Status
Available
Call number
Publication
O'Brien, (2009)
Description
Every tyrant who ever threatened the Kingdom is gathering to Alberon's table, and the forest is alive with spies, wolves, and bandits. Within these crowded shadows, Protector Lady Wynter Moorehawke travels alone and unprotected, determined that she shall find the rebel prince and heal the rift that has come between the King and his legitimate heir. But who is an ally and who is a foe? In this, the second of The Moorehawke Trilogy, old friends and even older enemies ensure that Wynter is never certain of whom she can trust.
User reviews
LibraryThing member MelHay
We start off right where Poison Throne left off. Wynter is traveling alone in the dense forests to find the adored and disowned Rebel Prince Alberon. Wynter has many worries and trials while traveling through the crowded forest. She never imagined the woods in this direction to be so full of
This book is of the tribulations and trials the characters undergo while traveling alone in the dangerous forests of the Kingdom. You see that word has traveled far and wide that there is chaos in the Kingdoms lands and in other parts of the world as well. But this book focuses on our main characters. This is the middle child, being a second book, but this is the next section of the story in getting to the end results - getting to the Rebel Prince Alberon and seeing chaos has erupted in the kingdom. This book has a wonderful story to tell and add to the trilogy. As we don't hear much of the Bloody Machine or meet the Rebel Prince Alberon yet, we do see that Alberon is bringing many different cultures; ally and enemy alike to his table. What is this young man up to?
Celine pulls the punches from the start. Right into the troubles and worries of Wynter's along with all the new ones in the crowded woods she's traveling in.
I just have to say off the start here, I loved this book, and for many reasons. Now I will try to not to gosh my love to much after stating this here. :)
I was so drawn into this book that my whole house could have burnt down around me, and I would not have known. Celine's writing style flowed very nicely for me, very fluint and absorbing. I could easily visualize everthing in my mind through Celine's writing. I love when I can easily see what is going on, it makes the story flow faster for me. I found myself going back and rereading sections of the book; NOT because I was lost but because I loved them fore how they where worded, the meaning in them, or from the shock of the happening.
The characters are amazing and I really started to see much more going on in the woods of the kingdom. I learned more of the characters and really feel in love with them - all old and new. The story built on the suspense of the dark forest and had me worried for the characters, not knowing why I was worried but feeling is through the writing. But then in the end I got all my explainations and answers for the worries. The building of the cultures and world was amazing. Through learning more of the Merron people, and Christopher, I also learned of the cultures of the others by the way they reacted and compared the Merron religion to.
This story had a quick pace for me, even though it was 474 pages. And there was lots happening to keep me wanting more. The momentum kept going and I just couldn't put the book down. Then there were a few unexpected twists to the story as well, which made me love it even more.
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people... people who just may not be welcome in the Kingdoms lands. There is much more going on in the woods of the Kingdom than anyone ever expected. In the shadows of the Kingdom Forests there are many new worries and Wynter, Razi, and Christopher find themselves in the middle.This book is of the tribulations and trials the characters undergo while traveling alone in the dangerous forests of the Kingdom. You see that word has traveled far and wide that there is chaos in the Kingdoms lands and in other parts of the world as well. But this book focuses on our main characters. This is the middle child, being a second book, but this is the next section of the story in getting to the end results - getting to the Rebel Prince Alberon and seeing chaos has erupted in the kingdom. This book has a wonderful story to tell and add to the trilogy. As we don't hear much of the Bloody Machine or meet the Rebel Prince Alberon yet, we do see that Alberon is bringing many different cultures; ally and enemy alike to his table. What is this young man up to?
Celine pulls the punches from the start. Right into the troubles and worries of Wynter's along with all the new ones in the crowded woods she's traveling in.
I just have to say off the start here, I loved this book, and for many reasons. Now I will try to not to gosh my love to much after stating this here. :)
I was so drawn into this book that my whole house could have burnt down around me, and I would not have known. Celine's writing style flowed very nicely for me, very fluint and absorbing. I could easily visualize everthing in my mind through Celine's writing. I love when I can easily see what is going on, it makes the story flow faster for me. I found myself going back and rereading sections of the book; NOT because I was lost but because I loved them fore how they where worded, the meaning in them, or from the shock of the happening.
