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King's Dragon (Crown of Stars #1)

by Kate Elliott (Goodreads Author)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 3,687 ratings · 118 reviews

Set in an alternate Europe, a world where bloody conflicts rage and sorcery holds sway, both human and other-than-human forces vie for supremacy. In this land, Alain, a young man seeking the destiny promised him by the Lady of Battles, and Liath, a young woman gifted with a power that can alter the course of history, are about to be swept up in a world-shaking conflict for...more

Paperback, 623 pages

Published February 1st 1998 by DAW Books (first published 1997)

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Dec 27, 2007 Shelby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Finished this in a day! The whole series of The Crown of Starts was a gift from my boyfriend, and I was eager to start in on this. There is so much going on already in this book. It seems a typical fantasy at first, lost elvish nations, scary lizard-ish bad guys, a brother and sister fighting for the thrown, and a couple of kids caught up in the middle. Mostly, I'm intrigued by the religion Elliot creates in it. Clearly, there is a lot of traditional, Medieval basis in it. Fathers and "biscops"...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Nes rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of history and epic fantasy

Shelves: favorites

I'm usually much too lazy to give reviews, but I felt obliged to write one for this series because I believe Elliott's writing is somewhat under-appreciated. Among the plethora of epic fantasy series that came out over the last 30 years, the Crown of Stars is relatively unknown, so I wanted to make it easier for people to decide whether to start on this 7-book series or not with no spoilers attached.

Language style: I guess it's comparable to George RR Martin's ASOIAF, not as intricate as that o...more I'm usually much too lazy to give reviews, but I felt obliged to write one for this series because I believe Elliott's writing is somewhat under-appreciated. Among the plethora of epic fantasy series that came out over the last 30 years, the Crown of Stars is relatively unknown, so I wanted to make it easier for people to decide whether to start on this 7-book series or not with no spoilers attached.

Language style: I guess it's comparable to George RR Martin's ASOIAF, not as intricate as that of Guy Gavriel Kay but more subtle than that of Robert Jordan or Brandon Sanderson. Personally I don't care much about the level of language used as long as the story gets across and I think people will have no problem with Elliot's writing itself.

World building: some people find too much effort is spent here but I disagree, being somewhat of a history buff. Elliot's rendition of an early-medieval society feels rich, alive and realistic. It is obvious that the author did a ton of research throughout the series. What's more commendable is how she blends it all seamlessly with a religion that is gender-equal. Even if you don't care much for history, the parallels and anti-parallels between Elliot's and the real world is quite obvious so most people should be able to appreciate it.

Characters: another strong point, I found that the characters behaved consistently with well explored motivations. Though at times, a couple of antagonists are a bit too arrogant and presumptuous to feel entirely real, the justification here being their faith and noble birth, though it may just be me being a modern-day atheist. Some people point out that it's hard to connect with the protagonists in this series and it's partially justified. Keep in mind though that this is a 7-book series with a main story that spans better part of a decade and Elliot has kept character development mostly to a slow pace, which feels realistic for me but frustrating to many. And unlike in ASOIAF or Wheel of Time where some protagonists gain great political/military power over the course of the series, the harsh realities of the feudal society is painfully reflected in the Crown of Stars.

Pacing: I think this is the main reason for the lukewarm reception of this series. There are lots of well depicted maneuvering both politically and on the battlefield, but when compared to many other fantasy series these days it feels just a bit too far in between. Many people complain, especially in the middle of the series, that the story crawls gradually forward at a snail's pace (a common problem with epic fantasies really). So it comes down to whether you appreciate the character interactions sufficiently in the meantime to overcome the frustration. For me it was never a problem because first of all, I do not expect speedy resolution from an epic fantasy, and second, by that time I was too firmly attached to the fates of Liath, Sanglant, and Alain not to continue. So if you have problems finishing books like Crossroads of Twilight or A Feast for Crows then I would not recommend this series to you.

Crown of Stars cannot compete with The Wheel of Time for its sheer scope, nor can it compete with ASOIAF for the depth of its political intrigue, and it certainly cannot compete with LotR for the amount of heroic action. Nevertheless, by incorporating all these classical elements of a good epic fantasy into her own creatively imagined and well realized world, Kate Elliot gave us a complete fantasy series that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.(less)

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May 22, 2008 Sandi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, 2008

I had a really, really hard time getting into this book. I probably would have neither started nor finished it if it weren't a book of the month for a reading group I belong to. I just hate getting into multi-volume (7) epic fantasies. This one took about 200 pages (out of 600+) to get interesting. I was never able to pinpoint quite why it was so hard to get into. For the record, I'm going to list some positives and negatives of this book.

