Elizabeth Boyer (1) (1951–2002)

This is the third book in the Skyla series. I have not read the first two books in the series but the books are only loosely related. I read the first 120 pages and just couldn’t get into it. This wasn’t an awful book, it was just slow moving and boring. There wasn’t a lot going on here that I was interested in; the writing style felt very stilted and dated to me.

The story is about a 19 year old girl who is sent to live with her five grandmothers. The grandmothers are obsessed with their cats that they say aren’t cats at all but are magical creatures from another realm.

I really struggled to stay engaged with this story and decided to set it aside. The world wasn’t explained that well and none of the characters were that interesting to me. It looked like an interesting mystery might be developing around the grave barrows near where Jetta is sent to live; however it was just so slow moving that it never really grabbed my attention.

The book does have a very classic mid-90’s fantasy feel to it. So if you are feeling nostalgic for an older, slower moving fantasy you might enjoy this one. As I said, it wasn’t awful it just wasn’t all that great either. If I had nothing else to read I would have probably finished it.

Overall an okay fantasy book but a bit too slow moving and boring for me. Has a very classic fantasy feel to it. I wish the world had been better developed, the characters more interesting, and the story more fast-paced an engaging. I don’t plan on reading anymore by Boyer.… (more)

Of all of Elizabeth Boyer's books, this has been and always will be my favorite of them all. When I was an impressionable teenager, I stole a copy from my father's book stash and read it so much that it fell apart.

There was and always will be something alluring to a young thief on the run who, forced into a chance, finds himself rising to become a better man. Or elf as it were.

When it comes to Boyer's books, there's always something a little formulaic about them: wizards all act the same, the heroes all have the same brazen stance, and yet the blend and the fact that the stories don't always *follow* the same old story formula makes the rest more than alright. I've always felt her books stood a little apart from the rest and don't get the recognition they deserve. This book is definitely at the top of them.… (more)

While it took most of the book to stop being annoyed with the main character (basically until about 18 pages left), the book was otherwise quite good. The only other problem was that, occasionally, the author will be very obvious. For example, you're read the whole book, and she'll say, "Mikkla is very stubborn". Like you would have forgotten that or wouldn't have picked it up every time he's stubborn. Fortunately, it doesn't happen very often.

Spoilers: a young man travels to the "Alfar" realm where he tries to open a box with "something" in it of great importance and everyone he meets seems to want to get it. The surprises in the book (ie the box contains a magical gauntlet and Sigurd's father is Halfdane) are very good. And the not-so surprises (Jotull and the other Warlord being the worst) are not so obvious that you're annoyed. As I noted above, some rough, meandering, editor-fail writing, but I still mostly enjoyed it. Probably will not read again because Sigurd (the main) is almost insufferably stupid, stubborn, and arrogant throughout. Probably some good stuff about Norse mythology here and all the norse names, places, and customs are cool. A very original book.… (more)