The characters are amazing and I really started to see much more going on in the woods of the kingdom. I learned more of the characters and really feel in love with them - all old and new. The story built on the suspense of the dark forest and had me worried for the characters, not knowing why I was worried but feeling is through the writing. But then in the end I got all my explainations and answers for the worries. The building of the cultures and world was amazing. Through learning more of the Merron people, and Christopher, I also learned of the cultures of the others by the way they reacted and compared the Merron religion to.
This story had a quick pace for me, even though it was 474 pages. And there was lots happening to keep me wanting more. The momentum kept going and I just couldn't put the book down. Then there were a few unexpected twists to the story as well, which made me love it even more.
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LibraryThing member TerryWeyna
I’ve never attempted to write a trilogy, or even to outline one, so I’m unable to say why second books in trilogies are so difficult to do well. In fact, I’m rather hard pressed to come up with a single trilogy in which the second book was excellent in and of itself – and I don’t except
The main characters of The Crowded Shadows spend most of the first half of the book wandering about a forest, ostensibly with the intent of finding King Jonathon’s son, Alberon, and determining why he has rebelled against his father and to resolve their differences, if possible. Wynter, the Protector Lady and the character from whose point of view the story is told, meets up with Razi, the king’s older but illegitimate son, and his friend, Christopher, in a sufficiently dramatic way in the early pages of the book. They then spend nearly one hundred pages riding around, trying to avoid danger in the shape of the Loups Garous, apparently a band of villains who take slaves wherever they can find them – and who are responsible, as we learned in the first book, The Poison Throne, for Christopher’s enslavement and injuries. Ultimately they meet up with the Merron, a group of people who bear some resemblance to the Irish in our world – though I hasten to add that the resemblance seems to be mostly physical and a matter of language. The differences between this group and the present-day Irish are otherwise immense, principally because this tribe is pagan, and its rituals are critical to the story.
Christopher was originally one of the Merron, and is adopted into this tribe after they have a serious run-in with the Loups Garous. This short-lived battle gives us some information about Christopher that is dropped into the story and left to lie with no explanation whatsoever, one of the many annoyances contained in this volume. Another is that there are several conflicts and misunderstandings that could be avoided if only one or more of the characters would simply explain things to the others. Instead, the plot plays out with great anguish involved to those who could have been spared it. A third problem is that the author continues to tease her audience with the idea of a relationship between Christopher and Wynter, but never manages to bring the relationship to life. How many times can two people share the same bed and not have sex? Since we’ve already learned in the first book that Christopher is an especially sexual male, and we know that he is an older teenager besides, this is hard to fathom – especially since Wynter tends to offer herself up on a platter. No matter how tired from the road these people are, it is unrealistic for Wynter to have reached the end of The Crowded Shadows with her virginity intact.
The Crowded Shadows is at least one-third longer than it needed to be. Things happen at a glacial pace until one reaches the final one hundred pages, when the plot finally takes off and we learn who the Merron are and what they are in Jonathon’s kingdom for – and what they must sacrifice to make a new home for themselves.
I remain unconvinced that this trilogy is principally intended for young adults, despite the age of the protagonist and the characters close to her. Yes, there is no explicit sex, but sex scenes rarely play out well in science fiction and fantasy in any event, no matter the intended audience; and there is a high quotient of violence that would prevent me, at least, from offering these books to a middle-school-aged child. Adults will likely find this a quick and decent read, though they will be impatient to get to the meat of the story. I hope for more in the third book in the series, The Rebel Prince.
A final note on this edition of the book: whoever was charged with proofreading this book (assuming anyone was) did a terrible job. Misspellings abound, and punctuation often goes missing. There is no excuse for such unprofessional practice from a major publisher like Orbit.
