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71st out of 612 books
—
1,315 voters
The Summer King (The Chronicles of Faerie #2)
by
O.R. Melling
Sequel to the critically-acclaimed "The Hunter's Moon"
This second book in a series "shimmering with magic, myth, and romance" ("Booklist"), follows sixteen-year-old Laurel as she tries to understand the cause of her twin sister's mysterious death. Honor believed in Faerie, a parallel land of mischievous immortals. Laurel doesn't. That is, until the fairies come and ask he...more
This second book in a series "shimmering with magic, myth, and romance" ("Booklist"), follows sixteen-year-old Laurel as she tries to understand the cause of her twin sister's mysterious death. Honor believed in Faerie, a parallel land of mischievous immortals. Laurel doesn't. That is, until the fairies come and ask he...more
Hardcover, 344 pages
Published
May 10th 2006
by Amulet Books
(first published June 30th 1999)
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This was definitely not as good as The Hunter's Moon. The characters started out interesting, but never seemed to go anywhere. I definitely liked Gwen and Findabhair better than Laurel and Ian. While I liked hearing a little more about modern Ireland, I felt like this book spent way too much time in the real world (or in history...what was up with that?), than in Faerie. I really wanted to hear more about the sea fairies, and have more interaction with Midir and the fairies we met in the last bo...more
Oct 26, 2008
Jeanne
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Elizabeth
Shelves:
fantasy
An excellent follow-up to The Hunter's Moon (The Chronicles of Faerie: Book One). Melling's storytelling continues to delight with her knowledge of the Irish landscape and legends. This time she works in my most favorite Irish heroine of all time, Grace O'Malley. There are interesting plot twists along the way and, as fitting in all fairy stories, a happy ending. I quite enjoy Melling's story telling.
2 likes · like · see review
I liked this book a whole lot better than Hunter's Moon. Laurel and Ian were much more well-developed and believable as main characters, and I love the neat plot twist at the end. I also like that it feels like Laurel is actually working hard to accomplish something important. She has clear goals, and she sticks to those all the way to the end of the book. And she is no pushover. Though she is emotionally fragile, she is also strong enough to hold her own throughout the book. I felt like her and...more
The only reason why I read this book was because a friend of mine recommended it to me. His words were "I kept remembering you while reading this. You much read it!" And even though I don't like to read my books out of order, I decided to break that rule once more (making it twice now that I've read a series out of order) but it proved to be well worth it.
This book is amazing! Captivating, Mystical and Fantastical, this is truly a must read!!!
As you read along, you're learning about the world o...more
This book is amazing! Captivating, Mystical and Fantastical, this is truly a must read!!!
As you read along, you're learning about the world o...more
A much better book than "Hunter's Moon," this feels like Melling has finally hit a stride.
Laurel is wracked with guilt over the death of her sister, Honor. But when she discovers her sister's diary, with entries concerning faeries, she begins to wonder about the true circumstances of her death. And when a type of leprechaun approaches her with a quest only she can complete, skeptical Laurel realizes she will have to believe for her sister's sake. To save Honor, she must find the imprisoned Summe...more
Laurel is wracked with guilt over the death of her sister, Honor. But when she discovers her sister's diary, with entries concerning faeries, she begins to wonder about the true circumstances of her death. And when a type of leprechaun approaches her with a quest only she can complete, skeptical Laurel realizes she will have to believe for her sister's sake. To save Honor, she must find the imprisoned Summe...more
The sequel to The Hunter's Moon and book two in the Chronicles of Faerie. On the anniversary of her twin sister's death, Laurel returns to Ireland to find answers. What happened to Honor? Was it really her fault for not being with her sister on that fateful day? Then a fairy appears and tells her it's not too late to save Honor, but to do so Laurel must rescue the missing Summer King to protect both the human world and Faerie. Laurel embarks on an adventure unlike anything she has ever thought p...more
This was a vaguely tolerable read. The premise was interesting enough, but the way it was carried out in the plot was slightly weird and somewhat (for lack of a better word) distracted. It seemed harried and rushed, like the author wasn't really investing that much emotional energy into its writing. (Though I did enjoy the Gaelic the author incorporated. That was fun.) Don't get me wrong—I adore fantasy fiction and Irish folklore, and this book was rich with both—but the basic storyline and the...more
For fairy fantasy you really can't get much better than O.R. Melling.
