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 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! ( )

'The Crowded Shadows' takes off where 'The Poison Throne' finished.

Abandoning her father in the time of his greatest need, Wynter is alone in an unknown forest, with unknown enemies all around her. She is trying to find her way to Alberon, the rebellious son and heir to the throne. Needing to dodge all manner of bandits and rebel enemy groups, Wynter almost doesn’t make it. Threatened with rape by a bandit who has tracked her, Wynter uses all her skill to get away, only to be tracked by a different group of rebel outcasts. That is, until she is saved but the most random of luck.

For who should she run into but Razi and Christopher, who are on the same mission she is?

They have deceived the King into believing that they were on their way to separate parts of the country – Christopher to return home and Razi to study medicine. Yet neither of them are where they are meant to be, and Razi’s decoy was discovered beaten beyond recognition. With the whole kingdom believing that he is dead, Razi is free to move around freely for the first time in years.

Chris and Razi have the same idea as Wynter - to find Alberon’s camp. They believe that is they can get some answers, they will be able to convince the King to rescind his decree disinheriting Alberon. Razi and Wynter are certain there is a reasonable explanation. Chris is more sceptical and freely admits if Alberon did send 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.

Unlike The Poison Throne, which all took place within the palace grounds, this part of the story involves their travels. The setting, mainly surrounded by trees and around open campfires, the occasional stop at an inn, and various encounters with different enemies and friends, made for a much different vibe. Almost carefree despite the constant danger, after the stifling atmosphere of the court.

Halfway through the book, the trio meets up with a Merron tribe. Although not Christopher’s specific tribe, they are still his people. It was fascinating to encounter such a unique group of people. Their culture and beliefs were well developed and, while not always pleasant, believable. We also learn a great deal more regarding how Razi and Christopher met, and Christopher’s backstory. It’s horrible but finally sheds light on one of the mysteries in this tale filled with unknowns.

As before, the relationships drive the story. Away from the strained politics of the court, the friendship between the main trio deepens - as does the romance between Wynter and Christopher. When Embla, one of noble ladies, takes a fancy to Razi, it seems that everything is going to be easy than they expect. That is, if they survive their time with the Merron people. The situation with Razi and Embla is heartbreaking. The customs and language of the People are so different to anything Razi and Wynter have experienced before, and there is only so much that can happen before tempers start to fray and lives hang in the balance.

Razi and Christopher are keeping many secrets – and this causes some difficulties. They need to share more with Wynter, is she is to be more than just a token girl.

This book sets the scene for an action-packed book 3. ( )

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

I was hoping that the pace of The Moorehawke Trilogy would pick up once Razi, Christopher, and Wynter left the castle but, alas, this story continues to crawl at a glacial pace. In The Crowded Shadows, the three friends wander the forest with no plan but to find Prince Alberon (somewhere among thousands of acres) so they can hear his side of the story — why is he rebelling against his father? While they traipse about the forest, they spend a lot of time eating, fishing, sleeping, occasionally bathing, and becoming emotionally unstable.

Soon they realize that there are other people sneaking around in the forest who shouldn’t be there (thus the name The Crowded Shadows) and Razi, Christopher, and Wynter spend their days wondering what these people are doing and fighting, hiding from, spying on, running away from, and even helping those they meet. Is Alberon gathering the kingdom’s enemies so he can lead them to overthrow the King? (If so, I wonder why these sneaky people are shouting their passwords and announcing their plans loud enough for Wynter to hear?)

I mentioned the sluggish plot in my review of The Poison Throne, but that book got away with it because the characters were so endearing. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in The Crowded Shadows. I’ve lost all respect for Wynter, who was a strong independent young woman in the first book but is now an emotional basketcase. She has a screaming fit when someone asks if she’d like some tea to ease her menstrual cramps — because women are supposed to be discreet and private — yet she spends most of this book hanging all over Christopher, lying next to him at night with her arm around him, pawing at him, putting her hand on his thigh, combing his hair, asking him if he’s okay, and calling him “Love.” (Puke.) She blatantly tells him that she wants to sleep with him, he says he feels the same, then, although they sleep next to each other every night… nothing happens. He’s got his back to her and she’s got her arm around him, stroking his stomach. This is the same Christopher who was raging hormones and jumping all the serving girls back in The Poison Throne; suddenly, he’s a prude. I never met a guy like that and if I were Wynter, I’d seriously be checking myself for bad breath or body odor. Neither of these characters’ actions (Wynter throwing herself at him and Christopher saying it’s “forever” but never mustering up any motivation) rings true. We’re supposed to understand that they’re just too tired or in pain, or (later) that Chris has a deep dark secret that inhibits him, but this strange behavior is clearly meant to increase and drag out the sexual tension, and it’s not working for me because it’s completely unbelievable. If I were Wynter, I’d be mortally offended, embarrassed, and moving on.

Christopher, meanwhile, who was direct and open during The Poison Throne, has suddenly become mysterious and brooding to the point that the reader becomes confused — along with Wynter and Razi — about what’s going on. It would make much more sense for Christopher to actually tell his friends why they need to be careful or why they must immediately leave the people they’ve just met (or whatever) instead of begging them to just believe him. I think this is supposed to be mysterious and suspenseful, but really it’s just confusing and aggravating.

Most insufferably, the plot did not advance in The Crowded Shadows. It ended where it began with nothing happening except that we learned more about Christopher and the culture he came from. The important plot could have been condensed to one chapter and we could have skipped this middle book. I can understand why many readers like this series — it’s emotional and character-driven — but I’m impatient with the slow pace and all the drama. All the characters are inflamed and angsty, but I’m just bored.

If Kate Rudd, the audiobook reader, was likewise bored, she didn’t let on. Her performance was excellent. ( )

Spring-Summer 2010

Spring-Summer 2010