"The saga of the Final Dance continues with In Stone's Clasp"
The saga of the Final Dance continues with In Stone's
Clasp. Kevla's journey takes her far into the North to find the
second dancer needed to keep the Shadow from destroying
their world. She has dreamed of the Stone Dancer and has
followed her dreams to find him. Along the way she finds
others who can help her on the quest for the dancer. When Jareth is finally found, he is nothing like what
Kevla expected. Having lost his powers to bring Spring to
the land and having lost his family to the endless winter
have made him a bitter, angry man. He is far from ready to
accept his duty to fight the Shadow. The hatred he feels
for what has happened leads the small band of stragglers
on a journey to find a legendary beauty, the Ice Maiden.
Will he be able to conquer his pain to accept his destiny? Christie Golden shows yet again why she is a gifted author
of the fantasy genre. Her strong characters and
brilliantly created worlds are sure to grab readers from
the first page. The lands from which the players come are
so vivid and full of life that one can envision the
landscapes and their people. Add a few mythical beings and
a mystical bend with the premise of the Dance, and readers
can't go wrong. Kevla is an incredibly strong woman, who has seen much in
her young life, all of which prepares her for the role she
now plays. She has her weaknesses and her strengths,
making her all the more believable for the reality of her
person. Jareth is emotionally wounded, never having been
able to recover from the deaths of his family and the loss
of the one thing he considered his strongest gift. His
agony over what happened and his desire to fix it makes
readers feel his pain with him, and empathize with his
plight. Watching the characters grow is one of the best
things about this series. They go through so much in their
lives that their transformation into the mystical dancers
is a sight to behold. Of course, adventure is not lacking, as readers follow
Kevla and company to Jareth, then on to the Ice Maiden,
and where they go after that will leave one breathless
with anticipation of what is yet to come. The enemies are
powerful and readers long to know how they will be
defeated, as much as they want to know what drives these
villains to be who they are. This series is as much about
the journey as it is the characters. This reviewer is a
fan and doesn't know how she'll be able to wait for book
3, Under Sea's Shadow, to arrive in 2006. © Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2005. All rights reserved.
Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted April 25, 2006
SummarySTRENGTH OF STONE, HEART OF ICE...
Flame Dancer Kevla of Arukan seeks the missing elements --
Stone and Sea, Wind and Soul -- that must join to preserve
their world from destruction. Sensing that the Stone
Dancer, the master of Eath magic, would be found in the icy
north, she and her dragon companion fly to a county mired
in an unnaturally long winter. When at last they find
Jareth, the Sonte Dancer's own anger and pain make him
reluctant to accept his destiny. His need for vengeance
against the old gods who betrayed his people is powerful --
powerful enough to lead the group farther into the snows,
searching for the legendary Ice Maiden, who may be
responsible for the forced winter. But betrayal doesn't
come only from the gods -- and the forces against them are
vast. before their quest is over, Kevla must realize that
while Flame can break through the chill of the winter,
Stone can withstand anything...
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