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Healer and Seer #3
The Light Of The Oracle
Bryn is the daughter of a humble stone-cutter. So no one is more surprised than she when the Master Priest seeks her out to become a student at the famous Temple of the Oracle; a training school for future priests and priestesses. But her innately gifted nature proves a threat to the evil embedded within the Temple, and Bryn encounters unimaginable danger. Is she able to struggle with the unknown and to save the whole world from untold misery? Or will the powers of darkness succeed?
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2004
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April 9, 2015
Well, I have to say that this was a VAST improvement from Hanley's second book in this trilogy, Healer's Keep. While distantly set in the same universe as Seer and the Sword and Healer's Keep, The Light of the Oracle is very distinctive in its world building. While I don't think the country was as fleshed out as it could have been it isn't (ultimately)of much consequence. This story solidly takes place in the Temple of the Oracle, rarely extending beyond its walls. We get hints of it here and there with mentions of Uste, Tunise, and the desert somewhere amidst it all, but it's hard for the reader to get a firm grip of the exterior environment.
Even within the Temple of the Oracle you don't get a ton of physical description, but it didn't bother me that much. This was a very character-driven plot and most of the details were pumped into societal aspects of the Temple as well as the characters themselves. I just ADORED the idea of the birds choosing their prophets and phropetesses and the idea of receiving a feather from them. It was tremendously unique, and something I haven't come across in the fantasy genre before. While most of the school scenes are reminiscent of other YA Fantasy novels, Hanley distinguished herself with lovely oddities. Also I appreciate that Hanley honed her focus in this novel. Instead of leaping from character to character and from place to place (as in Healer's Keep)she stuck to the Temple setting for the most part and made sensible, timely departures at critical moments. I liked that we got to see the inner workings of the school this time around.
As for the character: I really think that they were fairly well developed for this genre. I do understand you can only take so deep a dive into character in a pseudo-stand alone novel of this length. I felt like there was definitely character development in this book. Kiran, Brynn, and Dawn all grew over time. It didn't feel forced. It felt pretty natural for the most part. Brock wasn't as fleshed out in my opinion, but since he was ancillary I wasn't really bothered by this.
So, Clea. Oh sweet sweet sweeeeet jerkface Clea. What a freaking nightmare! When I first started the book I had false hopes that Clea would be humbled and learn to relate to her peasant compatriot Brynn. It would have been the perfect set up really and a much more complex problem to tackle. Snobby rich girl leaves home and learns the world isn't as black and white and classist as it once seemed. Or rather, she would be challenged to break down those barriers from a position of privelege, learning to relate to her peers and respect them as equals. I imagined Clea and Brynn striking up a friendship, fighting the ills of the world together. Instead she really is as petty, selfish, and cruel as she appears on the surface. Clea's character doesn't develop. She basically gets everything she wants up until the last moment where she is suddenly nullified (I won't say how.)
Some problems with the way they characterized Clea and the other Feathers. It was very obviously a classist issue at its heart, which I can respect as a valid social criticism; however, Hanley took the trope of the mean girl and just pounded it into you with no new filters or takes. Clea was a vindictive cliche through and through. As she was one of the main villains throughout I had hoped for a bit more than that, but was dissappointed. So back to the core of my dissappointment here, Hanley not only takes the mean girl cliche, but also the stereotype of girls as inherently more mean and vindictive than boys. At one point Kiran and the prissy mean boy clique (whatever their names were, they were only mentioned a couple times)get into a physical brawl and "fight it out like men." After the fight is over they still don't like each other, but they respect each other. Okay, gag whatever. Meanwhile, Clea and Brynn and their respective crews fight throughout the entire novel and just meanly tear each other down, never making amends. I guess I found it to be a little sexist in that regard?
I'll go further to say that jealousy and spite were Clea's driving forces to be mean against Brynn. She couldn't stand the idea of a peasant being better than her in any manner. So she focused on tearing her down. Then she romantically pursues Kiran throughout depsite his street urchin upbringing and that somehow doesn't bother her??? Like she hates Clea for being from the lower class, but doesn't care that Kiran is as well. Kiran, who she sees as a prospective husband, which is arguably more important than any rival she could have with some other classmate at the Temple. It just doesn't add up.
