can't wait for the next one!

Three and a half to four stars. A little predictable in places and I got a bit annoyed at some of the characters's flip-flopping personalities and thoughts, but apart from that I really enjoyed the story and am excited to get to the final book in the trilogy!

Good book. Can't wait for the last in the series.

Wow wow wow! This trilogy is perfect as a halfway through Shannara listen (aka publication order).

Terry Brooks really did an amazing job with this one. Im excited to jump into the 3rd book of this trilogy, because the tension! The stress! The real stakes!

I love the stakes. This is one of the few Shannara books with like.... MAJOR stakes and I'm excited for the third and final entry in The Genesis of Shannara.

I'm sorry, dear mommy, but I just can't like these books. The characters and plot are interesting but the author just fills up space by saying the same thing over and over again. Each character has the same exact thoughts. "Can I do it? Can I fulfill my destiny? I am weak. I can't do it. I know I did it before. I felt the power. I have the power. I can do it! I'm strong! yay! Wait, I don't think I can do it." Arrrrgh! All 4 main characters have these thoughts every 5 seconds as they travel, travel, travel. Through the barren land. The land was barren. It was dead and dusty. And barren. Also, the author doesn't seem to keep track of what he is saying from one sentence to the next. For instance, one character is hurt badly and is covered up with only her face and hands showing. And yet, in the next sentence, another character notices that her clothes have been changed. What? How? And last but worst of all, one elven character calls her brother a nickname. Little K. LITTLE K!!! They are elves! Should they be reminding me of a diet breakfast cereal?!? Every two seconds?!? Do people really say each other's names with every sentence while they are talking? Sadly, I have an obsessive personality and will have to read the third book to see what happens. I like the parts where people are actually doing something but it is just so rare what with all the thinking and traveling.

I really like this series. Since I have read all these books I feel like Brooks repeated some of his themes in the Genesis of Shannara series. Several things that happen in this series also occur in the other Shannara books. Still they were very enjoyable.

This is the second book in the Genesis of Shannara series so expect spoilers if you have not read the first, Armageddon's Children, which I reviewed here. The second thing to note is that I am not a previous fan of the Shannara series. When I first attempted to read it, I gave up due to boredom. My brother told me this series was really good, so I'm working my way through with an eye on possibly attempting the original Shannara books again.

The Elves of Cintra jumps right in where Armageddon's Children left off, with the various groups all coming together and separating in new and interesting ways to pursue their now clear-ish quests. Logan Tom, now with the Ghosts, is searching for Hawk, with the once-men hot on their trail. Meanwhile, Hawk awakens in the presence of a magical being who cryptically explains his new status as the gypsy morph and his destiny to save everyone by taking them to the promised land. The elves Kirisin and Erisha, now joined by Kirisin's sister Simralin, are still seeking the elfstones and trying to convince Erisha's father, the king of the importance of their mission to move the Ellcrys to a safe location. They are aided by an old historian elf named Culph and they are joined by Angel Perez and her fae conscience, Ailie. Angel is still pursued by the demon Delloreen, now fully transformed into a wolf-lizard creature.

The previous book spent a lot of time introducing the characters and giving them all backstories that made it clear that every human had suffered horrible childhoods that have led them to their currently place in this dystopian world of mutation and violence. They are all survivors in their own way. At the end of the last book, everyone has been set on the quests mentioned above so now, we are reading about how they survive the various pitfalls they meet along the way. Despite the efforts made to define the characters, I have not yet come to care about many of them. The ones that died in this book were not overly memorable and I can't say a I felt like their friends' reactions to their deaths were well written enough for me to feel their loss.

A new character was introduced, Catalya, and she alone is the bright spark in the series. A survivor just like the others, she actually doesn't get one of the melodramatic backstories. Her actions and personality in the face of danger and contempt make up for that loss and easily make her a favourite. When she teams up with one of the Ghosts on a rescue mission, things perked up a bit, but that part of the story continues in the sequel.

But what about the elves? The title implies that this is their story and their quest to find the elfstones and the Loden certainly seems important. But Erisha, Kirisin and Simralen are so unmemorable. Some of the elves they deal with on their journey are quite interesting, but they are not around nearly long enough.

I previously listened to the audiobook, but chose to read the hardcover to see if it affected my judgment. I can conclude that listening to an audiobook would definitely have made the tedium more tolerable, however, it's much easier to skim over pages when actually reading. The Elves of Cintra did not impress me enough to care about the future of Shannara, but I'm still just interested enough to at least find out how this trilogy ends. Eventually.

Terry Brooks has been one of my favorite authors since the sixth grade, when I was first given a copy of "The Sword of Shannara" for Christmas. I've always enjoyed his books and been drawn in by his deep themes, dynamic characters, and unique way of looking at things. The Elves of Cintra was no different.

This is a continuation of Armageddon's Children, Brooks's post-apocalyptic story of a world destroyed by mankind's greed and inaction. But what makes it unique isn't the dystopian aspect, but the fact that this destruction is spurred on by a deeper evil, by demonic forces that mankind has given into and that is intent on destroying everything. The mix of science fiction and high fantasy is an unusual one that takes some adjustment, but I think Brooks pulls it off fantastically. And, although it's a sort of prequel to his first Shannara books and sequels to the Word & Void trilogy, it ties everything together magnificently as well.

My only complaint is that I would have liked to get deeper into the mind of the major antagonist, Findo Gask. As in the Shannara books Antrax and Morgawr, getting into the minds of inhuman bad guys is one of Brooks's fortes, but I found it somewhat lacking in this series. He has created many characters who are just plain evil with no motivation other than that's what they are, but it was hinted at that Findo Gask was a bit deeper and more complex, which I would have liked to explore some.

Overall, however, it was a great book, as always. I always expect great reads from Mr. Brooks and have yet to be disappointed.

I very much enjoyed Elves of Cingra as a followup to Armeggedens Children. It picks up the story of Hawk, twoKnights of theWord and Kirisin, an elf and chosen of the tree that protects the elves. It is in danger though and Kirisin needs to find the elf stones in order to save it. Theses threads are woven together against the backdrop of the detestation of the world Blythe demons and once men. We haven't quite made the transition into the fantasy realm that is Shanarra but can see it forming and that is exciting. I have already picked up book 3, the Gypsy Morph, and look forward to reading on as the world of Shanarra forms.