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The City in the Lake
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.Ever since the Prince disappeared, nothing has been right in the Kingdom. Something has disturbed the strange, old magic that whispers around its borders . . . something cunning and powerful. And the disturbance extends to the farthest reaches of the Kingdom, including the idyllic village where Timou is learning to be a mage under her father’s tutelage.When Timou’s father journeys to the City to help look for the Prince, but never returns, Timou senses that the disturbance in the Kingdom is linked to her—and to the undiscovered heritage of the mother she never knew. She must leave her village, even if it means confronting powers greater than her own, even though what she finds may challenge everything she knows. Even if it means leaving love behind.From the Hardcover edition.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
19 people are currently reading
1160 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Neumeier
57 books581 followersRachel Neumeier started writing fiction to relax when she was a graduate student and needed a hobby unrelated to her research. Prior to selling her first fantasy novel, she had published only a few articles in venues such as The American Journal of Botany. However, finding that her interests did not lie in research, Rachel left academia and began to let her hobbies take over her life instead.
She now raises and shows dogs, gardens, cooks, and occasionally finds time to read. She works part-time for a tutoring program, though she tutors far more students in Math and Chemistry than in English Composition.
She now raises and shows dogs, gardens, cooks, and occasionally finds time to read. She works part-time for a tutoring program, though she tutors far more students in Math and Chemistry than in English Composition.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
February 9, 2013
The City in the Lake, with a subtly dreamlike feel and fluid magic, walks a thin line between fantasy and fairy tale. The story itself reminds faintly of Tam Lin -- a prince goes missing (kidnapped by a queen of fairy, perhaps?) and Timou, a mage's daughter, sets off to find him. But I wouldn't say this is a retelling, rather an original story strongly flavored with folklore. Much of it, such as the wild hunter, is seems of European origin, but bits and pieces, such as the talking serpent Timou meets in the forest, remind me more of Native American legends.
The fairy tale feel comes more from the matter-of-fact way certain elements are used. For instance, when discussing the prince's disappearance:
“So we searched. We really did. All the rest of the day. We only rode back because we knew we’d never find him in the dark. . . .”
“Perhaps,” the Bastard suggested, “the Prince drank from the pool and became a white stag and ran into the woods, or a golden lizard with rubies for eyes that hid from you for fear of what you would do if you saw its eyes shine in the sun.”
“We looked for tracks,” Jesse said tersely. “Man or stag or fox or any creature. And do you think that we would be so stupid as to pluck the ruby eyes out of a golden lizard by the pool where the Prince disappeared? Do you think Cassiel would think that of us?”
“It does seem unlikely.”
“I drank from the pool, and nothing happened to me. So we thought maybe a crowd keeps the magic quiet. So everyone went back into the wood and Ponns drank from it, but he was still there when we went back. So then we searched outward in a circle from the pool. I swear we covered every inch of ground and looked at every tree and rock and lizard—none of them were made of gold—for miles around that place, but we found nothing. Nothing!”
“All right,” the Bastard said quietly....
So you see, we are in a world were a prince can turn into a lizard or a stag. Pools may be mirrors and mirrors may be doors to other worlds. Though there is a sort of method to the magic, there is no strict attempt to confine it to a system. Dreams and magic and folklore mix in fluid ways.
A story like this runs a risk of being too fantastical to the point of being insubstantial - all myth and mythology with nothing feeling real. Another reviewer has likened Neumeier to Patricia McKillip, and I think the comparison is apt. You see this tendency in McKillip's writing as well -- sometimes it's all dreams and imagery and as a reader you get a little lost, but other times she keeps you grounded somehow and then it packs quite a punch. Neumeier manages to keep her story grounded, and I think she does this with her characters. They don't have quite the tendency of McKillip's characters to lose themselves in dreams. Rather they have very nice, complex, earthly reactions. Timou wonders about her absent mother and her emotionally distant father and if they love her. The Bastard (one of the best characters I've read in a while) wrestles with pride and ambition along with love for his father and brother, duty to the kingdom, desire for approval. Somehow all these facets come through, even though he isn't a huge POV character, and the book is relatively short.
But, and I prove myself again to be a sucker for a certain writing style, it was the prose that made this book so enjoyable. A tiny turn of phrase elevates ordinary description to subtle humor. For instance:
The main doors of the Palace were made of a creamy wood, carved with intricate shapes that teased the eye with the suggestion of forms that could not quite be made out. The doors were standing open. This was ordinary. But the shouting that came from within was not.
I got a kick of certain unusual little motifs that repeat over the course of the book. One for instance, is that in this realm, the saying goes that when you start to fall in love with someone, you start to see the person's face in the rain or the dew. For instance:
Timou went to Jenne’s wedding, and Sime’s, and ate her share of the rose cakes. But she did not walk through the woods with any of the young men from the village. Sometimes a young man turned up again and then again in her way, finding chances to speak with her, assuring her that he saw only her face reflected in every drop of rain on leaf or flower. But Timou found that usually such young men did not really like to hear about the measures the stars traced in the heavens, or about the silence that lived at the heart of the fiercest storm. Even if a young man did not mind talk that turned toward mystery and magic, [her father's] quiet impassive gaze falling on him usually chilled his interest...
... [a few pages later]...
...Jonas also helped the apothecary blend his elixirs. He was careful and methodical, and he could read a little, so he did not have to depend on the scents of the herbs to know what he was mixing. The apothecary liked him, too, and wanted him to settle down and get married, preferably to his Taene. Timou happened to know that Taene thought that every drop of dew reflected the face of Chais, who was the third son of a man who raised tall golden goats and black-faced sheep several miles from the village. Taene had not yet, however, mentioned Chais to the apothecary.
This clearly isn't ha ha ha, on-the-floor-laughing, humor. But rather a subtle wit that comes up now and again and lightens the mood. She also has this way of writing slightly circular sentences that build on one another. For instance, (this is quoted on the cover, I take it):
The City is the heart of the Kingdom, the King is the heart of the City . . . and my brother, Cassiel, is the King’s heart.”
But this isn't the only one, for instance:
Timou calmed herself. She made her mind as still and clear as a pool, so that she would be able to see clearly everything there was to see. It took a moment. It took longer than she would have liked. She had risen at dawn to find a place on a coach, endured the hard seat the coach offered all day, crossed the Lake and the City, found a man who was a mirror and a mirror that was a doorway. . . . It seemed unjust, to have to cope with this, too, now...
"a man who was a mirror and a mirror who was a doorway..."
And I loved loved what Timou's father says to her the day she turns 17:
Then he released her hand, symbolically releasing her into the world. “You are become beautiful,” he said softly. “May your beauty become light. May your light become joy. May your joy become wisdom. May your wisdom be beautiful.”
I think this is the sort of writing you either resonate with or you don't. I do... If I have any tiny complaints, it's that I wanted... more. I would have liked a some more scenes with the Bastard or the prince. This is perhaps as much a tribute to how well-drawn these secondary characters are as it is a legitimate complaint. There is small love story here, but it is quite understated. I was kind of hoping for another one to pop up. Maybe with the Bastard. Maybe book two? And finally, I might have asked for a tiny bit more complexity from the villain. Of all the characters, she seems the only one who doesn't have any facets. And I do so love a complex bad guy...
But all and all The City in the Lake is dreamy, sweet little tale. It doesn't require a huge time commitment, but it still charms. Hurrah for lady scientists turned writers during grad school!
The fairy tale feel comes more from the matter-of-fact way certain elements are used. For instance, when discussing the prince's disappearance:
“So we searched. We really did. All the rest of the day. We only rode back because we knew we’d never find him in the dark. . . .”
“Perhaps,” the Bastard suggested, “the Prince drank from the pool and became a white stag and ran into the woods, or a golden lizard with rubies for eyes that hid from you for fear of what you would do if you saw its eyes shine in the sun.”
“We looked for tracks,” Jesse said tersely. “Man or stag or fox or any creature. And do you think that we would be so stupid as to pluck the ruby eyes out of a golden lizard by the pool where the Prince disappeared? Do you think Cassiel would think that of us?”
“It does seem unlikely.”
“I drank from the pool, and nothing happened to me. So we thought maybe a crowd keeps the magic quiet. So everyone went back into the wood and Ponns drank from it, but he was still there when we went back. So then we searched outward in a circle from the pool. I swear we covered every inch of ground and looked at every tree and rock and lizard—none of them were made of gold—for miles around that place, but we found nothing. Nothing!”
“All right,” the Bastard said quietly....
