Summers at Castle Auburn

Summers at Castle Auburn has been on my reading list for a long time now, and I recently had the pleasure of, well, actually reading it. I was surprised to read that other reviewers thought this to be a light read and had breezed through it in one day. It took me about four days to read and I, personally, felt the book had a lot to offer in thought, emotion, and description. The images the words conveyed were oftentimes so enchanting and ethereal, I had to stop to savor the effect. I finished Summers at Castle Auburn a few days ago, and it left me with many emotions... It was the sort of book I really didn't want to let go of and after I had finished, I felt a hollowness in my stomach. Just as a warning, my review will contain many spoilers. You have been forewarned! I was hooked from the moment the story began. The main character, Corie, is going with her Uncle Jaxon on a trip to hunt aliora, a type of mystical and ethereal being that lives past the Faelyn River. Corie and her Uncle Jaxon are accompanied by Prince Bryan (Corie's crush), Kent (the prince's cousin), Damien (the prince's food taster), and Roderick (a guardsman). Together, the six members of the hunting expedition travel to the Faelyn river, where Corie happens to catch her Uncle Jaxon conversing with the queen of the aliora from across the river. When she returns to the castle, she questions the aliora's presence there for the first time. At this point, Corie is thirteen years old and doesn't quite want to acknowledge the dark side of life at Castle Auburn. Throughout the story, she comes to realize the horrors that involve the capturing of aliora and how they are then sold into slavery to serve the wealthy peoples of humankind. Corie faces a lot of disillusionment in her sixteenth summer at Castle Auburn. Not only is she troubled by the truth behind the aliora's presence, she begins to see the cruel, selfish nature of her beloved Prince Bryan, with whom she silently worshiped and envied her older half-sister for being betrothed to. She realizes for the first time that Elisandra, her sister, is not at all excited about the prospect of marrying Prince Bryan and is, in fact, dreading it. Corie's relationship with her Uncle Jaxon, the most successful aliora hunter, splinters as she pulls herself further away in an effort to make sense of how someone with so much love to give could be so cruel and heartless to another, specially after her Uncle Jaxon captures a young aliora girl. I thought the story was very suspenseful and tense. The book is divided into three parts: In the first, Corie is thirteen; in the second, Corie is sixteen; and in the third, she is nineteen. Each section of the book has an increasingly older feel. The first part is very lighthearted and joyous, whereas the latter two are considerably darker and more mature. I enjoyed that the author was able to convey changes in Corie through tone rather than 'telling-and-not-showing'. I found all of the characters three-dimensional and realistic; the author was able to portray a character accurately and quickly with a few succinct descriptions. The portrayal of castle and village life was extensive and very intriguing. It's obvious that the author is well-researched, and she is able to portray historical truths in a way that is natural and treatable, almost as if taking you back to that time and place. The one thing that bothered me about the book was the ending. You see, throughout the entire book, the relationship between Corie and Kent, the prince's cousin, is explored and elaborated. I knew from the moment Kent stepped inside the stable in preparation for the hunting expedition that he would play a large part in the story -- and I wasn't disappointed! Quickly after the story began, the author began establishing their relationship and his character. There is a lot of romantic tension between the two, and it is pretty obvious that Kent harbors deeper feelings for Corie. There were times where my faith in this area was shaken because Corie begins to suspect that Kent is in love with Elisandra, despite his claims that he is not. Also, there are times in the story where it seems that Corie is developing feelings for Roderick, the guardsman, so I had a hard time gauging who would end up with who until the story started to wrap up. The fact that Roderick and Elisandra ended up together was a very nice, sweet surprise that had me jumping up and down and squealing like one of Justin Bieber's fan girls. Corie and Kent do end up getting married, which I was very happy about, but I wish the author would have paid more attention to the wrapping up of their story. I'm very picky about romance, and the romantic tension between Corie and Kent affected me in a way that I can't even describe. My heart was fluttering and my stomach was writhing throughout the entire book, culminating in a rather exhausting reading experience. All of the little exchanges between Corie and Kent are magnetic, realistic, deep, and sweet. I absolutely adored Kent's character, and I was so upset when I was briefly fooled into believing that he was in love with Elisandra. Everything was going really, really well, and then Kent suddenly dropped off the face of the earth and it seemed to me that the author was being deliberately vague about him to make the reader wonder if he would ever come around and admit his feelings. Corie and Kent's relationship isn't resolved until, like, the last ten pages of the book and when he does propose, it's so random and straightforward. On top of that, there is no description of their wedding or married life. There is no first kiss. Even though Corie does notice Kent and does gradually fall in love with him, the progression of her feelings aren't discussed all that much. I would have liked to know more about Corie in her role as queen because I had thought earlier in the book, before I ever knew how the story would end, that Corie would make a great queen with her warm, generous personality and knowledge of herbs and medicine. Don't get me wrong, the ending wasn't disappointing enough that it detracted from my liking of the book. It's just... I thought Corie and Kent were each very solid characters and I thought their relationship was the best thing since sliced bread, so I felt the ending didn't fully measure up to how they had been earlier portrayed. And because there is so much tension and uncertainty revolving them, I couldn't help feeling jipped when the author waited until the last possible second to throw her readers a crumb. I will definitely be reading Summers at Castle Auburn again. It's honestly one of my favorite fairy-tales, and has been one of the best and most exciting reading experiences of my life.

