The Cup of Morning Shadows

Twelve Treasures #2

by Rosemary Edghill

When Ruth Marlowe finds a job as a librarian in Ippisiqua, New York, she hopes she will be able to put her much too exciting past behind her and settle down to an uneventful, if somewhat lonely, life in a quiet riverside town. But once touched by magic and blessed--or cursed--with the love of an elfin lord, one cannot so easily escape the spell of Elphame. And, discovering a Wild Gate to Elphame in the library's basement, Ruth is certain this is her one and only chance to be reunited with her lost love, Rohannan Melior, High Lord of the House of the Silver Silences.

Once through the Gate, however, Ruth realizes she's been followed by the library director, Nic Brightlaw. With the Gate closed behind them--and a unicorn seemingly waiting to guide them--the two humans have no choice but to search the Morning Lands for Melior.

But their journey will not prove an easy one, for they have entered a realm beset by trouble as all attempts fail to consecrate the Cup of Morning Shadows, one of the Twelve Treasures necessary for the Elphen king's coronation. And then Ruth learns just who is behind the turmoil in Elphame, and she knows that, for her, there is no turning back--for in a land betrayed by humans, only another human has any hope of restoring the rightful balance of the kingdom...

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Elves, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction

317 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1995

About the author

She was born long enough ago to have seen Classic Trek on its first outing and to remember that she once thought Spock Must Die! to be great literature. As she aged, she put aside her fond dreams of taking over for Batman when he retired, and returned to her first love, writing. Her first SF sale (as Eluki Bes Shahar) was the Hellflower series, in which Damon Runyon meets Doc Smith over at the old Bester place. Between books and short stories in every genre but the Western (several dozen so far), she's held the usual selection of odd and part-time writer jobs, including bookstore clerk, secretary, beta tester for computer software, graphic designer, book illustrator, library clerk, and administrative assistant for a non-profit arts organization. She can truthfully state that she once killed vampires for a living, and that without any knowledge of medicine has illustrated half-a-dozen medical textbooks.


Her last name -- despite the efforts of editors, reviewers, publishing houses, her webmaster, and occasionally her own fingers -- is not spelled 'Edgehill'.


Also writes under the name Eluki Bes Shahar.

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first in this series was urban fantasy with a cast of library students in NYC. It was witty and fun. In this book, our characters journey intonthe Elf world. I liked it less. The author knows a lot about historical costuming and weaponry and can go on a bit in some descriptions. Still, it was enjoyable and I will read the last in the series.

[Shaunesay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gah! Characters left in terrible positions, true identities revealed, sacrifices made, and I have some suspicions to see if pan out. A very different story than book one, but also a very different setting. Poor Ruth, she's just in such a tough spot. I'm looking forward to seeing how all the loose ends get tied up. A recommend if you enjoy portal fantasy!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

And now our urban fantasy relocates to Elphame (so is it still urban fantasy?). Moving the story to Chandrakar and other lands along the Road was a logical next step, but the large number of POV characters made it difficult at times to remember who was where, with whom, and what they were after. It didn't help that it'd been a few months since I read The Sword of Maiden's Tears, and I'd forgotten the details of the political situation in Chandrakar, which is useful for understanding what's going on in this book. I enjoyed reading this (fantasy! magic! characters over 30 years old!), but it felt scrambled in parts. Not enough to completely lose the reader, just enough to be annoying. Still, it was fun. Definitely read The Sword of Maiden's Tears before tackling this book, though.

[A.R. Moler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not as good as book 1

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blah. Wooden dialogue (with occasional funny or pithy lines, but not enough), blatant Mary Sue characters, and a plot that's as ludicrous as it is convoluted.

Shifting the setting for this story from New York City (as in the first book) to the land of Faery does not play to this author's strengths. The first book also had most of the flaws listed above, but its more straightforward plot, tighter pace, and sense of humor helped tip the balance in its favor.

[Kelsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

What was a bad idea to start with gets worse with the introduction of holes in the plot that you could drive a semi through.

[MarsianMan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't really have much happen in terms of the series. I guess I was curious enough to keep reading.

[Catsalive · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ★ - http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/8...