The Sending: The Obernewtyn Chronicles Volume 6: The Obernewtyn Chronicles Book 6

The Obernewtyn Chronicles #6

by Isobelle Carmody

It came to me then, like a chilly draught from an unseen gap, that I had always known in my deepest heart that it would be like this, a slipping away from a life full of people I had come to love, in a place I had helped to shape, in a land I had helped to free.

The time has come at last for Elspeth Gordie to leave the Land on her quest to find and stop the computermachine Sentinel from unleashing the deadly Balance of Terror arsenal. But before she can embark on her journey, she must find a lost key. And although she has long prepared for this day, nothing is as she anticipated.

Elspeth's search will take her where she never thought to go, and bestow upon her stranger companions than any she ever imagined. It will lead her far from her destination to those she believed lost forever.

And it will test her, as she has never been tested before . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Audiobook

565 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Isobelle Carmody began the first novel of her highly acclaimed Obernewtyn Chronicles while she was still in high school. The series has established her at the forefront of fantasy writing in Australia.

In addition to her young-adult novels, such as the Obernewtyn Chronicles and Alyzon Whitestarr, Isobelle's published works include several middle-grade fantasies. Her still-unfinished Gateway Trilogy has been favorably compared to The Wizard of Oz and the Chronicles of Narnia. The Little Fur quartet is an eco-fantasy starring a half-elf, half-troll heroine and is fully illustrated by the author herself.

Isobelle's most recent picture book, Magic Night, is a collaboration with illustrator Declan Lee. Originally published in Australia as The Wrong Thing, the book features an ordinary housecat who stumbles upon something otherworldly. Across all her writing, Isobelle shows a talent for balancing the mundane and the fantastic.

Isobelle was the guest of honor at the 2007 Australian National Science Fiction Convention. She has received numerous honors for her writing, including multiple Aurealis Awards and Children's Book Council of Australia Awards.

She currently divides her time between her home on the Great Ocean Road in Australia and her travels abroad with her partner and daughter.

Librarian's note: Penguin Australia is publishing the Obernewtyn Chronicles in six books, and The Stone Key is book five. In the United States and Canada this series is published by Random House in eight books; this Penguin Australia book is split into two parts and published as Wavesong (Book Five) and The Stone Key (Book Six).

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sending is book six (or seven in the US) of the Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody, book one being released in 1987.

It took me a while to decide whether or not to reread the first five books but in the end I decided not to, as it would take too much time and a friend assured me that this book did a lot of recapping. That it did. I understand that the previous book The Stone Key came out in 2008 and the one before in 1999 and therefore it might be wise to recap for those readers who have forgotten all but the crucial details. I did find this handy being in that category but it went too far. I felt the entire first third of the book was absolute faff and consisted of padding and recapping previous books, turning into a bit of a yawn fest. I would hate to think what this would be like if I had read The Stone Key immediately before.

The second let down for me was that previous books had focused equally if not more so on the plight of the Misfits in their fight against the Council and Herder Faction as well as Elspeth's quests to disable to weaponmachines. In The Stone Key especially, there is a lot of action as Elspeth discovers much about her quest, new lands are introduced and the Council is overthrown in a chaotic rebellion. In The Sending however, because Misfits now live in relative freedom this part of the story has died off and even though Elspeth's journey has always meant to be the focal point, it now seems rather dismal in comparison.

Originally this was meant to be the final novel in the series but the editor suggested that it be divided into two books as there was a section that was left underdeveloped and the edited version was then too long. I think this is quite obvious when reading The Sending and I get the impression that the underdeveloped part was the 'faff' at the beginning.

About half way through the story changes direction rather violently and an extremely tedious few 'traveling' chapters ensue. At this point I am about to cry and it seems like Isobelle (we're totally on a first name basis) has lost the plot and is now on the bullet train to ruining-the-fantasy-series-of-my-childhood-land, stopping all stations. But never fear - it only get better from here! Action, action, action, plot twists, discoveries, action!

Thankfully Elspeth's quest suddenly becomes interesting with the introduction of the wolves, the reappearance of Dragon, some deaths, some mysterious prophecies and some really interesting new terrains. The last third of the book was really un-put-downable material and thankfully my job as a receptionist allows me to ignore all my duties and read (seriously, the amount of people that I ignored when they came in who then remarked on how good my book must be ...). The book ends with a big cliff-hanger which has never happened before in the series, again making the two-book split clear.

In the end I think a good read, although nowhere near the quality of The Stone Key. I think Isobelle has fallen into the trap of becoming complacent with character development, relying on that from previous books. Having not read the prequels for several years, I found that I knew nothing about characters such as Swallow and The Sending did nothing to rectify or expand on this; he, like some others, ended up just being a name that said some things. The choice to write in first person also has something to do with this I think.

Another slightly annoying trend that kept reappearing was the fact that whatever Elspeth assumed/guessed/thought was going to happen, never happened. In an attempt to create twists and a little unpredictability, Elspeth would continually voice her thoughts on the future and then every time she would be somehow shocked to find out that this was not the case. Every time. "Oh I can't wait to go for a walk in the park today because that totally what I planned ... OMG IT'S A DRAGON AND IT HAS BREATHED FIRE ON THE PARK AND NOW I CAN'T GO WALKING!" Very unsubtle Isobelle, tsk tsk.

In saying all of this, I feel like I now have to be defensive of the series ... it really is quite incredible and the premise of a post-apocalyptic world has been explored and presented exquisitely. For me, it is the perfect blend of fantasy and sci-fi and I would recommend it to any reader. Thankfully the final book, The Red Queen has already been written and is being released in 2012, because if I had to wait any longer I would hunt the bitch down and lock her in a cellar until she finished it.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realised recently that I have been reading the Obernewtyn Chronicles for twenty years. When I first picked these up as a twelve year-old, it opened me up to a whole great new scary world - and technically it was my own. I do believe it was my first foray into young adult dystopian fiction - that category that is incredibly popular nowadays, perhaps in response to our changing times, perhaps in response to being completely fed up with vampires. Dystopia truly is scarier than regular horror - reading dystopic novels, I constantly have a sick feeling in my stomach that a great catastrophe is all too possible, which then highlights my own mortality and before you know it I'm a blathering mess on the couch. Existential crises and imminent disaster aside, the Obernewtyn Chronicles captured me because they played upon that great desire that one has as a child that I AM THE CHOSEN ONE WHO WILL SAVE THE WORLD, that I am special in some way. Written from the first person perspective of Elspeth Gordie, these books allow you to inhabit that - so imagine how that felt as a twelve year-old: awesome. So long story short, I have a fondness for Elspeth, a deep love for Rushton and affection for many of the characters of these books. I seek out each new instalment eagerly...but I also wish the whole saga would end. While I love visiting this world, sick feelings in one's stomach aside, it is beginning to feel a little drawn out. Too much of the novels, such as The Sending, is being spent on exposition on previous events; while on the one hand this is useful because it is often years since my last reading of the preceding novels, it does pad out that narrative far more than I feel is necessary. So, while I still love these books, it saddens me that I find myself skimming so much of them now. It is in part due to this that I look forward to the saga's denouement, but it is also because I look hopefully toward a happy ending in this sometimes chilling possible future. (In other words, I will DIE if Elspeth and Rushton don't have a happy ending together!)