This review courtesy of Squeaky Clean Reads ([...]) Overall Review: "Summers at Castle Auburn" is as delightfully predictable as your grandmother's homemade chicken noodle soup! In other words, serious comfort food! The lovely sedate pace keeps you interested, which is a nice change from some of the rushed `shove-as-much-information-at-you-as-quickly-as-possible' reads that we so often see. It is ponderous and regal without being trite or repetitive. Sharon Shinn is a fine storyteller. Everything I wanted to have happen, happened. I felt a contented satisfaction upon finishing. This is a book you can curl up with on a long winter's night when you need something comfortable, happy and satisfying. A fun fantasy with sweet romance mixed in. Overall rating is 4 out of 5 stars. Content Review: PROFANITY: Some mild instances SEXUAL CONTENT: Few mild instances VIOLENCE: Few mild instances MATURE THEMES: Moderate RECOMMENDED AGE GROUP: 16+ There are a handful of mild swear words, but above all, there is the usage of the coarser word for illegitimate children. This is used fairly often, as I suppose in a kingdom there are quite a few? (It is always in reference to the illegitimate children, not as an expletive, though.) As for violence, there is death by poison and by falling. One character is pretty ruthless when he is crossed and kills another character in a not so pretty way. It's not graphic, but it's sad. There are some sexual innuendos. There are illegitimate births and affairs also mentioned. Nothing is sensually or illicitly described though. As far as mature themes, there is slavery and the discussion of whether it is right or not. There is also a lot of discussion of political maneuvering in regards to marriage--`strategical positioning'. Sometimes this became very intense and ruthless. There is `witch craft' and herbal lore mixed in. Even with all of these things I've mentioned, I really never felt uncomfortable or offended while reading this book. Well done and a fun, clean read for ages 16+. This review was written by Emily A Squeaky Clean Reads Book Reviewer

I'm a glutton for a good romance, not the ones that are basically the pornographic literature that are in essence "smutty" books, but the ones that talk about the everlasting, non-lusty types that I've read from Carla Kelly, Elisabeth Fairchild, Nancy Butler and many others. These authors I've listed are not fantasy authors, but regency romance writers that I love. In my plight to find good romance mingled with great imagination in fantasy tales, I see that it must be a feat to accomplish. In Summers at Castle Auburn, I wanted there to be one of those fantastical love stories but I didn't quite get it. The story was written wonderfully and Coriel was a great person to hear from for all of the happenings of Castle Auburn. The intrigue and mystery that surrounded everyone involved in this story imposed on the love story that I couldn't see developing, which I think gave the story lesser demensions than it deserved. But in thinking over the book and all that was encompassed in making this tale, I decided that despite what I selfishly wanted from it, the author knew what she was doing and she did a great job of taking on the persona of a youthful young woman and made this story shine. Besides, even though I didn't think there was enough romance to make me convenced of who was happy with who, some other reader may think it perfect and jusifiable. In essence, I loved this story and it was great to read. And unlike some other reviewer who somehow thought this book smutty, they ought to go back to a dictionary because there wasn't a thing that was smutty in this story. True, there's references to sex and illigetimate babies but not in a coarse way. Anyone who reads Shinn will likely want this in their collection. As for me, it was my first, not my last. The next book of Shinn's that I hope to read is The Shape-Changer's Wife. I'll review that at a later date and see how it stands up to Summers at Castle Auburn. My other recommendations are - as always - Sherryl Jordan, Susan Carroll (who blends romance and fantasy effortlessly though I'll admit there's smutty moments...) and Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn for any fanciful young reader who hasn't experienced his realm of imagery before.

From start to finish this is a thoroughly enjoyable read. The world-building is subtle but splendid, the characters interesting and solid (men AND women, always such a joy to see) and the story itself never lags. I don't believe this is listed as a YA novel, but it's entirely suitable as such and will be found enjoyable by people of all ages. I'd love to read more written in this world, but honestly, I don't know if re-visiting it would be necessary. If you enjoy authors like Robin McKinley, then I believe you'll enjoy this a great deal, and it's definitely convinced me to read more by Sharon Shinn! I can't believe I've missed out on her all this time.

A beautiful story with a fairy tale feel and a bit of romance, this has become one of my favorite books. This tale tells the story of a young woman, Coriel, the bastard child of a now dead nobleman, who is torn between the world of riches and power in the Regent's court and a simple life as the trainee of her grandmother, a small village healer. Every summer she lives as a noble at Castle Auburn with her beautiful and loving half sister, Elisandra, who is affianced to Prince Bryan, the most adored young men in the Kingdom. Bryan, the young orphan prince, is just getting his first tastes of power, and likes it very much. The story opens with most of the main characters embarking on a hunt for Aliora, a kind of very gentle and kind fairy folk who are used as slaves by the nobles. Coriel is a young 14-year old tomboy suffering from her first hopeless crush--on Bryan, the reckless and dashing young prince. The Prince's cousin, slim and serious Kent, keeps a watchful eye on Corie, and tries to curb his cousin's recklessness. Corie's Uncle Jaxon, the greatest Aliora hunter in the kingdom, herds the youngsters along, and Roderick, a young, handsome guardsman provides security. Only beautiful Elisandra is kept at home by her mother Greta, in order to avoid scandal. The story follows these innocent children as they change and grow into adults. Some learn wisdom, some fall in love, one learns evil, and one will die, before the tale is told. And we see all this through Corie's eyes, overshadowed by her innocence until the blinders are removed and she finally grows up and sees the reality of life in Castle Auburn.