On the positive side:

1. There aren't too many central cha...more

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Jul 18, 2007 Tim marked it as to-read

I want to read this because of what Orson Scott Card said about it:

"Kate Elliott joins my very small pantheon of great living fantasy writers.

"[She is] one of the best world creators in fantasy literature.

"[The readers] are so fully immersed in this world, and its details are created so convincingly and richly, that it's a pleasure to simply live there with these characters.

"[It has] the most wonderfully frustrating villain you have ever experienced in literature. If Dickens had read these books...more

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Dec 21, 2008 Tim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kate Elliott's "Crown of Stars" series -- 5,200 pages or so, through seven volumes -- sure is a monster, but it's worth the undertaking. Really, I'd call this one of the most underrated fantasy series ever. Don't be deceived by the generally weak cover art for all these volumes. Elliott's writing, too, is more than it seems at first glance. She writes very, very well. It's sneaks-up-on-you prose, but after you read quite a bit you realize she's very talented.

I won't even begin to try to provide...more

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May 21, 2012 Kevin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Leading up to our wedding, Bethany and I both blazed through Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars series as fast as we could We both adored it. At long last, after five years, I'm returning to it. Prior to this, neither of us had been voracious readers of speculative fiction. So, my reread is for two purposes: 1. Refresh the great characters in my mind; and 2. See if it holds up. The first volume definitely did. King's Dragon shifts the narrative perspective frequently, relying on the observations of a...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Mei-Lu rated it 2 of 5 stars

I think before I get into my review of this book I should disclose something. King's Dragon is the first volume of a seven volume series. I read up to page 572 of book five (the Gathering Storm) and found I just couldn't continue. I was fed up with the story, the characters, the whole thing. If the book didn't weigh a ton, I'd probably have thrown it against the wall in frustration. As is, I refrained for free of denting the walls of my rental. In this review, I'm going to talk about the overall...more I think before I get into my review of this book I should disclose something. King's Dragon is the first volume of a seven volume series. I read up to page 572 of book five (the Gathering Storm) and found I just couldn't continue. I was fed up with the story, the characters, the whole thing. If the book didn't weigh a ton, I'd probably have thrown it against the wall in frustration. As is, I refrained for free of denting the walls of my rental. In this review, I'm going to talk about the overall series (without spoilers) in the hopes that it will help you make a decision about whether or not you want to give this series a try.

Generally speaking, fantasy series fall into two categories - epic storylines that are told over the course of several books (a la George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire) and stand alone books that can be read out of order (a la Anne McCaffrey's Pern series). Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars series falls into the first category. If you like, it's one mega-novel divided into seven parts. She does a pretty good job of breaking her story down into pieces and giving each novel an arc, but the books each end on a cliffhanger which makes clear that the story is nowhere near finished.

I've read a lot of fantasy series over the years. In the best cases, I'm so caught up in the characters and storyline I read all available volumes obsessively and then grind my teeth until the next book comes out. In the worst cases, I'll read the first book and feel no compulsion to read on, regardless of cliffhanger endings. Between the best and worst case scenarios, there's a middle path that a series can take. That's when the world-building and/or characters and/or plot is compelling enough that you want to stay in the world and find out what happens next BUT you're not fully engaged. And sadly, this middle ground is exactly where Kate Elliott's series falls.

