A Google user
In the first book I was truly captivated by the story Kurland had set in motion. I loved the clever progression in Miach and Morgan's relationship. However, in book two (the Mage's Daughter), once they were officially going to pursue their love, there was a steady, and somewhat irritating, decline in the quality of the plot. Don't get me wrong, I love a good romance. But, the constant PDA was almost too much to bear. Sure, I found their affections sweet, and I was relieved when Morgan finally realized Miach wasn't as wimpy as he had led her to believe. But, after a while, the constant weepiness on Morgan's part, and Miach's sudden need to keep giving her his coat, again, and again, and again, got more than a little obnoxious. Suddenly, the main plot became the background story, and the rest of it was devoted to Miach's and Morgan's adoration for each other. Soon, around the middle of the book, it became repetitive, and I could tell exactly what was going to happen in a scene before it did. Morgan would steel herself to learn something about her past, she'd see it and weep, Miach would try to comfort her by giving her his coat and letting her drip snot all over his tunic, then, Morgan would insist on running aimlessly in a direction to get her mind off things. After this, they'd have some nice thoughts about each other, they'd kiss tenderly, they'd walk back to wherever it is they ran from, and then they'd repeat the process. This happened about five times. Luckily, the story picked up in the later parts of the book, and I was contented with a dramatic ending, promising an adventure to come. At first, I understood Morgan's behavior. After all, she'd nearly died, found out her dead family was somehow involved in a dark conspiracy, and had to cope with her new found powers, all the while becoming more committed to her boyfriend, whom she refuses to say "I love you" to. Unfortunately, I think Kurland spent a bit too much time describing Morgan's conflictions on whether or not she should rest on Miach's lap, or his knees. Hopefully, in the next book, Morgan won't be quite so wobbly, and the PDA will slow down a bit. Here's hoping!
Wendy Vining
A good continuation of the Nine Kingdoms novels. I was a bit taken aback that Morgan was portrayed as being much more....feminine and morose then the first book, but one would suppose she would be after nearly dying and finding out who she really was. Very good book!