So you see, we are in a world were a prince can turn into a lizard or a stag. Pools may be mirrors and mirrors may be doors to other worlds. Though there is a sort of method to the magic, there is no strict attempt to confine it to a system. Dreams and magic and folklore mix in fluid ways.
A story like this runs a risk of being too fantastical to the point of being insubstantial - all myth and mythology with nothing feeling real. Another reviewer has likened Neumeier to Patricia McKillip, and I think the comparison is apt. You see this tendency in McKillip's writing as well -- sometimes it's all dreams and imagery and as a reader you get a little lost, but other times she keeps you grounded somehow and then it packs quite a punch. Neumeier manages to keep her story grounded, and I think she does this with her characters. They don't have quite the tendency of McKillip's characters to lose themselves in dreams. Rather they have very nice, complex, earthly reactions. Timou wonders about her absent mother and her emotionally distant father and if they love her. The Bastard (one of the best characters I've read in a while) wrestles with pride and ambition along with love for his father and brother, duty to the kingdom, desire for approval. Somehow all these facets come through, even though he isn't a huge POV character, and the book is relatively short.
But, and I prove myself again to be a sucker for a certain writing style, it was the prose that made this book so enjoyable. A tiny turn of phrase elevates ordinary description to subtle humor. For instance:
The main doors of the Palace were made of a creamy wood, carved with intricate shapes that teased the eye with the suggestion of forms that could not quite be made out. The doors were standing open. This was ordinary. But the shouting that came from within was not.
I got a kick of certain unusual little motifs that repeat over the course of the book. One for instance, is that in this realm, the saying goes that when you start to fall in love with someone, you start to see the person's face in the rain or the dew. For instance:
Timou went to Jenne’s wedding, and Sime’s, and ate her share of the rose cakes. But she did not walk through the woods with any of the young men from the village. Sometimes a young man turned up again and then again in her way, finding chances to speak with her, assuring her that he saw only her face reflected in every drop of rain on leaf or flower. But Timou found that usually such young men did not really like to hear about the measures the stars traced in the heavens, or about the silence that lived at the heart of the fiercest storm. Even if a young man did not mind talk that turned toward mystery and magic, [her father's] quiet impassive gaze falling on him usually chilled his interest...
... [a few pages later]...
...Jonas also helped the apothecary blend his elixirs. He was careful and methodical, and he could read a little, so he did not have to depend on the scents of the herbs to know what he was mixing. The apothecary liked him, too, and wanted him to settle down and get married, preferably to his Taene. Timou happened to know that Taene thought that every drop of dew reflected the face of Chais, who was the third son of a man who raised tall golden goats and black-faced sheep several miles from the village. Taene had not yet, however, mentioned Chais to the apothecary.
This clearly isn't ha ha ha, on-the-floor-laughing, humor. But rather a subtle wit that comes up now and again and lightens the mood. She also has this way of writing slightly circular sentences that build on one another. For instance, (this is quoted on the cover, I take it):
The City is the heart of the Kingdom, the King is the heart of the City . . . and my brother, Cassiel, is the King’s heart.”
But this isn't the only one, for instance:
Timou calmed herself. She made her mind as still and clear as a pool, so that she would be able to see clearly everything there was to see. It took a moment. It took longer than she would have liked. She had risen at dawn to find a place on a coach, endured the hard seat the coach offered all day, crossed the Lake and the City, found a man who was a mirror and a mirror that was a doorway. . . . It seemed unjust, to have to cope with this, too, now...
"a man who was a mirror and a mirror who was a doorway..."
And I loved loved what Timou's father says to her the day she turns 17:
Then he released her hand, symbolically releasing her into the world. “You are become beautiful,” he said softly. “May your beauty become light. May your light become joy. May your joy become wisdom. May your wisdom be beautiful.”
I think this is the sort of writing you either resonate with or you don't. I do... If I have any tiny complaints, it's that I wanted... more. I would have liked a some more scenes with the Bastard or the prince. This is perhaps as much a tribute to how well-drawn these secondary characters are as it is a legitimate complaint. There is small love story here, but it is quite understated. I was kind of hoping for another one to pop up. Maybe with the Bastard. Maybe book two? And finally, I might have asked for a tiny bit more complexity from the villain. Of all the characters, she seems the only one who doesn't have any facets. And I do so love a complex bad guy...
But all and all The City in the Lake is dreamy, sweet little tale. It doesn't require a huge time commitment, but it still charms. Hurrah for lady scientists turned writers during grad school!
June 14, 2021
maybe 3 1/2, maybe the reason for the missing half a star for me was there were times that i thought things were a bit too long and i was getting maybe a bit bored, and the characters were not as clear and fleshed out as i liked, but then maybe. and the reason that it's rounded to 4 and not 3 is that it was a lovely story, interesting tale and an enjoyable time spent reading it.
July 8, 2014
Originally posted here at Random Musing of a Bibliophile.
After reading The Floating Islands a couple of years ago, I immediately put The City in the Lake on my TBR. There it sat despite the fact that I adored The Floating Islands, House of Shadows, and just really like Rachel Neumeier as a person too. After reading and loving Black Dog earlier this year I decided I needed to read this sooner rather than later and the Shelf-Sweeper challenge gave me the perfect opportunity for that. And I loved it so much.
I would really love to know what it is like to live inside Rachel's head, because all of her books are distinctly different, wildly inventive, and not what I think I'm getting when I start reading. You would think by now I would stop being surprised by that, but I continue to be amazed at her creativity and how her writing style alters to fit each world she has created. In The City in the Lake we get a quest story set in a fantasy world. If you think you know what that looks like and you've seen it before, you are wrong. You haven't seen this one. I loved the world here and how vast it is, yet contained in a rather small setting for the story. It is impressive how Neumeier is able to convey that vastness with few words. (Those who read this blog regularly know that is a trait my favorite authors all tend to share.) I loved the idea of the two cities, one in the lake and one on it, that reflect each other. The Forest in all its mysterious darkness is brought to full intimidating life and Timou's small village is rendered in just the right way. Reading this book, I actually felt like I was in all of these places and experiencing them in the same way as the characters.
The book's action centers around the royal family and Timou, a Mage's daughter, who never knew her mother. When the prince and then the King go missing, the King's older bastard son is left in charge and Timou's father has disappeared into the city to try and help. Timou follows when he doesn't return and discovers twisted secrets and a whole lot of family drama. There are a lot of characters involved and they are all well developed despite the shortness of the novel. I loved how Timou is a character of quiet strength. She has incredibly powerful magic and yet is not at all tempted by power. She is patient, stubborn, and hardworking. Her feelings are always kept under tight control, a trick she learned from her father, but one that has her confused when she begins to have feelings for Jonah, one of the men in her village. Jonah also has a quiet strength. He is not a sword wielding, run-into-danger type of hero, but his heroism and what he chooses to do with it are even more impressive as a result. I also really loved both of the princes, who are very different in all the ways brothers are. Neill, the bastard, is a fascinating character. He is the one who caught my imagination the most due to the choices he makes-and the ones he didn't but could have. Cassiel, the heir to the throne, is young and has many traits you would expect from being the younger, favored son, but he also has a core of steel and courage that is impressive. His charm and humor only make this more appealing (even if I was choosing between them, I would choose to like his brother more.) In dress, attitude, and actions, the villain is one of the creepiest I've read in some time. The symbolism Neumeier uses to introduce the concept of the villain into the story does an excellent job of adding to this terrifying calmness of evil the villain presents.
The City in the Lake is exactly the sort of fantasy I love and now I'm kicking myself for not having read it sooner. The world, characters, and story all combine to make an enthralling read and Neumeier's evocative prose put me right in the story. Woven in to the magic and intense political drama is also a great tale of siblings. All of my favorite things in a fantasy plus stuff I never knew to ask for. READ IT NOW.
After reading The Floating Islands a couple of years ago, I immediately put The City in the Lake on my TBR. There it sat despite the fact that I adored The Floating Islands, House of Shadows, and just really like Rachel Neumeier as a person too. After reading and loving Black Dog earlier this year I decided I needed to read this sooner rather than later and the Shelf-Sweeper challenge gave me the perfect opportunity for that. And I loved it so much.