Also I don't know what it is with Hanley in her books that all the adults in her books are either blazing idiots/hopelessly incompetent at their roles or a villain. There is literally no inbetween. There appear to be no decent/competent human beings over the age of 20. Like come on Ilanna, you are the most powerful priestess in the land and wise and what-not, but you can' stand and speak up when you KNOW something is afoot!? And as for Renchald, he was just confusing. Was anyone else confused by his character motivation in this book? Other than thwarting Selid and Brynn?
Overall, I'm teetering between a 3 and a 4 here. I suppose for the YA genre it's a 4, but for quality it's a 3. It was very entertaining and an easy read. I found it hard to put down. I read it in about a day. AAAANNDDD it was written by Victoria Hanley whom I unfalteringly love. And it was a million times better than Healer's Keep. I would definitely recommend as a light read to a friend who enjoys YA Fantasy.
Even within the Temple of the Oracle you don't get a ton of physical description, but it didn't bother me that much. This was a very character-driven plot and most of the details were pumped into societal aspects of the Temple as well as the characters themselves. I just ADORED the idea of the birds choosing their prophets and phropetesses and the idea of receiving a feather from them. It was tremendously unique, and something I haven't come across in the fantasy genre before. While most of the school scenes are reminiscent of other YA Fantasy novels, Hanley distinguished herself with lovely oddities. Also I appreciate that Hanley honed her focus in this novel. Instead of leaping from character to character and from place to place (as in Healer's Keep)she stuck to the Temple setting for the most part and made sensible, timely departures at critical moments. I liked that we got to see the inner workings of the school this time around.
As for the character: I really think that they were fairly well developed for this genre. I do understand you can only take so deep a dive into character in a pseudo-stand alone novel of this length. I felt like there was definitely character development in this book. Kiran, Brynn, and Dawn all grew over time. It didn't feel forced. It felt pretty natural for the most part. Brock wasn't as fleshed out in my opinion, but since he was ancillary I wasn't really bothered by this.
So, Clea. Oh sweet sweet sweeeeet jerkface Clea. What a freaking nightmare! When I first started the book I had false hopes that Clea would be humbled and learn to relate to her peasant compatriot Brynn. It would have been the perfect set up really and a much more complex problem to tackle. Snobby rich girl leaves home and learns the world isn't as black and white and classist as it once seemed. Or rather, she would be challenged to break down those barriers from a position of privelege, learning to relate to her peers and respect them as equals. I imagined Clea and Brynn striking up a friendship, fighting the ills of the world together. Instead she really is as petty, selfish, and cruel as she appears on the surface. Clea's character doesn't develop. She basically gets everything she wants up until the last moment where she is suddenly nullified (I won't say how.)
Some problems with the way they characterized Clea and the other Feathers. It was very obviously a classist issue at its heart, which I can respect as a valid social criticism; however, Hanley took the trope of the mean girl and just pounded it into you with no new filters or takes. Clea was a vindictive cliche through and through. As she was one of the main villains throughout I had hoped for a bit more than that, but was dissappointed. So back to the core of my dissappointment here, Hanley not only takes the mean girl cliche, but also the stereotype of girls as inherently more mean and vindictive than boys. At one point Kiran and the prissy mean boy clique (whatever their names were, they were only mentioned a couple times)get into a physical brawl and "fight it out like men." After the fight is over they still don't like each other, but they respect each other. Okay, gag whatever. Meanwhile, Clea and Brynn and their respective crews fight throughout the entire novel and just meanly tear each other down, never making amends. I guess I found it to be a little sexist in that regard?
I'll go further to say that jealousy and spite were Clea's driving forces to be mean against Brynn. She couldn't stand the idea of a peasant being better than her in any manner. So she focused on tearing her down. Then she romantically pursues Kiran throughout depsite his street urchin upbringing and that somehow doesn't bother her??? Like she hates Clea for being from the lower class, but doesn't care that Kiran is as well. Kiran, who she sees as a prospective husband, which is arguably more important than any rival she could have with some other classmate at the Temple. It just doesn't add up.
Also I don't know what it is with Hanley in her books that all the adults in her books are either blazing idiots/hopelessly incompetent at their roles or a villain. There is literally no inbetween. There appear to be no decent/competent human beings over the age of 20. Like come on Ilanna, you are the most powerful priestess in the land and wise and what-not, but you can' stand and speak up when you KNOW something is afoot!? And as for Renchald, he was just confusing. Was anyone else confused by his character motivation in this book? Other than thwarting Selid and Brynn?
