The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme - Book Two - The Thief Queen's Daughter by Elizabeth Haydon

Books Completed: 76
Completion Date:
Pages: 319
Publication Date: June, 2008

Reason for Reading: Next Book in the Series.

Long ago, in the Second Age of history, a young Nain explorer by the name of Ven Polypheme traveled much of the known and unknown world, recording his adventures. Recently discovered by archaeologists, a few fragments of his original journals are reproduced in this book. Great care has been taken to reconstruct the parts of the journal that did not survive, so that a whole story can be told…

On his first day on the job as Royal Reporter of the land of Serendair, King Vandemere sends young Charles Magnus Ven Polypheme—known as Ven—on a secret mission within the walls of the Gated City. His quest? To discover the origin of a mysterious artifact given to the king’s father. The king warns Ven to take care—because once you enter the Gated City, you might never be allowed to leave.

Within its walls, all sorts of exotic merchandise not found anywhere else in the world can be bought or sold. But not only merchandise. Dreams, wishes, memories…even childhood…can be sold—or stolen. The Gated City is ruled by the powerful Raven’s Guild, and the guild is ruled by the Queen of Thieves.

Ven and his friends enter the Gated City ready for adventure. But when one friend is kidnapped and it is revealed that they are traveling in the company of the runaway daughter of the Queen of Thieves herself, their adventure turns deadly. For the ruthless Thief Queen will stop at nothing to get her daughter back….

I have to say, I am really enjoying this series so far! I knew that Elizabeth Haydon could write because I have read one of her adult novels, but that was a couple years ago now. It was nice to reenter one of her worlds and remember just how fun her books are! When we left Ven in the previous novel, he had just finished up some amazing adventures. He had a whole new life to begin exploring. Ven is a very curious soul. He is interested in everything new that he experiences and sees. As his very first assignment as the King's Royal Reporter he is sent to the Gated City. The Gated City used to be where they sent those that had committed crimes. Now, it is an enclosed part of the city that still is treated like everyone inside is criminals. In many ways, though, they are! Ven is warned to be careful once he walks in the gates because he is on his own then, and not even the king can save him.

The Gated City is full of wonders. Ven is accompanied by all the friends that he had made in the previous novel. He has a specific mission, but he is also to experience new things for the King. The King loved to travel around and see things when he was a prince, but now that he has taken the throne he is restricted to the castle. I really enjoy the character of the King, though. He is like a boy caught in a man's world at times, but then we are reminded just how capable he is. He loves puzzles and it is wonderful to watch him piece together a mystery. I think this series would be almost as enjoyable if he was the main character. Ven can be the only one, though! Sometimes Ven can be annoying, but it fits his age. Generally he narrates his story well and is always up to wonderful new adventures. He is also very loyal to his friends, which is shown over and over again during the course of the book.

It really is a good series! I think it is a bit overshadowed, too, which is a shame! It is a bit of a different-type of young adult fantasy and I think it can be enjoyed by readers of all ages! I have the third book out from the library right now and I cannot wait to see what happens next! I have discovered a lot of good young adult series this year!

The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme - The Floating Island by Elizabeth Haydon

Books Completed: 12
Date Completed: January 9, 2009
Pages: 368
Publication Date: April 1, 2008

Reason for Reading: Deslily wrote a great review; liked the other book I read by the same author.

Charles Magnus Ven Polypheme - known as Ven - is the youngest son of a long line of famous shipwrights. He dreams not of building ships, but of sailing them to far-off lands where magic thrives. Ven gets his chance when he is chosen to direct the Inspection of his family’s latest ship - and sets sail on the journey of a lifetime.

Attacked by fire pirates, lost at sea and near death, Ven is rescued by a passing ship on its way to the Island of Serendair. Thankful to be alive, little does Ven know that the pirate attack - and his subsequent rescue - may not have been an accident. Shadowy figures are hunting for the famed Floating Island, the only source of the mystical Water of Life. They think Ven can lead them to this treasure and will stop at nothing to get it - even murder...

