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Oct 31, 2008

Linh rated it:

“THE KINGDOM’S HEART is the city. The City’s heart is the King. The King’s heart is the Prince. The Prince is missing.” From the moment the prince went missing, the whole kingdom is in disarray. From the heart of the kingdom to its outskirts, infants are born dead or dying. When Timou’s father, a mage, journeys to the City and never returns, Timou decides to go after him. She travels to the kingdom’s heart and there she faces powers much greater than her own and unravels the truth of her birth More...

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Oct 19, 2008

Alex rated it:

When Timou's father, the mage Kapoen, disappears on a journey to find the missing heart of the Kingdom, Timou follows his footsteps to find the heirs to the kingdom. She encounters a prescence in the forest that is more powerful than she knows, and Timou slowly begins to understand so of her past.

More than a simple tale of a young mage on a quest for power, The City in the Lake is sprawling, carefully written look into the complicated lives of parents, ambitions, love, and much mor More...

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Nov 04, 2008

Erin rated it:

A complete fantasy story in less than 300 pages. I was very impressed with how concise this was, without leaving anything out. Beautiful descriptions, real emotions and interesting magic. I recommend it for fantasy fans middle school and up. Some strong upper elementary readers may enjoy this as well.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 19, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

Reviewed by Breia "The Brain" Brickey for TeensReadToo.com

The story begins with the disappearance of a Prince. The heart of the Kingdom is the City, the heart of the City is the King, and the heart of the King is the Prince. After the disappearance of the Prince, many things go wrong, from the city to the farthest outlying villages.

Timou lives in a remote village where her father is a powerful mage. When the damage to the Kingdom becomes too much for them to ig More...

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Dec 13, 2008

Yune rated it:

I think I've found McKillip's heir.

I picked it up after reading the first paragraph on the inside jacket flap:

"The Kingdom's heart is the City. The City's heart is the King. The King's heart is the Prince. The prince is missing."

I'm glad I didn't read the back instead. This was all I needed to pick the book up.

It reads like a first novel -- heavy-handed, at times -- and it's marketed as young adult (I hate venturing into my library's More...

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Mar 01, 2010

Matthew rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jun 08, 2011

Sabrina rated it:

Strange and menacing things are going on in the Kingdom. It seems that the heart of the Kingdom is missing and everyone has to suffer because of it.
Months ago Timou's father, a mage, left their small village to solve the issues, but he never came back from the City. Timou learned the ways of magic from her father and decides go to the City to find him and learn more about the scary events that threaten the whole kingdom. On her dangerous journey she learns a lot about herself, her magic and More...

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Nov 27, 2008

Sheila rated it:

After reading great reviews of this by Cybils panelists Charlotte's Library and The Puck in the Midden I was intrigued. I thought I'd remembered getting a review copy, so I dug through the never ending piles until I found it.

The City in the Lake is an immensely satisfying book heavy with myth, metaphor, and symbol. It's beautifully written book with a fairy-tale feel but more depth than a fairy tale. I recommend it for anyone who loves rich language, good writing, and depth of plot a More...

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Jun 21, 2011

Su rated it:

A beautiful, elegiac fantasy tale that is refreshingly small-scale and intimate, focusing on only a handful of main characters (with tiny entourages of supporting characters each). As all the reviews have mentioned, the writing is beautiful and lush but not so description-heavy (or high fantasy trope-heavy) as to put off readers not as familiar with the genre. In fact, the way the story is extremely grounded in our young heroine's POV should make it very accessible to all YA readers.

More...

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Jan 06, 2009

Patrick rated it:

This is an interesting fantasy story. A fairy tale, really. I found the unrestrained magic and wonder of the land in this multi-tiered kingdom to be the most intriguing part of the book. The pacing is somewhat sedate for much of the book, almost dream-like. The part when the villain makes her entrance gains some momentum, and that carries the book toward the finale rather well. Kudos to the author for daring to have a really irredeemable villain in a story for younger readers. The fact tha More...

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Apr 07, 2011

Chachic rated it:

Originally posted here.

The City in the Lake is a quest-type YA fantasy novel. The whole kingdom starts to fall apart with the disappearance of the young Prince. Magic starts to go awry and mages have no idea why. Timou is a young woman raised by her mage father in an isolated village. When trouble reaches even their remote area, her father goes back to the city to investigate. When he doesn't return, it's up to Timou to discover what happened and she knows that her quest is tied with More...

6 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 12, 2010

Yoon rated it:

Beautiful prose, reminiscent of McKillip but more grounded in the everyday; some genuinely disturbing fairytale moments; an interesting plot that more or less coheres. The two great problems with this book are (a) its villain, who is evil and manipulative because she is evil and manipulative, and that's pretty much all we get; and (b) the ending, which is tidy to the point of glibness and rather left me with the impression that I was watching the marionettes gather for one final curtsey. Still More...

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Mar 22, 2011

Maureen rated it:

by Rachel Neumeier

Opening line: “The City is beautiful at sunset, almost as beautiful as the Lake itself.”

There is a City which is built on a Lake. And “At the moment between sunset and dark, the wind off the Lake sometimes dies and the air becomes utterly still. If that pause lasts long enough, it is said, the water becomes a mirror in which a man may see his true face reflected, as well as the reflection of the eternal City.” The City is the heart of the Kingdom. More...

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Sep 09, 2011

TheBookSmugglers rated it:

Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/03/join...

