false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167301606m/21060.jpg 21060 1 (Contains Crown Duel & Court Duel) Young Countess Meliara swears to her dying father that she and her brother will defend their people from the growing greed of the king. That promise leads them into a war for which they are ill-prepared, which threatens the very people they are trying to protect. But war is simple compared to what follows, in peacetime. Meliara is summoned to live at the royal palace, where friends and enemies look alike, and intrigue fills the dance halls and the drawing rooms. If she is to survive, Meliara must learn a whole new way of fighting-with wits and words and secret alliances. <br><br> In war, at least, she knew in whom she could trust. Now she can trust no one. <br><br> The Firebird edition of Crown Duel combines the hardcover editions of Crown Duel and Court Duel-and features a never-before-published story by Sherwood Smith! <br><br> "A fantasy world fit for the most discriminating medieval partisan." (<i>Publishers Weekly</i>) 4398231 book 1997 Crown Duel (Contains Crown Duel & Court Duel) total:1204|5:574|4:382|3:205|2:36|1:7| 1204 5092 1753 173 3 5 false false Thu May 29 09:23:48 -0700 2008 Thu May 29 09:31:36 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Nov 11 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 21:33:46 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 11 21:05:07 -0800 2009 loved this with every once of my being. Now that I've read more books I'm a ...more...]]> 5 2 false false Wed Nov 12 10:46:51 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 13 09:19:28 -0800 2008 5
Meliara sure does know how to hold on to a grudge, but she's got a lot of great attributes, too. The pacing was good, and the story was exciting...more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Mar 18 13:28:22 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 19 21:04:51 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Mon Apr 05 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Thu Jul 09 21:52:28 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 18:50:33 -0700 2009 Crown Duel is a book that I haven't put down since picking it up several years ago - at least, I've never truly let go of it, and I've lost count of the times I have revisited Remalna, the magical kingdom Crown Duel takes place in.

Meliara Astiar is a stubborn, hothe...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Sun May 03 20:08:49 -0700 2009 Fri May 15 12:01:21 -0700 2009 5 Court Duel) back when I was a wee little thing in middle school.

Smith's writing is solidly young adult here, so I'm not sure what made me not only read this again but also buy the set! Now I've reread the two books more than a few times, an...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Sep 17 21:08:43 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 17 21:30:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 2 false false Mon Mar 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 25 14:44:51 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 25 14:57:57 -0700 2008
The first book (or, the first half of the combined edition) was action-packed, but I greatly prefer the court intrigue of the second...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 18 13:47:17 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 18 13:51:09 -0700 2009
I think it bothered me that she was a "...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Wed Sep 09 21:02:28 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 21:06:30 -0700 2009 1
Don't get me wrong, I remember loving the story, but it has a very predictable ending. I believe I was less than half way through befo...more...]]> 2 1 false false Mon Mar 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 18 17:05:36 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 05:23:35 -0700 2009 It's really a book of extremes - down to the language ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jan 11 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Dec 06 08:01:47 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 11 14:15:15 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jul 24 10:02:24 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 24 10:08:08 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jun 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 04 07:38:52 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 08:14:01 -0700 2009
I loved the main character, she was a strong character and I admired her determination to fight even when she knew she didn't stand a chance. I felt like I cou...more...]]> 2 1 false true Mon Apr 13 08:44:29 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 08:44:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Aug 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 11:40:43 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 24 14:20:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Apr 05 15:58:53 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 14:14:20 -0700 2009 5 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Oct 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 02 12:06:36 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 05 18:24:32 -0700 2008

Meliara ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Fri Apr 18 19:39:59 -0700 2008 Wed Dec 03 16:15:56 -0800 2008 5ish more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Feb 20 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 21 15:18:45 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 31 08:56:41 -0700 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=21060