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Tolkien or Pullman from that judgment. Celine Kiernan’s Moorehawk Trilogy is no exception to the unfortunate rule that a second book must simply present information that a reader must have in order to understand how the trilogy resolves, but can do little more.The main characters of The Crowded Shadows spend most of the first half of the book wandering about a forest, ostensibly with the intent of finding King Jonathon’s son, Alberon, and determining why he has rebelled against his father and to resolve their differences, if possible. Wynter, the Protector Lady and the character from whose point of view the story is told, meets up with Razi, the king’s older but illegitimate son, and his friend, Christopher, in a sufficiently dramatic way in the early pages of the book. They then spend nearly one hundred pages riding around, trying to avoid danger in the shape of the Loups Garous, apparently a band of villains who take slaves wherever they can find them – and who are responsible, as we learned in the first book, The Poison Throne, for Christopher’s enslavement and injuries. Ultimately they meet up with the Merron, a group of people who bear some resemblance to the Irish in our world – though I hasten to add that the resemblance seems to be mostly physical and a matter of language. The differences between this group and the present-day Irish are otherwise immense, principally because this tribe is pagan, and its rituals are critical to the story.
Christopher was originally one of the Merron, and is adopted into this tribe after they have a serious run-in with the Loups Garous. This short-lived battle gives us some information about Christopher that is dropped into the story and left to lie with no explanation whatsoever, one of the many annoyances contained in this volume. Another is that there are several conflicts and misunderstandings that could be avoided if only one or more of the characters would simply explain things to the others. Instead, the plot plays out with great anguish involved to those who could have been spared it. A third problem is that the author continues to tease her audience with the idea of a relationship between Christopher and Wynter, but never manages to bring the relationship to life. How many times can two people share the same bed and not have sex? Since we’ve already learned in the first book that Christopher is an especially sexual male, and we know that he is an older teenager besides, this is hard to fathom – especially since Wynter tends to offer herself up on a platter. No matter how tired from the road these people are, it is unrealistic for Wynter to have reached the end of The Crowded Shadows with her virginity intact.
The Crowded Shadows is at least one-third longer than it needed to be. Things happen at a glacial pace until one reaches the final one hundred pages, when the plot finally takes off and we learn who the Merron are and what they are in Jonathon’s kingdom for – and what they must sacrifice to make a new home for themselves.
I remain unconvinced that this trilogy is principally intended for young adults, despite the age of the protagonist and the characters close to her. Yes, there is no explicit sex, but sex scenes rarely play out well in science fiction and fantasy in any event, no matter the intended audience; and there is a high quotient of violence that would prevent me, at least, from offering these books to a middle-school-aged child. Adults will likely find this a quick and decent read, though they will be impatient to get to the meat of the story. I hope for more in the third book in the series, The Rebel Prince.
A final note on this edition of the book: whoever was charged with proofreading this book (assuming anyone was) did a terrible job. Misspellings abound, and punctuation often goes missing. There is no excuse for such unprofessional practice from a major publisher like Orbit.
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LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
It is a middle of trilogy book and does suffer somewhat from being a setup for the third book, we learn a lot about the characters and what motivates them. Wynter; Razi and Christopher are working their way through a forest to meet up with Prince Alberon. Meanwhile the kingdom has settled into a
I found it largely an interesting read, there were occasional moments where I found it lagged but overall it kept my interest. There were also moments where the characters didn't really differentiate between each other and I had to re-read short sections to make sure I was following the right character. I am looking forward to the third book in the series.
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way of life that's not too bad and it might be hard to get people to fight the status quo.I found it largely an interesting read, there were occasional moments where I found it lagged but overall it kept my interest. There were also moments where the characters didn't really differentiate between each other and I had to re-read short sections to make sure I was following the right character. I am looking forward to the third book in the series.
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LibraryThing member AdamBourke
This book was much better than I was expecting. In some ways. In other ways, I felt let down. In general, everything about it was unexpected.
