Exiles Reviews
Yep, this is it...the Exiles review page. It's kind of small, but then so is the series. Only two books out so far. The first is called The Ruins of Ambrai and the second is The Mageborn Traitor. The third book is due out sometime in 1999 and is called The Captal's Tower. Well, on with the reviews!
Ruins of Ambrai
Ah, Lenfell. A glorious place to live. The perfect place for mageborns to flee the persecutions of those not fortunate enough to be Gifted. However, a war among rival factions of the mages devastated Lenfell leaving it prey to Wild Magic.
Generations later, Lenfell has recovered from the Wild Magic and is home to a bustling society. However, the rival factions of mages (the Guardians and the Malerissi) are still present.
At the center of this struggle is Ambrai. Ambrai was the center of culture on Lenfell until it was destroyed at the orders of Auvry Feiran. And it is the three daughters of Auvry and Maichen Ambrai that will be instrumental in the coming struggle.
Glenin: has renounced her mother's Name and taken the name of her father: Feiran. A poweful mage, she craves the power that will come to her as a Lady of Maleriss.
Sarra: At the age of five, she and her mother fled Ambrai to escape Auvry Feiran. Her magic Warded, and under a Name not her own, she still remembers the heritage that she left behind, and will devote herself to the Rising, an underground movement resisting the Malerissi and all they stand for.
Cailet: Born on the night Ambrai was destroyed, her existance has been a closely guarded secret for years. She is the last and best hope of the Mage Guardians to regain their old position in Lenfell's society.
As long as this book is, it is a riveting read all the way through. You find yourself personally involved with all the characters, and they are all multifaceted. Even the worst characters have a few redeeming values, and this keeps the story from growing boring. On a scale of 1-10, this book is at least an 8.
The Mageborn Traitor
The struggle is over, the Rising victorious. However, the Malerissi's retreat is not as complete as it seems. Glenin, now First Lord of Maleriss, is simply biding her time. Her targets: her neice and nephew, children of Sarra and Collan. Her weapon: her own son.
Cailet is trying to set the Mages back on their feet. Replenishing their numbers and building a new Mage Academy are her top two priorities. Sarra's children, Taigan and Mikel, possess powerful magic, and Cailet intends that they should be taught at the Academy, with the agreement of Sarra and Collan.
Meanwhile, Sarra and Collan are doing what they do best. In Sarra's case, this means taking an active role in government with a seat on the Council. Collan runs Sarra's household and looks after the children, just like any good husband should do...and also heads the Minstrelsy, an information gathering ring which is operated through Lenfell's musicians.
However, there a traitor at the Mage Academy, disguised as an unbelievably attractive Nameless orphan. Unfortunately for Cailet, there are two people who fit that description, both of whom are the last people anyone would suspect of being a traitor...
This is an excellent follow-up to Ruins. It keeps you in suspense up to the last minute as to the identity of the traitor. It also reunites us with some old friends from Ruins and introduces us to some charming new ones. I actually think that this is a better book than The Ruins of Ambrai. If that was an 8 then this is a 9. Come on Melanie, bring on book 3!
A list of Saints
Back to Dragon Castle
Back to My Universe