I would really love to know what it is like to live inside Rachel's head, because all of her books are distinctly different, wildly inventive, and not what I think I'm getting when I start reading. You would think by now I would stop being surprised by that, but I continue to be amazed at her creativity and how her writing style alters to fit each world she has created. In The City in the Lake we get a quest story set in a fantasy world. If you think you know what that looks like and you've seen it before, you are wrong. You haven't seen this one. I loved the world here and how vast it is, yet contained in a rather small setting for the story. It is impressive how Neumeier is able to convey that vastness with few words. (Those who read this blog regularly know that is a trait my favorite authors all tend to share.) I loved the idea of the two cities, one in the lake and one on it, that reflect each other. The Forest in all its mysterious darkness is brought to full intimidating life and Timou's small village is rendered in just the right way. Reading this book, I actually felt like I was in all of these places and experiencing them in the same way as the characters.
The book's action centers around the royal family and Timou, a Mage's daughter, who never knew her mother. When the prince and then the King go missing, the King's older bastard son is left in charge and Timou's father has disappeared into the city to try and help. Timou follows when he doesn't return and discovers twisted secrets and a whole lot of family drama. There are a lot of characters involved and they are all well developed despite the shortness of the novel. I loved how Timou is a character of quiet strength. She has incredibly powerful magic and yet is not at all tempted by power. She is patient, stubborn, and hardworking. Her feelings are always kept under tight control, a trick she learned from her father, but one that has her confused when she begins to have feelings for Jonah, one of the men in her village. Jonah also has a quiet strength. He is not a sword wielding, run-into-danger type of hero, but his heroism and what he chooses to do with it are even more impressive as a result. I also really loved both of the princes, who are very different in all the ways brothers are. Neill, the bastard, is a fascinating character. He is the one who caught my imagination the most due to the choices he makes-and the ones he didn't but could have. Cassiel, the heir to the throne, is young and has many traits you would expect from being the younger, favored son, but he also has a core of steel and courage that is impressive. His charm and humor only make this more appealing (even if I was choosing between them, I would choose to like his brother more.) In dress, attitude, and actions, the villain is one of the creepiest I've read in some time. The symbolism Neumeier uses to introduce the concept of the villain into the story does an excellent job of adding to this terrifying calmness of evil the villain presents.
The City in the Lake is exactly the sort of fantasy I love and now I'm kicking myself for not having read it sooner. The world, characters, and story all combine to make an enthralling read and Neumeier's evocative prose put me right in the story. Woven in to the magic and intense political drama is also a great tale of siblings. All of my favorite things in a fantasy plus stuff I never knew to ask for. READ IT NOW.
April 8, 2011
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 her search for the mother that she never knew. I'm going to start with the things that I liked in this book. It was easy to fall into the world created by Rachel Neumeier, I didn't have a hard time reading this book. I liked both Timou and the Bastard as characters, which is a good thing since the point of view of the story changes from one character to another. Timou isn't your typical YA fantasy heroine because her strength lies in her powers as a mage. I enjoyed being inside Timou's head because I think the author did a good job of portraying how a mage's mind works - how a mage sees his or her surroundings and how that is tied to the magic in the world. I also liked the Bastard because he was such a subtle character - he's powerful in his own way and the people aren't sure what to make of him, they don't understand whether he's good or evil and if he has anything to do with the disappearance of his half-brother.
However, I was already halfway through the book when I realized that it wasn't as compelling as I would've liked. I kept waiting to be blown away but it just didn't happen. It's really a shame because when I think about it, there isn't anything wrong with the book, it's just that I didn't feel like it was strong enough to pull me in and hold me, you know? I knew it wouldn't have much staying power and I guess I was right because it's been a few days since I've read this and I can't recall all of the details anymore. I don't know if it's because my expectations were too high but I'm sad that I didn't like it as much as I was hoping to. As always, I encourage the rest of you epic fantasy readers to give this one a try even if I had a lukewarm reaction to it because based on the other reviews that I linked below, I'm in the minority with how I felt.
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 her search for the mother that she never knew. I'm going to start with the things that I liked in this book. It was easy to fall into the world created by Rachel Neumeier, I didn't have a hard time reading this book. I liked both Timou and the Bastard as characters, which is a good thing since the point of view of the story changes from one character to another. Timou isn't your typical YA fantasy heroine because her strength lies in her powers as a mage. I enjoyed being inside Timou's head because I think the author did a good job of portraying how a mage's mind works - how a mage sees his or her surroundings and how that is tied to the magic in the world. I also liked the Bastard because he was such a subtle character - he's powerful in his own way and the people aren't sure what to make of him, they don't understand whether he's good or evil and if he has anything to do with the disappearance of his half-brother.
However, I was already halfway through the book when I realized that it wasn't as compelling as I would've liked. I kept waiting to be blown away but it just didn't happen. It's really a shame because when I think about it, there isn't anything wrong with the book, it's just that I didn't feel like it was strong enough to pull me in and hold me, you know? I knew it wouldn't have much staying power and I guess I was right because it's been a few days since I've read this and I can't recall all of the details anymore. I don't know if it's because my expectations were too high but I'm sad that I didn't like it as much as I was hoping to. As always, I encourage the rest of you epic fantasy readers to give this one a try even if I had a lukewarm reaction to it because based on the other reviews that I linked below, I'm in the minority with how I felt.
March 18, 2013
Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/03/j...
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 my goodness is the story within jaw-droppingly awesome. Not only is The City in the Lake the best book I’ve read from Rachel Neumeier to date, it’s also one of the best fantasy novels (YA or otherwise) that I’ve read in a long time. I loved this book.
Ana: Thea has been raving about Rachel Neumeier’s books for a while now and I was in tenterhooks to finally try one and decided that City in the Lake was a good place to start and OH MY GOD, I was so not prepared for how awesome this book is. Prose, setting, story, characters, everything is top notch and I too loved this book.
On the Plot:
Thea: The Kingdom’s heart is the City. The City’s heart is the King. In the strange city on the lake, old and powerful magic unites the kingdom and keeps it hale and strong. The Bastard, named Neill and the eldest son of the ruling King, has always known that his role in the kingdom is one relegated to the sidelines. In a younger time, the King was seduced by a beautiful and mysterious woman who gave birth to Neill and disappeared from the kingdom. When the King eventually married and his wife, the Queen, bore a healthy, strong son, Neill quickly become known as simply The Bastard. Despite his title, Neill has never been resentful of his younger half-brother Cassiel – like everyone else in the kingdom, The Bastard loves Cassiel. When the prince goes missing one day after a hunt with his friends, Neill is called upon by his angry father and distraught stepmother to find the errant crown heir, but to no avail. Without the heir present, the kingdom is without its heart and begins to suffer – life grinds to a slow halt, animals and even humans are born dead. The curse spreads to the furthest reaches of the kingdom, where a young girl named Timou lives in a small village with her powerful mage father, Kapoen. When Kapoen leaves the village to seek the cause of the stillbirths and does not return, Timou fears the worst, and sets out on the path to the City at the heart of the kingdom to find him. Here, at the City above the Lake, Timou and The Bastard’s destinies collide. A great evil lurks in the City, and Timou and Neill hold the key to the Kingdom’s salvation, but also its undoing…
I absolutely adored The City in the Lake for so many reasons, from its wonderful worldbuilding to its sweeping prose. From a storytelling perspective, The City in the Lake is a dark and lushly evocative fairy tale of a novel, with a greedy sorceress, ancient magic, and powerful creatures that are neither good nor evil but rather part of the overall balance of forces that comprise this strange and wondrous kingdom. There are many different levels to the plot, as the story alternates between three characters – Lord Bastard, Timou, and Jonas – and each of these characters plays a pivotal role in the ultimate conclusion of the novel. In the City, Neill struggles with the distrust that springs up around him (as many accuse him of attempting to steal the throne for himself and suspect him of orchestrating his brother’s disappearance). On her father’s trail, Timou must find her own strength and travel through an oppressive, haunted wood to find her heart’s true desire. And following Timou, a haunted young man named Jonas struggles with the nightmares that plague him, and must decide whether or not to go after his unrequited love. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but on every level of the narrative, The City in the Lake works beautifully.
On the negative side, the kingdom and its many different dimensions may be a little confusing for newer readers of fantasy, and perhaps some readers will be turned off by the metaphysical aspects of this book (particularly by the book’s climactic scenes). But not me. I loved The City in the Lake in all its luminous abstractness. Plus, with writing this poetic, lush and evocative, I can hardly complain. Rachel Neumeier’s writing in this book is reminiscent of Juliet Marillier and Patricia McKillip – two fantasy authors whom I love and hold in the highest regard.