[Seone · Rating 3 out of 5]

People in Brisbane - please be aware that The Sending is already out in BCC libraries!

I started and finished this book last night and I probably shouldn't have read it so swiftly but I was just so eager that I couldn't help myself. I think my impatience has really impacted on how I feel about this book. After years and years of waiting, my initial reaction when I finished was disappointment. I felt like I had just read what should have been a few chapters in a different book. I'm hoping that on a re-read, I will see things in a different light.

There are some unexpected twists in The Sending - Elspeth's departure from Obernewtyn and Rushton happens much sooner than I thought it would. I liked how suddenly it was sprung on her as it left her (and me) with the sense of being underprepared for this incredibly important journey. I also didn't expect Elspeth to have quite so many companions with her although obviously the Daywatcher, Moonwatcher and "one of kasanda blood" were to be her companions. Additionally, Straaka and Miriyum play very prominent roles. I was really excited upon seeing the new map - obviously, a journey to find the key taken by Jacob Obernewtyn was to take place.


I think part of my disappointment stems from the fact that Carmody spends the first third of the book setting up Elspeth's journey to the Red Land. We feel what she feels - excitement at the thought of finding another lost clue, apprehension due to the perils of the journey and logistic difficulties in carrying enough food, water and other supplies, nervousness about reuniting with Rushton etc. Personally, I was looking forward to reading about the Spit and whatever nefarious characters they might meet there as well as seeing Matthew and Daffyd again. Then suddenly BAM! all those plans are destroyed and Elspeth must leave like a thief in the night without the assurance of Atthis' guidance and only scanty information from Maruman. Perhaps I'm a victim of being taken in by Carmody (I'm sure she meant for the reader to feel complacent about the direction of the coming adventure) but I was also left feeling as if what I had just read was a bit redundant.

Additionally, Elspeth's journey felt too drawn out. There is just a lot of description about clambering over rocks and finding water etc. I appreciate that Carmody has made the harships of the journey across such harsh territory more realistic but I felt that this could have been done more concisely.

I did like the increased participation from the beasts. I felt as if the relationship between humans and animals was maturing into something closer to equality given the emphasis that is placed in the cooperation between humans and equines. This was particularly shown when Faraf calls Dameon "my funaga" in the way that equals can say "my partner".

I'm also very interested to see how Cassy used the cryogenic technology and how this may relate to Meriman/Maryuman. The glimpse of the young cat playing in the memory/dream garden was intriguing. Also - who was the young girl? Obviously this scene took place before Cassy departed from the Red Land with her followers but I really want to know more about her life and journey.

I had some problems with Analivia, Raisal and Gavyn, and Straak's brother (whose name I forget how to spell) as main characters. Although I admire Analivia and think that she could be very interesting, I didn't feel an emotional attachment to her seeing as previously she has featured only in a minor way. I'm really confused about her inclusion in the group. Similarly, I didn't feel connected to Raisal and Gavyn as I just don't know them. More than being mere minor characters though, I felt like there was little "humanity" to connect with. Raisal's hostility and Gavyn's preoccupied silence hasn't allowed me to see them as anything more than a mere mechanism of the story. Straaka's brother was developed a bit more than the other three and I liked how his character made some progression but I still felt like he was just another random addition.

These are my initial thoughts (typed hastily while in a lecture :P) and perhaps I'll update after I've re-read it. However, it seems to me as if The Sending consists of a few exciting moments plonked down in between excruciatingly descriptive passages before being cut off just before anything truly productive towards the ultimate storyline happens.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains minor spoilers for the series.

After being summoned back to Obernewtyn from Sador not long after saving Rushton and his love for her, Elspeth finds herself waiting - for what, she doesn't know. Maruman told her the Old Ones bid her return to Obernewtyn immediately, but wouldn't say why, and then he disappeared and no one can find him. Elspeth is far from idle, though: there is plenty to do as Mistress of Obernewtyn while Rushton is away. The expedition to send four great ships to the Red Land to prevent the slavemasters from invading the Land, as foreseen, is paramount, and Elspeth knows she must be on one of those ships, with Dragon, the lost Red Queen, for it has been foreseen that she and Dragon will be in the Red Land together - and she's long guessed that Sentinel, the powerful computermachine that controls the world's sleeping weaponmachines, lies in the Red Land, where the final clue from Cassandra awaits her. And Ariel, her enemy and the Destroyer, has gone to the Red Land, so when Maruman suddenly returns the night before the Moon Festival, bidding her to go to the High Mountains north of Obernewtyn, she is surprised but assumes it's for final advice from Atthis, which was promised to her, though she's not sure how she'll make it in time before the ships leave, especially when Maruman tells her that she will never return to Obernewtyn or the Land again. She must leave everyone she loves and set out on the final journey to fulfil the foreseeing, lest the Destroyer awake the weaponmachines himself and destroy the world for good.

With Maruman, her old friend and irascible feline companion, and Gahltha, the horse who pledged himself to help her, and Darga, the dog from The Farseekers who can smell taint, Elspeth makes her way into the mountains. Maruman, her only contact with Atthis, is grouchy and still angry over being left behind in Saithwold in The Stone Key and won't tell her anything for the longest time. In her own head, Elspeth turns over all the clues and signs she's gathered over the last few years, and is sure that she's here in the mountains to find Jacob Obernewtyn's body, for when he went into the mountains looking for a dream city, he took with him Cassandra's Key, which Elspeth needs to disarm Sentinel. After many days of travelling through the high mountains, avoiding tainted water and poisonous paths, they finally arrive at a vale heated by hot springs, a veritable tropical forest in the middle of the cold mountains. There, Maruman tells her that Atthis is dead, and that they're here at Wolf Vale to meet the leader of the Brildane, the wild wolves, to ask for his help. Without even knowing why or what, Elspeth must convince the Brildane to help her, or all will be lost.

