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embereye's review
5.0
This is a gorgeous book and in a lot of ways reminds me of early Patricia McKillip in it's style. It's a definite fairy tale, but is well told and beautiful to read. I, sadly, devoured it in one gigantic bite so will probably have to reread it again someday. It was just the perfect story for me at this moment in time... a cold Sunday morning in winter.
This was also the 100th book I read in 2008. I have to create a new goal for myself.
This was also the 100th book I read in 2008. I have to create a new goal for myself.
brandypainter's review
5.0
Originally posted here at Random Musing of a Bibliophile.
After reading The Floating Islands a couple of years ago, I immediately put The City in the Lake on my TBR. There it sat despite the fact that I adored The Floating Islands, House of Shadows, and just really like Rachel Neumeier as a person too. After reading and loving Black Dog earlier this year I decided I needed to read this sooner rather than later and the Shelf-Sweeper challenge gave me the perfect opportunity for that. And I loved it so much.
I would really love to know what it is like to live inside Rachel's head, because all of her books are distinctly different, wildly inventive, and not what I think I'm getting when I start reading. You would think by now I would stop being surprised by that, but I continue to be amazed at her creativity and how her writing style alters to fit each world she has created. In The City in the Lake we get a quest story set in a fantasy world. If you think you know what that looks like and you've seen it before, you are wrong. You haven't seen this one. I loved the world here and how vast it is, yet contained in a rather small setting for the story. It is impressive how Neumeier is able to convey that vastness with few words. (Those who read this blog regularly know that is a trait my favorite authors all tend to share.) I loved the idea of the two cities, one in the lake and one on it, that reflect each other. The Forest in all its mysterious darkness is brought to full intimidating life and Timou's small village is rendered in just the right way. Reading this book, I actually felt like I was in all of these places and experiencing them in the same way as the characters.
The book's action centers around the royal family and Timou, a Mage's daughter, who never knew her mother. When the prince and then the King go missing, the King's older bastard son is left in charge and Timou's father has disappeared into the city to try and help. Timou follows when he doesn't return and discovers twisted secrets and a whole lot of family drama. There are a lot of characters involved and they are all well developed despite the shortness of the novel. I loved how Timou is a character of quiet strength. She has incredibly powerful magic and yet is not at all tempted by power. She is patient, stubborn, and hardworking. Her feelings are always kept under tight control, a trick she learned from her father, but one that has her confused when she begins to have feelings for Jonah, one of the men in her village. Jonah also has a quiet strength. He is not a sword wielding, run-into-danger type of hero, but his heroism and what he chooses to do with it are even more impressive as a result. I also really loved both of the princes, who are very different in all the ways brothers are. Neill, the bastard, is a fascinating character. He is the one who caught my imagination the most due to the choices he makes-and the ones he didn't but could have. Cassiel, the heir to the throne, is young and has many traits you would expect from being the younger, favored son, but he also has a core of steel and courage that is impressive. His charm and humor only make this more appealing (even if I was choosing between them, I would choose to like his brother more.) In dress, attitude, and actions, the villain is one of the creepiest I've read in some time. The symbolism Neumeier uses to introduce the concept of the villain into the story does an excellent job of adding to this terrifying calmness of evil the villain presents.
The City in the Lake is exactly the sort of fantasy I love and now I'm kicking myself for not having read it sooner. The world, characters, and story all combine to make an enthralling read and Neumeier's evocative prose put me right in the story. Woven in to the magic and intense political drama is also a great tale of siblings. All of my favorite things in a fantasy plus stuff I never knew to ask for. READ IT NOW.
After reading The Floating Islands a couple of years ago, I immediately put The City in the Lake on my TBR. There it sat despite the fact that I adored The Floating Islands, House of Shadows, and just really like Rachel Neumeier as a person too. After reading and loving Black Dog earlier this year I decided I needed to read this sooner rather than later and the Shelf-Sweeper challenge gave me the perfect opportunity for that. And I loved it so much.
I would really love to know what it is like to live inside Rachel's head, because all of her books are distinctly different, wildly inventive, and not what I think I'm getting when I start reading. You would think by now I would stop being surprised by that, but I continue to be amazed at her creativity and how her writing style alters to fit each world she has created. In The City in the Lake we get a quest story set in a fantasy world. If you think you know what that looks like and you've seen it before, you are wrong. You haven't seen this one. I loved the world here and how vast it is, yet contained in a rather small setting for the story. It is impressive how Neumeier is able to convey that vastness with few words. (Those who read this blog regularly know that is a trait my favorite authors all tend to share.) I loved the idea of the two cities, one in the lake and one on it, that reflect each other. The Forest in all its mysterious darkness is brought to full intimidating life and Timou's small village is rendered in just the right way. Reading this book, I actually felt like I was in all of these places and experiencing them in the same way as the characters.