Overall, I'm teetering between a 3 and a 4 here. I suppose for the YA genre it's a 4, but for quality it's a 3. It was very entertaining and an easy read. I found it hard to put down. I read it in about a day. AAAANNDDD it was written by Victoria Hanley whom I unfalteringly love. And it was a million times better than Healer's Keep. I would definitely recommend as a light read to a friend who enjoys YA Fantasy.
December 20, 2008
That's strange. I was sure I had written a review for this book when I put it up.
It's not as fresh in my mind now, but here goes. . . .
I do remember that it had a lot of wonderful ideas (like being chosen by specific birds as part of one's personal power), but that every character was there solely to forward the plot. So, everyone is black or white. I could predict with certainty what would happen and who would do what . . . every time. And the antagonist characters got so monotonous. And the protagonists never really grew or changed. So they were monotonous, too.
AND . . . there is a challenge that the main character is given early on in the book which she leaves to impede her for waaaay too long (and for NO good reason), and then when the plot is ready for her to be active again, she resolves the problem in a paragraph or two. Really easily. Stupid girl. Why couldn't she have figured that out pages and pages ago so the story could have gone somewhere?
In other words, manufactured characters to fit the manufactured plot. Bleh.
It's not as fresh in my mind now, but here goes. . . .
I do remember that it had a lot of wonderful ideas (like being chosen by specific birds as part of one's personal power), but that every character was there solely to forward the plot. So, everyone is black or white. I could predict with certainty what would happen and who would do what . . . every time. And the antagonist characters got so monotonous. And the protagonists never really grew or changed. So they were monotonous, too.
AND . . . there is a challenge that the main character is given early on in the book which she leaves to impede her for waaaay too long (and for NO good reason), and then when the plot is ready for her to be active again, she resolves the problem in a paragraph or two. Really easily. Stupid girl. Why couldn't she have figured that out pages and pages ago so the story could have gone somewhere?
In other words, manufactured characters to fit the manufactured plot. Bleh.
June 30, 2012
I enjoyed the first two books in the trilogy, so even though it had been years since I read them, I was excited to find this at the library so I could revisit the world to which Hanley introduced me in The Seer and the Sword and The Healer's Keep.
Now, though, I find myself staring at the book quizzically, wondering what went wrong.
First of all, while Goodreads lists this as the third in the Healer and Seer series, it doesn't feel in any way connected to the two aforementioned books. It may be set in the same world, but the characters, places, and events have nothing to do with what has gone before, giving it the feel of a spinoff rather than a sequel. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it did throw me for a loop.
The story was interesting, but the writing drove me bonkers. Was Hanley's voice always so passive, her prose so mechanical and uninspired? Seriously, I know it's been a while, but I remember the first two books being better-written than this, with characters that I actually, well, cared about. These people? I didn't feel anything for them, because they were completely bland and washed-out. Bryn seemed promising at first: intelligent, fair-minded, and not afraid to say what's on her mind. And yet, she never really fulfilled that potential for me. Her character, along with all the other characters, felt underdeveloped, as if Hanley was just making up their personalities as she went along. Consequently, they felt more like puppets doing what the author told them to do than like people whose story the author was sharing with us. All the relationships felt perfunctory (Bryn and Kiran's relationship was devoid of any real chemistry, the various friendships lacked depth, and Bryn's rivalry with Clea failed to deliver the tension it was obviously meant to create), the dangers contrived.
All in all, a disappointing read.
Now, though, I find myself staring at the book quizzically, wondering what went wrong.
First of all, while Goodreads lists this as the third in the Healer and Seer series, it doesn't feel in any way connected to the two aforementioned books. It may be set in the same world, but the characters, places, and events have nothing to do with what has gone before, giving it the feel of a spinoff rather than a sequel. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it did throw me for a loop.