It's always hard to know where to start, when discussing your favourite series by your favourite author, after decades of waiting for the next book and the next one, and finally you're in sight of the end and it's terrifying. It's like having to say goodbye to someone you love - actually, not yet, I'm still at the stage leading up to that final goodbye, which made reading this volume particularly bittersweet.

That, and the fact that it's finally happening, Elspeth is on that lonely mission that she first learned about at the end of The Farseekers, the one that always seemed so far off and yet too, too close. Like Elspeth, I had started to think that the time for leaving everyone she loves was still a long way off, maybe even not until the last minute. Though, when I started reading this, and knowing that there were just two books left (including this one), there still seemed like a lot to accomplish before that could happen. I'm still not sure how everything will fit into one final book, because unlike The Stone Key, this is not what I would call an action-packed novel.

In terms of plot, the first third, say, is set at Obernewtyn and is much like the first half of The Keeping Place , concerned with smaller details and supporting characters, as well as giving Elspeth time to work some things out. When Rushton returns to Obernewtyn, they're able to finally cement their relationship - or should I say consummate? ;) - something Elspeth had been putting off for her fear of a mind merge with Rushton, and him learning all about her role as the Seeker - a secret she's kept all these years, at the bidding of Atthis. But she figures out a way to hide the knowledge within his own mind, ready to be revealed after news of her death - because she's always known she won't come back from this mission. The too-short moments between them succour Elspeth on her journey, and they affect the reader as well - the emotions are so vivid and tangible, you can feel everything they feel. Then when Darga appears, the sign she's been waiting for for so long - the sign that she must leave Obernewtyn forever - oh the pain at their separation! Poor Rushton, too. For all that Elspeth has been through, he's been through worse - and partly because of her too. Ariel tortured him because it was a way to inflict pain and cruelty on Elspeth, whom he needs alive despite how much he hates her. At times Elspeth has a sense of fatalism that I hadn't heard from her in a long time:

I suppressed the urge to ask the animals why we had come this way. I told myself sternly that I had given up my life and my right to choose what I would do the moment I set eyes on Darga. I was in the hands of the Agyllians now and it would be better to give up the habit of speculating about possible courses of action and their likely outcomes since I had no power to decide these things. Logic and common sense were not to rule, if they ever truly had. I was no longer the mistress of Obernewtyn or guildmistress of the Farseekers, I was a tool in the hands of the Agyllians, to be used as they saw fit, to prevent the coming of a second holocaust. [p.365]

It's not true, of course - she wouldn't be the only person who can disarm Sentinel and stop Ariel if she didn't use her brain, but she has these moments of bleakness and even depression throughout the series. She never once wailed at fate or did that thing that heroines do in stories these days, which is to stubbornly deny it all and refuse to have anything to do with prophecies etc. (like in Kresley Cole's Poison Princess, for example). She saw the importance of the mission, she lives daily with the reminders of the previous holocaust - which they call the Great White. And like all the people and animals at Obernewtyn, she values life, in all its forms. The idea of sitting back and not doing anything because she wanted to put herself first never occurred to her, because she's a strong person who, as aloof and cold as she might come across, loves deeply, and cares about her world. It's one of the things I love about Elspeth, and deeply respect.

The chapters that follow Elspeth and her companions through the high mountains, until the meeting with the wolf, Rheagor, are surprisingly slow but still interesting. I found it hard - for the first time ever - to picture some of Carmody's descriptions of the terrain, and there were times where Elspeth's internal monologues, as she reasons her way through her knowledge and the gaps to figure things out, seemed surprisingly off the mark to me. Not that I would hold it against her - the sacrifices she has to make, the task set before her, are monumental. But there is a lot going on in the details in these chapters, not to mention building tension and a great sense of anticipation, because I have no idea what's going to happen next. As I was reading it, I did of course speculate on where it was headed, but I was in for some real surprises.

I definitely did not expect what happened at Sky Lake, where Elspeth goes after her first meeting with the Brildane. There, she finds a small group of people who've been sent, separately and individually, by Atthis through their dreams. I was so surprised, it was the last thing I was expecting. Not to mention who was sent - they each have a purpose for being there, but apart from Swallow, they were all a surprise - but a good one. I particularly liked how much I came to like and appreciate Ahmedri, Straaka's brother from Sador sent to collect Straaka's bones, which means finding Mirium - which turns out to be an important element in Elspeth's quest. Everything starts to come together, especially when Dragon turns up. Lots of surprises!

Like the previous books, themes of human intervention - read "meddling" - and arrogance, leading to devastating horror like the holocaust, or Great White, come up throughout. Relationships between humans and animals continue to be an important theme, as does humanity's strengths and weaknesses. Elspeth considers her own fellow Misfits, and is hard on everyone.

Passing through the [rift], I could not help but feel that Jak's ambition to enable the little [taint-eating] creatures to adapt so that they could tolerate a brighter, warmer habitat and thereby be able to be relocated so they could consume and transform tainted matter in drier terrain, while understandable, stemmed from the same belief that had led humans to bring the world to the brink of destruction in the first place: the notion that we had the right to change the world and anything in it to suit our needs. Perhaps this belief was connected to the fact that although animals could live completely in the moment, we humans seemed to live almost entirely in our imaginings of the future or our regrets over the past. For if one dwelt completely in a moment, there was no room for thinking about changing it. There was only acceptance. [p.382]

For the first time in the series, the book ends on a cliffhanger. It's a very impressive cliffhanger, too, with enough information to make me really, really worried and tense, and apprehensive, yet still with hope. The not-knowing is a killer, I tell you. The Sending is another exceptional addition to the Obernewtyn Chronicles, and really throws you for a loop, just when you were getting comfortable with where things were going. I kinda want to hug it and start it all over again, and I am torn between my yearning to finish Elspeth's story (and my dearest hope that she doesn't die but gets a happy ending), and my desire to never have the story end. I don't know how I'll face this series ending. I think I may need counselling when it's all over. That's how good this series is.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, the wait wasn't as long this time, but I really didn't enjoy this as much as the last book. That said, the first thing someone asked me about it was "Is it as bad as the last one?"