Laurel (a name I'll give a kid someday) and Honor (which is a pretty awesome name too) are twins, so when Honor dies on a trip to Ireland she feels a complete shell of herself old self with Honor. She fealt when her sister died. It doesn't help with all the guilt she has for being on a date with bad boy Ian that day either when she fealt like she should have been with her sister when she fell of a cliff. So a year later when s...more
Laurel (a name I'll give a kid someday) and Honor (which is a pretty awesome name too) are twins, so when Honor dies on a trip to Ireland she feels a complete shell of herself old self with Honor. She fealt when her sister died. It doesn't help with all the guilt she has for being on a date with bad boy Ian that day either when she fealt like she should have been with her sister when she fell of a cliff. So a year later when s...more
This book is definitely flawed. The pacing is weird; every chapter has one "main event" and ends on a cliffhanger, but almost without exception, the "main event" would make a better cliffhanger. O.R. Melling also spends a LOT of time describing visual details while skipping over important emotional revelations in a single paragraph. She also fails to inhabit the character. The main character, Laurie, formerly athletic, has spent a year in grief and seclusion doing basically nothing, but when it...more
I liked this one better than the first in terms of dialogue. I think I was mostly annoyed by the characters' lack of maturity. So that's not the writer's problem.
I totally called it, though, before it even got started. The specifics weren't predictable, but the style of writing and overall tone of the book was.
It was nice to have a brush with characters from the first book, but this is definitely not a sequel. Perhaps all the books will come together in the end since the last book in the series...more
I totally called it, though, before it even got started. The specifics weren't predictable, but the style of writing and overall tone of the book was.
It was nice to have a brush with characters from the first book, but this is definitely not a sequel. Perhaps all the books will come together in the end since the last book in the series...more
Aug 27, 2009
Lisa (Bookworm Lisa)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult
Laurel and her twin sister, Honor, visted in their granparents in Ireland a year before the start of this book. Honor is killed in a tragic accident.
Laurel comes back for a memorail for her sister and is drawn into the worlkd of faerie when they hint that she might be able to save her sister. She goes on a mission for them to rescue the Summer King.
Ian, her love interest the year before, and Laurel work together to find the way to the Summer King by the clues that are givent them by the fae.
I lo...more
Laurel comes back for a memorail for her sister and is drawn into the worlkd of faerie when they hint that she might be able to save her sister. She goes on a mission for them to rescue the Summer King.
Ian, her love interest the year before, and Laurel work together to find the way to the Summer King by the clues that are givent them by the fae.
I lo...more
this book is captivating. i must admit the day i committed myself to read it the first page put me of. i read three months later and i must admit i was awed. it was captivating almost unconventional for most writers dwell on werewolves and vampires.once i got hold of that book i couldn't put it down. the description and flow of events was wonderful. the ending was well done and i must say I've been bragging to my friends that I've red the book.keep up the good work O.R.Mellimg.
all in all the boo...more
all in all the boo...more
May 10, 2012
Brittani (Hope, Faith & Books)
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed
You can find more reviews, along with this one on my blog Hope, Faith & Books
I did enjoy the book. As with The Hunter's Moon (the first book in the series), I really enjoyed the Irish language and culture and we got to learn even more about that in this book. So in this book Laurel travels back to Ireland where a year before her sister Honor died. I found it really sad that all throughout the book Laurel was shadows by her sisters death. She did everything she did for her sister. She came ba...more
I did enjoy the book. As with The Hunter's Moon (the first book in the series), I really enjoyed the Irish language and culture and we got to learn even more about that in this book. So in this book Laurel travels back to Ireland where a year before her sister Honor died. I found it really sad that all throughout the book Laurel was shadows by her sisters death. She did everything she did for her sister. She came ba...more
On page 117
I am regretting buying this book. The main character is way too naive for my liking and I think it would've worked better if the author made it in a little bit of an Alice in Wonderland style and made her 7 or 8, which is so much more believable. The romantic aspect would only have to be slightly tweaked. Why do authors purposely make their characters stupid? Laurel is in no way a realistic 16 year old.
I haven't seen (or maybe I haven't looked hard enough) one bad review on Goodreads...more
I am regretting buying this book. The main character is way too naive for my liking and I think it would've worked better if the author made it in a little bit of an Alice in Wonderland style and made her 7 or 8, which is so much more believable. The romantic aspect would only have to be slightly tweaked. Why do authors purposely make their characters stupid? Laurel is in no way a realistic 16 year old.
I haven't seen (or maybe I haven't looked hard enough) one bad review on Goodreads...more
School Library Journal says: "Gr 8 Up A story that is lyrical and mesmerizing in subject and scope. In the year since her twin sister's death, practical and pragmatic Laurel has had dreams filled with fairies, giant birds, and questions about a king. While back in Ireland at her grandparents' home for Honor's memorial service, Laurel encounters a messenger from the Fairie realm who tells her that to save Honor, she must find the Summer King to light the Midsummer Fire. Hoping to bring her sister...more
ahhhh... i loveeddd the 1st book, this book really tapped into fantasy. i felt transported to another world. at parts i was sort of confused at how this book connects to the 1st book. in the end of the book, the irony in how is ends is a bit overwhelming. but im not going to say anything, the phrase that best fit that situation the main character was in is appearances are decieving and keep ur friends close but enemies closer. at times i did not understand the book because there was irish and so...more
I'm not usually a big fan of fantasy, but faeries are a cut above, and the cover on this was so beautiful it lured me in. I didn't read the first book, but I oriented myself pretty quickly, and there was some beautiful descriptive writing within. And of course, it was pretty nice that the main character basically had the same approach to the idea of faeries that I did at first, so we were drawn in together.