The problem, for me, was the characters. Kate Elliott obviously gave A LOT of thought to her alternate Medieval European world because the depth in the history and religion of her world was impressive. In particular, her version of the Medieval Catholic Church is so different yet recognizable that part of me really wanted to find out how she was going to pay things off. But the main characters, all of whom were teenagers in the first book, were really, really callow. Having read four and a half books of the series, I can see that Kate Elliott did this on purpose - that her goal was to have them "grow up" through the course of the story. Unfortunately, this meant that I found it a struggle to care about any of the main characters. They embodied everything that makes you roll your eyes about teenaged characters - they're overdramatic, they're self-involved and self-pitying, they think that when they love it's an end-all, be-all kind of a thing and they make incredibly bad decisions. As the story progresses, the characters do grow up, but I was still lukewarm about all of them near the end of book four and actually started to feel as if I was being held hostage by these annoying characters for the sake of an interesting story and world. In the end, it wasn't worth it for me. A lot of people on Goodreads have compared this series to George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. For me, the difference is that Martin's characters gripped me from book one and even though five books in I feel like the series is meandering off-course, Martin's writing is so good that I have faith that ultimately he'll pull this series off in a satisfying way. Midway through book five of Crown of Stars, I lost faith that the pay off at the end of the series would be worth slogging through two more books.
When I finished reading King's Dragon, I really wasn't sure I wanted to continue the series. Had it been a library book or a purchase, I definitely would not have continued the series. However, a friend had given me all seven books and since they were there, I continued on.(less)

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Jan 16, 2012 Penni rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was so disappointed in these books, because they could have been so good. The plots were fascinating and multi-layered, the characters were complex, I was truly invested in the outcome of a number of different plot threads -- but I couldn't make it through the series. One of the reasons I like YA fantasy a lot is that the authors pare down the unnecessary parts. Not so in this series. I just couldn't handle the pages-long summaries of the history of the country, or of their religion, or lineag...more

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Jun 23, 2011 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

A pretty standard, kingdom in turmoil, invaders from the north, treachery from a sibling, mysterious waif loses guardian to nefarious forces, adopted bastard chosen by fate to be protector of the kingdom type of book. The execution however, is pretty good. The waif suffers true trauma. The kind of thing that can damage a person for a long time. And it's not how her guardian dies, but what happens after.

The religion is very catholic-like, with saints and priests, though a more gender-neutral(or...more

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Apr 07, 2010 Irene rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was interested in finding out what happens next from the beginning of this book. The main characters are interesting and each has a story to be told. At the beginning of the book the author mentions the research she did into Medieval times, and with a knight on the cover I supposed it to be set in those times. I am no authority on Medieval history, but this seems to be an alternate-reality book, borrowing aspects from true history but changing much of it.

The Wendish society seems to give women...more

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Jun 04, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: war, epic-fantasy

For what started out as a fairly standard entrence into an epic fantasy series, I was quickly surprised.

Elliott spends a lot of time world building and the result is impressive. This book is thick with history, politics and religion which has been a negative to several reviewers I have read online. In my opinion, I enjoyed reading the history, politics and the religion because it made the world so much more vivid and set the foundation for an incredibly complex, realistic series. It really help...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Beverly rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The bad: Karigan, as a Rider for King Zachary, has special duties and falls in love with the king. Siblings fight over the crown in Song of Ice and Fire, along with bastards trying to find their place in the world. Does this sound familiar? Are you wondering why I've put this in here? There's a good reason.

King's Dragon contains very little innovative material. Song of Ice and Fire and the Green Rider series by Kristin Britain might have been written after this book, but they are more original a...more The bad: Karigan, as a Rider for King Zachary, has special duties and falls in love with the king. Siblings fight over the crown in Song of Ice and Fire, along with bastards trying to find their place in the world. Does this sound familiar? Are you wondering why I've put this in here? There's a good reason.

King's Dragon contains very little innovative material. Song of Ice and Fire and the Green Rider series by Kristin Britain might have been written after this book, but they are more original and compelling than this series. There is little here that isn't standard fantasy fare.

In an author's note, Kate Elliott comments that she spent a lot of time researching medieval religion. It permeates the book to the point where it grows irritating. Even someone like me, who considers herself religious, can find this material tedious and overarching. It's not bad enough that deacons and "biscops" are main characters. Everyone has to have some degree of religious affiliation. No one doubts their faith. Everyone tries to shove the Lady and Lord of Unity down everyone else's throat, including the Eika.

On that note, what isn't religious is boggled down with tedious detail. Every single thing seems to be important, which means the narrative is constantly dragged down by history, back story, geography, and political associations. What might have been introduced slowly is thrown at the reader all at once, to the point where the story crawls.

Everything is shoved at the reader at once, with an enemy from within and an enemy from without attacking at the same time. Did this need to happen? Probably not. Could it have been better with one conflict rather than multiple ones? Yes. The focus was duller as a result of multiple narratives and too many conflicts.