I liked The Stone Key a lot, as the main issue I had with The Keeping Place was that it seemed nothing happened - theres a quest Elspeth is meant to go on, there are things she is meant to do, there is so much time spent narrating what she thinks of this and that when clues have already shown her wrong (Come on, who hasn't guessed Salamander's identity yet?). Sure half the government was over-thrown but that was about it. TSK picked up the pace after a bit of a slow start and plotted occured and I was left with the feeling that even if this quest we have known was coming since the first book hadn't started per se at least a lot of rubbled had been cleared.

The first two or three hundred pages here needed an edit. Yes, it is first person and yes characters are wrong about things but most of that section was invalidated by Elspeth's poor understanding of how things are going to go. Not her fault but two hundred pages on this is excessive.

After this things pick up. Adventure beins characters show up, Elspeth TALKS TO PEOPLE. This is strange and un-nerving. There are some interesting revelations and some progress is made.

Ande yet i have further issues:
Margin size - WHY? It feels as though someone has padded out the novel via double spacing
End point - Cliff hanger not conclusive - Yes I know this is half a book
Speech - I can't shake the nagging feeling that every book or two Carmody reinvents the dialect used.

[Allyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some reason, for the last four years since I last read this I've been thinking that it has really let the series down. That is was god-awful boring. And after having finished it a second time I just don't know why. It was SO GOOD. There was so much happening, and everything was falling into place. And Rushton. And Dragon. Just everything. There's about 100 pages in the middle that's a little slow but that's it.

And finally. FINALLY. After months of re-reading I can get started on The Red Queen. Since I've only been waiting for the last ten years.

[Bree T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elspeth is back at Obernewtyn after the dramatic events at the conclusion of The Stone Key where she freed Rushton from the mind control by Ariel, serving as the Master of Obernewtyn while Rushton is still away. As the whole of Obernewtyn is preparing for the Moon Festival, which will celebrate the turning of Obernewtyn into a broader community, encouraging for the first time, people to move outside its walls and live as they choose, and merchants and newcomers to come and live there also, Elspeth awaits the return of Rushton, safe in the knowledge that they will travel to the Land of the Red Queen together. After all they went through in The Stone Key she is well aware that they will need that time together before she is to undertake her final quest and face off against The Destroyer in order to finally disable the weaponmachines for good.

Before Elspeth can be ready, Darga comes for her: the signal that she is to leave Obernewtyn and never return. With only Gahltha, Marumann and Darga for her company, Elspeth must leave Obernewtyn and everyone in it behind without any warning or goodbye, and that includes the recently returned Rushton who has left a token for her to bond with him in a handfasting ceremony at the Festival of the Moon. Creating a coercive net to hide her emotions and pain at the leaving, Elspeth follows Darga and her two watchers, the Day Watcher Gahltha and her Night Watcher Marumann deep into the mountains where they must seek the assistance of the wolves who will lead her where she needs to go – if she can first convince them to. A deep and abiding hatred of humans means that the leader of the pack has no desire to help her, he equates all humans with the cruelty of Ariel, who wreaked his own sort of havoc on the pack some years ago. Elspeth knows her name of Innle means little to nothing here but she must convince them to show her the way.

Elspeth has always thought that she would undertake this final quest alone but to her surprise when she reaches a certain part of the journey, she finds some assorted companions waiting for her. They have all been sought out by the Agyllis bird, appearing to them as a voice in their mind, giving them instructions. Overjoyed at having some people that she knows, and some that she cares for accompany her, Elspeth is soothed by their presence although she doesn’t know what role each will play. She knows they would all be there for a very specific reason: time has proven that things are not left to chance for her quest.

There’s been a lot of confusion surrounding what will be the last novel in this series: It was supposed to be The Sending and when I borrowed it I still half thought that it was, even though I’d heard rumours that this book had once again gotten so large that Carmody was forced to (again) split it in two and another volume was forthcoming. This was confirmed by the advertisement in the back cover of the book for The Red Queen, coming 2012. That is apparently, the absolutely last volume of the Obernewtyn series. Unless, you know, it gets too big. And has to be split in two. Again.

In The Sending the moment that Elspeth has been waiting for, that she was born for, happens. Jik’s dog Darga comes to Obernewtyn, her signal that she must leave the place that has become her home behind, and all the people in it and leave to go on her quest at what could be the worst time for her. Elspeth has always held herself somewhat apart from other people, always knowing deep down that she would be leaving one day and it would be far easier for her if she had developed no attachment to place or person. But just as she comes to realise that Obernewtyn is home for her and her relationship with Rushton is at last secure and she is deeply happy, she has to leave. Along the way she learns that their guide can no longer help them, forcing them to ‘wing it’ while they wait to see if they are to gain a new guide. This causes Elspeth stress, which is exacerbated by Marumann’s flippant responses to her questions.

To be completely honest, not a lot happens in The Sending. The book basically is one long set up for the dramatic twin conclusions that will surely come in The Red Queen – returning Dragon to her homeland and Elspeth’s quest to disable the weaponmachines and defeat The Destroyer. But in being 750 pages of information and Elspeth slowly finding her way towards her destiny, it’s still a great read. I love the characterisation in this series, it’s deep and multi-layered and no one, be they man or beast, is left out. The wolves in this novel are amazing, their way of speech and pack form set them apart from any animals we’ve met before and characters that you thought were just brief nothing characters reappear with deeper and more complicated roles.

If you’re a Rushton fan (and I am!) then this is the book for you, at least in the first 200 pages. From the time they first laid eyes on each other in Obernewtyn, there have been glances, heated lines of dialogue, misunderstandings, declarations and rejections and then finally after their understanding was reached, Carmody saw fit to split them up for the next book and then make Rushton tortured by Ariel and attempt to kill Elspeth because her image was used as a device in the torture and mind control. Almost destroyed by it, only the faith and power of Elspeth’s love was able to bring him back from that psychotic brink and barely after that Elspeth had to leave for Obernewtyn. When Rushton finally returns there also in The Sending we are finally treated to what most fans of the pairing have longed for. I may have read those parts of the book more than once…

Be warned – the ending of this one was a real cliffhanger, which hasn’t happened before in this series!

