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Spellbound #2
The Conjurer Princess
A young princess, Lylene apprentices herself to a wizard in order to gain the power to rescue her older sister, kidnapped during her wedding by armed knights, and, armed with her new magic, she joins forces with a couple of handsome outlaw companions as she embarks on her quest. Original.
229 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1997
1 person is currently reading
453 people want to read
About the author
Vivian Vande Velde
51 books995 followersVivian Vande Velde (born 1951, currently residing in Rochester, New York) is an American author who writes books primarily aimed at young adults.
Her novels and short story collections usually have some element of horror or fantasy, but are primarily humorous. Her book Never Trust a Dead Man (1999) received the 2000 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. She says that she really likes to write for children. She likes to do school talks to children. She does many book conventions and also gives writing classes.
Her novels and short story collections usually have some element of horror or fantasy, but are primarily humorous. Her book Never Trust a Dead Man (1999) received the 2000 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. She says that she really likes to write for children. She likes to do school talks to children. She does many book conventions and also gives writing classes.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 4, 2022
Fast paced story. I like the three main characters. I'll need to read the first book now!
August 23, 2008
Lylene's life changes when at her sister Beryl's wedding, the groom is killed and Beryl is kidnapped by another man. Desperate and worried about her sister, Lylene appeals to all she can for help but is turned down. Finally she seeks out a wizard and asks to learn magic in order to save her sister. She gets what she wants - but for a price she didn't realise she had to pay. Eventually she finds herself in the company of a couple of mercenaries who agree to help her. I thought the premise for the book was a good one but it wasn't fleshed out as well as I had hoped. The writing felt very rushed and seemed to hop from one frantic scene after another with not much time for relationship building, although there is something there. It felt too short. Not my favorite of Velde's works (surprised me, I usually like whatever she writes).
June 6, 2018
It's not bad but it's not good either. As a fan of Heir Apparent you can see this as a stepping stone for Velde flexing her writing muscles and refining her talent. It's a clunky new author's first attempts at a fantasy novel and it reads as such. It has all the hallmarks of a fantasy great but none of the delivery. It reads almost like a template or guideline for a book that someone is planning to write. The story is fine, it makes sense but I didn't like the way it was told, the ending was abrupt and the characters were more of a tell not show scenario. All in all, I wouldn't recommend this even to a fan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2022
LOL this book is WILD. Clearly one of VVV's early pieces and it's ROUGH. But kind of charming in how ROUGH it is. Protag is selfishly stealing years off of everyone around her and is never really reprimanded for it...? Weird amount of sexual content and it kept throwing me that they were referring to Weiland as "nordic" even though I was p sure this was all taking place in generic fantasy land. There's a late scene "twist" that I didn't see coming and had me spitting out my tea with how much I was not prepared for THAT to happen. Enjoyable in the way that B-movies are fun. Kind of a mess, but a charming mess.
September 15, 2017
Good book. I enjoyed it considerably more than The Changeling Prince, up until . I really liked the dynamic between Lylene and Shile, and of course Weiland was close to him, too, so that made me pretty sad. Bummer, man.
Beyond that, however, the ending portion really wrapped up very quickly, as well, and Weiland warmed up to Lylene almost randomly, it seemed, given how wary he was of her up until that point.
Beyond that, however, the ending portion really wrapped up very quickly, as well, and Weiland warmed up to Lylene almost randomly, it seemed, given how wary he was of her up until that point.
June 11, 2019
YES YES YES!
on the minus side i think this means I've read every VVV book that isn't explicitly for 8 year olds
on the plus side this is one of the only series with multiple in-universe books, and while I am going to have to imagine a lot of hasty fanfic, I really appreciated the chance to return to the characters from The Changeling Prince, and also the chance to binge read a lovely, sensible, high fantasy adventure in a single afternoon/evening
on the minus side i think this means I've read every VVV book that isn't explicitly for 8 year olds
on the plus side this is one of the only series with multiple in-universe books, and while I am going to have to imagine a lot of hasty fanfic, I really appreciated the chance to return to the characters from The Changeling Prince, and also the chance to binge read a lovely, sensible, high fantasy adventure in a single afternoon/evening
May 8, 2018
Exactly what I've been expecting of this wonderful author - a short novel with handsome boys, and an incompetent (read: relatable) protagonist.