Did I feel anything for the characters? Not really. Was I interested in what happened to them? Again, not entirely. I liked Alain, although I could give or take almost everyone else. Sanglant was the most interesting and apparently, he'll be a major character in Prince of Dogs. If only he had taken prominence earlier.

Too much of what seemed important was left dangling there, probably for the sequels. I've heard that the sequels are better and faster moving once the background has been taken care of. I certainly hope so.

The good: The writing was convincing enough that I never abandoned the book. The Aoi, the Sleepers, the Eika (and the Eika prince) are interesting enough to keep reading. The contrast between how the dogs behave around Alain and Count Lavastine versus everyone else endears me to them. The strange, the fey, held my attention. I just wish the Dragons were more than the King's vanguard.

I'll come back to the series, grudgingly, after a few books. One hopes the pacing will improve. (less)

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Jan 19, 2011 Darla rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, religion, fantasy-sci-fi

I wish that we had a 1 to 10 rating scale, a 1.0 to 5.0 scale, or could at least give half star ratings. Based on any of those, I would rate the book at 8, 3.9, and 3 1/2 stars. This is my first rating on this site.

Plusses- Character development is good, a little complex (which is good), but not too much (some authors get carried away with frivolous stuff). Not everything is predicatable, like in so many books. Mystique keeps you turning pages. Amount of detail is great, lots of them for the imp...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

I don't even know where to start with this book. It has so much potential. The storyline, characters, history and setting are so well thought out anddeveloped. I was disappointed mostly because of its complexity. I was so freaking confused by this book. There is too much going on with the religious order versus the political heirarchy. I couldn't keep track of all teh levels and who was what rank and who was related to who in what way and who maried who and who almost married who. I also think I...more

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Mar 07, 2011 Kelsha rated it 4 of 5 stars

This goes for the series in general. I found this series to be interesting, though not sensational. That is not a bad thing, I appreciated that I wasn't so wrapped up in the books that I couldn't put them down. While some characters and event were engaging, others simply were. The story becomes moderately complex and I would call it a saga. The writing style and characters are generally straight forward, though the plot has some twists. I will say that I have a lot of respect for the author, as...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: flights-of-fantasy, 2011-reads

I wonder if I'll like this book better when if I read the others. Because there are a lot of lose ends left untied.

There is a story A and a story B, and at times a little A.1 and B.1 as minor characters go off and have noteworthy adventures without the main characters. I expected Story A & B would ultimately converge and am left wondering if they will?

At the beginning of the book, it tended towards a bit of melodramatic use of metaphors, but further into the book it settles down into an easi...more I wonder if I'll like this book better when if I read the others. Because there are a lot of lose ends left untied.

There is a story A and a story B, and at times a little A.1 and B.1 as minor characters go off and have noteworthy adventures without the main characters. I expected Story A & B would ultimately converge and am left wondering if they will?

At the beginning of the book, it tended towards a bit of melodramatic use of metaphors, but further into the book it settles down into an easily readable pace. It follows the storyline of Liath, who has been on the run most her life, but tragedy causes her to be subjected to the advances of a strangely cruel man. She spends a lot of time being conflicted and confused, about magic, what's dangerous, who she really is. And then it follows Alain, who is promised to the church, and tragedy causes him to become a part of a Count's retinue instead. Both find themselves in a world at war, between Kingdoms, and also a foreign and savage species call the Eika.

Three things this book has a lot of is religion and dogs/dog like things and illegitimate songs. Some of the religious statements and concepts, are taken almost directly from the bible, you'll recognize some familiar passages (you know, if there are passages that are familiar to you from the bible) and then comes some tweaking. But even so, that made it very much like...religion, being religious, all that devout, flowery phrasing that makes even the sanest devotee sound insane when they start speaking. I had to skim, it was simply too painful.

And dogs, dogs, dogs everywhere. I'm sure there is some significance, maybe the dogs in story A and B are related somehow to each other. But...for the moment it just seems like everyone's got a lot of bloodthirsty hounds.

Thirdly, having a Henri, and a Henry, both with illegitimate sons who look foreign compared with their surroundings, was really confusing.