If I had read this book in my teens, I would have given it 5 starts, no doubt. But two decades later, I found the story a bit flat, mainly due to the fact that the only POV is that of the heroine, Coriel. This makes the scope of the story too narrow considering the number of storylines (Coriel’s, her sister Elidandra’s, her uncle Jaxon’s, the crown prince’s, the Aliora’s, etc). It does not better the situation that Corrie is barely 14 at the beginning & 18 at the end: her world is pretty limited & occasionally annoyingly shallow. She was OK, but not too likeable & her sister Elisandra definitely stole the show from her at the end spectacularly (WOW, she is one cool customer & no mistake). It would have been nice to learn a bit more about the Aliora & their world; and the POVs of Elisandra & Jaxon would have given more depth & layers to the book. Concerning the love interests: it was fairly clear from one third of the book who will end up with whom. It distrubed me a bit how blind the heroine kept herself to the very end & then WHAM she knew right away that she had been in love with the guy all along and married him almost on the spot & the book ends suddenly. It would have been more credible if she had been given some time to come to term with her feelings & spend some time with the guy developing their until then non-existent relationship a bit before getting married & living happily ever after. Despite the negative points raised above, I found this a lovely book, an intriguing & an easy read. One of it stongest points is the political intrigue, as usual in most Sharon Shinn books – she is very good at creating this kind of tension: who is siding with whom & who is plotting against whom.

I dearly loved this book until the ending. But then I really didn't like the ending. Summers at Castle Auburn is a beautiful coming of age story that welcomes the reader into the young mind of a teenager as she matures and discovers the complexities if the world around her. The first half of the book has a charming yet oblivious naïveté until hard truths cause Corrie's world to come crashing down in a way we all can relate. I didn't mind the time and energy put into growing Corrie up, so to speak, but that made the rushed and canned ending unpardonable. Corrie is an original, at least in terms of Castle Auburn, and she's given a blah fairy tale princess ending that she could never have found satisfying. She gives up everything that makes her...her. She spends the last 20 pages "happy" and the last one page describing herself as "content". I don't think the author intended this parallel, but it's there and honest. Wrong ending. And way too quick and uninspiring even it were the right one. I loved most of this book and so awarded it 4 stars but felt so jipped by the end it left a bad taste in my mouth.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, but it's going in my all-time favorites pile. I feel like I can't write about it without disclosing spoilers, but the world building, characters, and plot points were all so well-done. I especially adored the sometimes unreliable-narrator Corie and her mix of effervescence and snarkiness. I am going to purchase a physical copy of the book, which basically never happens. 🙂

I could not help but love the heroine, and loved the gentle storytelling with some great twists and surprises, and the subtle romance. Not a fantasy book full of end-of-the-world-doom, or slaying, adventures or even magic, but very real characters in a realistic setting.

The romance is too weak. The main character is not relatable at all. The whole slavery thing makes no sense. Honestly her sister is a much more interesting character I'd love to see her point of view as a main character. Also this book is super predictable, I guessed the ending by the firsts chapters and I was right.

Another wonderful fantasy from Sharon Shinn, a master of her craft. I highly recommend her novels.

I did order this because I liked Archangel a lot. In fact those two are among my top favorites now and possibly forever (the other two are Ender and Ender's Shadow). I liked Summers in Auburn a lot, because it has deep characters, a detailed, creative world with new ideas. The main person is just lovely - a strong female with an own will, still likable (and liked by all around here). Nice and easy read, positive, happy end. Some might consider the story too predictable. I like it, when some of my guesses come true. There are some unexpected twists as well. A superb happy end, even though there were hints so one could guess it ("but it just doesn't feel likely that would happen", and still I consider it plausible and nice). To me this book will forever remain special, because (besides, that it made me order all the other ones) one of the scenes (when she, and _why_, she accepts his proposal) made me see things in my life in new, different way, helping me out of a deadlock of despair and hopelessness in my relationship. Thanks, Sharon! After I had read this, I ordered more... and yet more... and more. I think now I have all existing books (or books with stories) of her ordered or already received, and only a handful waiting to read. 10 days, so to speak. None of them which I now ordered/read disappointed me yet. Sad that there's only 4-5 left yet... what then? ( I will have to re-read the Archangel sequels (#2+#3), and Shapeshifter's wife - I didn't remember them as "so great" (like all the others now) when I did read them years and years ago. Perhaps my taste has changed.)

My daughter was delighted with her purchase..