Ana: I have to agree with everything that Thea says. The City in the Lake is a wonderful, original fairytale in terms of story whilst having a distinct traditional feel with regards to its prose. Plot-wise, it follows three distinct characters, each on their own journeys and all of them are beautifully executed to the point where I can’t tell which was my favourite but perhaps that point is moot since the three storylines converge in the end. What is the most striking aspect of the novel is how it effectively combines those parallel, personal narratives with the overarching story of a Kingdom that has existed for a long, long time and in different dimensions as well (sort of). Not only that, but the story has elements of Quest, of Vengeance, of Romance, of Adventure and with different aspects of Magic and History and it never, ever feels like it is too much because it is all so beautiful and truly magical. It might sound as though I am committing the unforgivable sin of being too cheesy but really, the story is beautiful even when it is sad and dark.
On the Characters:
Thea: As with the storytelling and plot, the characters in The City in the Lake also shine, from the three protagonists, to the solid cast of secondary characters. When Ana and I started reading this book, there were flurries of emails back and forth about how much we loved The Bastard, Timou and Jonas, and this unabashed love for the characters sustained until the end of the book. Each of these protagonists have their own depths, backstories and formative experiences, although some of them overlap. I loved the absentee mother theme that connects both Neill and Timou, as well as the strength of familial bonds and responsibilities that unite them. As for Jonas, his own dark past (and darker future) are the stuff of excellent fantasy. Even the secondary characters, of the King, Prince, and Queen, and other members of the court, are beautifully textured and have believable motivations (especially the Queen in her feelings towards Neill).
As for The Villain – well, this character is pretty nasty, but not simply evil for evil’s sake (which would be rather disappointing). Rather, this villain is greedy for power, spoiled with it, and never understanding nor caring for the consequences of their actions. And the villain’s unflinchingness? I thought it was awesome (I mean, scary but also awesome).1 Not to mention, there’s room for more in this same universe. The villain comes to an end off-screen, which leaves me wondering as to how safe the kingdom really is. What of the much-alluded to but never present Deserisien? Could he make a possible appearance at some point in the future? For a villain as far-thinking as the one in The City in the Lake, I’m certain there might be a contingency plan for failure in the works. I am greedy and I want MORE.
Ana: I can’t begin to express how much I loved the characters – protagonists and secondary – of this book and how much their story arcs were amazing. I mean, it plays with every single one of my favourite tropes. There we have the determined heroine who wants to find her father, the wronged yet goodhearted young man, the hero who sets out after his love and meets with the Unexpected. And then each of them has to overcome obstacles both internal and external. I loved how Timou spend her whole life living by her father’s lessons and then when push comes to shove she had to make her own decisions as to whether those lessons would work for her or not; similarly with The Bastard who lived under a whole plethora of expectations and had to decide whether to meet them or surpass them. Whereas both Timou and the Bastard had to deal very real, concrete problems (even as they were surrounded by magic) , Jonas’ quest takes him on a much more supernatural path (which had real and concrete repercussions) which as Thea says, is stuff of excellent fantasy. I was reminded at every turn of Juliet Marillier’s fantasy novels which is the highest form of compliment I can think of and I demand MOARS as well.
Final Thoughts, Observations & Rating:
Thea: I cannot believe I had not heard of this book earlier, and it’s a damn shame how unacknowledged it is. From opening sentence to bittersweet farewell, I loved The City in the Lake and recommend it to readers young and old alike. For fans of Juliet Marillier, Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley, and Sharon Shinn, looking for that next fix of luscious, romantic, flawless fantasy? Look no further – Rachel Neumeier’s The City in the Lake is for you. Easily, one of the best books I have read in 2011 and in the running for my year end top 10.
Ana: Word, Thea. I can’t believe I never heard about this book before and I wish more people would read it. I don’t think I have read a YA Fantasy as good as this in ages and wouldn’t be surprised if it made my top 10 as well.
Rating:
Thea: 9 – Damn Near Perfection
Ana: 9 – Damn Near Perfection
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 my goodness is the story within jaw-droppingly awesome. Not only is The City in the Lake the best book I’ve read from Rachel Neumeier to date, it’s also one of the best fantasy novels (YA or otherwise) that I’ve read in a long time. I loved this book.
Ana: Thea has been raving about Rachel Neumeier’s books for a while now and I was in tenterhooks to finally try one and decided that City in the Lake was a good place to start and OH MY GOD, I was so not prepared for how awesome this book is. Prose, setting, story, characters, everything is top notch and I too loved this book.
On the Plot:
Thea: The Kingdom’s heart is the City. The City’s heart is the King. In the strange city on the lake, old and powerful magic unites the kingdom and keeps it hale and strong. The Bastard, named Neill and the eldest son of the ruling King, has always known that his role in the kingdom is one relegated to the sidelines. In a younger time, the King was seduced by a beautiful and mysterious woman who gave birth to Neill and disappeared from the kingdom. When the King eventually married and his wife, the Queen, bore a healthy, strong son, Neill quickly become known as simply The Bastard. Despite his title, Neill has never been resentful of his younger half-brother Cassiel – like everyone else in the kingdom, The Bastard loves Cassiel. When the prince goes missing one day after a hunt with his friends, Neill is called upon by his angry father and distraught stepmother to find the errant crown heir, but to no avail. Without the heir present, the kingdom is without its heart and begins to suffer – life grinds to a slow halt, animals and even humans are born dead. The curse spreads to the furthest reaches of the kingdom, where a young girl named Timou lives in a small village with her powerful mage father, Kapoen. When Kapoen leaves the village to seek the cause of the stillbirths and does not return, Timou fears the worst, and sets out on the path to the City at the heart of the kingdom to find him. Here, at the City above the Lake, Timou and The Bastard’s destinies collide. A great evil lurks in the City, and Timou and Neill hold the key to the Kingdom’s salvation, but also its undoing…
I absolutely adored The City in the Lake for so many reasons, from its wonderful worldbuilding to its sweeping prose. From a storytelling perspective, The City in the Lake is a dark and lushly evocative fairy tale of a novel, with a greedy sorceress, ancient magic, and powerful creatures that are neither good nor evil but rather part of the overall balance of forces that comprise this strange and wondrous kingdom. There are many different levels to the plot, as the story alternates between three characters – Lord Bastard, Timou, and Jonas – and each of these characters plays a pivotal role in the ultimate conclusion of the novel. In the City, Neill struggles with the distrust that springs up around him (as many accuse him of attempting to steal the throne for himself and suspect him of orchestrating his brother’s disappearance). On her father’s trail, Timou must find her own strength and travel through an oppressive, haunted wood to find her heart’s true desire. And following Timou, a haunted young man named Jonas struggles with the nightmares that plague him, and must decide whether or not to go after his unrequited love. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but on every level of the narrative, The City in the Lake works beautifully.
On the negative side, the kingdom and its many different dimensions may be a little confusing for newer readers of fantasy, and perhaps some readers will be turned off by the metaphysical aspects of this book (particularly by the book’s climactic scenes). But not me. I loved The City in the Lake in all its luminous abstractness. Plus, with writing this poetic, lush and evocative, I can hardly complain. Rachel Neumeier’s writing in this book is reminiscent of Juliet Marillier and Patricia McKillip – two fantasy authors whom I love and hold in the highest regard.
Ana: I have to agree with everything that Thea says. The City in the Lake is a wonderful, original fairytale in terms of story whilst having a distinct traditional feel with regards to its prose. Plot-wise, it follows three distinct characters, each on their own journeys and all of them are beautifully executed to the point where I can’t tell which was my favourite but perhaps that point is moot since the three storylines converge in the end. What is the most striking aspect of the novel is how it effectively combines those parallel, personal narratives with the overarching story of a Kingdom that has existed for a long, long time and in different dimensions as well (sort of). Not only that, but the story has elements of Quest, of Vengeance, of Romance, of Adventure and with different aspects of Magic and History and it never, ever feels like it is too much because it is all so beautiful and truly magical. It might sound as though I am committing the unforgivable sin of being too cheesy but really, the story is beautiful even when it is sad and dark.
On the Characters:
Thea: As with the storytelling and plot, the characters in The City in the Lake also shine, from the three protagonists, to the solid cast of secondary characters. When Ana and I started reading this book, there were flurries of emails back and forth about how much we loved The Bastard, Timou and Jonas, and this unabashed love for the characters sustained until the end of the book. Each of these protagonists have their own depths, backstories and formative experiences, although some of them overlap. I loved the absentee mother theme that connects both Neill and Timou, as well as the strength of familial bonds and responsibilities that unite them. As for Jonas, his own dark past (and darker future) are the stuff of excellent fantasy. Even the secondary characters, of the King, Prince, and Queen, and other members of the court, are beautifully textured and have believable motivations (especially the Queen in her feelings towards Neill).