As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I’ve spent 15 years of my life reading these books ever since a friend of mine recommended them when I was 14 years old. At that time only the first 3 were published – it was 6 years before The Keeping Place was published, a further 8 years after that before The Stone Key finally appeared and then 3 years until this novel. It is all set to end next May with the release of The Red Queen and I must admit, as desperate as I am for this series to conclude so I can know what happens and the fates of many are finally decided, I will be very sad when it does. It says volumes that I’ve stuck with this series and never forgotten it, despite the huge gaps between publications of several of the installments.

Reading The Sending was re-familiarizing myself with favourite characters and story lines and remembering why they are so. It was a great way to develop tension and set up for the final book, which promises to be epic.

[Celia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me ever so long to read this book, particularly considering that I have been eagerly awaiting its publication. This is - I most sincerely hope - the penultimate book in Carmody's Obernewtyn series, which I started reading when I was a teenager, and hence have a probably unwarranted fondness for. This book did its best to destroy my goodwill in the series once and for all.

It rambles. The narrative spends an awful lot of time in Elspeth's head as she thinks about things in tedious detail, mostly the previous things she has done towards her quest and what various clues she has come across might mean. She comes to no useful conclusions. She has pointless conversations with people. One particularly irritating conversation towards the beginning of the book went something like this:

Elspeth: ... like when that character died.
Someone else: Oh. He didn't die. Er, we subsequently discovered a, b and c, and we think he escaped alive. I was pretty sure I told you that.
Elspeth: No. I don't think you did.

I mean, what exactly is the point of that? If you're going to kill off characters and subsquently decide that you need to revive them, at least have your main character have something to do with this, rather than another character simply haven forgotten to tell her about something. This entire book felt like a rather rushed pasting together of things, which is an astounding feat for a very long book which really moves incredibly slowly. I mean basically, Elspeth leaves Obernewtyn, and starts her travels for her final quest. She gets part of the way. Nothing of much import happens. She spends a fair bit of time recapping things that we already know to the people she's travelling with. The end. I presume the final book will be fascinating revelation after revelation, because I'm not sure how she's going to finish this story otherwise. And I'm afraid I no longer hold out a great deal of hope that I'm going to find its conclusion very satisfying.

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading this series since I was 13 year old, thus I feel like I have grown with Elspeth, grown with the story. As always Isobelle's writing is spectacular and draws you in from page one. It takes her so long to get her books out, that the built up anticipation almost kills me and I always plow through her books (although in this case I did read the first five books again before reading this one as there is alot of content and I wasnt willing to miss anything). I think given the whole series this book probably sits about fourth or fifth with me.
I really loved the progession that occurs in Elspeth and Rushton's relationship (something I have been waiting for since book three!), as I definitely have missed their connection in previous books. However at the same time I was definitely expecting the story to progress a lot more than it did. Some people have labelled this book a filler, but I disagree because I think the journey in this book is essential for the story but given my desperation for more in this series I was hoping for a bit more to happen. Isobelle has stated that the next book will be the last one (although this one was meant to be) but given the progession of the story I highly date she can properly finish off this story in just one book. I cannot wait for the next installment!

[Ryan Lawler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been reading the Obernewtyn Chronicles since I was twelve years old. Obernewtyn was the one of the first fantasy books I ever read and lead me to embrace my love of all things fantasy. After a ten year break between books four and five, we were promised that The Sending would deliver the conclusion that some of us had been waiting for for nearly 25 years. But alas, upon opening the book the first thing you find is the cover art for book seven, The Red Queen. This was not a good start, and despite my love of the series, it didn’t get much better from there.

The Obernewtyn Chronicles are set in a post apocalyptic world where the main character, Elspeth Gordie, has been charged with a quest to stop The Destroyer before he can activate the back-up cache of nuclear weapons and destroy the world all over again. Over the previous five books, we have been introduced to the various telepathic powers that have manifested themselves in a wide range of people, most of which having come together under the banner of "misfit" to fight for their right to live as equals in this post apocalyptic world. In the Sending we get to learn more about the world pre-apocalypse as Elspeth starts chasing down the nuclear weapons cache, we can start to make tenuous links between our world and The Land where the misfits live (South America perhaps?). Other than that, the world is quite well established and Carmody doesn’t spend much time building it further.

The characters in this story are beautifully written as usual. Despite being told in 1st Person POV, Carmody manages to thoroughly explore each and every character, and by the end of the story you feel like you must know these characters personally. Elspeth has grown a lot since the first book in the series, and its fascinating to see how her decision making process has changed having learnt from her previous good and bad decisions. My only concern with Elspeth in this book is that after the position of strength she was left in at the end of the fifth book, she had a massive regression at the start of the sixth book, racked with guilt and doubt, isolating herself from her friends, and spending way too much time with her own thoughts. Sure she once again finished in a position of strength, but I cant help but feel that this book could have been almost 200 pages shorter if she had just gotten on with the job like I expected her to do, rather than wallowing in self pity. The sheer quantity of doubt and self loathing in her character for almost three quarters of the book made it a real chore to keep picking this book up and reading it.

The story was also very slow in this book, with very little plot progression actually happening over the course of 750 pages. It was only once I reached Part 3 with 150 pages to go that it really felt like this book had moved out of first gear. So what happened with the first 600 pages? I think that Carmody unintentionally wrote herself into a corner over the course of the previous five books by leaving so many plot threads open, and as a result the first 600 pages of this book were spent tying up all these threads. Given that book seven will see Elspeth leaving The Land never to return, all of these plots threads had to be resolved before the main plot could be progressed. A necessary evil. It wasn’t all bad, and I was glad to see some of these loose threads finally resolved (ie. Elspeth and Rushton, Miky and Angina), but it slowed the story down to a crawl and often had me reaching for something else on my book shelf.

