As a child, Coriel Halsing spent many glorious summers at Castle Auburn with her half-sister-and fell in love with a handsome prince who could neve...
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Apr 22, 2011
Emily
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As the base-born daughter of a nobleman, Corie, who is fourteen at this book's opening, spends her winters in her grandmother's village learning herb-lore, and her summers at Castle Auburn, where she enjoys a close relationship with her noble half-sister who has been betrothed to the crown prince since birth. Corie has a severe crush on the prince who oh so unfortunately happens to be a selfish cad. As the story unfolds, her eyes are opened not only to his real nature, but to the plans being m
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Apr 28, 2008
piraterie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jul 31, 2011
Amanda
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I have read this book at least ten times now. It's one of several books I read in between heavier things, or when I'm in a bad mood and need something fun and/or romantic to help pick me up again. It is part coming-of-age story, part fantasy, part politic intrigue, and part romance.
The first person narration is spot-on in terms of tone, focus, and pacing. The main character, Coriel, begins as a naive 14 year old girl and ends the story as a brave and intelligent 18 year old woman. More...
The first person narration is spot-on in terms of tone, focus, and pacing. The main character, Coriel, begins as a naive 14 year old girl and ends the story as a brave and intelligent 18 year old woman. More...
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Jun 28, 2008
Tina
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Corie is the illegitimate daughter of a now deceased noble lord. Through an arrangement made while she was young, Corie spends her summers at Castle Auburn, home of her father. She has a great relationship with her legitimate half-sister Elisandra and a not-so-great one with her father's widow. The rest of the time she spends with her maternal grandmother, a wise woman of peasant stock who knows herbal lore and healing.
Although she is used to spending time with nobles, including t More...
Although she is used to spending time with nobles, including t More...
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Apr 18, 2009
Barbara
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I actually really enjoyed this book. It's more of a 3.7 star book, but I don't round up, I guess.
Although I hate that she's lovesick with a completely arrogant fool at first, I ended up liking it a lot.
Her sister completely surprised me at the end, but I liked the twist anyway.
Although I hate that she's lovesick with a completely arrogant fool at first, I ended up liking it a lot.
Her sister completely surprised me at the end, but I liked the twist anyway.
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Nov 23, 2008
Jenni
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As an illegitimate daughter of a noble, Coriel (Corie) grows up spending just her summers at the Castle Auburn and the rest of the year living as a peasant. This book covers only her summers over the course of her coming of age. She starts out very young and naive. She is infatuated with an arrogant and narcissistic young prince and totally oblivious to the slavery of the Aloria that is happening right under her nose. Corie shares friendships with her half sister Elisandra and the prince's cousi
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Sep 13, 2011
Brie
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What I loved most about this book is the writing. I've read a couple of books from Shinn's Samaria series in the past and have admired her lyrical prose. While not as prominent here, she does a wonderful job at describing the ethereal Aliora in a way that is nothing short of enchanting. The book as a whole is immersing and easy to get lost in. I read for hours without realizing how much time had passed. Any book that can sweep me into its pages so completely is a winner for me. I also loved Cori
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May 02, 2011
Merrilee
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Sharon Shinn has a reputation for writing light SF and fantasy-romance, and Summers at Castle Auburn is a perfect example of her style. Don’t go into this book expecting a complex political situation and devious plotting. This is a character story.
Coriel is a bastard daughter of house Halsing, and also the daughter of a witch. Her sister Elisandra is betrothed to the wild and wicked Prince Bryan of Auburn, daring hero of all the courtly ladies’ dreams. Coriel, too, is being groom More...
Coriel is a bastard daughter of house Halsing, and also the daughter of a witch. Her sister Elisandra is betrothed to the wild and wicked Prince Bryan of Auburn, daring hero of all the courtly ladies’ dreams. Coriel, too, is being groom More...
Sep 17, 2010
Tressa
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I really enjoyed this book. It has some good tension and sadness, but also good deeds and happiness.
Corie was born out of wedlock to a local witch (more specifically a herb healer) after an affair with a married lord. After the death of her father, who she never met, her uncle shows up at her grandmother's, where she has lived all her life. Then begins her summers at Castle Auburn, where the royalty live and where court is held. More importantly, that is where her half-sister, Elisan More...
Corie was born out of wedlock to a local witch (more specifically a herb healer) after an affair with a married lord. After the death of her father, who she never met, her uncle shows up at her grandmother's, where she has lived all her life. Then begins her summers at Castle Auburn, where the royalty live and where court is held. More importantly, that is where her half-sister, Elisan More...