The story was interesting, but the writing drove me bonkers. Was Hanley's voice always so passive, her prose so mechanical and uninspired? Seriously, I know it's been a while, but I remember the first two books being better-written than this, with characters that I actually, well, cared about. These people? I didn't feel anything for them, because they were completely bland and washed-out. Bryn seemed promising at first: intelligent, fair-minded, and not afraid to say what's on her mind. And yet, she never really fulfilled that potential for me. Her character, along with all the other characters, felt underdeveloped, as if Hanley was just making up their personalities as she went along. Consequently, they felt more like puppets doing what the author told them to do than like people whose story the author was sharing with us. All the relationships felt perfunctory (Bryn and Kiran's relationship was devoid of any real chemistry, the various friendships lacked depth, and Bryn's rivalry with Clea failed to deliver the tension it was obviously meant to create), the dangers contrived.
All in all, a disappointing read.
September 6, 2013
I read this years and years ago, so I don't remember much about it except the bare bones of the plot and just how bad it was. I'm talking author-insert fanfiction bad. The protagonist is a Mary Sue in the worst way; she has virtually no flaws except being mopey because she's such a unique and special snowflake (complete with unique and special snowflake powers!) and no one understands her. Plus, you get to spend a huge chunk of the book watching her get picked on by the "mean girls" and the teachers who hate her for some reason that I can't remember (because she's poor?). I understand trying to identify with your target reader demographic, but I was in that demographic when I read this book, and even then I was annoyed by how many pages were spent on that one subplot (in case you can't tell ;) ).
If I have to say something good about The Light of the Oracle, it's that I did enjoy the idea of birds determining a person's magic. The bowing-as-communication concept was cool too, if, ultimately, a little pointless.
If I have to say something good about The Light of the Oracle, it's that I did enjoy the idea of birds determining a person's magic. The bowing-as-communication concept was cool too, if, ultimately, a little pointless.
May 30, 2014
This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/
Bryn, daughter of a humble stone cutter, is whisked off to the Temple of the Oracle as she has a natural talent for making prophecies. But not all is right in the temple and Bryn is in terrible danger from those inside the temple. The Light of the Oracle is a really good companion novel to The Seer and The Sword and The Healers Keep, which was a charming and sweet read, with interesting magic around birds. I liked Bryn as she was kind and a bit naïve, and I enjoyed her journey from being an outsider to being accepted. I liked this book and would recommend to have enjoyed Victoria Hanley other books.
Bryn, daughter of a humble stone cutter, is whisked off to the Temple of the Oracle as she has a natural talent for making prophecies. But not all is right in the temple and Bryn is in terrible danger from those inside the temple. The Light of the Oracle is a really good companion novel to The Seer and The Sword and The Healers Keep, which was a charming and sweet read, with interesting magic around birds. I liked Bryn as she was kind and a bit naïve, and I enjoyed her journey from being an outsider to being accepted. I liked this book and would recommend to have enjoyed Victoria Hanley other books.
August 25, 2016
Not quite as good as The Seer and the Sword, but better than The Healer's Keep.
July 4, 2018
The Seer and the Sword is one of my favorite fantasy books of all time, and when I found out it was a trilogy, I was beyond thrilled. I enjoyed the second book in the series (The Healer’s Keep) a lot as well. This book was good and I liked it, but it is not related to the other two books at all. There is an offhand reference to the kingdom of Bellandria (where the first two books are set) near the end of the book and that’s it as far as I can tell.
The story was interesting enough and the political situation was well developed and explained. I liked Bryn as a heroine as well.
Honestly, the book is good, but calling it a companion novel to The Seer and the Sword was a bit of a turn off for me. 3.5 stars.
The story was interesting enough and the political situation was well developed and explained. I liked Bryn as a heroine as well.
Honestly, the book is good, but calling it a companion novel to The Seer and the Sword was a bit of a turn off for me. 3.5 stars.
May 4, 2021
Another great story and a page turner for me. Hanley does a great job in creating believable characters and ones who you want to be all they can be and develop themselves. Also love that goodness and love triumph in the end.
June 15, 2012
I coincidentally came across this book without reading the first two books I have to be honest. I really wish I read the two before this one first. There are spoilers in this by the way, don't read it if you haven't read the book.