I have had my eyes on this series for a while, but never picked it up. When I saw this book at the second-hand bookstore the other day, though, I decided to give it a try. I did start Haydon's other series, and while I really liked the first book, I have never been inspired to move on with the series. Not really surprising! Anyway, this book is a young adult book, and I tend to be rather picky about my young adult reads, but I liked this book. There was a lot going on in it. It has pirates. I have been saying for a while that I need to read more books with pirates! It has magic. Magic makes the Floating Island appear, for example. It has a ghost story. There are fairies and other magical creatures. You would almost think there was too much going on for one book, but Haydon carries it off well.

Ven is the youngest in his family. He is not human, though, he is a Nain. They are normally a race that lives below ground, but Ven's family has decided to make their living on the sea. They are experts at putting everything together and making fantastic sailing vessels, but they don't actually like going out on the ships that they build. Ven is different, though. He can actually swim! On his 50th birthday, he has come of age and is finally able to properly enter the ship-building family. All he wants to do is go on an inspection, where he gets to go on the sailing ship that his family just created. He draws the short straw, and that is the day when all of his adventures begin.

I like this series so far. I will be interested to see what happens as it progresses when I get a chance to read the rest of the books in the series. A recommended read!

Rhapsody - Elizabeth Haydon [June/06]

This is book one in the "Symphony of Ages" series by Elizabeth Haydon. I read this book rather slowly, but it worked out in the end because now I have finally tracked down book two and can see how the story progresses! Yay! I have always wanted to read a fantasy series, but have never managed to get interested in one. This one scared me at first because there is a review by the Romantic Times on the back, but when you read the book you find that there is not that much romance in the novel at all. I think it is just because it is a female fantasy author. Her books are popular, though, she started out writing a trilogy and now there are 5 books with a sixth book due out soon.

From the back:

The Brilliant new saga is born...

Rhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world - a world so real you can hear the sweet music of Rhapsody's aubade and smell the smoldering forges deep with the Cauldron.

This book starts with the character Rhapsody. She meets a boy who has found a way to travel back in time, but at the end of their night together, he vanishes. This leaves Rhapsody on an adventure to find the young man that she fell in love with after only a few hours. It is not meant to be, though, there are other forces at play in this story, and so Rhapsody gives up her life for what turns out to be no reason. She turns to a shady lifestyle to keep herself fed, and with that closes the door on her family for what will likely be forever. When we meet her again she is trying to get her life back on track, but one of her old lovers is not ready to let that happen. While running away from these shady men, she runs into Achmed and Grunthor, what are to become the other members of her party. A party that will be together for the rest of the novel.

They have their own shady paths, their own special abilities, and after they save Rhapsody from the fate that meets her, they take her with them on their own adventures. A great part of the beginning of the adventure takes place in a mother tree, a tree that is thousands of years old and whose roots stretch into another world. To them only a few years are going by, but when they get out at the end they find themselves on the other side of the world with generations of time having passed. The world they know is no more, the boy warned her that her world would be destroyed and thanks to her abduction, Rhapsody was saved.

In the new world, they find that there were three fleets of ships from their old world that settled here. They learn that their descendants are here, even if their natural born family has long since passed on. Achmed is happy with the state of things, he goes to the new home-world for his species, after they toll over the new land and manage to have several adventures, and takes it over. He has more intelligence than it seems his species commonly has, and as such finds himself easily taking the reins and making a more civilized country. Rhapsody has come along with them, as well as another humanoid named Jo, but she feels like she should be doing something else. She is still partly trapped in the old world where she had family and a purpose, now she finds herself virtually alone.

Rhapsody has all the elements of a good novel, a good adventure fantasy story that you will not want to put down. When you come to the end, you will want to read the next book so as to find out what happens next. Haydon writes so that you can really relate to these characters and get inside their story in a way that you are rooting for their success and downtrodded with their failures. I can't wait to read book two.

4/5