REVIEW

First Impressions:

Thea: I’ve read two books by Rachel Neumeier prior to picking up The City and the Lake, and I can attest to her skill as a storyteller, especially in the fantasy arena. But Ms. Neumeier’s excellent The Floating Islands and Lord of the Changing Winds have got NOTHING on The City in the Lake. I have to admit, I’m not crazy about either cover for the book, but More...

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Nov 18, 2008

Lucy rated it:

The Kingdom's heart is the City. The City's heart is the King. The King's heart is the Prince. And the Prince is missing--stolen, vanished, gone. And ever since he vanished, nothing has been right in the Kingdom. New life is stillborn, and there is a shadow that lies across everything. Everyone in the Kingdom can feel it.

Timou, in her remote village, can feel it too. Solemn, strange Timou, daughter of the mage Kapoen, has trained at her father's side for her entire life, and she can More...

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Feb 01, 2012

M— rated it:

Enchanting. Extraordinary. Deserves far better cover artwork. Was this Neumeier's first book? The language is tinted a little lavender in spots, mostly in the beginning, gorgeous and lyrically descriptive in others, mostly toward the end, but all within what you'd expect from such a fantasy/original fairy tale sort of work. I enjoyed it so much more that Neumeier's other book I read, Lord of the Changing Winds (review). Reminded me of McKillip and some of McKinley's writing, and a little of Stardust More...

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Dec 19, 2009

Jekloneo rated it:

94/100

Quite a fascinating read. Like the lake central to the whole book, it reflects. And makes you reflect too, on various layers of reality. It's a book that you'll want to read again, and not only the exciting bits, but the whole book.

I noticed it during my frequent trips to the library because of its woodcut-ish cover art. Not that I liked the cover art much. It was acceptable, but not exactly my taste.

But the blurb seemed promising, so...

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Dec 07, 2008

Clarice rated it:

This is a gorgeous book and in a lot of ways reminds me of early Patricia McKillip in it's style. It's a definite fairy tale, but is well told and beautiful to read. I, sadly, devoured it in one gigantic bite so will probably have to reread it again someday. It was just the perfect story for me at this moment in time... a cold Sunday morning in winter.

This was also the 100th book I read in 2008. I have to create a new goal for myself.

1 comment like

May 23, 2011

Kris rated it:

A sweet and mystical fantasy that felt like an early Patrica A. McKillip story. Prettily written with a couple of decent protagonists and a big, bad evil that will soon smother their world.

All in all I quite liked this book but felt some of the characters fell a bit flat. I wasn't interested in Jonas at all and I wanted to know more about the dark Hunter.

But a valiant attempt and one that I quite appreciated it.

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Dec 25, 2008

Joy rated it:

Felt this one sort of fell apart halfway through--the interesting elements of the premise and prose were totally overshadowed by the use of a very cliched antagonist. The comparisons to McKillip's writings are apt, though McKillip's prose is still prettier; Neumeier's characters also aren't as interestingly offbeat as some of McKillip's best. All in all, I wasn't overly impressed by this novel, but it was promising enough that I'll probably investigate Neumeier's future work.

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Feb 10, 2010

Miss Ginny Tea added it

Oh, book. I tossed you across the room at one point. I don't toss books lightly.

The plot I wholeheartedly disapprove of. The resolution was subtle like a sledgehammer.

The saving grace was the characters--they were the only reason I finished this. I love some of them, but that's no great victory for the author: they're made to be loved.

I do not recommend this book, and I think the wonderful characters are reduced by being in it.

I would give it negat

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Nov 25, 2008

Abby rated it:

This book is beautifully written. I love how vividly the author creates this world. My biggest complaint is that the abundance of metaphor and imagery, while thought provoking, sometimes detracted from the plot. Overall though it is an excellent read and I can't wait to read more by this author.

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Jun 30, 2009

Tracie rated it:

Timou leads a quiet and fairly contented life as a mage in training, but distant events - the sudden disappearance of the heir to the kingdom and then the king himself, bring Timou to the center of an evil power.

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Mar 07, 2009

Ashley rated it:

Very well written. The story line was fabulous and kept me interested and guessing what was going to happen next. Loved it! A very clean book. I would let my children read this one in a heart beat.

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Sep 15, 2008

Michele rated it:

"The City in the Lake," is rich in imagination and has the rhythm of a fairy tale. The work seems well crafted and complex. It is interesting in that it describes a platonic image of reality and realities. That is, that all realities, such as this world, are mere reflections of one true reality. There is good detail, but too much sometimes, and the author could repress her use of the word "cream" and "creamy" and "butter-yellow," but especially "cream More...

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Jan 09, 2012

Margaret rated it:

this book takes u out of the world!!! it affects ur emotions and u feel like u r in the story, one of the best books ever!!!!!!! even after 3 years i still love this book

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Jan 22, 2010

Abi added it

It was very good...Scenes were beautifully well written, and sometimes even haunting. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good fantasy story!

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Aug 16, 2009

Jen rated it:

This book was a pleasant surprise after reading a lot of books that have not been so good lately. The story is not something I feel like I've read before. I didn't know what was going to happen. The author didn't pick the easy way out she really worked to give a good complete story. I would read more books by this author.

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Apr 25, 2009

Michele rated it:

This was a beautifully written book and had a really good plot. It was clean and had a very sweet love story. I really enjoyed reading it.

1 comment like

Jun 17, 2009

Sps rated it:

Overly descriptive. Some kids may be into that, but I bet there are very few of them. Kind of humorless. Well thought-out quest though.

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