I have to say, I was really close to putting the book down in the middle of it because it didn't really seem to spark anything and the story-line didn't seem to be going anywhere. I'm glad I didn't put the book down because I actually really liked it towards the ending of the book. It could've used more dialogue and more action. The fact that a bird's feather gave power was an interesting thing and I thought it was a good change to a fantasy book. I especially liked the feather of the black swan. The fact that there were pagan gods, that brought the interest down a little but it was surprising how good this book was, it's not the best book but it is good. The detail was amazing though, I have to say. I thought so at least. I don't usually pay attention to the detail like I do to the dialogue and I always end up skipping detail but I wanted to go through it word by word so I didn't miss any important detail. The only thing I wasn't really happy about was the change of point of view. It would change from Bryn, to Kiran, to Selid. Oh how angry I was to know that Selid had to die.
Bryn really caught me as very very odd. At first, I thought she was crazy because of her chasing the thistledown. Then it made more sense later on. I like that she's really really quite and endures Clea's words then goes out on her later on. She falls for things quite easily and in some ways she reminds me of myself. She is very kind and loving towards people and animals alike. She doesn't care what people say about her but she despises it when people talk about her friends. She's even gained a lot of guts throughout the book towards the end. There was just something about Bryn, just the way she acted and treated everything. She had an innocence about her, there were things she didn't know and didn't understand. She knew nothing of manners or eloquence. She wore filthy rags and did innocent things without a care in the world. Being the daughter of a stonecutter really caused flame to go her way, and despite how much she went through, she hung on.
Clea really ticks me off, she's just some stuck up, spoiled, rich kid and people like that just really want me to rip their heads off. She thinks she can walk all over people and just because she's with the feathers doesn't mean she can be such a jerk. I really wish Bryn had done something to her in the beginning of the book when she first met her but I was quite content with Clea getting cursed by her own feather. She honestly didn't even deserve getting the vulture's feather. Why would someone like her get a feather that has too much power for her own good? She always ganged up on Bryn and her friend Dawn. She had lured Bryn to believe that she really wanted a friend and wanted to show Bryn her feather. Bryn of course, fell for it, although she was skeptical at first. Then when Bryn laid eyes on the feather, Clea curse Bryn. I really don't like her. If she was real, I would avoid her in an instant or constantly fight with her.
There were constant similes that described how the thistledown reacted when Bryn would follow them. For example, "This plume shown through the cold as though from within by silvery fire." The constant use of the similes kept me into the book despite how tempting it was to put the book down.
It's just a good book all together and I recommend that if you want a book that is different from most fantasy then this book is the one for you. But it's not the best one, just letting you know.
I have to say, I was really close to putting the book down in the middle of it because it didn't really seem to spark anything and the story-line didn't seem to be going anywhere. I'm glad I didn't put the book down because I actually really liked it towards the ending of the book. It could've used more dialogue and more action. The fact that a bird's feather gave power was an interesting thing and I thought it was a good change to a fantasy book. I especially liked the feather of the black swan. The fact that there were pagan gods, that brought the interest down a little but it was surprising how good this book was, it's not the best book but it is good. The detail was amazing though, I have to say. I thought so at least. I don't usually pay attention to the detail like I do to the dialogue and I always end up skipping detail but I wanted to go through it word by word so I didn't miss any important detail. The only thing I wasn't really happy about was the change of point of view. It would change from Bryn, to Kiran, to Selid. Oh how angry I was to know that Selid had to die.
Bryn really caught me as very very odd. At first, I thought she was crazy because of her chasing the thistledown. Then it made more sense later on. I like that she's really really quite and endures Clea's words then goes out on her later on. She falls for things quite easily and in some ways she reminds me of myself. She is very kind and loving towards people and animals alike. She doesn't care what people say about her but she despises it when people talk about her friends. She's even gained a lot of guts throughout the book towards the end. There was just something about Bryn, just the way she acted and treated everything. She had an innocence about her, there were things she didn't know and didn't understand. She knew nothing of manners or eloquence. She wore filthy rags and did innocent things without a care in the world. Being the daughter of a stonecutter really caused flame to go her way, and despite how much she went through, she hung on.