It's not a badly written book, but I had a hard time identifying with the characters, perhaps because the characters don't really know themselves, they are vague, because they both have no real sense of identity, where they came from, where they are going.

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Apr 25, 2013 Deanne Robin rated it 5 of 5 stars

A really good book! The author has gone from one person to another to keep you in the loop on the things happening with all the important characters. She has also included bits about the things the other people are doing... Observations if you will. There is a unique religion here that combines Christian and Pagan beliefs flawlessly. It's so skillfully combined that it makes one wonder if this was what religion was like before the old ways were "stamped out" by the church. But the book isn't abo...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Joshua Wayne rated it 2 of 5 stars

I would give this novel, and the entire series a better rating, as the writing style is excellent. However, the entire series left me with a constant feeling of dread, specifically it always felt like the heroine was a moment away from being raped, physically and otherwise. It never let up either. I wanted to like them, I really did, but I couldn't get over that same feeling, over and over. Would not recommend for anyone who might similarly dislike the feeling, or who might have had some sort of...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Adrienne rated it 3 of 5 stars

The author definitely has a talent with words, and the story is complex and well woven. Despite this, I had a hard time staying interested. Perhaps it was because I could only read it for a little bit each day rather than sitting down to have a "good read". But I struggled to relate to the characters. I found the main female character especially weak and shallow. This is just my opinion. I know that there are plenty of other people who have really enjoyed this book, so I recommend that others st...more

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May 29, 2012 Charles rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Stuff I Read – King’s Dragon by Kate Elliott Review

So this book represents my first foray into trying to expand my horizons when it comes to the types of novels I read, and more specifically when it comes to reading more science fiction and fantasy by female authors, because looking back at myself has led me to the sad realization that I have not read all that much speculative fiction by female authors. It is an oversight that I plan on remedying starting here. And so while out shopping I picked...more Stuff I Read – King’s Dragon by Kate Elliott Review

So this book represents my first foray into trying to expand my horizons when it comes to the types of novels I read, and more specifically when it comes to reading more science fiction and fantasy by female authors, because looking back at myself has led me to the sad realization that I have not read all that much speculative fiction by female authors. It is an oversight that I plan on remedying starting here. And so while out shopping I picked out a book in my typical fashion, by the cover. King’s Dragon by Kate Elliott meets the standard criteria of having a knight on the cover and a background of castles and such that lets me know that this is a high fantasy and probably is right up my alley. So I picked it up and read the synopsis and, finding it, too, rather standard, decided to give it a chance. It follows (mainly, for there are a few instances where it deviates and visits a few other characters) a young woman named Listh and a young man named Alain. And, seeing as how this is the first book of a seven book series, it does an admirable job setting things up.

Of course the differences between a male written piece and a female written piece become a bit evident early on in the story, mainly because I believe that female authors are much more comfortable being incredibly mean to their female main characters whereas men normally balk because they have to consider how it will seem for them to write something like rape and the like. But not so with females, and the author wastes no time dragging Liath down the depression hole by killing her father and having her sold into slavery to a terrible priest who emotionally and physically abuses her before finally raping her, beating her, and doing just about every terrible thing imaginable to her. It’s that line that women writers can walk over much easier than me, and makes me as a reader squirm a bit because it is so terrible. Still, being confronted by things like that I believe is a good thing as it forces the confrontation with the ugly, sexist parts of society that don’t necessarily punish such action. In a world where rape is sometimes “punished” by forcing the woman to marry her rapist, seeing the brutality of it might be quite helpful in showing people the truth.

But I digress, I suppose. The author does do a nice job of really making her characters suffer for most of the novel. And that works, I suppose, because this is a long series and seems that it will be following a more long-term story. This isn’t like The Wheel of Time or Sword of Truth, where to some degree (especially in the earlier volumes) the books end nicely with a breath or air. This novel at least gives the impression that this series is something that’s going to be going straight through the books. I suppose I will have to find out at some point, but that’s what it seems like. In any event, the author takes a considerable time methodically building these characters, and typically by making them miserable. This works by getting reader investing and wanting the characters to overcome and all that, and is further helped that the main characters are generally good people and seem invested in doing what is right. So by the time things finally swing around and the action kicks into high gear, the reader is eager for it, ready to get into some battle and war and gore and death. And the author does a good job with the battles, with the action and with the drama. Where she excels is in the character work, though, in the setting itself and how that setting is reflected in the sensibilities and mindsets of the characters.

