8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Worth Hardcover, Great Read, Jun 19 2010
By E. A. Montgomery - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Time Weaver: A Novel (Hardcover)
The Drakon series has been frustrating. Some books feel too rushed, others fail to make sense. The Time Weaver is one of the best in the series, with a sense of wonder restored, the problematic abuse issues removed, and logical character development. It's not perfect, but it's everything I like about this series and very little that I don't. Honor, who we've met in other books briefly, is kidnapped from the Drakon for her own safety. From there, her story is about the peril of trying to fix the past from the future, instead of living in today.
Honor is able to move through time, but not without cost. She is drawn to her future lover, Sandu without knowing who he is. The tone of Honor's girlhood is perfect - her frustration with herself, her second guessing of her actions, her knowledge that no matter how much she tries to offer herself guidance, she won't listen. Honor and Sandu's story unfolds beautifully, with real magic in the telling of it. Alternating between different versions of themselves, the story is told through their eyes at different levels of experience.
What keeps The Time Weaver from being a five star read is the ending. While Honor's actions in other books are beautifully explained and provide real dramatic tension, the ending feels off. I don't want to spoil anything, because this is a book that is served by letting each section quietly unfold from the one before it, but the resolution bothered me. It doesn't arise from the rest of the story, except indirectly, and it supports an aspect of the Drakon culture (imperialism and conquest) I don't care for. Things in Sandu's life are never developed, because Honor drives both the crisis and the solution. The overriding message of the series - that someone else in your life is better poised to decide what you want / need remains, but it's softer. The characters have choices to make instead of orders to follow.
The Time Weaver was an interesting read. It reminded me why I come back to this series again and again while telling familiar parts of the story in a fresh way. It offers an alternative to the Drakon's male dominated & violent culture. At times, it seems as though the author is done with this world and is spinning it closed, but some key characters from prior books are left in limbo. There is resolution in The Time Weaver both for Honor and Sandu and, if the author chooses, for the Drakon world itself. This book would stand alone, but if you've been following the series it is a must read entry.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I loved it!, Jun 2 2010
A Kid's Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Time Weaver: A Novel (Hardcover)
As with all of her works the book grabs you from the first page. The story is so well written you immediately feel a connection with Honor, all her thoughts and longings. The ending was unique but utterly fitting in with the story so far, even though I wish it had been a little more detailed. This is one book you cannot miss out on. If you're waiting on a paperback don't! Its rare that you read a romance novel that completely comes out with a new twist, and this one is definately worth the money! I'm so excited even now and I just finished it! I only wish I knew what was coming next.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best in this series, but ok, April 15 2011
By Aerobebibliophile - Published on Amazon.com
I really enjoyed the Abe's Drakon series, this is the fifth installment and is definitly not up to par with the rest of the series. Perhaps stopping at # 4 would have been better. Unlike most of her fiction this one felt a bit slapped together and definitly not what I expected. But I did finish the whole book so Abe's storytelling ability is definitly still present and many readers may really like this, it just wasn't my cup of tea.