As for The Villain – well, this character is pretty nasty, but not simply evil for evil’s sake (which would be rather disappointing). Rather, this villain is greedy for power, spoiled with it, and never understanding nor caring for the consequences of their actions. And the villain’s unflinchingness? I thought it was awesome (I mean, scary but also awesome).1 Not to mention, there’s room for more in this same universe. The villain comes to an end off-screen, which leaves me wondering as to how safe the kingdom really is. What of the much-alluded to but never present Deserisien? Could he make a possible appearance at some point in the future? For a villain as far-thinking as the one in The City in the Lake, I’m certain there might be a contingency plan for failure in the works. I am greedy and I want MORE.
Ana: I can’t begin to express how much I loved the characters – protagonists and secondary – of this book and how much their story arcs were amazing. I mean, it plays with every single one of my favourite tropes. There we have the determined heroine who wants to find her father, the wronged yet goodhearted young man, the hero who sets out after his love and meets with the Unexpected. And then each of them has to overcome obstacles both internal and external. I loved how Timou spend her whole life living by her father’s lessons and then when push comes to shove she had to make her own decisions as to whether those lessons would work for her or not; similarly with The Bastard who lived under a whole plethora of expectations and had to decide whether to meet them or surpass them. Whereas both Timou and the Bastard had to deal very real, concrete problems (even as they were surrounded by magic) , Jonas’ quest takes him on a much more supernatural path (which had real and concrete repercussions) which as Thea says, is stuff of excellent fantasy. I was reminded at every turn of Juliet Marillier’s fantasy novels which is the highest form of compliment I can think of and I demand MOARS as well.
Final Thoughts, Observations & Rating:
Thea: I cannot believe I had not heard of this book earlier, and it’s a damn shame how unacknowledged it is. From opening sentence to bittersweet farewell, I loved The City in the Lake and recommend it to readers young and old alike. For fans of Juliet Marillier, Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley, and Sharon Shinn, looking for that next fix of luscious, romantic, flawless fantasy? Look no further – Rachel Neumeier’s The City in the Lake is for you. Easily, one of the best books I have read in 2011 and in the running for my year end top 10.
Ana: Word, Thea. I can’t believe I never heard about this book before and I wish more people would read it. I don’t think I have read a YA Fantasy as good as this in ages and wouldn’t be surprised if it made my top 10 as well.
Rating:
Thea: 9 – Damn Near Perfection
Ana: 9 – Damn Near Perfection
December 14, 2024
The Prince of the Kingdom has disappeared, and with him gone, the calm magic that rules over the land has weakened. Timou is apprenticed as a mage with her father, learning the quiet slow ways of magic. Her father goes to the City to help search for the missing Prince, but he never returns to Timou's village, so Timou goes in search of him. She must confront the mysterious depths of magic in the dark forest, navigate the political unrest in the City, and discover the intensity of her own power. But lurking behind all these mysteries is the ultimate question of Timou's heritage.
I loved this book so much! I was absolutely fascinated by the characters. They are all so complex and deep. I loved Timou's journey and her character development, and all the supporting characters are just as incredible with their own inner struggles and growth.
The plot twists and winds about with surprises around every corner. Enigma after enigma is presented and explained, but that only brings up new questions and new challenges for the characters. The pacing has a perfect balance between action and more restful thoughtful moments for the characters.
The world-building is excellent with a rich history and tradition in the Kingdom. There are tons of little details that make this fantasy world truly unique and special. I loved the soft magic system. We don't really learn much about the magic; it remains mysterious. Mages know the spells and charms and secret words to say, but Timou mainly just feels things and directs the magic with her will. It's especially interesting how the magic of the Kingdom is connected to the royal family.
There are some triggers for torture by fire, and there is a scene where a baby is stillborn which is heartbreaking. There is some violence where a person is stabbed, but nothing too graphic.
I can't wait to find more books from this author! I loved the exquisite writing style. Every sentence is beautifully crafted, and the story draws you into this enchanting fantasy land.
I loved this book so much! I was absolutely fascinated by the characters. They are all so complex and deep. I loved Timou's journey and her character development, and all the supporting characters are just as incredible with their own inner struggles and growth.
The plot twists and winds about with surprises around every corner. Enigma after enigma is presented and explained, but that only brings up new questions and new challenges for the characters. The pacing has a perfect balance between action and more restful thoughtful moments for the characters.
The world-building is excellent with a rich history and tradition in the Kingdom. There are tons of little details that make this fantasy world truly unique and special. I loved the soft magic system. We don't really learn much about the magic; it remains mysterious. Mages know the spells and charms and secret words to say, but Timou mainly just feels things and directs the magic with her will. It's especially interesting how the magic of the Kingdom is connected to the royal family.
There are some triggers for torture by fire, and there is a scene where a baby is stillborn which is heartbreaking. There is some violence where a person is stabbed, but nothing too graphic.
I can't wait to find more books from this author! I loved the exquisite writing style. Every sentence is beautifully crafted, and the story draws you into this enchanting fantasy land.
November 1, 2008
“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 and destiny.
The City in the Lake’s cover summary (first sentence of which is quoted above) was what first captured my attention. The cover itself is pretty as far as fantasy goes, but the summary on the cover flap is so elegantly written that I opened the book with high expectations in mind. Some of which were met. There is much to praise about The City in the Lake. The character of Timou is no damsel in distress, which is refreshing. The other characters are also well-drawn, especially the king’s illegitimate son, aptly nicknamed the Bastard. The Bastard is wry, funny, and oh-so-real. He is easily my favorite character. In fact, every other character in the story pales before him, including Timou. The prose is beautiful, full of metaphors and symbolism. True to its summary, this book is abstract and elegant, which leads to the bad points. Simply to say, The City in the Lake is too beautiful. It is too elegant and, at times, too abstract. Every character seems to be speaking in codes and every other line contains a metaphor. Eventually, it just gets to be too much. The overabundance of descriptions and double-meanings weigh the story down, causing the plot to drag. Story-wise and character-wise, the book does a fine job, but Neumeier might consider toning down her prose. Overall, this was a pleasant read.
The City in the Lake’s cover summary (first sentence of which is quoted above) was what first captured my attention. The cover itself is pretty as far as fantasy goes, but the summary on the cover flap is so elegantly written that I opened the book with high expectations in mind. Some of which were met. There is much to praise about The City in the Lake. The character of Timou is no damsel in distress, which is refreshing. The other characters are also well-drawn, especially the king’s illegitimate son, aptly nicknamed the Bastard. The Bastard is wry, funny, and oh-so-real. He is easily my favorite character. In fact, every other character in the story pales before him, including Timou. The prose is beautiful, full of metaphors and symbolism. True to its summary, this book is abstract and elegant, which leads to the bad points. Simply to say, The City in the Lake is too beautiful. It is too elegant and, at times, too abstract. Every character seems to be speaking in codes and every other line contains a metaphor. Eventually, it just gets to be too much. The overabundance of descriptions and double-meanings weigh the story down, causing the plot to drag. Story-wise and character-wise, the book does a fine job, but Neumeier might consider toning down her prose. Overall, this was a pleasant read.
April 5, 2017
This book is so similar to so many of Patricia A. McKillip's books that it could almost be called a pastiche, albeit an uncredited one. Now I want to go back and re-read everything McKillip ever wrote.
November 4, 2008
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.
February 21, 2023
I enjoyed this a lot. sort of like patricia mckillip lite – lots of gorgeous writing but not great deal of substance.
October 26, 2019
This was really original, while still feeling like a fairy tale.
September 6, 2016
The City in the Lake is an original YA fairy tale. When the Prince of the Kingdom goes missing, the magic of the Kingdom is thrown out of balance. The disturbance reaches all the way to the rural village where Timou is learning the craft of her father, a mage. When he never returns from a journey to the City, Timou herself goes to look for him and the missing prince.
While I was originally under the impression that Timou would be the center of the story (and this still is somewhat true) the narrative is actually split between Timou and the Prince’s illegitimate older brother, Lord Neill. I actually liked his sections a lot more than Timou’s, especially in the beginning where he had immediate problems (the disappearing Prince) versus Timou, who was still having her story line set up. Even by the end, Neill remained my favorite character.
Other than Neill, there’s nothing else about The City in the Lake that I really like the same way. The prose is well enough written, but it took me over half the book to get involved in the story line. Partly this could be due to the slow start, but I think some of it also lies in how archytipcal everything feels.
