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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780812565188
ISBN number: 0812565185
Label: Tor Fantasy
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 544
Printing Date: February 01, 2004
Publishing house: Tor Fantasy
Release Date: February 03, 2004
Sale Popularity Level: 923365
Studio: Tor Fantasy
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Product Description:
In a sweeping new epic of breathtaking excitement and adventure, Sarah Zettel, author of A Sorcerer's Treason, tells the enthralling story of a courageous woman from small-town Wisconsin caught up in a maelstrom of empire-shaking politics and sorcerous conspiracy on a dazzling world far removed from our own.
It is 1872. Ingrid Loftfield and her sister Grace are living uneventful lives with their family on Sand Island, Lake Superior, until the day Grace nearly drowns. Grace becomes inexplicably ill, for she has been saved by the spirit of a drowned sailour which rests uneasily beneath the water. Ingrid can only watch as her sister drifts toward death, lured by the restless spirit, until an immegrant Finnish fisherman, Avan, helps Ingrid release Grace from the spell that binds her.
Having rescued her sister, Ingrid herself begins an odyssey stranger than she could imagine. For Avan is not what he's assumed to be. He's Avanasy, a powerful sorcerer who's been banished from another world, Isavalta, where he tutored Medeoan, the princess-heir to the empire until she married a prince of a rival realm. Prince Kacha has won Medeoan's heart, and with the aid of his mentor, a subtle and ambitious sorcerer, plans to win Isavalta, using sweet Medeoan's love and an array of magical means to usurp her crown.
Once Avanasy is gone, Kacha acts swiftly to isolate Medeoan from other allies, and to weave a spell that will weaken her so he can rule in her stead. When Medeoan discovers Kacha's treachery she flees, determined to win back her crown. She can only succeed if Avanasy, her oldest friend and most powerful ally, will return to help her. Because Avanasy loves Ingrid Loftfield and she loves him, together they must cross the vast gulf that separates our world from the magical realm of Isavalta. to rescue Medeoan, and fulfill a destiny far beyond Ingrid's wildest dreams.
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Rated by buyers 
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"The Usurper's Crown" tells the story of Ingrid and Avanasy, who are Bridget's parents, and of Medeaon's past. Many of the criticisms I had for "A Sorcerer's Treason" are still valid for this novel, so I will not repeat them here. But once again, despite those flaws, the novel was still an enjoyable read.
I actually found it very interesting getting to know the full details behind the characters we were only briefly introduced to in "Treason". It's one thing to know that Bridget's mother died in childbirth, and that her father gave his life to seal the firebird, but it's another thing to read the tale in its entirety. Readers got to know those heroes that sacrificed their lives for Isavalta. We see how the love formed between Ingrid and Avanasy; we get to know first-hand the kind of man Everett Lederle was; we learn the reasons behind Grace's estranged relationship with her niece; we meet Peshek in his youth. And the part I found the most interesting was reading of Medeaon's broken history.
In "Treason", Medeaon is a hard, vengeful woman who has succumbed to madness. But in "Crown", we see her as a young woman who is afraid of her destiny and beset by treachery. She genuinely loved her husband Kacha and was irrevocably broken by his deceit. Reading about her struggles, her strength, and her intelligence as she tries to regain her kingdom makes her eventual downfall all the more poignant. Readers finally understand why those who remained loyal to Medeaon even throughout "Treason" did so -- despite her flaws, she was a hero in her own time.
One additional issue I had with this book was that Ingrid's role was never really elaborated on. She fell in love with Avanasy and returned with him to Isavalta, which was apparently what one of the spirit powers wanted. But it was never explained why Ingrid was so special to this power. In a sense, she really didn't do anything, but it was repeatedly insisted upon that she was needed. She was a good character in her own right, but fell flat as a heroine. At least with Bridget we understood where her power came from; not so with Ingrid.
Again, many parts could have been better, but it was still a good read.
Rated by buyers 
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The second book in Sara Zettle's Isavaltan trilogy is unusual in that it pre-dates the very first book. Although that seems strange at first, it actually works really well.
This time the story revolves around Bridget Lederle's parents, again the story moves between Earth and Isavalta, a land of magic and intrigue. To get there Ingrid Loftfield must follow the sorcerer Avanasy across the land of Death and Spirit.
This is a highly enjoyable read that is skilfully written. Sara Zettle is proving as competent a writer of fantasy as she is of sci-fi.
Rated by buyers -
I was reluctant to read this when I learnt that it was the story of Avanasy and Medeoan... there are things which we already know, but as is revealed, knowing of them and knowing the WHY of them are completely different. The tradgedy is in Medeoans blind love for Kasha and his complete contempt for it.. We learn what can make Medeoan so completely ruthless, and how it happened... Absolutely fascinating and VERY Enjoyable.
Rated by buyers 
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I must say, that I at very first was disappointed, when I learned that this book was a prequel to "A Sorcerer's Treason". Now though I would not have missed it. It is true that you know how things between Avanasy, Ingrid and Medeoan will end, but still this time you get the details and get to know the characters on their own accord.
So I ended up liking the book, it's well written, and I think "The land of death and spirit" are a very interesting mythology.
But I do hope that the last book in the series takes us back to Bridget.
Rated by buyers -
When it is discovered that the princess and heir of Isavalta is a sorceress, the emperor and empress ask the powerful sorcerer Avanasy to teach her how to use her powers. Over the years the two become friends until a political marriage is arranged to Kacha, the nephew of the king of Hastinapura. The princess falls in love with him, but Avanasy warns her that he is treacherous and not to be trusted. His charge turns on him sending him into exile.
When the two are wed, she doesn't realize that Kacha is taking over her duties and replacing her loyal supporters with his own people. Only when it is almost too late does she see Kacha for what he is and flees the kingdom, ordering a loyal retainer to find Avanasy and bring him to her at a place she designates. When Avanasy hears her summons, he is posing as a fisherman on Sand Island in Wisconsin. He stands ready to return to his homeland to help the empress defeat her enemies but he brings with him Ingrid Loftfield, the woman he loves, the wife who will sacrifice much to give her husband what he desires.
This novel takes place twenty years before the events in A SORCERER'S TREASON and it is just as good as its sequel. Readers watch the empress grow wiser and stronger, willing to admit she is wrong and take steps to rectify the problems her emotional blindness brought about. Avanasy is a true hero torn between duty and love while the mere mortal Ingrid contains more inner strength than the two sorceresses do. THE USURPER'S CROWN is an enchanting reading experience.
Harriet Klausner
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