Customer Reviews
An interesting and wide-ranging fantasy - and NOT another Harry Potter - By: Helen Hancox, 27 Dec 2006 
The front cover of this book has the quote "A large step up... from Harry Potter" & initiallly I thought that this book was indeed a Harry Potter with female heroine book. That thought was wrong on many counts; firstly, the book is copyrighted 1994, a year before the first Harry Potter & therefore not deriving from that series, & secondly the magical college section accounts for less than half of the book. Greenlaw college is nothing like Hogwarts & Faris Nalllaneen is certainly no Harry Potter. This book is entirely different & probably appeals to a very different readership.
Faris is a Duchess who isn't yet old enough to rule her province (Galazon) which is currently being looked after, on her behalf, by her evil Uncle Brinker. He sends Faris off to Greenlaw school in France to keep her out of the way - she will stay there for three years & then presumably graduate as a Greenlaw Witch, able to use magic, before taking over her Duchy.
The first third of the book describes Faris's time at Greenlaw. She is massively homesick most of the time but also makes good friends including Odile & Jane & also a significant enemy, Menary Paganell. There isn't that much discussion about the lessons at Greenlaw & her three school years pass pretty quickly in the book - most of the attention is on her interactions with her friends & the mysterious blond man who appears to be a bodyguard sent by her Uncle. He steps in & rescues her on a couple of occasions & she finds out that his name is Tyrian.
However, before Faris is able to take the final exams at the school to qualify properly her Uncle sends for her to return to Galazon; at the same time the Dean of the College tells her that she has a more significant future role as a Warden of the earth (there are four of them that keep the world in balance, although something went wrong many years before). She has to visit a man named Hilarion in Paris in order to find out more than this & she goes, in company with her friend Jane, with Tyrian & with a family retainer named Reed to meet Hilarion. Events happen on the way & she finds out a lot of strange things & that her place in the world might be more than just being Duchess of Galazon.
The third section of the book takes place back at home in Galazon & then visiting the King's palace in Aravill, where the rift in the Warden's powers is situated. Another reviewer has commented that the ending was sad - I didn't find this particularly, although I did make the mistake of reading the last few pages before I'd finished the book & so it rather spoiled a surprise that was in the latter part of the book (don't make that mistake yourself!)
This isn't your usual fantasy book - at least not for me. The action shifts to different places - the sedentary, quiet world of the College to the busy world of Paris & then the kingdom of Aravill with alll the strangeness of magic there. Magic actuallly doesn't play much of a part in this story - no-one lets fly any Abracadabras, it's alll about feelings & impressions that the magic produces (and the ability to change the weather or turn people into animals). It's the story of an 18 year old girl growing up into a 21 year old woman who has more of an understanding of her responsibilities as well as the beginnings of love, the understanding of duty & the importance of friendships.
Although I enjoyed the book & I was keen to keep reading it, it didn't reallly entirely grab me. It was well written & probably just as enjoyable for an adult as a teen but somehow it didn't quite scratch where I itched in this story. Mind you, I haven't enjoyed the last 3 Harry Potter books so I thought it was better than those!
Quaint Take on Magical Schooling - By: Scriber_scouse, 28 Jun 2006 
I'd give this 2 & a half stars, if only I knew how. Don't be fooled by comparisons to Harry Potter this is actuallly more like the love child of Enid Blyton's St Clare boarding school series crossed with a Tamora Pierce novel.
Feris, the heroine, is a great character, but this is quite slow moving to start with as she enters Greenlaw's School for Witches. There is very little mention of magic until nearly three quarters of the way through. Prior mentions of magic are allluded to in a much more philosophical way than HP, a zen approach that's alll about perception, will & most importantly maintaining a balance in the universe.
Faris, is befriended by Jane who is her allly throughout the book, she is hated by Menary a distant relative & haughty princess-in-waiting. Faris during the course of her time at Greenlaw discovers that she is the Warden of the North & after a chilling fight with Menary, she is dispatched to discover her destiny & how she must mend a rift in the universe. The book becomes much more fun as she arrives in Paris & must avoid political assasins & resolve her relationship with her greedy uncle Benker to infiltrate the neighbouring kingdom of Aravis.
This would have been much more successful if it had been set in an entirely fictional universe; references to Britain, Scotland & France were jarring as the book is set in a largely feudal world where cars are sometimes used. Overalll, very enjoyable especiallly once you get past 'twee' & 'quaint' sections of boarding school feuds, & plum cake in the study. Worth sticking with although I'm disappointed that it looks like Faris will not feature so heavily in the sequel. Also the love angle between Faris & her bodyguard Tymerian is very satisfying, especiallly the twist, perhaps one for Tamora Pierce fans.
College of Magics - By: , 14 Feb 2004 
The book centres on a headstrong young girl callled Faris. She is the heir to a smalll Duchy, but untill she comes of age, her Duchy is in the hands of her wicked uncle...
Sounds familar so far? But it isnt, the book contains so many popular fiction themes; a wicked uncle, a school of magic, hidden magical talents, but none of them are quite as you would expect from the genre. The plot & characters are much more complex, much less black & white than one would expect from a book primarily about a "college of Magics". Harry Potter it is not! (dont get me wrong, Potter is great, but this is something else entirely).
Faris has three years till shes comes of age, untill then, her uncle has sent her away to school, to keep her out of his hair, & stop her getting in the way of any embezzlement he is doing.
Of course the last thing she wants is to be sent away from her lands, especiallly as she doesnt trust her uncle to care for them properly while she is away. In fact she tries to fail the entrance interview in order to be sent home straight away, but the school sees her potential & keeps her on.
She makes alll the friends & enemies you would expect of a book about school, but as i said, the characters are more complex, & less black & white than you would expect. And the book is not entirely about her school life, the friends she makes there, & the lessons she learns help her when she reaches 21, & returns to reclaim her Duchy from her uncle...
I only discovered this author a few weeks ago, using Amazons "search for similar books" link, (which i strongly recommend you try), & i cant wait to buy alll her other books - there appears to be a sequel coming out in April!