For all intents and purposes The Sending is an info dump, a book that you will only ever want to read once in preparation for taking on the final book of the series. It was slow, boring, and had very little plot progression, but Carmody’s prose and characterisation still manages to shine through as a strength that will keep you going through the hard times. Hardcore fans of the series will love this book, but despite my love for the series I couldn’t wait to finish this book so I could read something else. My recommendation – don’t read this book until The Red Queen is released. You don’t want to be put in a position where you have to read this book a second time.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

IT IS IN MY HANDS.

ok, finished.
What the hell? I totally assumed Rushton and Elspeth had been having sex offscreen for like three books. Do they have some sort of mind-reading info-dump thing every time they have sex from now on? I'm confused by the mechanics of it all.

will things ever look up for dameon? no.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book was bloody aweful and if I hadn't invested so much time in what had seemed to be an interesting story in the first few books I mightn't have bothered to finish it. The second part of the book was much better, good even. The pace of the first part was completely hampered by a lack of dialogue, and a lack of action. Death by description was my initial diagnosis and I was left wondering if Carmody had ever heard of the advice "show, don't tell". There was a heck of a lot of telling going on, of stuff we already know - Elspeth loves Rushton, Maruman is weird, it will be sad and loney when she leaves because she can't tell anyone that she is the only hope for humanity and all of beastdom. I felt fairy ripped off that this book cost as much as any other, yet she'd spent the first part virtually retelling the first 6 books in the series. Yes, there are bits I had forgotten, but by this point I sort of didn't care.
The second part of the book was much better, dialogue, action, the works. I really did not feel the need to sit through the first section, it really could have been cut down to a couple of chapters.
This seems to be the eternal battle within Carmody's works, and there are quite a few now. A really incredible idea let down by awkward and cumbersome narrtive.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

i LOVE this series! It's definitely up in my top 10 but this book is ridiculous! It's was as if Isobelle waited so long to start writing it she forgot all about what she'd written in her last book(s).
For instance, at the end of 'the stone key' domick dies of the plague and elspeth is upset and angry that domick's ex Kella doesn't turn up to say goodbye, but then she finds out Kella had been travelling and didn't hear of domick's sickness. So at the start of 'the sending' Isobelle has created a grievance between elspeth and Kella and wasted at least 100 pages rehashing something that's already been settled.
Only about half this book is necessary to the overall plot line and I'm still a lil pissed I spent money on it.
END RANT

[Booknut 101 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isobelle Carmody's detailed storytelling style never ceases to amaze me and send me into a state of absolute awe - the way she breathes life into her colourful cast of characters, my personal favourite being Rushton (to no one's surprise!), and how you almost feel as if you have Elspeth's ability to dreamwalk or connect with the minds of others. It feels like you're connecting with someone real; Elspeth is the perfect heroine who walks the path of sacrifice and duty willingly, in order to save those she holds most dear.

I expected this book to be just as brilliant as the rest of the series - and I wasn't disappointed!

[Carlie Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

30 Dec 2011
I can't but help love this book and this series. I devoured every word, although there was too many of them. I do think that alot of this book could be trimmed. But still it was very readable, I am just wishing that more happened within it's pages. Very much anticipating The Red Queen, I am very impatient for it... but also secretly hoping that THAT book is also split so that I can have more more more.

Four Stars

25 Nov 2015
I think some places in the middle sagged, but I enjoyed this book a lot.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isobelle Carmody regularly updates members of obernewtyn.net with whom she has formed friendships over the years of her progress on The Sending - it looks like the release date has been postponed one final time until Feb/March 2011. It has been written in full and is currently in the editing stage.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series has been with me since I was 12, and yes sometimes the writing can be long-winded and dull, but Isobelle Carmody weaves an intricate story full of lovable and endearing characters that captivates me in such a way that this series is one of my favourite series.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

Lengthy book, with some pacing issues. It felt like a lot of the book was people trudging along mundanely.

**Spoiler**
It also ended abruptly on a massive cliffhanger, with no real sense of climax or overall arc to the book.
**End spoiler**

That said, continuing to follow the characters was somewhat enjoyable, and for me that main set that were focused on were a bit more interesting than in some previous books.

This book also introduced some interesting concepts and creatures (though didn't necessarily fully resolve many of those concepts).

And the book was not badly written, although there were several grammatical or other minor errors (e.g. accidentally naming the wrong character in a minor matter; mistakenly misgendering a character, omitting the word 'to' in a sentence where it was clearly intended to be).

Would not recommend the book, unless you are really enjoying the series and intend to read it all. In which case, it's ok and can be enjoyed.

2.5 stars, 3 on the Goodreads rating to honour its place in the broader series despite its flaws.

[Roxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books 1-4 were brilliant and hooked me. I loved all the characters and the interwoven storylines. 
But books 5&6 have been more of a struggle for me. So much filler, and painfully slow. 
These books are massive, but could easily be pared down to a less intimidating size without losing anything. They could even be more engaging in a more concise form. But I'm invested in this series now and Rushton is a favourite, i need to know how it ends. However, it is difficult not to give in to the temptation to skim over a lot of it. 

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have literally been reading this series for half of my life. I first started Obernewtyn when a friend gave it to me for my 16th birthday in 2000 and now, 16 years later, I'm finally on the last book.

It hasn't taken me this long to read the books though. Oh no, I finished the first four books within a few weeks of starting the series. Then of course I had to wait eight years for book five, which meant that by the time it came out I'd forgotten what happened in the first four and had to re-read them again before reading five. After another three year wait for this book, book six, I bought it ... and put it on the bookshelf.

You see, I assumed I was going to have to re-read the entire series yet again before starting The Sending because after three years I'd forgotten most of it. I was busy, I was reading other books, I didn't have time to get invested in the series all over again, I wasn't even sure why I liked the series any more ... Basically, I just REALLY didn't want to re-read them all again.

So the book sat there gathering dust for five years. Of course, it's only now after finally reading the sixth book that I realise there was absolutely no need to re-read the first five because this one has the entire story all crammed into the first half of the damn thing! I am not even kidding, someone who has never read any of these books could easily start with this book and not be lost at all.

After re-reading the first five books again (why!), I started reading The Sending at the end of May ... and have only just finished it now in the middle of July. The first time I tried to read it, I got about 30 pages in and was so bored I actually fell asleep, so I gave up and moved onto another series. I finished the entire Selection series (five books) before coming back to try again but once again I got another 40-50 pages in and gave up in tired frustration. This time I finished seven other books before coming back and I only came back to the The Sending because I had nothing else to read. By then I was determined to just finish the damn book whether I liked it or not.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

I'm not gonna lie, I skipped MANY pages in the first half of the book. Even if I hadn't just re-read the entire series I still would have because it was just so frustratingly slow. I swear, snails move faster than the pace of the this book.

