Cyndere's Midnight

by Jeffrey Overstreet

Book Overview

In the second book in the Auralia Thread series, 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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400072530
• ISBN13: 9781400072538
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.7" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Second strand in Auralia's Thread series as strong as the first

When your dream is shattered by a murder, how do you cope? Cyndere, heiress to the throne of House Bel Amica, faces that very question. She and her husband, Deuneroi, shared the dream of helping the Beastmen, a murderous people. But when Deuneroi is murdered while on a rescue mission to House Abascar, Cyndere must carry out the dream on her own or give it up all together. But in order to pursue this dream, she must move closer to those she longs to help and deeper into personal danger. Her first contact with a member of the reviled race happens beside a well, in the dead of night. Jordam is a Beastman, tormented by new-found knowledge there is a better way than he's known. Befriended earlier by another female, Auralia, he's discovered that there is peace in beauty. But Auralia is gone and his old agony is back. Without her colors to soothe his turmoil, his thirst for Essence grows. But as his need for the elixir increases, so does his self-loathing and his longing to break free. At the well he sees evidence of Auralia's colors and is reminded of the peace they used to give. He also sees in Cyndere the same pain he himself had carried for so long. Two mortal enemies sharing a common pain. Grief and pain are in abundance throughout the Expanse. King Cal-raven struggles to provide for his people, survivors of the fiery implosion of House Abascar. They must adapt to living in caves in hostile territory with winter rapidly approaching. Their position makes them desirable prey for the Beastmen, especially Mordafey, Jordam's abusive older brother. Treachery as well as self-sacrifice come from unexpected places in this novel. More is revealed about the Keeper, raising even more questions for this reader and keeping me guessing. The ale boy is also back, but has assumed a different, more important role. One strong theme that kept coming back to me was: what kind of impact will you have if you are no longer around? A key character's influence continues to impact key people, influencing major events, because she thought of others, even the outcasts, before herself. Just like in the first book, Auralia's Colors, I found myself drawn into a rich, layered storyworld, because of Jeffery Overstreet's excellent writing. His words flow on the page. Some places the flow slows down to enjoy the beauty on the page. Others the current is rapid, rocky, always vivid as the darker side of life in this imaginary world is exposed. Questions from the first novel are answered, but new ones are raised to take their place. Cyndere's Midnight maintains the excellent standards set down by Jeffery Overstreet in his first novel, Auralia's Colors.

Yet Another Well Crafted Narrative

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...

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 f

This book should be a movie

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?)

A Fresh New Fantasy Voice

House Abascar lies in ruins while Auralia's colors live on. The Beastmen of Cent Regus now roam the land looking to take down any Abascar survivors. In House Bel Amica, Cyndere, heiress to the throne, mourns after hearing the news that her husband was murdered by Beastmen while looking for Abascar survivors. Longing for change and a chance to grieve, Cyndere flees to her childhood retreat. After she arrives Cyndere has a chance encounter with a Beastman named Jordam. She soon realizes that Jordam is different from the other Cent Regus monsters. It seems that he has been changed after being exposed to the beauty of Auralia's colors. Cyndere now has hope that her husband's dream of helping the Beastmen can now become a reality. As Cyndere and Jordam grow closer, a sinister plan comes to light threatening to destroy the remaining members of House Abascar. Thwarted by their loyalty to their own Houses, Cyndere and Jordam must work together to save these innocent lives who have already suffered so much. Jeffrey Overstreet continues to awe and inspire with this second strand of the Auralia Thread. This is fantasy writing at the highest level and every line drips with moving prose and breathtaking description. Overstreet possesses the rare talent that allows him to methodically pace his narrative, all the while keeping the reader hanging on every word. It is impossible to fly through this story and at no time will you want to. Cyndere's Midnight is a beautiful tale laced with themes of love, honor, and justice. Jordam's character is a wonder to behold as he struggles against his dark nature in the fight to embrace all that is right and true. Cyndere's unyielding compassion for her rightful enemy will leave your heart soaring long after the last line. As we journey further into this series, more revelations are brought to light that give the story an added dose of excitement. However, the larger mysteries still linger with promises of revelation in the final two installments. Overstreet also treats us to some intriguing new characters as well as bringing back the favorites from the first book. Yes, even the beloved ale boy is back! If you are looking for a fresh new fantasy voice, then look no further. Jeffrey Overstreet will take you on a wondrous journey unlike anything you have ever experienced.