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| Cyndere's Midnight: A Novel (The Auralia Thread) | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 6 reviews)
Sales Rank: 75684
Category: Book
Author: Jeffrey Overstreet
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Studio: WaterBrook Press
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
Label: WaterBrook Press
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 1400072530
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781400072538
ASIN: 1400072530
Publication Date: September 16, 2008
Release Date: September 16, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
When a bloodthirsty beastman discovers Auralia?s colors, his conscience awakens. When the heiress of a powerful kingdom risks everything to help him, their lives--and the lives of a kingdom--hang in the balance.
?Cyndere walked down to the water to make her daily decision ? whether to turn and go back into House Bel Amica, or to climb old Stairway Rock and throw herself into the sea??
In Cyndere?s Midnight, the power of Auralia?s colors brings together a bloodthirsty beastman and a grieving widow in a most unlikely relationship? one that not only will change their lives, but could also impact the four kingdoms of The Expanse forever.
Jordam is one of four ferocious brothers from the clan of cursed beastmen. But he is unique: The glory of Auralia?s colors has enchanted him, awakening a noble conscience that clashes with his vicious appetites.
Cyndere, heiress to a great ruling house, and her husband Deuneroi share a dream of helping the beastmen. But when Deuneroi is killed by the very people he sought to help, Cyndere risks her life and reputation to reach out to Jordam. Beside a mysterious well?an apparent source of Auralia?s colors?a beauty and a beast form a cautious bond. Will Jordam be overcome by the dark impulse of his curse, or stand against his brothers to defend House Abascar?s survivors from a deadly assault?
Critics hailed Jeffrey Overstreet?s first fantasy novel, Auralia?s Colors, as ?exceptionally well crafted,? ?beautiful,? and ?masterfully told.? Now he continues weaving this fantastic tapestry with an enchanting fairy tale for ambitious imaginations of all ages.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
Yet Another Well Crafted Narrative November 6, 2008
With his second novel author Jeffrey Overstreet once again weaves a compelling narrative into The Auralia Thread series. From page one Overstreet grabs your attention and once again sucks you back into The Expanse. And once again we are treated to some vivid language with one opening scene that is absolutely amazing. It doesn't quite reach the poetic flow that Auralia's Colors had yet it is still a well crafted work. In some ways it's even more of an achievement as it juggles several narratives the cross in interesting and meaningful ways. And the new cast of characters are in some ways even more compelling and mysterious than those in Auralia's Colors. Of the two Auralia's Colors is still my favorite but Cyndere's Midnight provides the more interesting story.
Gorgeous Writing and Fascinating Characters and Story... October 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
With "Auralia's Colors," Overstreet introduced an expansive and vast world with lush language and a huge cast of characters that were juggled nicely for a premiere novel. In "Cyndere's Midnight," Overstreet's great writing has only gotten better, with a larger cast of characters that are handled more effectively than in the previous book, a deeper delving into the world of Abascar, and a pretty fast moving storyline with plenty of classic bloody fantasy action. There's romance, lust, betrayal, magic, evil, and a powerful sense of good. It's an engaging read from start to finish.
There's several different plotlines that make up the story of the book - the central one being a well-rendered classic beauty and the beast tale, of a beastman named Jordam who awakens from the beastmen's eternal ravenous walking slumber, thanks to Auralia's Colors, and meets Cyndere, the heiress who is determined to bring back the Cent Regus house from the deep dark pit into which "The Essence" flung them.
The novel also follows a storyline from the perspective of The Four Brothers (beastmen)- Mordafey, Jorn, Goreth, and Jordam, who want to make a deal with the Cent Regus monsters so they can take over House Abascar and steal all their treasures. Often in fantasy novels, when the writer chooses to write from the perspective of the "bad guys," it's done cheaply, where the author merely imprints human characteristics directly onto a beast. But Overstreet shows more attention to detail than this; the way the beastmen speak and the way they act, and their very attitude, are much more than simply the opposite of humans - they're their own twisted and scarred race.
There's of course several other small characters spatted through the lot, the more prominent of them being Captain Ryllion, a soldier at Tillianpurth who is willing to do anything to kill the beastmen once and for all; Emerienne, one of Cyndere's handmaidens and her closest friend; and Pretor Xa, a Seer from Bel Amica with mysterious intentions and a creepily confident always-there grin. And this just scratches the surface. With "Cyndere's Midnight," Overstreet has overcome the problem that the first book encountered, where the language took over the characters and detached the reader from the story slightly.