The book's action centers around the royal family and Timou, a Mage's daughter, who never knew her mother. When the prince and then the King go missing, the King's older bastard son is left in charge and Timou's father has disappeared into the city to try and help. Timou follows when he doesn't return and discovers twisted secrets and a whole lot of family drama. There are a lot of characters involved and they are all well developed despite the shortness of the novel. I loved how Timou is a character of quiet strength. She has incredibly powerful magic and yet is not at all tempted by power. She is patient, stubborn, and hardworking. Her feelings are always kept under tight control, a trick she learned from her father, but one that has her confused when she begins to have feelings for Jonah, one of the men in her village. Jonah also has a quiet strength. He is not a sword wielding, run-into-danger type of hero, but his heroism and what he chooses to do with it are even more impressive as a result. I also really loved both of the princes, who are very different in all the ways brothers are. Neill, the bastard, is a fascinating character. He is the one who caught my imagination the most due to the choices he makes-and the ones he didn't but could have. Cassiel, the heir to the throne, is young and has many traits you would expect from being the younger, favored son, but he also has a core of steel and courage that is impressive. His charm and humor only make this more appealing (even if I was choosing between them, I would choose to like his brother more.) In dress, attitude, and actions, the villain is one of the creepiest I've read in some time. The symbolism Neumeier uses to introduce the concept of the villain into the story does an excellent job of adding to this terrifying calmness of evil the villain presents.
The City in the Lake is exactly the sort of fantasy I love and now I'm kicking myself for not having read it sooner. The world, characters, and story all combine to make an enthralling read and Neumeier's evocative prose put me right in the story. Woven in to the magic and intense political drama is also a great tale of siblings. All of my favorite things in a fantasy plus stuff I never knew to ask for. READ IT NOW.
rebeccazh's review
4.0
Enjoyed this one! The writing was lovely and languid. I especially loved the descriptions of magecraft. Quick and enjoyable read.
ginnikin's review
Oh, book. I tossed you across the room at one point. I don't toss books lightly.
The plot I wholeheartedly disapprove of. The resolution was subtle like a sledgehammer.
The saving grace was the characters--they were the only reason I finished this. I love some of them, but that's no great victory for the author: they're made to be loved.
I do not recommend this book, and I think the wonderful characters are reduced by being in it.
I would give it negative stars if I could.
The plot I wholeheartedly disapprove of. The resolution was subtle like a sledgehammer.
The saving grace was the characters--they were the only reason I finished this. I love some of them, but that's no great victory for the author: they're made to be loved.
I do not recommend this book, and I think the wonderful characters are reduced by being in it.
I would give it negative stars if I could.
foreveryoungadult's review
Graded By: Megan no h
Cover Story: Mostly Like, Mostly
BFF Charm: Yes X 3
Swoonworthy Scale: 2
Talky Talk: Classic YA Fantasy
Bonus Factors: Enchanted Forests, Evil Mothers
Relationship Status: Club Members Only
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Mostly Like, Mostly
BFF Charm: Yes X 3
Swoonworthy Scale: 2
Talky Talk: Classic YA Fantasy
Bonus Factors: Enchanted Forests, Evil Mothers
Relationship Status: Club Members Only
Read the full book report here.
ireadthebooks's review
4.0
I first read The City in the Lake last summer and instantly fell in love. Neumeier’s style in this particular book is rich and flowing, reminiscent of Robin McKinley’s prose. The book reads heavily though, and it wasn’t always easy to absorb. Most of the characters rarely say what they mean outright, so the reader has to do some interpretation between the lines.
The story itself is entertaining, and certainly has enough plot twists to keep the reader’s interest, but the world-building and characterization really made this book go from “okay” to “holy whoa.” Neumeier crafts this world, from their political system to their natural elements, in exquisite detail. This would be nothing, however, if not for the excellent characters. Timou is quiet and deep, observant and watchful rather than bright and outgoing like so many girls her age. Her father teaches her magecraft, which has bred in her a wisdom beyond her years. She doesn’t have any desire to go walking with town boys or settle down with whoever asks for her hand. She accepts that being a mage could lead to a lonely life, and she takes magic seriously enough that it doesn’t bother her. The solitude of Timou and her father bleeds into the rest of the book, setting a calm yet heady tone; it’s almost as if you’re watching the characters through a thick veil of sparkling magic. The Bastard, the illegitimate first born son of the king, is easily the other most interesting and well-crafted character. He’s dry and almost cold, calmly accepting the hateful treatment of his father, while heading up the search for his lost brother. He is intelligent and cunning, the kind of character you want to trust but never quite can until the end, when his true motives and allegiances are revealed.
Neumeier excels at complex, neatly tied up endings, and I really enjoy seeing how she resolves her plots. If you’re in the mood for a heavy, richly written tale, The City in the Lake is right up your alley.