Sep 13, 2010
Sally
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Corie is the illegitimate child of a powerful noble who divides her time between her peasant life, learning herb-lore, and a life at court wearing beautiful gowns and learning heraldry. She is meant to be a pawn, moved about at the Regent's will. Her half-sister, the legitimate daughter of her father, is betrothed to the crown prince - which should be a good thing, but is not. As Corie comes to learn more about the politics and intrigues of the Auburn Court, the slavery of the fae race, and her
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Nov 14, 2009
Beth
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I just loved, loved, loved this book; not in a heart pounding, gripping, page turning kind of way, but in more of a lovely, lose yourself, relaxing kind of read. A lovely mix of coming of age story, romance and fairy tale all mixed in one.
Corrie is the illegitimate child of a Lord who spend most of her time with her grandmother in a small village learning herb lore. But she lives for the summers she spends at Castle Auburn with her adventerous uncle, her half-sister who she loves and her f More...
Corrie is the illegitimate child of a Lord who spend most of her time with her grandmother in a small village learning herb lore. But she lives for the summers she spends at Castle Auburn with her adventerous uncle, her half-sister who she loves and her f More...
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Feb 05, 2012
Kate
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I generally like Sharon Shinn, but didn't care for this book. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I generally don't care for books in the first person (exceptions being works such as Jane Eyre), and I think that was part of why I didn't care for the book. Mostly, though, I found Corie a bit thick. This time around I had very little tolerance for the crushes of a fourteen year old. [some spoilers from minor to major]<spoiler>Corie spends so much of the book crushing on Bri
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Jun 21, 2009
Purpledolphin789
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This was actually a really good book desite the fact that I gave it 3 stars. I just didn't think it deserved 4 stars but it came quite close. I would classify it as fantasy. The main character is a girl named Corie (Coriel). She is the illegitimate child of a lord and for most of the year, she lives in her grandmother's cottage, studying herbal lore. But she really lives for her summers spent at Castle Auburn. There she has her sister, Elisandra, whom she loves more than anything.
Corie gro More...
Corie gro More...
Dec 29, 2011
Darla
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(Genre:Fantasy) 3 1/2 stars. I quite enjoyed this story and the world that it is set in. The main character, Coriel, is the illegitimate daughter of a deceased lord, who spends her summers visiting Castle Auburn, where her half sister Elisandra is being raised in the company of the crown prince to whom she is betrothed. Coriel spends the rest of the year living with her grandmother in much more simple and humble circumstances. Her grandmother is a local witch/wise woman who is the village healer
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Dec 16, 2009
Emily
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I love this book so much. It was given to me as a gift for my 10th birthday and I've read it at least once a year since then. The characters are wonderfully developed and the world has a tatalizing mixture of light and dark. This book should be on every woman's shelf. I would suggest it to guys, but they may not like the female, first person perspective. If you're a guy that can read that, good for you! You'll love this book.
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May 28, 2011
Leigh
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 22, 2010
Jeri
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I enjoyed it, quite a bit, though I was unsatisfied with the romance part of it. It's one of those where there are more than one prospective love interest and you don't know which one is "the one" until almost the very end. It's always my feeling that if the big mystery is "which one is the right one" then I don't get much emotional satisfaction from the HEA anyway.
I like the way the story is told in the first person, beginning with a rather naive girl who will h More...
I like the way the story is told in the first person, beginning with a rather naive girl who will h More...
Jan 01, 2012
Mikka
rated it:
I finished this one sitting, yesterday. Years later, it was still really good, an enjoyable read.
However, I'm sad to say maybe I've outgrown it. When I first read it, I chugged along reading and only seeing Corie's perspective. Reading it a second time (with much older, hopefully more mature eyes), I realized how obvious everything had become (except for the bit about Kentley). Maybe I shouldn't have read it twice, maybe I should have turned my brain off and enjoyed the ride rather than rac More...
However, I'm sad to say maybe I've outgrown it. When I first read it, I chugged along reading and only seeing Corie's perspective. Reading it a second time (with much older, hopefully more mature eyes), I realized how obvious everything had become (except for the bit about Kentley). Maybe I shouldn't have read it twice, maybe I should have turned my brain off and enjoyed the ride rather than rac More...