This is a very well researched series, if the front material is to be believed, very much grounded in medieval culture and religion and thinking. The King here is less an idolized version of the post and more seeming like his historical counterpart, and has to deal with the various political situations that pop up. The battles are also more grounded than many standard fantasies, making sure to ground the experience more in cavalry and infantry than in single heroics or in strange strategic maneuvers. At the same time there is a real sense that magic is present but largely sleeping, seeping into the fringes of the world and capable of truly important things. This is not the case where magic has infused everything, nor is it the case that magic is easy to use or free, and that fact makes it all the more menacing. And mixed into all that is a real importance of religion, something that is often glossed over when it comes to fantasy but is quite important. It all works to make the setting seem real, seem alive and vibrant and yet ideal, nor perfect. This is not really anyplace someone would want to live or visit, but that ugliness gives it a sense of dept that is lost when everything is idyllic.

That said, there are few things that keep me from endorsing the book without qualification. Because the setting is so important, and because the level of detail is high, there are parts that seem to drag a little, areas of the book that just fail to truly capture the attention. There are also a lot of characters, and while that’s not a bad thing, it becomes a little difficult to tell who the reader is supposed to be investing the full amount of time into. This is further confounded later in the novel when it is almost difficult to tell who the viewpoint character is, as things are happening very quickly. This isn’t a huge problem as the story is still clear, but the real feel of the character, the filter that would interpret everything is dropped in favor of more objective descriptions, and I was put off a little by that. The novel is at its best when dealing with events from the perspectives of the two main characters, and falters a bit when it reaches beyond that, because other characters just don’t have the quality of voice.

But that’s a relatively small complaint when dealing with a book of this size, and I found myself largely enjoying it, at least after it got past the large stretches where it was abusing its characters. I think that this novel demonstrates why it is rewarding to read a more varied number of novels, because it does show things that male authors really don’t, in a way that male authors really wouldn’t. It’s a fresh perspective, a well done world, a deep story, and I get the feeling like it has the potential to keep on delivering. But then, it will probably be a while before I can track down the next volume and reading. For now, though, I am glad I read this and award it a 7.5/10.
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Mar 04, 2011 Jordan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, i-own-it

This book was Slow and Slow, It crept along through mazes of byzantine political maneuvering and some pretty stodgy egalitarianizing. The descriptions of most of the Female characters make them largely unsuited for the type of warfare which Elliot describes in the book. They tend to be your typical 100lb waifs, and are suddenly marvelous with a sword the moment you hand them one, despite being encumbered with their own body weight in mail and armour.

Still, thats fairly standard for males in fan...more

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Mar 31, 2009 Kat Hooper rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Crown of Stars series is well-thought out and obviously well-planned. It's epic in scope and it's got a lot of texture. There are many complex characters who we follow in parallel, as in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Some of them are very likable, and there are some really excellent villains (e.g., Hugh). Ms. Elliott's creatures are imaginative and enjoyable, and I especially liked the way they interact with the humans. Ms. Elliott uses a lot of description and therefore her plot moves very...more The Crown of Stars series is well-thought out and obviously well-planned. It's epic in scope and it's got a lot of texture. There are many complex characters who we follow in parallel, as in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Some of them are very likable, and there are some really excellent villains (e.g., Hugh). Ms. Elliott's creatures are imaginative and enjoyable, and I especially liked the way they interact with the humans. Ms. Elliott uses a lot of description and therefore her plot moves very slowly (again, similar to WOT).

The writing was inconsistent throughout the series. Sometimes it seems brilliant, but at other times I'd think "why did she tell me that?" or "this could be moving a little faster." It's often wordy. Her editor could have almost arbitrarily taken out a third of the sentences with no ill effect. Sometimes she over-explains what a character is feeling or his/her motivation when it would have been better to let the dialog or action speak for the character. Sometimes she tells me something too many times (e.g., "but his voice always sounds like that"). I wonder if the inconsistency is due to different editing processes, because it's not like that in all the books, and even some individual books are internally inconsistent. I thought the fourth book, especially, was not well edited.