No, I really like the easy writing style, the jokes, the characters. It's not deep, it's not even a particularly good story, not original or anything. But it's entertaining and that's all I want.
I'm extremely mad about Shile though.
No, I really like the easy writing style, the jokes, the characters. It's not deep, it's not even a particularly good story, not original or anything. But it's entertaining and that's all I want.
I'm extremely mad about Shile though.
February 9, 2016
The story takes place in a knights/castles type of environment, but with magic.). Beryl is the older sister, Lylene the younger one (and the main character.) Beryl is known as “the pretty one,” Lylene “the sensible one.”
One day a man named Randal is marrying Beryl when he's shot with an arrow. The invaders capture Beryl and kill a bunch of people at the wedding.
Lylene goes to study with a wizard to learn magic. In an event somewhat similar to Howl's Castle, Lylene is changed into a seventy-year-old woman when she is initiated into the magic. She can become younger by causing others to become older.
She learns that the magical ability she picked up, the ability to duplicate things, has problems of its own and these lead her to almost being killed in a bar fight. She's rescued by two men, Shile and Weiland, who are mercenaries.
She wants to rescue her sister from the man who took her, Theron. It's not going to be an easy task, though. Lylene still needs to become younger by causing others to become older. She needs to learn more about her ability to duplicate things. She also needs to learn how to manage to keep going when the body count from the battles she is in starts to rise.
It's a good story with an unexpected twist that throws everything into confusion. It's also not a happy story, considering the treachery and the number of people who die, but it's still a strong story with each character being drawn well.
One day a man named Randal is marrying Beryl when he's shot with an arrow. The invaders capture Beryl and kill a bunch of people at the wedding.
Lylene goes to study with a wizard to learn magic. In an event somewhat similar to Howl's Castle, Lylene is changed into a seventy-year-old woman when she is initiated into the magic. She can become younger by causing others to become older.
She learns that the magical ability she picked up, the ability to duplicate things, has problems of its own and these lead her to almost being killed in a bar fight. She's rescued by two men, Shile and Weiland, who are mercenaries.
She wants to rescue her sister from the man who took her, Theron. It's not going to be an easy task, though. Lylene still needs to become younger by causing others to become older. She needs to learn more about her ability to duplicate things. She also needs to learn how to manage to keep going when the body count from the battles she is in starts to rise.
It's a good story with an unexpected twist that throws everything into confusion. It's also not a happy story, considering the treachery and the number of people who die, but it's still a strong story with each character being drawn well.
November 28, 2009
Meh, I wasn't so interested in this one. Vivian writes in an easy way that keeps you reading, but I still found myself skipping through quite a bit of the first half because nothing interesting was happening unless it was descriptions. I guess it was an OK read, some people will probably still enjoy the book because it is a quick read, it doesn't go in-depth too much, and it fits the fantasy setting.
*spoiler*
My biggest grip was the death of one of the characters. It wasn't so much how he died but later on the reader was told that his death wasn't really all that necessary. If felt very much like a brush off. He died, oh he didn't have to... oh well, next scene! There's better ways of writing a characters death, even if it wasn't "necessary" but it still happened because of life, there's still a way of writing it so the reader doesn't feel like they were unappreciated.
*spoiler*
My biggest grip was the death of one of the characters. It wasn't so much how he died but later on the reader was told that his death wasn't really all that necessary. If felt very much like a brush off. He died, oh he didn't have to... oh well, next scene! There's better ways of writing a characters death, even if it wasn't "necessary" but it still happened because of life, there's still a way of writing it so the reader doesn't feel like they were unappreciated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2012
I did enjoy The Conjurer Princess, but... I find it strangely hard to remember. I don't know if it's because I was ridiculously busy while I was reading it, or if there's something just unremarkable about this particular story, but it's not all that memorable.
I will say that it wasn't what I expected. I read the first chapter and thought I had the plot figured out, but it didn't do what I thought it would, and it still worked. The characters weren't fantastic, but weren't awful.
Sometimes the writing was confusing, and I had to reread several pages several times before I finally understood. Again, I don't know if this is because I've had other things on my mind, or if it really is just confusing.
Basically, it's a cool fantasy adventure, but there's nothing all that special about it.