Starting with some of the good things, after the first hundred or so pages, I couldn't put the book down. The action of following the wolves, followed by the
There are some less good points however; If you've read my review of "The Poison Throne", you'll have seen that one of the problems I had with the previous book was that it all happened in the same place. There was rarely any change in scenery. And it's similar here. It all takes place within a forest. Presumambly it's big, because there are several large camps which don't seem to see each other, but it's still the same forest. The lack of change gives the story a slower pace, and It FELT like the novel must have taken place over the course of a year (Although guessing from the speed of healing injuries and suchlike, I would guess it was actually far less than that).
A couple of minor things were that Wynter met up with Chistopher and Razi very quickly, despite leaving a while behind them. The Merron kept speaking their own language, and a lot of the time it went untranslated. There was a list of translations at the back, but it's labelled Glossary, which meant I didn't know about it (assuming it was explaining single word meanings rather than translating whole sentences).
Throughout the whole of the first two books we get drawn into the conspiracy of Razi's brother. The first one makes us wonder where he is, and why he left, but this second book makes us question what he's doing, and it's a question I look very much forward to seeing answered.
I enjoyed this book more than the first one, and while not a lot actually happened in it, I enjoyed the scenes with the Merron. There are a few things that could be improved on, but Kiernan writes her people well, from major characters to minority groups. I look forwards to seeing what happens in the third and final book.
Starting with some of the good things, after the first hundred or so pages, I couldn't put the book down. The action of following the wolves, followed by the
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fascinating cultures and rituals of the Merron people were just two of the areas where Kiernan excelled in her storytelling. The depth of it was so real, that I have to wonder if they are based off a real people, although in some ways I hope not.There are some less good points however; If you've read my review of "The Poison Throne", you'll have seen that one of the problems I had with the previous book was that it all happened in the same place. There was rarely any change in scenery. And it's similar here. It all takes place within a forest. Presumambly it's big, because there are several large camps which don't seem to see each other, but it's still the same forest. The lack of change gives the story a slower pace, and It FELT like the novel must have taken place over the course of a year (Although guessing from the speed of healing injuries and suchlike, I would guess it was actually far less than that).
A couple of minor things were that Wynter met up with Chistopher and Razi very quickly, despite leaving a while behind them. The Merron kept speaking their own language, and a lot of the time it went untranslated. There was a list of translations at the back, but it's labelled Glossary, which meant I didn't know about it (assuming it was explaining single word meanings rather than translating whole sentences).
Throughout the whole of the first two books we get drawn into the conspiracy of Razi's brother. The first one makes us wonder where he is, and why he left, but this second book makes us question what he's doing, and it's a question I look very much forward to seeing answered.
I enjoyed this book more than the first one, and while not a lot actually happened in it, I enjoyed the scenes with the Merron. There are a few things that could be improved on, but Kiernan writes her people well, from major characters to minority groups. I look forwards to seeing what happens in the third and final book.
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LibraryThing member Capnrandm
This second install ment in the Moorehawk trilogy continued to wind up my anticipation for the series finale. Kiernan does a wonderful job giving additional depth and context for the characters I grew to love in the first book.
LibraryThing member alcarinqa
Just like The Poison Throne, this book is heavily driven by its characters and their relationships. While the plot moves slowly and is punctuated with long discussions, readers are kept engaged by the interactions between characters. These discussions also provide insight into the politics and
The Crowded Shadows also sees romances blossom for the main characters: while it was pretty obvious that Christopher and Wynter have feelings for one another, I found Razi’s romance with Embla both hilarious and awkward that the same time. I thought it moved very fast and grew too serious too quickly, but I also think they are perfect for one another. Christopher is still, undoubtedly, my favourite character: brave and loyal, but broken emotionally and pragmatic in his approach to life. I think he caused more problems by keeping secrets from Razi and Wynter concerning the Merron, but I also understand his motivations for doing so.
This is a book I thoroughly enjoyed - wonderful characters and good storyline. I want to read the third and final book soon, and continue Wynter, Christopher and Razi’s incredible journey. You are seriously missing out if you haven’t picked up this series.
You can read more of my reviews here.