Jul 29, 2011
A little bit slow to begin, but once the action and intrigue start to pick up, it's almost riveting. Shinn's dialogue especially caught my attention - it was engaging and believable, and her prose, as well, was appealing and effective. She used evocative diction and interesting turns of phrase without ever crossing the line into cliché or boring. I really enjoyed Shinn's balanced use of foreshadowing - some twists, like the one at the very end, she let us see coming for miles; others I never
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Feb 27, 2009
Allison
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Corie is the illigitimate daughter of a Lord at the Castle Auburn. She is taken to the castle during her summers by her Uncle, in order to give her some of the life she would otherwise miss. She is foolishly in love with the Prince, who grows paranoid, rash, and cruel as he grows up. Shinn carefully tells the story of Corie's disillusion of the castle, the rulers, and the enslavement of the magical beings that ensure the prosperity of the castle, as well as their way of life. She goes on to
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Jan 07, 2012
David
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I took a break from the library books to quickly read this comfortable book that I have read a handful of times already. This is a simple YA fantasy book with no quests, no battles, a peaceful kingdom, and almost no fighting. It is about a royal bastard girl who spends the summers at court with her sister and the rest of her year training to be an apothecary in a village. So she is kind of caught between the world of nobles and the world of commoners. This book focuses on opening her eyes to
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Nov 29, 2011
Mina
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This was a well-written coming of age fantasy novel. It reminded me a bit of Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle- sisters, a lot of romantic drama, some silly girl behavior, a castle...etc. There was very little action in the traditional fantasy sense; the plot was driven by Corie's various stages of growing up, and by the shifting dynamics of her relationships. Though there was some mundane detailing (a la books from an older era), the book was well-written (with humor interspersed), and the cha
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Jan 22, 2012
Kimberly
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Beautiful writing, loveable (and despicable) characters, and an overarching plot that made for an extremely enjoyable read. Corie begins this novel as a young 14 year-old girl who is the base-born daughter of a deceased nobleman, brought back to her father's estate and court life every summer. For the majority of the year she is raised and taught about herbs and medicine by her strict but steadfast grandmother, allowing her to become the self confident woman that she is by the time she reaches
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Dec 29, 2009
Patti
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This was a wonderful story!!! I found this book on the YALSA 2002 Best Books for Young Adults list, and it was a great find!
Summers at Castle Auburn is the story of Coriel, illegitimate child of nobility, who visits her legitimate sister, both of the House of Halsing, every summer at Castle Auburn. What Coriel learns over these summers is that marriage to her and to her sister is a valuable commodity. Her sister is to marry Prince Bryan, who is to become king, as the royalty alway More...
Summers at Castle Auburn is the story of Coriel, illegitimate child of nobility, who visits her legitimate sister, both of the House of Halsing, every summer at Castle Auburn. What Coriel learns over these summers is that marriage to her and to her sister is a valuable commodity. Her sister is to marry Prince Bryan, who is to become king, as the royalty alway More...
May 19, 2011
Andrea
rated it:
This book is fun, but I'm beginning to be fed up with feminism, particularly when it is applied in unlikely ways. In this book, for example, there is a point where Corie, our heroine, is talking to one of the male characters who assumes she cooks and she corrects him, saying that she does not in fact know how, as she's never had the interest.
What? The setting feels fairly medieval, she's the granddaughter/apprentice to a witch woman who uses herbs to cure people, and although she is More...
What? The setting feels fairly medieval, she's the granddaughter/apprentice to a witch woman who uses herbs to cure people, and although she is More...
Aug 08, 2011
Rachel
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With all of the series that I constantly fight to keep up with, this was a nice change with an all-in-one plot. The story is told entirely from Coriel Halsing's point of view, so the reader only gets to know things when she learns of them. Sometimes first person P.O.V. is limiting and somewhat claustrophobic, but in this case it simplified the story line and helped me to better get inside the mind of Coriel.
I grew to love Coriel as her story progressed and she matured into a strong, indepen More...
I grew to love Coriel as her story progressed and she matured into a strong, indepen More...
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May 10, 2011
Jenn
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I had difficulty getting into this book at first. The book is basically separated into three main summers that central character Corie Halsing spends at Castle Auburn. The first summer, in her fourteenth year, essentially sets the framework for the world and kingdom of the book. Primary characters are introduced and certain plot-lines begin. As Corie visits the Castle at age seventeen, the narrative becomes intriguing and and increasingly hard to put down.
And I would say, for the mos More...
And I would say, for the mos More...
Aug 10, 2011
Chio
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Feb 16, 2009
Ryan
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I like Sharon Shinn. Her books are basically romances but not the heaving bosom sort where the woman is defined only in the context of a domineering, controlling male. They satisfy whatever need I have for true love without any damage to my soul.
In this book, the heroine actually has a mad crush on just that sort of person and over time discovers how very cruel and bad he is. There is an interesting sideline story of slavery as well, and Shinn does a good job showing how easy it woul More...
In this book, the heroine actually has a mad crush on just that sort of person and over time discovers how very cruel and bad he is. There is an interesting sideline story of slavery as well, and Shinn does a good job showing how easy it woul More...
Mar 28, 2010
M.
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Here's a book I have on my book shelf that every so often I love to re-read! It's a story of young girl (Corie), the illegitimate daughter of a lord of the realm, who longs for the summer which she spends at Castle Auburn in the company of her beloved sister. As the years go by, Corie's eyes are open the ways of the world in which she lives, and not all things she finds are pleasant. As the pages enfold, the fiesty young Corie matures into a beautiful, intelligent heroine. Family bonds, youthful
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