I will say that it wasn't what I expected. I read the first chapter and thought I had the plot figured out, but it didn't do what I thought it would, and it still worked. The characters weren't fantastic, but weren't awful.
Sometimes the writing was confusing, and I had to reread several pages several times before I finally understood. Again, I don't know if this is because I've had other things on my mind, or if it really is just confusing.
Basically, it's a cool fantasy adventure, but there's nothing all that special about it.
February 14, 2011
Vande Velde likes to play with irony and moral ambiguity, but the problem with her nihilistic tack is that somewhere in the midst of this novel, nothing seemed to matter anymore. Near the beginning of the book, Lylene receives her wizarding power (note: one crappy power) through something suspiciously like a demonic summoning ritual, and in exchange ages eighty years. She can will away the years onto other people to make herself younger, but what kind of jerk would do that, right? Apparently, the main character. And not on bad guys, no, she wills a few years away to random villagers, shopkeepers and even the mercenaries that help her. The plot seemed very weak in this book, and the characters’ struggles rather pointless, which left me a very unimpressed reader.
June 6, 2009
I don't even remember putting this on my to-read list, but it was waiting with the rest of my books at the library so I went ahead and checked it out. This was just okay for me, and was luckily a pretty short read. The plot idea was pretty good, the execution not so much. It felt like there was too much going on and at the same time not a lot of actual character development. It moved along a bit too quickly. I liked Weiland and Shile much more than I liked Lylene. The "aging" she goes through was odd and I could have done without that. I'll stop complaining, overall just an okay read.
May 2, 2013
spoilers!
I like a lot of this author's work, but this one didn't do anything for me. I'm not a big believer in the-ends-justify-the-means mentality. Lylene was very single-minded in her mission to rescue her sister Beryl, and although she claimed to feel bad about the loss of life (and years) that ensued, she certainly didn't let it stop her. Even if her sister hadn't turned out to be a heartless wench, could any one person justify all the mayhem that was caused?
I like a lot of this author's work, but this one didn't do anything for me. I'm not a big believer in the-ends-justify-the-means mentality. Lylene was very single-minded in her mission to rescue her sister Beryl, and although she claimed to feel bad about the loss of life (and years) that ensued, she certainly didn't let it stop her. Even if her sister hadn't turned out to be a heartless wench, could any one person justify all the mayhem that was caused?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2013
Not the best I read from Velde. Being familiar with her style, the ending was predictable. As a great fan of fantasy, the lack of explanation for the magic in the story was disappointing. A 3/5 just because it's Velde and unlike many other young adult authors, she's not afraid to kill off characters and/or involve a great deal of fighting and blood.
Overall, an ok read if you just want/like stories involving magic, violence and damsel-in-distress.
Overall, an ok read if you just want/like stories involving magic, violence and damsel-in-distress.
February 22, 2008
Not my favorite VVV book, but a fun and fast read. Apparently there is a prequel to this book called the Changling Prince, but not sure if I'm attached to the characters enough to pick it up. VVV does a great job with action and tension with humor thrown in, so if you have a few hours and like a Medieval romp this is the book for you.
July 13, 2016
It took me a few pages to get into this because the writing felt a little rough. However, I was soon so invested in the adventure and the characters that I didn't notice anymore. I really adore the three main characters. The plot twist is perfect -- I love how Vivian Vande Velde is never afraid to go for the unexpected. This book is a fun (and emotional) ride.
October 26, 2011
I wasn't that there was anything bad in this, but it just wasn't very well written. The "romance" is one sentence in passing and the story wraps up with, "oh well guess she didn't want to after all." I won't be reading the sequel.
March 20, 2015
I felt like there was more to this story that was untold. And I really had a hard time liking any of the characters - loved the twist.
Graded a B.
Graded a B.
July 17, 2010
Odd little book. Woman's sister is kidnapped so she becomes a wizard to save the sister. Adventures with two mercenaries... Good story, interesting twist. Looks like a sequel.
May 14, 2017
reread 6/2010
reread 12/2008
reread 2/2008
reread 12/2008
reread 2/2008
May 27, 2011
Loved it. I just couldn't give it 5 stars after it broke my heart.
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April 14, 20171-5. 1999-2000
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews