So I'm listening to this now in audio, as I find (much like Juliet Marillier's audiobooks) Sharon Shinn's books are almost better as audio for they have a lyrical quality to them that is sometimes hard to see while reading.

I read this years ago, one of the first books from Shinn in fact, and while I think my taste has slightly deepened in regards to my fantasies, i still quite enjoyed this.

Corrie, the bastard daughter of a nobleman raised largely at her maternal grabdmother's side in a small village, spends her summers with her half-sister Elisandra in the royal family's castle. Her sister is, by tradition and social obligation, set to marry the Crown Prince Bryan.

At 14 Corie sees no reason why her life should ever change - why can't she spend her summers at the castle with her sister and the rest of the year as a wise woman in training? But 14, no matter one's wants, is usually an age when many things become clear.

Now at 17, having returned to a decidedly different atmosphere as her sister prepares to marry, Corie is left to wonder just what her place truly is and whether she should stand up for what she believes.

This is, despite a dark dark underbelly, a soft story. The bonds of sisterhood, the social obligations one has to endure as a peasant or nobleborn, morality vs reality...we see the story from only Corie's point of view. Her prejudices, her naiveness, her lack of experience. From her childish crush on Prince Bryan to her slow to build horror at how the Aliora are treated, these unfold as she grows into the adult she will become.

If this had been a series, like Elemental quartet or the Houses books, I think it would have served well. We spend the full first third with a silly, somewhat superficial Corie who grows cross at the adults in her life deciding her life when it should have been obvious. When she returns at 17, with much of her life changing rapidly, she's little different until suddenly she's very different.

I would have loved an exploration of the Aliora - at 14 she just began to see how treating them as slaves was wrong, but she doesn't explore those thoughts til later in the book (and her life). I would have loved to see more of Elisandra's life - she only grew up at the Castle, knowing she'd marry Bryan because it was her duty and yet in the end she wanted more.

More depth I suppose is what I wanted. Shinn has few stand alone titles after all.

But in audio? Oh the wonder! It feels as though a friend is recounting their life to you. The slow, steady pace devoted to giving Corie time to grow and learn works well here (save for the abruptness of "And each summer I returned" between her 14th and 17th summers).

With the medieval-esque nature of the world, and the political shenanigans, this is a good fantasy for a teen or adult, especially if they're looking for a quick escape. ( )

Never having read anything by Shinn, I was expecting something different, a fantasy more for an adult reader, but never mind, I enjoyed listening to the story and thought it well done for the (younger) YA audience and good enough to keep me interested. Young Coriel is a by-blow but also a Hasling the traditional choice for the Royal family to wed. Two-thirds of the year she spends with her grandmother, a witch/herbalist (which bears no opprobrium in this world) in a small village and a third she spends with her half-sister and the lords and ladies of Auburn Castle being prepared for . . . marrying and being a useful pawn for political alliances. Coriel is a sunny friendly person and makes friends with everyone around her. She is disturbed by the presence in the household, of the Alliora, enslaved by the humans, but of such entirely peaceful dispositions that they simply submit and do their best with the work given them. They aren't treated badly exactly, but they are not treated well either. Again, most of the themes and the plot would never fadge in an adult context, but I am impressed by how gently Shinn guides her heroine into consciousness of the world around her, it felt authentic to the age group that would normally be reading. There is no one fully evil, no one fully good, plenty of naiveté but not too much. Enjoyable. **** ( )

Still one of my all-time favorite books. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this on audiobook from audible.com.

Audiobook Quality (4/5): This was a good quality audiobook. The narration was pleasant to listen to and did a decent job with character voices. No complaints.

Story (4/5): This was a bit slow moving and much more of a traditional YA fantasy. This book slowly unravels as more and more secrets behind Castle Auburn's politics are revealed. It was well put together but definitely more of a deliberately paced book. The target audience is teen girls and this definitely has a "princess book" kind of vibe to it. However it deals with more serious themes too, such as slavery and finding ones own path through life. A lot of the story also focuses on Coriel’s obsession with the Prince and then the unveiling of the Prince’s true character.

Characters (4/5): I didn’t enjoy Coriel (our main character) all that much; she just comes across as very naive and oblivious. This lack of observation of the things around her makes her seem a bit selfish as well. Then as the story continues some of the things she does doesn’t match up with her character. I thought her half-sister, Elisandra, and the Prince’s friend, Kent, as well as some of the other side characters were much more intriguing. These side characters were well done and very complex and I enjoyed trying to figure out their motives.

Setting (4/5): This was a classic fantasy type of setting. It’s made slightly more complex because Castle Auburn is located on the border of the kingdom of Aliora. The Aliora are fey-like creatures that the humans have been capturing and enslaving. This whole unlying theme of slavery adds an interesting tone to the book. Outside of a brief glimpse of Aliora, we spend most of our time either in Castle Auburn or in the village that Coriel spends her spring/fall/winter time in.

Writing Style (4/5): This is beautifully written with amazing descriptions and well done dialogue. It has a very classic YA fantasy style to it. It moves slower and very deliberately builds the plot around the Alioran race, Coriel’s coming of age, and the Prince’s evil deeds. The story takes place over the span of many years. This will probably appeal more to a MG or YA audience because it has that “princess” type of plot to it and Corie comes across as very young for her age at times. As I said it is beautifully written and the plot is intricately woven, making it a very solid fantasy. It just feels kind of dated, like a fantasy written in the 80’s or 90’s to me.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I am glad I listened to this and ended up enjoying it. I almost stopped reading it because the beginning is very slow and the main protagonist is very naive. However, as the story continues I grew very intrigued by the secrets of this castle and got very attached to some of the side characters. The writing style is absolutely beautiful and the intricate plot also comes together in a very well done way. I would recommend to middle grade and YA readers who are interested in a princess-type story that involves a lot of intrigue and mystery in a fantasy castle setting. ( )

This was so lovely. The beginning was sweet, funny, and delightful, the middle was upsetting, and the ending was perfect. An absolutely wonderful read. ( )