As I've mentioned, the whole first half of the book is literally just Elspeth wondering around Obernewtyn thinking about everything that happened in the first five books, moping about the fact that Rushton isn't there, and waiting to be summoned to go on her quest. Parts of it weren't even things that had happened in the first few books but just stuff thrown in by Carmody to obviously fill space. Elspeth repeats herself over and over again to the point where I wanted to tear pages out of the book and burn them!

The only interesting part in the first half of the book, in my opinion, was the fact that Elspeth and Rushton finally managed to get passed all of their fears and be intimate for the first time and even that was boring. After essentially "growing up" with Elspeth, watching her struggle to overcome her inner demons, crying with her as she intended to give in to her own death when Rushton was attacking her; I was looking forward to the moment ... Only to have it all fall flat and read as incredibly boring as the rest of the first half of the book. Sad.

The next quarter of the book is pretty much just Elspeth, Maruman, and Gahltha trekking through the high mountains with — surprise, surprise — nothing but Elspeth's thoughts to keep you entertained. Nothing truly interesting happens in this part of the book, unless of course you happen to find cantankerous, silent companions and barren, windy mountains interesting. If that's the case you're in for a treat as Elspeth describes it all in brain-meltingly vivid detail.

Elspeth eventually meets up with some long-lost friends and new companions in the mountains and that's when things start to become a little more interesting. And I do mean only a LITTLE more interesting. The last quarter of the book is very much the same as the previous one except there is more people talking ... too bad that talk is all centred around Elspeth YET AGAIN going over what happened in the first five books!

It's only really in the last few pages of the book, when things start to go horribly, predictably wrong that I found I wasn't having to force myself to read the book any more. And it's only because of that little bit of interest that I have even bothered to pick up the last book, even though I've heard it's worse than this one ... Well that tiny bit of interest and the fact that I've already wasted 16 years on this series and I just want it to be over.

Which is truly sad because I actually enjoyed the first half of the series, only to have it ruined by the last few books.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, after the long wait for this book I hate to say it, but it was a disappointment. After years of waiting I really enjoyed The Stone Key. It was action packed and full of twists and turns if with a somewhat contrived fatalistic plot. The Sending has a very different feel and tone to the rest of the series. Also I felt Isobelle Carmody was adding in new information that we had not heard by backtracking through Elspeth's musings which felt clumsy. Also there were unnecessary explanations of characters and plot points about the quest which fans of the books don't need. I enjoyed the first section which included her interactions at Obernewtyn and plans for the journey to the Red Land. I do agree with some others who have said it felt redundant as this all disappeared from the plot as Elspeth went off alone on her journey. It was extremely disappointing to find myself hopelessly skimming through pages and pages of endless descriptions of stones and black lands with nothing but Elspeth's false musings about her journey to the Ken, which seemed obvious to the reader that would not happen, which I found terribly disappointing because Elspeth is way too smart not to work that out. Unlike other books in the series where i went back to check every sentence packed for details that would be important I felt a lot of this book was filler and the fatalistic element was paramount with nothing interesting to work out. Things thankfully picked up when she had some other humans to actually talk to. Although I disliked the departure from interaction with Gahltha and Maruman, especially Gahltha was hardly mentioned. I also thought the characters seemed very different from the other books, most startlingly Dragon who we barely heard speak although her character change is more understandable. Swallow seems muted and not like he was previously in the series. I also disliked the interactions between Rushton and Elspeth, they seemed almost forced. Also how long before Elspeth realises that Dameon is so obviously in love with her, but this seems an irrelevant side plot to bring up when they really should be trying to save the world from another Great White. Over all this book felt like filler and had way too much talk about the plot of the story and endless description. The 'cliffhanger' ending which failed to entice, but was rather was another let down. I still feel I am waiting for the ending and all the things i anticipated when I started reading the stone key. Hope the next one is better.

[Abigail Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't quite know what to say for The Sending. Originally, it was created to be part of one larger final book, although I don't know what it would have been titled. It was decided that instead of publishing the finale` as one thing, however, that the final Obernewtyn book would be made into two.
I think this explains a lot of The Sending's overall climatic fault; it didn't have one. There wasn't really a steady building of tension; it just seemed to me at at around page 700, Isobelle gave up and threw in a hurried 'THE END' halfway through a sentence. Of course, this is because of my earlier mentioned two-books/one-book dilemma. As the first section of a larger book, The Sending works magnificently. The writing is, as always, magnificent, and characters well beloved and developed, and the plot is of course complicated and attention grabbing. As the first half of of an extremely long book, I would give The Sending 4.5/5 stars - as a book on its own, though, despite some fantastic elements, I think that the absence of real climax would lower it to a three (but it can have a four because, come on, it's Obernewtyn).
There were about four main plots going on at once in this book; the first that Angina and Miky, the Empath twins, have fallen sick and Elspeth must save them from death; the second, a prophecy that the dead Sadorian, Straaka, will come to her in a vision to reveal the whereabouts of the Coercer Miryum and his bones; the third, discovering Dragon's whereabouts so that she can be taken to the Red Land where she belongs; and the fourth, of course, Elspeth's *Long Awaited* summoning from Obernewtyn into the high mountains to begin her quest and leave the land forever.
There's a lot of planning in this book, and not much action. You'll find pages and pages dedicated to describing Beforetime visions, Elspeth plotting out the lives of Cassandra, Hannah and Jacob in her head, describing theories about where the signs are, who put them there, how, when, where, why. I'd say a good percentage - at least 1/3 - is simply Isobelle listing out the different possibilities as to the lives of Beforetimers who are long since dead.
And, yes, Swallow comes back. Just be warned, The Sending is heartbreaking at times. Come on, you can't say you didn't cry at that Rushton scene....

[Tayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

We were once again tricked, this isn’t the final book!!

However it was the book that Rushton and Elspeth finally have sex – my heart is happy. Her accepting she can be with him, without sabotaging her sworn to secrecy quest, was a real win for Elspeth. And using his talent to hide those secrets in him, for now.

“I wish that our paths need never diverge in even the smallest way.”

This story really is 90% journey/traveling with the first couple chapters tying up lose ends. We get to see Cinder and Elkar living their ever after so I don’t mind too much. Kelly and Darius are together, Miky and Angina are free one way or another. Ceirwan will be a fantastic Guildmaster of the Farseekers. Obernewtyn is becoming a proper city recognised in the Land.