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history of the world as well, so I enjoyed them. The Crowded Shadows also sees romances blossom for the main characters: while it was pretty obvious that Christopher and Wynter have feelings for one another, I found Razi’s romance with Embla both hilarious and awkward that the same time. I thought it moved very fast and grew too serious too quickly, but I also think they are perfect for one another. Christopher is still, undoubtedly, my favourite character: brave and loyal, but broken emotionally and pragmatic in his approach to life. I think he caused more problems by keeping secrets from Razi and Wynter concerning the Merron, but I also understand his motivations for doing so.
This is a book I thoroughly enjoyed - wonderful characters and good storyline. I want to read the third and final book soon, and continue Wynter, Christopher and Razi’s incredible journey. You are seriously missing out if you haven’t picked up this series.
You can read more of my reviews here.
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LibraryThing member lexilewords
The Crowded Shadows picks up almost immediately after where The Poison Throne left off. I strongly suggest if you haven't read Book 1 you shouldn't read this review (because its inevitable a spoiler will pop up and ruin things for you. Not even the synopsis will spoil you for certain things.) I
We come upon Wynter as she is hiding from a group of men traveling along the forest path. Wisely she hides whenever she hears others approaching--just one of many tricks her father taught her about traveling alone, but her curiousity gets the better of her just once. And that once presents enough problems.
She does meet up with Chris and Razi and from there onwards the book is the adventure the three of them are having. Razi has the same idea as Wynter--to find his brother's camp, get some answers and then hopefully convince his father to lay off the crazy juice. Razi and Wynter are certain there is a reasonable explanation; Chris is more skeptical and freely admits if Alberon did set the assassin (from Book 1, yes the one who gave Wynter the clue as to where Alberon's camp is) to kill Razi, then he's as good as dead.
Two pieces of information change the game; one is who Alberon is calling to arms as allies. The woods are filled with brigands, mercenaries and the sort that Alberon's father worked his entire life to keep out of his Kingdom for one reason or another. The second is that Razi is reported dead, Wynter is considered a treasonous whore for murdering her father and sleeping with Razi and Lorcan died. Obviously Razi isn't dead and neither is Wynter a treasonous whore. Those two facts however are important going forward as they meet potential allies of Alberon's.
This book was much heavier on the action and cultural influence. Technically only Razi and Wynter are of Jonothan's Court, and at that Razi is half-Arabian and was raised partially thus. Chris is an adopted Gerron, a race of people who they meet up with later in the book (to varying degrees of displeasure).
There is one factor of the book I found unsettling and distracting a bit. Kiernan has two important people--Lorcan and Simon de Rochelle (a supporter of Razi's) die off-screen. The reports are given to Razi, Wynter and Chris. Lorcan I more or less expected, Simon not as much. He seemed poised for bigger things in the first book--though whether they were helpful or dangerous towards Razi's interests I couldn't tell. He was opportunistic, a scavenger and sly fellow--I didn't trust him. But neither can I believe he would be caught so unawares. Its suspicious and not even subtly so.
Emotionally speaking things run high in this book. Though Wynter is still only 15 (almost 16?) she is treated like an adult given her stature as a Guild carpenter. Her and Chris make progress on their relationship, but he became increasingly fitful and distant. Not in words or emotions, but in deeds. At one point Razi all but creates the perfect opportunity for them to be alone together for a night--Chris cries off. Part of this is because of what happened to him--he is abducted for a short time by the Loup Garous (and I do mean a short time), but a secret is revealed about his heritage that is unsettling on many levels.
Razi also, though 20, is almost as innocent as Wynter in the ways of love and relationships. The poor man tries his best, but a cultural misunderstanding erupts--not just on his side, but also on the side of his paramour's. 'A simple flirtation' she says. 'He will forget me soon enough'* Ha! I felt bad for them both. And it only continues to get worse.