Clea really ticks me off, she's just some stuck up, spoiled, rich kid and people like that just really want me to rip their heads off. She thinks she can walk all over people and just because she's with the feathers doesn't mean she can be such a jerk. I really wish Bryn had done something to her in the beginning of the book when she first met her but I was quite content with Clea getting cursed by her own feather. She honestly didn't even deserve getting the vulture's feather. Why would someone like her get a feather that has too much power for her own good? She always ganged up on Bryn and her friend Dawn. She had lured Bryn to believe that she really wanted a friend and wanted to show Bryn her feather. Bryn of course, fell for it, although she was skeptical at first. Then when Bryn laid eyes on the feather, Clea curse Bryn. I really don't like her. If she was real, I would avoid her in an instant or constantly fight with her.
There were constant similes that described how the thistledown reacted when Bryn would follow them. For example, "This plume shown through the cold as though from within by silvery fire." The constant use of the similes kept me into the book despite how tempting it was to put the book down.
It's just a good book all together and I recommend that if you want a book that is different from most fantasy then this book is the one for you. But it's not the best one, just letting you know.
May 18, 2010
Light of the Oracle was not at all what I thought it would be. I didn't really like the plot. The whole idea of her being in danger just doesn't sound good.You don't get to know Brynn enough to like her. The author doesn't dig deep enough into her characters. While I was reading the book I was struggling to keep continuing. It's just strange that she is gifted by the wind. Okay I don't really get that. How can you be gifted by the wind or some bird like the other characters. The book is too short and lacks content. The storyline is okay, but it needs work.
August 29, 2011
I have read the other two books in the series and enjoyed then so I was anticipating this book, but it was such a disappointment. Several times I just wanted to close the book and forget finishing it. So many of the characters were just cruel, including all but one adult! So many things were unexplained and names were mentioned near the end of the book that felt like they should be significant and yet they were not really talked about. The ending seemed abrupt.
June 6, 2008
I did enjoy this book, the story however did move too fast and I didn't feel like the action/conflict was truly developed. I liked the concept of these people being able to predict the future based on talents given them by their 'patron' bird. Good ideas and interesting characters, I just felt like it ended right when it got interesting.
July 22, 2009
Didn't enjoy this one as much as the other two "companion books," because her formula was evident by this time, and I wanted to learn more about this world, and less about petty, horribly selfish troublemakers who happen to have positions of authority. Glad I read it, but don't know if it's a re-read.
November 11, 2013
The first book "Seer and the Sword" was definitely the best of this series. It was just more fun, and the characters were more developed. Her sentences are often short, and not very descriptive; more narrative maybe. She's maybe more of a story teller, and this was a creative one too. Enjoyable evening read.
October 11, 2015
Poor misfit girl with the power to see the future gets chosen to live in the place where the oracles are trained. She struggles against bullies, evil magic, and discouragement. She makes friends who help her to discover an evil plot and they work together to defeat the bad guys. She finds a special bond with one of the other students.
No swearing, no sex, a bit of violence.
No swearing, no sex, a bit of violence.
May 16, 2022
A fun remix of many of the same tropes from the second book. I would happily reread it and recommend it to anyone looking for easy clean fantasy.
July 24, 2017
"You believe I would leave you? Forget you because you're afraid?"
A solid 3.9 stars.
Honestly, I read this book because I did not have my copy of The Seer and the Sword yet, and I desperately wanted to read that one. I found this copy in a local used bookstore and immediately jumped on it. I knew it was a companion novel that could stand by itself set in the same world, and that's all that mattered.
Now I wanted to give this book a 4 star rating, but the reason I couldn't was because of the constant viewpoint change. However, don't let that deter you from reading this. I realize that the early 2000s and before were a time when the omniscient third person writing style was significantly more popular, so I cannot fault it for that. This comes purely from a personal preference. The viewpoint change is not necessarily annoying, but I feel like it slightly takes away from a more solid story.
Not that this story was not solid. It was very nostalgic. It reminded me of what fantasy used to be like before it became pockmarked with love triangles and strange urban settings. It felt classic and different. I am appalled at myself for not reading this when I was younger.
Bryn is the main character. She's weak and poor, but powerful. I ended up liking her. In fact, I ended up liking all the side characters to a point. Even the villain I hated so much, though I do wish that the motive was fleshed out a lot more.
I do have to say that I ended up loving a minor character and her husband the best in terms of relationship. You barely see Selid except in visions and sometimes in real life, her time leading up to her marriage is only hinted at. You never see the relationship actually grow to that point, but somehow it was written in a way that made me love them so much. I didn't care that I didn't know how they met, only how they acted in the present.