Having Elspeth get the call to commence her quest as Seeker was very satisfying after so long, but the fear of being stuck with her gnawing and rehashing old plot points would have been the end of me. Thankfully she’s got friends coming along too (sadly not Rushton but we take who we can get).

Leaving the sanctuary that Obernewtyn had become, with no farewells, remains depressing :(

But, incoming Swallow, Analivia, Dameon, Ahmendri, and Dragon!! Rasail, Gavin, Sendari, Faraf and of course Gahltha and Maruman. Squad roll out to save the world, or in this case, travel the whole damn time.

How she still doesn’t realise Dameon has feelings for her would shock me, if not emotions being the one thing she can’t fucking comprehend.

In addition, how many times can Elspeth get knocked out? The limit does not exist.

To be fair I enjoyed this reread more, it’s the next book I’ve been salty about for 10 years so let’s see if I still feel the same way.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was disappointing after such a long wait between the last two books.

Not much really happens in this book.
Rushton and Elspeth merge minds, and then Elspeth locks her secret quest deep in Rushton's mind.
Rushton asks Elsepth to marry him in a note, before Maruman returns and bids Elspeth to leave with him and Gahltha immediately to finish her quest.
She meets up with Dameon, Analivia, Swallow, Ahmedri, Gavyn and various animals who have all been told to accompany Elspeth on her quest. A wolf pack is also enlisted to escort them across the Blacklands and tainted ground so they do not die on their journey. Gavyn dreams that Dragon is behind them with a man who is beating her. They overpower and kill him, who is Analivia's abusive older brother, and restore Dragon to health. When she wakes up she remembers everything and loves Elspeth again.

The book ends with Elspeth finding the stone trees that lead the way to the Beforetime city they are travelling to to find Cassandra's key. But she sees someone who appears to be in a radioactive suit and she falls into darkness.

I have loved this series because Crmody has seamlessly added in backstory's and theory into Elspeth's quest. The storyline of this book seemed forced though. The endless descriptions of mountains really held up the storyline and after 750 pages I am wondering why it took this many pages to progress the storyline so little.

[Jennifer Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is one of my favorites. I started reading it when i was 11 years old.

If your worried that you need to reread the previous books to catch up don't worry because the start of the book will get you back up to speed.


I do feel this book could have been shortened as a lot of the book is traveling, traveling, traveling with not much else. I understand that she is trying to give us a peek into what a vast adventure it is to cross the mountains and the blacklands but i felt she could of made the same impact with fewer words.

My favorite parts have become the flash backs to before the holocaust. My least favourite being Elspeth wondering over and over the about the same parts of her quest and the clues that will guide her through it. Again i feel we could have got the same impact with fewer words.


Although my argument that this book could have the same impact with a shorter length this was still a fast and easy read for me. Isobelle Carmody's writing is still wonderful, as are the fully fleshed characters. Can't wait for the finale!

[Naomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the first few books of the Obernewtyn series, but they have deteriorated since, and this book was the worst one yet. It was so slow and boring, I nearly put it down never to pick it up again so many times. The only thing that kept me reading was the fact that I had already read 5 books in the series, and with only 2 books left, the end was in sight.

At the beginning of the book, there were two key things left for Elspeth to do - find the last key and destroy the war machine. Sadly, Elspeth achieves neither of those in this book. The first half of the book is just fluff and the other half of the book is Elspeth wandering through the mountains without even reaching the city where the last key is meant to be located.

And as for Elspeth, I don't really like her character anymore. I find her very arrogant and keep wishing someone would take her down a notch or two.

I know I will read the last book, because I have come this far, but I am no longer looking forward to it. It is very sad because the series started so well.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, I have to admit to a certain bias when it comes to this series. I have been actively waiting for this book for any number of years, and I was somewhat relieved about this not being the last one. While it means that I don't get to see how it ends yet, it also means that there's more to come for me to enjoy.
The Sending was a good next chapter to the Obernewtyn series; the plot is moving along and we got to see a few old friends along the way. Finally we have a few answers about questions that have been raised from the very beginning about Elspeth's quest and how some of the clues she has spent years collecting fit together.
I alternated between devouring chapters at a time, and lingering over every paragraph as I remembered what about this series had made such a big impression on me years ago.
I have to say I hope the next one comes out soon. Although if it takes a few extra years, the series will last that much longer.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, this book is quite clearly separated into two parts. The first part feels almost like it's trapped, waiting. It's suspenseful. We know Elspeth has some serious questing to do, but first we get to take a bit of a breather, and see day to day life in our beloved Obernewtyn. And also, urgent lemons That is all.

Funnily enough, the second half of the book starts off a lot slower for me personally, but possibly due to the fact that there are a few hundred pages (or so it seems anyway- I didn't actually count) with mostly observations and inner dialogue, rather than conversations. Not that it's not enjoyable, and I definitely enjoyed it more than I remember from my first read of this book, but still. After the endless inner gnawing however, the story picks up again and is scary, turbulent, and fascinating. Oh, it also ends of a bit of cliffhanger. Just a bit.

Not my favourite in the series but I still love it to bits- and it does have some of my favourite scenes.

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ} · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Isobelle Carmody's Obernewtyn series. I was astonished when I read the first book at the writing. It was astonishingly beautiful. And the story, I had to read every book, and I devoured each one like they were chocolate. And just when I wanted more, the Sending wasn't due to come out for another year. It nearly killed me!

But I've read it now, and I want to read the Red Queen! Except I have to wait, again.

Now about this one. This one is big! Just like the Stone Key before it. It's big and takes a long time getting into the action, but once you do believe me it's worth it. It's so worth it when at the end, you cannot wait for the next one! Oh Carmody, what's going to happen to Elspeth and Rushton, the ending nearly broke my heart.

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book slow and boring at times compared to previous books of the series. The first half, and the most boring, is all about preparations at Obernewtyn for the journey to the Red Land. Elspeth does a lot of thinking about her quest and recapping of past events. So if you're like me and have forgotten what happened in the previous books, you need not worry. I was doing fist pumps when Elspeth FINALLY left Obernewtyn to begin her quest and that's where the book got a bit interesting, but only a bit. The story ends with a huge cliffhanger leaving you wanting to know what's to happen next. Overall I found nothing really exciting happened but I guess that's to come in the final book which I very much look forward to.