Nov 08, 2010
Sue Smith
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2010
Irish folklore at it's best. A good continuation of the first story, with new characters to carry on with the original story told in The Hunter's Moon. It's a story of faerie that shows how an occurance in one world causes ripples of effect in the other, and that one needs the other to keep the balance. Wonderfully written with great insight to faerie folklore and a great adventure to boot!
I thought this book was spectacular. O.R. Melling is definitely an amazing writer. Her use of folklore and mystery is wonderful. She keeps you in the dark, while intriguing you at the same time. I absolutely loved the first book in the series, but this one appealed to me on a much higher level. The tale that is told is well plotted, the arc of action is impressive, and the resolution is believable. Her characters are real and easily related to, while she expertly entwines the Celtic folklore int...more
Jul 28, 2011
Patty
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Shelves:
2011,
fiction,
faerie,
women-writers,
fantasy,
young-adult,
ya-fiction,
folklore,
magic,
ireland,
chronicles-of-faerie
Second book in the Chronicles of Faerie. This was fine. It moved the series forward; there were new characters introduced and more history of human and faerie interaction turned up. I will keep reading the series, my interest has not waned - it wasn't increased either.
Not an outstanding review, but unfortunately, not the best book I have read lately.
Not an outstanding review, but unfortunately, not the best book I have read lately.
I accidentally read this book out of its natural order. In retrospect I get why some things felt weird in the book, because I’d missed out on some other plot points in the previous book. Oops! But as far as fairy books go this one was really interesting. The book is about a girl who stumbles into the land of fairies while searching for her sister. The amount of research done for the book was on par with Melissa Marr, but where Marr uses alegory for life, Melling adds layers of story and foreshad...more
At first, I was very disappointed that the characters were not the same as in the Hunter's Moon, but quickly fell in love with the new narrator. The romantic interest is even hotter, and the story has even more action! Loved it! It's hard to say, but I might have enjoyed this one even more than the first.
This book is along the same lines as, "The Hunter's Moon", magic, adventure,love, I love it. However, I felt like I liked the first book better. While the setting and basic concept of the story stay the same, the characters change, so to someone who gets attached it might be best not to continue.
The Summer King was an interesting book. Most of the plot took place on a small island off the coast of Ireland called Achill Island. Laurel is trying find the Summer King and at the same time, trying to find hope to rescue her "dead" sister, Honor.
In general, it was a "okayish" book.
In general, it was a "okayish" book.
Was a delightful read. Page turning.
Enough suspense to keep readung.
Only down thing was page 200 where ian encourage laurel to concentrate on the bet by mentioning its for Honor but in page 223 he was surp that laurel taking this mission to save honor.
Wiuld live to read book one
Enough suspense to keep readung.
Only down thing was page 200 where ian encourage laurel to concentrate on the bet by mentioning its for Honor but in page 223 he was surp that laurel taking this mission to save honor.
Wiuld live to read book one
read this one in a few hours, although it is the second in the series the characters are different, only a brief mention of the charcters from the first. Have read that the third in the series will tie in more characters as well as the ones from both the 1st & 2nd of the series.
I couldn't put it down and couldn't wait to finish. And then it was sooo good I was heartbroken when it was over, because I loved it. I loved the way the author made you believe the way that poor laurel had to. I want to know more about Ian etc.
This was a really good adventure into the fey world of Ireland. I love learning some of the Irish and Irish having Irish folklore/myths come to life. I like it better than the first fairy novel and am looking forward to reading the third one.
I found myself quite engrossed in this book, grabbing for it at nearly every spare moment, which is always a good sign. Melling, as in the previous book, keeps things interesting and fast paced. Her descriptions of the scenery, of the fairies, and of everything else is, as always, detailed and beautiful.
My only complaints are these:
The relationship between Laurel and Ian seemed to plateau, and not develop any further. I was really looking forward to the further development that didn't happen.
I...more
My only complaints are these:
The relationship between Laurel and Ian seemed to plateau, and not develop any further. I was really looking forward to the further development that didn't happen.
I...more
I really enjoyed this book, but I have to say that I liked the first one quite a bit better. It seems to go into great detail about non important things and not enough when you really want it. Not to mention, I kept getting confused, thinking back, "Now when did that happen?" There's just a little too much inferring. On one occasion I was thinking that I knew what was about to happen only to learn that it had already occurred and it was much more set in stone then I had realized. However, O.R. M...more
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“When you come to the edge of all that you know, you must believe one of two things: either there will be ground to stand on, or you will be given wings to fly.”
—
106 people liked it
“Life isn't as magical here, and you're not the only one who feels like you don't belong, or that it's better somewhere else. But there ARE things worth living for. And the best part is you never know what's going to happen next.”
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35 people liked it
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Oct 26, 2008 10:01am