Now, the characters and the language dance together, one rarely overtaking the other, usually balancing out perfectly. When the story is written from the perspective of Jordam, the sentences are written with earthy, lushy, violent tones, appropriate to a beastman, but when we get the perspective of Cyndere, the language is appropriate to that of royalty - Cal-Raven's perspective usually has a strong tone of pride in House Abascar and a sincere desire to do what's right - all these different perspectives balance out in a story that takes the reader all around the Great Expanse, and though it's not unpredictable or ridiculously inventive, it is an extremely well crafted tale that fascinates and enchants and fulfills the promise that "Auralia's Colors" gave.
Overstreet also threads in dozens of different themes throughout the book, from the obvious beauty and the beast theme to others like finding your calling, the power and danger of human reason and pride, the need to trust in something greater than yourself, and the important task of the stronger needing to help the weak, regardless of personal danger or loss. It undergirds the whole story with strong morality that will cause readers to become thoroughly involved in the large and seemingless endless Expanse. The morality also firmly entrenches "Cyndere's Midnight" in a world that has some very clear rules and some very clear mysteries that readers will want to learn more about as soon as the book is closed, though unfortunately we've got to wait a couple more years till "Cal-Raven's Ladder" comes out. All right, Mr. Overstreet, we're waiting.....
 Overstreet Does it Again October 9, 2008
This book is the Blue Strand of The Auralia Thread series. It is a fantastic continuation of the series. It carries on the tale of Aurelia this time through the Cyndere, the heiress of Bel Amica, the beastman, Jordam, and the ale boy, now called "Rescue." Cent Regus, a morally and physically twisted House (kingdom) is moving to conquer the remnant of House of Abascar and to overthrow the house of Bel Amica. The Keeper, a legendary beast is working in this story to protect those who call on him, but only the simple and the children believe that he exists. The Keeper, of course, is a god figure that has been forgotten or neglected by most of the adults of this world. This book ends with a puzzle: what beastman, besides Jordam is working to help Cyndere. The characters are well-developed and the story is tightly woven. One wonders when reading the book if all our gene splicing and other manipulations of life itself might lead our civilization to a similar end. It is a delight to read such a well-crafted tale. Cyndere's Midnight is a "must have" for those who already have started the series. The story will continue in the Gold Strand, Cal-Raven's Ladder.
This book should be a movie September 29, 2008
but I don't know how the author would feel about that (after seeing the last Narnia film ;)... but in all seriousness, I have lost sleep reading this book. I could not put it down. This is the second of Jeff Overstreet's Auralia's Thread series, and I can only compare it to how "Empire Strikes Back" was to "A New Hope" in the Star Wars films. The characters just feel so much more deeper and more developed.
Jeff, I'm going to make this a movie - live action or animated? Who cares. It needs to be on the silver screen. (or at least on the silver screen in my dreams; but some dreams come true... just kidding... or am I?)
wonderful fantasy September 18, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
To be or not to be is the question that Cyndere asks herself every day at the water's edge. The widow grieves the loss of her spouse Deuneroi. He was more than just her husband; they shared a common dream of trying to help the Beastmen. She struggles to live another day although she is the House of Bel Amica's heiress because she no longer dreams except for leaping off the top of the Stairway Rock. Besides losing her husband, the Beastmen who they wanted to assist killed him in cold blood.
Jordam the Beastman has heard of the enchantment of Auralia's Colors; his cursed tribe especially his three blood thirsty brothers think he is crazy as they hear nothing. To his chagrin, Jordam finds himself thinking of shades of consequences that he and his Beastmen do in their black and white berserker rages. When he meets the grieving Cyndere he sees first hand the impact on a person; adding to his guilt, she wants to help him rather than he her. Still confused, as his siblings prepare to attack the House of Abascar, he must decide whether to help Cyndere defend the place or join his brothers; the former feels foreign but right while the latter feels instinctive but wrong. Either way he chooses to ally himself will impact the kingdoms of The Expanse so that they will never be the same.
The "Blue Strand" sequel to "The Red Strand" thread (of AURALIA'S COLORS) is a wonderful fantasy starring a grieving widow with nothing to live for since her mate and with him their dream, was murdered until she meets Jordam. He gives her a renewal of faith by lifting off the hopelessness that engulfed her; she now has a reason to live. In some ways the confused Jordan is the more fascinating character as his world has changed from that of his siblings; whereas they think in terms of us and them; he understands complex interweaving colors of us, us, and more us. CYNDERE'S MIDNIGHT is an entertaining wonderful fairy tale.
Harriet Klausner
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