The story itself is entertaining, and certainly has enough plot twists to keep the reader’s interest, but the world-building and characterization really made this book go from “okay” to “holy whoa.” Neumeier crafts this world, from their political system to their natural elements, in exquisite detail. This would be nothing, however, if not for the excellent characters. Timou is quiet and deep, observant and watchful rather than bright and outgoing like so many girls her age. Her father teaches her magecraft, which has bred in her a wisdom beyond her years. She doesn’t have any desire to go walking with town boys or settle down with whoever asks for her hand. She accepts that being a mage could lead to a lonely life, and she takes magic seriously enough that it doesn’t bother her. The solitude of Timou and her father bleeds into the rest of the book, setting a calm yet heady tone; it’s almost as if you’re watching the characters through a thick veil of sparkling magic. The Bastard, the illegitimate first born son of the king, is easily the other most interesting and well-crafted character. He’s dry and almost cold, calmly accepting the hateful treatment of his father, while heading up the search for his lost brother. He is intelligent and cunning, the kind of character you want to trust but never quite can until the end, when his true motives and allegiances are revealed.
Neumeier excels at complex, neatly tied up endings, and I really enjoy seeing how she resolves her plots. If you’re in the mood for a heavy, richly written tale, The City in the Lake is right up your alley.
coolcurrybooks's review
3.0
The City in the Lake is an original YA fairy tale. When the Prince of the Kingdom goes missing, the magic of the Kingdom is thrown out of balance. The disturbance reaches all the way to the rural village where Timou is learning the craft of her father, a mage. When he never returns from a journey to the City, Timou herself goes to look for him and the missing prince.
While I was originally under the impression that Timou would be the center of the story (and this still is somewhat true) the narrative is actually split between Timou and the Prince’s illegitimate older brother, Lord Neill. I actually liked his sections a lot more than Timou’s, especially in the beginning where he had immediate problems (the disappearing Prince) versus Timou, who was still having her story line set up. Even by the end, Neill remained my favorite character.
Other than Neill, there’s nothing else about The City in the Lake that I really like the same way. The prose is well enough written, but it took me over half the book to get involved in the story line. Partly this could be due to the slow start, but I think some of it also lies in how archytipcal everything feels.
There’s not anything about The City in the Lake which feels new. The setting is a generic fairy tale type, if well described. There’s nothing specific in culture or design to make it feel at all different from countless other fantasy or fairy tale type books I’ve read. There’s a city (the City, no other name), a kingdom (again, the Kingdom), an enchanted forest, pastoral rural land… I got the sense that Neumeier was using familiar fairy tale elements, but I don’t think she ever distinguished herself enough from the multitude of other stories out there.
I didn’t find the plot engaging until near the end, but I also felt like the ending was almost literally a deus ex machina. I also never cared at all about Jonas, Timou’s love interest who started getting POV sections about half way into the book.
I don’t think I would tell anyone not to read The City in the Lake, but I don’t think it’s a book I’ll be recommending in the future either.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
While I was originally under the impression that Timou would be the center of the story (and this still is somewhat true) the narrative is actually split between Timou and the Prince’s illegitimate older brother, Lord Neill. I actually liked his sections a lot more than Timou’s, especially in the beginning where he had immediate problems (the disappearing Prince) versus Timou, who was still having her story line set up. Even by the end, Neill remained my favorite character.
Other than Neill, there’s nothing else about The City in the Lake that I really like the same way. The prose is well enough written, but it took me over half the book to get involved in the story line. Partly this could be due to the slow start, but I think some of it also lies in how archytipcal everything feels.
There’s not anything about The City in the Lake which feels new. The setting is a generic fairy tale type, if well described. There’s nothing specific in culture or design to make it feel at all different from countless other fantasy or fairy tale type books I’ve read. There’s a city (the City, no other name), a kingdom (again, the Kingdom), an enchanted forest, pastoral rural land… I got the sense that Neumeier was using familiar fairy tale elements, but I don’t think she ever distinguished herself enough from the multitude of other stories out there.
I didn’t find the plot engaging until near the end, but I also felt like the ending was almost literally a deus ex machina. I also never cared at all about Jonas, Timou’s love interest who started getting POV sections about half way into the book.
I don’t think I would tell anyone not to read The City in the Lake, but I don’t think it’s a book I’ll be recommending in the future either.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
bibliokris's review
4.0
A very well-paced book about magic, families, and well-drawn characters. I liked the cover and was drawn in by the characters and the sense of foreboding. Some of it was predictable, so not a 5. Seems to draw on some of the Celtic/ancient British mythology about the Green Man, and some Arthurian echoes as well. Good but not great. A 3 1/2, I'd say. But that rounds to 4 stars.