There’s not anything about The City in the Lake which feels new. The setting is a generic fairy tale type, if well described. There’s nothing specific in culture or design to make it feel at all different from countless other fantasy or fairy tale type books I’ve read. There’s a city (the City, no other name), a kingdom (again, the Kingdom), an enchanted forest, pastoral rural land… I got the sense that Neumeier was using familiar fairy tale elements, but I don’t think she ever distinguished herself enough from the multitude of other stories out there.
I didn’t find the plot engaging until near the end, but I also felt like the ending was almost literally a deus ex machina. I also never cared at all about Jonas, Timou’s love interest who started getting POV sections about half way into the book.
I don’t think I would tell anyone not to read The City in the Lake, but I don’t think it’s a book I’ll be recommending in the future either.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
While I was originally under the impression that Timou would be the center of the story (and this still is somewhat true) the narrative is actually split between Timou and the Prince’s illegitimate older brother, Lord Neill. I actually liked his sections a lot more than Timou’s, especially in the beginning where he had immediate problems (the disappearing Prince) versus Timou, who was still having her story line set up. Even by the end, Neill remained my favorite character.
Other than Neill, there’s nothing else about The City in the Lake that I really like the same way. The prose is well enough written, but it took me over half the book to get involved in the story line. Partly this could be due to the slow start, but I think some of it also lies in how archytipcal everything feels.
There’s not anything about The City in the Lake which feels new. The setting is a generic fairy tale type, if well described. There’s nothing specific in culture or design to make it feel at all different from countless other fantasy or fairy tale type books I’ve read. There’s a city (the City, no other name), a kingdom (again, the Kingdom), an enchanted forest, pastoral rural land… I got the sense that Neumeier was using familiar fairy tale elements, but I don’t think she ever distinguished herself enough from the multitude of other stories out there.
I didn’t find the plot engaging until near the end, but I also felt like the ending was almost literally a deus ex machina. I also never cared at all about Jonas, Timou’s love interest who started getting POV sections about half way into the book.
I don’t think I would tell anyone not to read The City in the Lake, but I don’t think it’s a book I’ll be recommending in the future either.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
December 14, 2008
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 Teen Zone when there are actual teenagers in the area... somehow I feel lame in their presence, but it was worth it this time), but there are some dreamy passages, and the way the the world is shaped -- it's stripped down to the poetic essentials.
An excerpt near the beginning:
"At that moment the exotic lilies carved into the Bridge, crumbling with age, look whole and alive in the moving light and cerulean shadows.
"But after darkness falls, it will be the tigers of the Bridge that look real and alive. They shake themselves out of stone and come down from their pedestals, the lambent fires of sunset in their eyes, to stalk on great velvet paws through the night -- so it is said."
And then when someone visits the Bridge:
"He turned away from the Bridge, pausing for a brief moment to study the stone tigers before walking away. They were still stone under his gaze. After he turned his head...who knew what they might become? The Bastard walked back across the City to the Palace. Once he might have heard the soft pad of a great cat, but though he stopped in the street to look patiently into the dark for one shadow softer-footed and more dangerous than others to separate itself from the night, he saw nothing."
There are subtle emotions and grand, mythic-level figures of sorcery. There are multiple perspectives, and despite myself I was drawn into every one of them. (One in particular.) I give this book a five not because it's perfect, but because it hit my buttons in the right places: dreamy and complicated in just the right combination.
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 Teen Zone when there are actual teenagers in the area... somehow I feel lame in their presence, but it was worth it this time), but there are some dreamy passages, and the way the the world is shaped -- it's stripped down to the poetic essentials.
An excerpt near the beginning:
"At that moment the exotic lilies carved into the Bridge, crumbling with age, look whole and alive in the moving light and cerulean shadows.
"But after darkness falls, it will be the tigers of the Bridge that look real and alive. They shake themselves out of stone and come down from their pedestals, the lambent fires of sunset in their eyes, to stalk on great velvet paws through the night -- so it is said."
And then when someone visits the Bridge:
"He turned away from the Bridge, pausing for a brief moment to study the stone tigers before walking away. They were still stone under his gaze. After he turned his head...who knew what they might become? The Bastard walked back across the City to the Palace. Once he might have heard the soft pad of a great cat, but though he stopped in the street to look patiently into the dark for one shadow softer-footed and more dangerous than others to separate itself from the night, he saw nothing."
There are subtle emotions and grand, mythic-level figures of sorcery. There are multiple perspectives, and despite myself I was drawn into every one of them. (One in particular.) I give this book a five not because it's perfect, but because it hit my buttons in the right places: dreamy and complicated in just the right combination.
May 12, 2013
Reading this right after House of Shadows makes it clear that Neumeier really enjoys telling kingdom-level intrigue stories with magic included, and no clear main character but various important pov-people whose roles in the book eventually intertwine at the climax.
I really loved - again - the lyrical descriptions of the City (both of them), the forest, the way a mage learns magic - actually I could imagine this country to be set on the same world as House of Shadows ... come to think of it, wasn't there a country mentioned in that book protected by its enchanted forest? So that might have been a hat-tip to this book ^^.
I also enjoyed the way that Timou and her village life are introduced while she grows up. Neill doesn't get enough screentime for my taste and Jonas gets just enough to make his part in the story work extremely well.
The supporting characters in this book are not as vivid as in House of Shadows but you can see the seeds - this book is also 100 pages shorter, I think.
The forest and the matter of fact way in which the City deals with magic reminded me more of Russian fairy-tales than Brothers Grimm, but there are threads of those, too. It definitely is medieval based fantasy with the typical attributed roles of the genders (that's one of the reasons I like AKH's books so much, her medieval/renaissance based fantasy accepts women in all roles and love in all combinations and it works).
I enjoyed the fact that working together and decency plus trust solve the crisis, I did not like the evil mother trope OR the fact that the king was so full of temperament he abused his sons casually (this may have to do with the fact that my father also has a huge temper which was the horror of my childhood).
I really loved - again - the lyrical descriptions of the City (both of them), the forest, the way a mage learns magic - actually I could imagine this country to be set on the same world as House of Shadows ... come to think of it, wasn't there a country mentioned in that book protected by its enchanted forest? So that might have been a hat-tip to this book ^^.
I also enjoyed the way that Timou and her village life are introduced while she grows up. Neill doesn't get enough screentime for my taste and Jonas gets just enough to make his part in the story work extremely well.
The supporting characters in this book are not as vivid as in House of Shadows but you can see the seeds - this book is also 100 pages shorter, I think.
The forest and the matter of fact way in which the City deals with magic reminded me more of Russian fairy-tales than Brothers Grimm, but there are threads of those, too. It definitely is medieval based fantasy with the typical attributed roles of the genders (that's one of the reasons I like AKH's books so much, her medieval/renaissance based fantasy accepts women in all roles and love in all combinations and it works).
I enjoyed the fact that working together and decency plus trust solve the crisis, I did not like the evil mother trope OR the fact that the king was so full of temperament he abused his sons casually (this may have to do with the fact that my father also has a huge temper which was the horror of my childhood).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2012
I'm a rabid fan of stand-alone YA. I think that too often, YA are books which depend on their prequel or sequel. I have nothing against series of books (Harry Potter, Kristin Cashore - yes please!) I just prefer that they stand on their own, with a distinct beginning, middle, and most of all, end.
Neumeier's novel absolutely achieves that goal.
But I loved the book on its own merits, too, apart from my personal requirements for novels.
Neumeier's writing consists of nearly poetic language, though possibly a little too much of it: lots of sort of philosophically descriptive narrative that seemed like Neumeier was afraid we wouldn't recognize her genius and she might not get another publishing contract so she put it all into one book.
There's original plot, two well developed main characters (though the others may be a little flat), gorgeous world-building and a tasteful, sincere romance that's a lovely finishing note without compromising the strength of the female protagonist.
Neumeier's novel absolutely achieves that goal.
But I loved the book on its own merits, too, apart from my personal requirements for novels.
Neumeier's writing consists of nearly poetic language, though possibly a little too much of it: lots of sort of philosophically descriptive narrative that seemed like Neumeier was afraid we wouldn't recognize her genius and she might not get another publishing contract so she put it all into one book.
There's original plot, two well developed main characters (though the others may be a little flat), gorgeous world-building and a tasteful, sincere romance that's a lovely finishing note without compromising the strength of the female protagonist.
January 13, 2013
Once upon a time...
OK, it doesn't really start that way, but it could as well have.
We're transported in a magical enchanted land with mages and kings and princes and a talking snake oh, and death personified as the Hunter.
