Obernewtyn #3

Ashling: The Obernewtyn Chronicles 3by Isobelle CarmodyElspeth is off on her own under the guise of gypsy. She must leave the safety of Obernewtyn and travel to the low lands and then across the sea to Sador in order to help save her people.At first I was worried that the addition of even more characters would overwhelm me as these chronicles are chalk full of people already. But I welcomed the additions and the added mystery and action they brought. With the rescue of a gypsy woman about to burn at the stake, we suddenly find ourselves at a gypsy camp and somehow their history and stories intertwine with Elspeth.The decision of whether or not to help the rebels overthrow the council results in a trip to Sador, by ship, and a breathtakingly suspenseful Battlegames against the meanest of rebels to prove which group is stronger - Malik and his nasty rebels, or Elspeth and Rushton and their Talented Misfits.There is death once again and once more I am surprised at how it just flows along with the story as you read. I am always saddened by the loss of a character I have grown to love - I have also made a mental note to stop getting attached to characters lest they die on me again! - and at the same time these deaths enrich the story in a way that I can not explain.All these events lead to Elspeth's growth as a woman and a lead character. I do find that because this is told in the first person I am frustrated that I cannot be a fly on the wall for some of the expeditions that happen at her request and yet, we have to wait and find out what the Misfits have learned upon their return just like Elspeth!Once again the writing is superb and I feel as though I am reading a painting. One that is rich in colour and depth and the more you look at it the more you discover new things hidden among those you already saw.The Obernewtyn Chronicles

1. Obernewtyn
2. The Farseekers
3. Ashling
4. The Keeping Place
5. Wavesong
6. The Stone Key
7. The Sending - early 2010?? I hope!
8. The Red Queen - NO CLUE!