The pace of these novels is so slow that I found my self bogged down in the middle of book 5 with not much desire to go on, so I decided to quit. I struggled with that decision because I really did want to find out what happened to the characters, but it was taking me too long to get there and the writing style wasn't good enough to make up for the crawling pace (unlike Wheel of Time).

Overall, these books entertained me for a while, especially the first couple of novels. The plot was interesting and the characterization was particularly notable, but it eventually got too slow. I quit in the middle of book 5.
Read more Kate Elliott book reviews at Fantasy Literature .(less)

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Jan 01, 2009 Kerri rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't sure I'd like this book or this series, but found myself pleasantly surprised and totally engrossed. Kate Elliott creates a world that may seem familiar to students of history but which holds many strange and fantastic differences. The Eika are one of the most unique and best-described races in fantasy. And it is very easy to become close to the characters. Much of Liath's story is almost as painful to the reader as it is to Liath herself. And who couldn't fall in love with Alain? A mus...more

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May 25, 2008 Lasairfiona Smith rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: iown

It's okay. This is your basic sprawling fantasy story that happens to be set in a world where there is some war and some invasion but without the single hero that kills everything and wins the lady. No, things are a tad more complicated than that. However, this story does fall to some of the most obnoxious clichés found in fantasy - specifically the love at first site between people that shouldn't have anything to do with each other. Oh, and the death of a family member causes heroine to be sold...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Kaity rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Honestly, I adore these books. Granted, some of the detail could be left out... I am re-reading these books after a couple of years, and I am amazed by how fun it is to remember and rediscover everything these boks have to offer. I don't remember much of it, due to time, but I still remember the main plots and people. This is good, seeing as I have a kind of bad memory. I warn eeryone, this book has to take some time. It is very slow at the beginning because there is much background and characte...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Mousuke rated it 3 of 5 stars

Overall, this book was a delightful romp and a fine introduction to the series. It wasn't the best fantasy book I've ever read, nor the most original. The characters, although rather 2-D, are likable and easy to empathize with. The action is rollicking, the world is rich.

As for the writing, I thought the phrasing of many sentences was awkward, and the dialogue was stilted. This book was also 200 pages longer than it needed to be--simply cutting out unnecessary details would have packed a harder...more

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Oct 27, 2011 Kayleigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kayleigh by: Frank Harter

Shelves: fantasy

Initially, I had a hard time getting into this book, but now I can't wait to get started on the rest of the series. Elliott's world is intricate and well-crafted, her characters fascinating, particularly Liath and Sanglant. Liath's plight was both heartbreaking and inspiring; I found myself cheering her on in her quest to reclaim not only her freedom, but her strength and self-worth, after her brief period of physical and emotional captivity. And from the little information given about Sanglant,...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Karla (Mossy Love Grotto) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-and-fantasy, 2-stars

I liked it, but by the end of the book the story had become so complex and more than a little confusing, so when I finished it I needed a break from the series. However, I never picked up Book 2, forgot everything that happened in Book 1, and didn't have the urge to go back and recap. The story hadn't been THAT exciting. This was yet another series and author that was a casualty of my good-intentioned but ultimately uninspired dabble into genre fantasy.

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Jul 06, 2009 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book or seven in the Crown of Stars series. It follows a number of different characters, Alain, Liath and Sanglant.

‘Sanglant is a prince, bastard son of King Henry. Born and bred to become captain of the elite cavalry -- the King's Dragons -- and to give his life to protect his father's kingdom, he cannot know the terrible fate that awaits him.

Liath is the child of sorcerers, trained as a mathematici, one who knows the secrets of the stars. But she and her father have been runn...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Liza rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-loans, 2011

At first this story was a little bit slow going, but that's mostly because there has to be some foundational sort of story set-up and introduction of characters and that type of thing. Now, that said, I am really impressed with how invested I feel in these characters' well-being. Elliott has done an excellent job of creating really human characters who are marked by their uncertainties, insecurities, doubts, and other internal conflicts. At the same time they have real desires and aspirations, a...more

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About Kate Elliott

As a child in rural Oregon, Kate Elliott made up stories because she longed to escape to a world of lurid adventure fiction. She now writes fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction, often with a romantic edge. It should therefore come as no surprise that she met her future husband in a sword fight.

When he gave up police work to study archaeology, they and their three children fell into an entirely...more

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King's Dragon (Crown of Stars #1)

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