The good guys are good and the bads guys are bad, and the ones that don't fit into the good or bad category but somewhere in the middle, like that snake I was telling about and the Hunter.
Overall, it's a nice fairy tale without any unicorns or dragons, it has a beginning where the main plyers are introduced, a middle, where they either go on a quest or are put to a challenge of finding the missing prince, and an end, where everything falls together to come to, well, an ending.
And even though it doesn't end this way, it still might as well have...
...and they lived happily ever after.
unless there's a sequel, then all bets are off.
OK, it doesn't really start that way, but it could as well have.
We're transported in a magical enchanted land with mages and kings and princes and a talking snake oh, and death personified as the Hunter.
The good guys are good and the bads guys are bad, and the ones that don't fit into the good or bad category but somewhere in the middle, like that snake I was telling about and the Hunter.
Overall, it's a nice fairy tale without any unicorns or dragons, it has a beginning where the main plyers are introduced, a middle, where they either go on a quest or are put to a challenge of finding the missing prince, and an end, where everything falls together to come to, well, an ending.
And even though it doesn't end this way, it still might as well have...
...and they lived happily ever after.
unless there's a sequel, then all bets are off.
March 25, 2012
This novel was so wonderfully written. It was so hard for me to put it down because it sucked me in so deeply. Setting down this book felt like a journey in itself because my mind had to travel back from this world to our own.
One of the things I loved about the book was that her world was too large to encompass in one novel. There are so many hints and promises discovered along the way that could never be explained in this novel. Yet, it doesn't feel like they are loose threads -- they make the world more complete. You know that the characters lived fascinating lives long after the novel ended and that the history of this world still continues on and just wish that you could dip back into it and see what's happened.
One of the things I loved about the book was that her world was too large to encompass in one novel. There are so many hints and promises discovered along the way that could never be explained in this novel. Yet, it doesn't feel like they are loose threads -- they make the world more complete. You know that the characters lived fascinating lives long after the novel ended and that the history of this world still continues on and just wish that you could dip back into it and see what's happened.
October 19, 2008
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 more. The fact that is only the first novel from Neumeier is a treasure; I am very excited to see what comes next from this gifted author.
4 1/2stars
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 more. The fact that is only the first novel from Neumeier is a treasure; I am very excited to see what comes next from this gifted author.
4 1/2stars
April 26, 2020
I liked this better than Keeper of the Mists. It was more definite, though not as definite as I would have liked. I really loved Lord Neil and would have killed to read more about him. But there is no sequel.
Parts of it reminded me just a tiny bit of C.S Lewis's Till We Have Faces. Other parts reminded me of The Hobbit. And still other parts reminded me of all the vague fantasy novels where people get stuck in infuriatingly fluid and difficult to picture magical prisons. I didn't like those parts as much as the others.
Parts of it reminded me just a tiny bit of C.S Lewis's Till We Have Faces. Other parts reminded me of The Hobbit. And still other parts reminded me of all the vague fantasy novels where people get stuck in infuriatingly fluid and difficult to picture magical prisons. I didn't like those parts as much as the others.
May 23, 2011
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.
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.
July 2, 2013
I wanted to like this book much more than I did. It has so much good stuff - beautiful, elegant writing, fascinating characters, a truly horrible villain, loads of symbolism and use of folklore, the layered Cities...and yet, somehow, it didn't quite manage to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Still, it was a nice book if not a great one.
Still, it was a nice book if not a great one.
August 18, 2015
Simply a beautiful tale. Elegant, lyrical language, fine details of the world building and the characters, and interesting unexplained magic...you just believe it. A quick read and an entertaining story. Reminiscent of Patricia A. McKillip. Lovely.
August 10, 2024
#BernardReads | BOOK REVIEW 📚
The City in the Lake by #RachelNeumeier 🤍
“You live on the moment that you have... The future will unfold as it will, and you have to be calm to watch it unfolding.”
It's so refreshing to read something I don't have any idea about. This book interests me when I bought in an online book sale together with other #youngadult #fantasy novels.
As I read, the author was inspired by a painting on wiring this debut novel. And it's clearly evident even just by the first page. The descriptions were very detailed and colorful. The worldbuilding was not your usual medieval fantasy.
I even thought the characters were joking when their first suspicion of a missing person was due to #magic. Because in this world, magic is as "everyday" thing as water.
You have your usual kingdom, mages, magical borders and woods, kings and their bastards etc. The writing style was kinda easy to read but didn't look down at the readers not to get the context between lines.
After that introduction, we get to see our main character in the story, Timou, as she transitioned from a child to a teen, practicing as a #mage with her mage father while also asking questions about who her mother is. It's sort of relatable even though the setting is heavily set in a very different place and time.
There should be trigger warning about death of young ones. It was at the first act and I don't even know if it can still be considered as young adult haha. But those were very depressing scenes.
The intense moments at the Kingdom, I actually enjoyed. Even the tense moments between the Bastard and the Queen. It's a mystery subplot and I think the perpetrator/s were already introduced.
I felt the same urge as Timou when she started her journey in the forest, it was both dangerous and magical that I wanted to explore more but have to keep track for her goal. But when she encountered that snake, my goodness, I never have been traumatized by evil ever.
I feel like I'm really bad at reading transitions, I thought I was reading 20 pages long of just self-reflection but instead, the author used the drama and introspection to move the plot and mystery forward. It was a clever way to do it though, just that I'm not used to it.
And when you met the villain in the middle, she's vile. I remember my old bosess hahaha. But the character writing was really effective I almost got scared for the characters' demise.
The drama though about the family and love whoosh. It was like watching a Chinese fantasy drama. We love this kind of emotional yet breathtaking scenes with lots of fantastical elements as well.
Most of the time, the magical side was so overwhelming and low/soft in terms of rules, I could not understand what's happening. I just accepted it as it is.
I love the ending. It ended perfectly on every story arcs. This is a standalone and the author did her best to not leave the readers hanging yet you may long for some of the character interactions.
#bookreview #bookrecommendations #TheCityintheLake
The City in the Lake by #RachelNeumeier 🤍
“You live on the moment that you have... The future will unfold as it will, and you have to be calm to watch it unfolding.”
It's so refreshing to read something I don't have any idea about. This book interests me when I bought in an online book sale together with other #youngadult #fantasy novels.
As I read, the author was inspired by a painting on wiring this debut novel. And it's clearly evident even just by the first page. The descriptions were very detailed and colorful. The worldbuilding was not your usual medieval fantasy.
I even thought the characters were joking when their first suspicion of a missing person was due to #magic. Because in this world, magic is as "everyday" thing as water.
You have your usual kingdom, mages, magical borders and woods, kings and their bastards etc. The writing style was kinda easy to read but didn't look down at the readers not to get the context between lines.
After that introduction, we get to see our main character in the story, Timou, as she transitioned from a child to a teen, practicing as a #mage with her mage father while also asking questions about who her mother is. It's sort of relatable even though the setting is heavily set in a very different place and time.
There should be trigger warning about death of young ones. It was at the first act and I don't even know if it can still be considered as young adult haha. But those were very depressing scenes.
The intense moments at the Kingdom, I actually enjoyed. Even the tense moments between the Bastard and the Queen. It's a mystery subplot and I think the perpetrator/s were already introduced.
I felt the same urge as Timou when she started her journey in the forest, it was both dangerous and magical that I wanted to explore more but have to keep track for her goal. But when she encountered that snake, my goodness, I never have been traumatized by evil ever.
I feel like I'm really bad at reading transitions, I thought I was reading 20 pages long of just self-reflection but instead, the author used the drama and introspection to move the plot and mystery forward. It was a clever way to do it though, just that I'm not used to it.
And when you met the villain in the middle, she's vile. I remember my old bosess hahaha. But the character writing was really effective I almost got scared for the characters' demise.
The drama though about the family and love whoosh. It was like watching a Chinese fantasy drama. We love this kind of emotional yet breathtaking scenes with lots of fantastical elements as well.
Most of the time, the magical side was so overwhelming and low/soft in terms of rules, I could not understand what's happening. I just accepted it as it is.
I love the ending. It ended perfectly on every story arcs. This is a standalone and the author did her best to not leave the readers hanging yet you may long for some of the character interactions.
#bookreview #bookrecommendations #TheCityintheLake
August 8, 2022
A nice little gem of a read! I wish all fantasy writers would take a hint: books don't have to be the size of the Yellow Pages, and you don't need a trilogy of complex prequels and sequels to tell a complete story. Sure, if you'd like to (especially if your fans want it) then by all means expand on a book with more stories set in the world, but know it's okay to have a stand-alone book now and then.