You can say this book is a little loose when it comes to a tighter story, but the relationships made the deal for me. The lore was interesting, yes, but how they used everything to affect one another made this read worth while.
February 28, 2022
The Light of the Oracle takes place around the same time as the second book, The Healer's Keep. However, it’s set in a different part of the world with completely knew characters. There are only occasional mentions that make you realise how it’s linked to the story in book 2.
Changing the setting and characters worked well. I enjoyed this much more that The Healer's Keep. Bryn is likeable and the story mainly focuses on her and with some leading characters. This allows for different perspectives in the narration, but it doesn’t feel and disjointed as the book before. It reads very much like The Seer and the Sword (book 1) which I enjoyed so much when I was young.
I read this book in a day and while the ending felt a little rushed, I thought the overall story worked.
Changing the setting and characters worked well. I enjoyed this much more that The Healer's Keep. Bryn is likeable and the story mainly focuses on her and with some leading characters. This allows for different perspectives in the narration, but it doesn’t feel and disjointed as the book before. It reads very much like The Seer and the Sword (book 1) which I enjoyed so much when I was young.
I read this book in a day and while the ending felt a little rushed, I thought the overall story worked.
August 18, 2019
I have loved this book for about six years now. Honestly, one of my favorite books because I didn't find the tropes that I hate (Mary Sue, no development, everything gets resolved super quickly). Yes, she gets chosen by the wind but for literally like half of the book, she isn't able to utilize that power. I like the shifts she goes through. As a kid, I really related and liked her and now the book is still great and nostalgic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2019
This book wasn’t as good as Seer and the Sword in my opinion. This one seemed to drag on a bit for a good chinch of the book - it just wasn’t as strong in writing but I loved the idea of ABANYA - inner landscape - inner barrier and dream body. I wish this was more central and more developed. I like that the main character was wind chosen instead of bird chosen like the rest but that also could have been more developed. More depth needed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2019
While I liked that the author finally managed to simplify the story structure and lessen the amount of POVs I didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous two. Maybe in part because I thought there would be a bigger relationship to the first novels. The whole school thing is done a second time and even more like Harry Potter than the last novel and the characters aren't as interesting. Overall, I mostly read it to finish the series.
March 12, 2020
I first read this book when I was in middle school, I remembered enjoying it so I picked it up at the library again. I enjoyed it just as much as the first time I read it; perhaps more. Hanley is really great with descriptive language and world building. I loved the concept of the birds choosing prophets. The plot itself was very solid and Hanley kept on track--no unnecessary subplots. It was very straight forward and fast paced.
December 27, 2020
What a wonderful couple of hours I spent reading this book. I loved Kiran and Bryn. The pacing was just right, the atmosphere so evocative. The passing of the seasons created an effective and vivid backdrop for the development of the story. I was reminded at times of Ursula LeGuin's The Tombs of Atuan, Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion, and Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl. Lovely in every way.
July 15, 2025
I feel like this novel could have been read independently of the other 2 in this trilogy. it only mentioned the other books 2 times and it was like a small mention of things that happened in the 2nd book. I enjoyed the story and this was a faster read for me. I wish all the bullying could have been overcame in this book. its a good read though.
April 22, 2022
Ever since I read this book it has stuck with me through my life I have always cherished this book iv tried to find a copy of it but never was able too I recommend you read this book because it changed my life and I haven’t been the same since
January 5, 2025
Rereading this novel I used to love as a teenager and I am still fond of it - especially all the birds and their gifts! - though the characters are not as three dimensional as some other YA fantasy novels. I could’ve stayed longer in the dreamscapes too.
October 19, 2025
I really enjoyed it! I read this a long time ago and It was very satisfying to combine those tiny bits from my memory with the whole story! I def started and finished it tonight and hopefully won't be too tired tomorrow morning 😆
August 30, 2022
This is my ultimate comfort book. I've been reading and re-reading it since I was about 16. I'm 32 now.
November 14, 2022
Although in the same world as two of her other books, this one can be read independently. It's smart with very likeable good characters and very unlikeable bad ones.
June 26, 2024
I read this book as a child and was totally obsessed with it, so I wanted to offer what thanks I could now as an adult in the form of a glowing review.
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