a love triangle (though all the elements were right there; a modern publisher would have have hesitated).
Overall this was still great to read as an adult. Easily 4.5 stars. I am now curious to read some Andre Norton on her own, to get a stronger feeling of her own voice.
I've read this as a buddy read, which was a fun experience. I wanted to read slow enough to analyze the text, but also not take too long, as I still have so many more books to get through! While reading it, we discussed the story. I think our main issues in the text revolved around never knowing how old the main character, Shana, is, and wishing we had more information about the greater world and society.
The story itself is well paced. I saw this as a complaint in other reviews, but I honestly don't understand it. Time moves fairly fast: the opening scenes feature a human concubine who fled from her life of slavery as she is pregnant with a half blood elf as she stumbles across a desert and reminisces how she arrived at this place. Then we have Alara, the also pregnant dragon, who is meditating and contemplating her future. They both end up at the same spring, the human dies and leaves her baby behind. Alara adopts her, and thus Shana grows up thinking she's a dragon stuck in human shape.
I enjoyed seeing Shana growing up, but I'm also glad that most of the book didn't take place there. I enjoyed seeing her get out into the world, experience other two-leggers and learn magic. There are a lot of early-fantasy elements present here, but I honestly loved it. These days so many books and works focus on magic systems and tropes, but this book didn't care about any of that. There was a bit of a magic school element, but as this was written prior to Harry Potter it felt like its own thing that never felt derivative. There was a bit of a young-teen-first-crush element, and it never spiraled out into a love triangle (though all the elements were right there; a modern publisher would have have hesitated).
Overall this was still great to read as an adult. Easily 4.5 stars. I am now curious to read some Andre Norton on her own, to get a stronger feeling of her own voice.
March 24, 2023
I am forcing myself to read it through every day at least an hour, hoping for the story to begin, and finding the book very boring, cruel, very weird and too long with chewing the topics of slavery and the fantasy world history. There is basically nothing happenning to the characters. Aftertaste: disgusting. I give up to continue.
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