This is a nicely written book, clean enough for YA while handling adult topics in an age-appropriate way, such as child death. There is magic, but it's not overly reliant on deus ex machina and shows it's not always a guarantee and has a dark side.
The capital city of a kingdom is on an island in a lake, and, if residents are careful, on a very still day they may catch a glimpse of a city in the water's reflection. A real city, but no one knows how to get there.
The crown prince mysteriously disappears on a routine outing, and despite their best efforts, none of the kingdom's wizards can find him. The king is brokenhearted, and suspicion turns to his illegitimate older son, Lord Hugh, or commonly known as the Bastard. The kingdom's well being relies on their king, and the poor man's grief spills over into his subjects. Crops fail, animals have fewer offspring, and new children don't fare well.
In the outskirts of the kingdom, a young woman named Timou lives with her bachelor father. She is training as a mage and watches quietly as her friends fall in love and marry. Her father disappears in his quest to help find the prince, and Timou takes an extraordinary journey to try to find him.
Then there's Jonas, a young man from another country with a mysterious past. He's known violence and pain, and may have served in a military. He loves Timou, but respects her enough to give her space.
So, quite a lot of setup but it really comes together with all three characters working together to find the prince, and to fight a truly scary villain - and a snake. There are many possibilities for more stories set in this world, such as .
This is a nicely written book, clean enough for YA while handling adult topics in an age-appropriate way, such as child death. There is magic, but it's not overly reliant on deus ex machina and shows it's not always a guarantee and has a dark side.
The capital city of a kingdom is on an island in a lake, and, if residents are careful, on a very still day they may catch a glimpse of a city in the water's reflection. A real city, but no one knows how to get there.
The crown prince mysteriously disappears on a routine outing, and despite their best efforts, none of the kingdom's wizards can find him. The king is brokenhearted, and suspicion turns to his illegitimate older son, Lord Hugh, or commonly known as the Bastard. The kingdom's well being relies on their king, and the poor man's grief spills over into his subjects. Crops fail, animals have fewer offspring, and new children don't fare well.
In the outskirts of the kingdom, a young woman named Timou lives with her bachelor father. She is training as a mage and watches quietly as her friends fall in love and marry. Her father disappears in his quest to help find the prince, and Timou takes an extraordinary journey to try to find him.
Then there's Jonas, a young man from another country with a mysterious past. He's known violence and pain, and may have served in a military. He loves Timou, but respects her enough to give her space.
So, quite a lot of setup but it really comes together with all three characters working together to find the prince, and to fight a truly scary villain - and a snake. There are many possibilities for more stories set in this world, such as .
August 28, 2022
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2022/0...
After enjoying the Tuyo books so much, I decided to check out more of Neumeier’s work, which is when I discovered that a) I’d read a YA series by her years ago, and b) several of her other books were already on my to-read list, including this one! Which was just the kind of slightly weird and compelling fantasy I love! Now I will say to maybe avoid reading the official synopsis on this one, since it discusses some things that aren’t revealed until like halfway through the book. But the main characters here are the eldest son of the king, illegitimate, who’s searching for his missing younger brother, the heir; and a daughter of a mage in a small village, growing up wondering about the mother who left her, hanging with her girlfriends, and learning magic from her father (there is also a local guy who has a crush on her who is a secondary POV character). Eventually these stories comes together as the mage joins the search for the missing prince, since his loss is affecting the kingdom in sad ways, and when he never returns, his daughter goes after him. Magical forests, talking serpents, angry queens, and evil sorceresses ensue, for a really interesting and satisfying story. Definitely reading more by this author. A/A-.
After enjoying the Tuyo books so much, I decided to check out more of Neumeier’s work, which is when I discovered that a) I’d read a YA series by her years ago, and b) several of her other books were already on my to-read list, including this one! Which was just the kind of slightly weird and compelling fantasy I love! Now I will say to maybe avoid reading the official synopsis on this one, since it discusses some things that aren’t revealed until like halfway through the book. But the main characters here are the eldest son of the king, illegitimate, who’s searching for his missing younger brother, the heir; and a daughter of a mage in a small village, growing up wondering about the mother who left her, hanging with her girlfriends, and learning magic from her father (there is also a local guy who has a crush on her who is a secondary POV character). Eventually these stories comes together as the mage joins the search for the missing prince, since his loss is affecting the kingdom in sad ways, and when he never returns, his daughter goes after him. Magical forests, talking serpents, angry queens, and evil sorceresses ensue, for a really interesting and satisfying story. Definitely reading more by this author. A/A-.
November 24, 2018
I enjoyed reading this book. It felt like watching a fairytale with each step revealing more magic and mystery.
The kingdom is dying. All the babies are stillborn from animal to humans. It's up to Timou’s to find out why.
Honestly I didn't really understand the mages power. It seemed ridiculously easy to take over the kingdom and it's magic: kidnap and imprison the heir, and birth two children and wait. It didn't really make sense that only Timou’s father was the only one that knew to look in the mirror (by somehow unbeknownst to anyone to sneak into the palace and sneak a peek at mirror) where the prince was held.
The power structure in this kingdom seemed so frail, with apparently no inheritance laws, no council, no nobles, and no real military personnel. Threatened the servant and the guard and you manipulate the undeclared king. Lord Bastard is made out to be this conniving super villian and he's the one who loved the most. (I guess). The climax was a little disappointing, though but at least everyone important was saved.
But enjoyable read nonetheless!
The kingdom is dying. All the babies are stillborn from animal to humans. It's up to Timou’s to find out why.
Honestly I didn't really understand the mages power. It seemed ridiculously easy to take over the kingdom and it's magic: kidnap and imprison the heir, and birth two children and wait. It didn't really make sense that only Timou’s father was the only one that knew to look in the mirror (by somehow unbeknownst to anyone to sneak into the palace and sneak a peek at mirror) where the prince was held.
The power structure in this kingdom seemed so frail, with apparently no inheritance laws, no council, no nobles, and no real military personnel. Threatened the servant and the guard and you manipulate the undeclared king. Lord Bastard is made out to be this conniving super villian and he's the one who loved the most. (I guess). The climax was a little disappointing, though but at least everyone important was saved.
But enjoyable read nonetheless!
May 6, 2020
I found the book by accident, and decided to read it only because it seemed like it would be the quickest out of my TBR shelf.
There were some annoyances, things that pulled me out of the story. For a while I wasn't sure I was enjoying it.
Timou is a girl growing up in an isolated village. Neill is a powerful young man in the city.
Adventure, magic, mystery, and surprising twists and turns fill the story.
By the end, I realized I was *feeling*... like... *emotions* because of this book.
In short, I enjoyed it much more than I expected to, and discovered a magic in the words that I hadn't thought would be there.
There were some annoyances, things that pulled me out of the story. For a while I wasn't sure I was enjoying it.
Timou is a girl growing up in an isolated village. Neill is a powerful young man in the city.
Adventure, magic, mystery, and surprising twists and turns fill the story.
By the end, I realized I was *feeling*... like... *emotions* because of this book.
In short, I enjoyed it much more than I expected to, and discovered a magic in the words that I hadn't thought would be there.
July 6, 2021
Lyrical, mystical, amazing.
Unlike the modern trend to have snarky characters in a constant tug of war full of cutting dialog, The City in the Lake is a dreamy vision of hope that bubbles along like a meandering stream, carrying the reader through wonder into joy. So far this is the best book I have read from this author, and it is markedly different in tone and writing than her later works which are also good, but this one is special.
Unlike the modern trend to have snarky characters in a constant tug of war full of cutting dialog, The City in the Lake is a dreamy vision of hope that bubbles along like a meandering stream, carrying the reader through wonder into joy. So far this is the best book I have read from this author, and it is markedly different in tone and writing than her later works which are also good, but this one is special.
August 23, 2024
3.5 stars. I had seen this compared to the work of Patricia McKillip, and i would say that's an apt comparison. Both have a dreamlike, surreal, and sometimes almost absurd quality. I really enjoy that in fantasy since magic isn't really meant to be understood. I thought this was an enjoyable read, but I don't know if I'll be itching to reread this. I'm interested in reading some of her other works, though.
May 20, 2020
Nice. It is rather original even if all fantasy is reuse of genereations of dreaming, thinking, retelling and adding! It is not a new book as it was printed in 2008 and I just found it on a shelve in my home. I don't remember buying it so it must been on a sale ages ago but I was glad to find it now! I must check out the authors more recent works!
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