By the end of the book we are so close to Alberon's camp, but promises were made that may turn around and bite them all in the end. The more we learn about Alberon's supposed followers camp the more uneasy I am becoming. I honestly do not know whether I want it all to be a big misunderstanding blown way out of control or if I want Alberon to have changed so drastically. On the one hand I want to protect the characters from the pain if Alberon is such a vile scoundrel. On the other, I feel like it would be a cop out, especially after Jonothan has been shown to be not as lunatic as he may have appeared (he still was crazy, but perhaps with good reason). Then also, what could have happened to Alberon in the 5 years since the three of them (Razi, Wynter and Alberon) had been together?
Book 3, The Rebel Prince is due out in October. Which is too far away in my opinion!
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warned you.We come upon Wynter as she is hiding from a group of men traveling along the forest path. Wisely she hides whenever she hears others approaching--just one of many tricks her father taught her about traveling alone, but her curiousity gets the better of her just once. And that once presents enough problems.
She does meet up with Chris and Razi and from there onwards the book is the adventure the three of them are having. Razi has the same idea as Wynter--to find his brother's camp, get some answers and then hopefully convince his father to lay off the crazy juice. Razi and Wynter are certain there is a reasonable explanation; Chris is more skeptical and freely admits if Alberon did set the assassin (from Book 1, yes the one who gave Wynter the clue as to where Alberon's camp is) to kill Razi, then he's as good as dead.
Two pieces of information change the game; one is who Alberon is calling to arms as allies. The woods are filled with brigands, mercenaries and the sort that Alberon's father worked his entire life to keep out of his Kingdom for one reason or another. The second is that Razi is reported dead, Wynter is considered a treasonous whore for murdering her father and sleeping with Razi and Lorcan died. Obviously Razi isn't dead and neither is Wynter a treasonous whore. Those two facts however are important going forward as they meet potential allies of Alberon's.
This book was much heavier on the action and cultural influence. Technically only Razi and Wynter are of Jonothan's Court, and at that Razi is half-Arabian and was raised partially thus. Chris is an adopted Gerron, a race of people who they meet up with later in the book (to varying degrees of displeasure).
There is one factor of the book I found unsettling and distracting a bit. Kiernan has two important people--Lorcan and Simon de Rochelle (a supporter of Razi's) die off-screen. The reports are given to Razi, Wynter and Chris. Lorcan I more or less expected, Simon not as much. He seemed poised for bigger things in the first book--though whether they were helpful or dangerous towards Razi's interests I couldn't tell. He was opportunistic, a scavenger and sly fellow--I didn't trust him. But neither can I believe he would be caught so unawares. Its suspicious and not even subtly so.
Emotionally speaking things run high in this book. Though Wynter is still only 15 (almost 16?) she is treated like an adult given her stature as a Guild carpenter. Her and Chris make progress on their relationship, but he became increasingly fitful and distant. Not in words or emotions, but in deeds. At one point Razi all but creates the perfect opportunity for them to be alone together for a night--Chris cries off. Part of this is because of what happened to him--he is abducted for a short time by the Loup Garous (and I do mean a short time), but a secret is revealed about his heritage that is unsettling on many levels.
Razi also, though 20, is almost as innocent as Wynter in the ways of love and relationships. The poor man tries his best, but a cultural misunderstanding erupts--not just on his side, but also on the side of his paramour's. 'A simple flirtation' she says. 'He will forget me soon enough'* Ha! I felt bad for them both. And it only continues to get worse.
By the end of the book we are so close to Alberon's camp, but promises were made that may turn around and bite them all in the end. The more we learn about Alberon's supposed followers camp the more uneasy I am becoming. I honestly do not know whether I want it all to be a big misunderstanding blown way out of control or if I want Alberon to have changed so drastically. On the one hand I want to protect the characters from the pain if Alberon is such a vile scoundrel. On the other, I feel like it would be a cop out, especially after Jonothan has been shown to be not as lunatic as he may have appeared (he still was crazy, but perhaps with good reason). Then also, what could have happened to Alberon in the 5 years since the three of them (Razi, Wynter and Alberon) had been together?
Book 3, The Rebel Prince is due out in October. Which is too far away in my opinion!
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Language
Original publication date
2009-08-09 (Ireland)
Physical description
5.43 inches
ISBN
1847171117 / 9781847171115