The Bone Doll's Twin

Tamir Triad, Book 1

By: Lynn Flewelling

Narrated by: Victor Bevine, Lynn Flewelling

Length: 16 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Long ago, during the dark days of the Great War with Pleinmar, King Thelatimos journeyed to the Oracle of the God Illior at Afra to save his warn-torn kingdom. Here he was presented with a prophecy 'So long as a daughter of Thelatimos's line defends and rules, Skala shall never be subjugated.' And that is how the line of queens ruling over Skala was established...

However, as generations went by, the male heirs to the throne became intensely resentful of the prophecy that emasculated their claim to power. Finally Queen Agnalain took the throne and the people of Skala suffered under her erratic and selfish command. Prompted by the people's outcry over this mad queen, her son Prince Erius claimed primogeniture, and seized the throne. Erius's ascent may have pleased the people of Skala, but a faction of the population, one who had not forgotten the prophecy, were worried. Plague, drought and famine spread throughout the kingdom weakening it's defences and offering easy pickings to Skala's old enemy and neighbour, Plenimar.

As people start to recall the Oracle's prophecy, Erius begins to quietly kill off his female relatives who pose the only threat to his monarchy. Constantly in fear for her life, Princess Ariani the King's sister, gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. But Ariani is married to Lord Rhius, the patron of the powerful wizard Iya, and Iya has sinister plans for the babes.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction written and recorded by author Lynn Flewelling.

©2001 Lynn Flewelling (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Loved it!!

This book took me by surprise. It was totally different from everyother fantasy I've ever read. Listen to all 3, it is worth the time and money.

Three book that should have been one

This is a great story that could be abridged into one book nicely, but instead is dragged out over three books with tedious detail. That being said the characters are lovable enough to force you to read to the end. I doubt that this is one that I will read again.

A dark but very compelling story

I really like this book. It starts strong with some macabre story turns, and you almos instantly feel for the protagonist.
The characters are well written and acted, and as the story progresses they get even more interesting.

The world is beliable and feels real, with a lot of personality despite been very mundane for a fantasy setting.

Overall, a great goth drak fantasy story about secret ambitions and sacrifice.

Engaging combination of Epic Fantasy and Horror!

What did you love best about The Bone Doll's Twin?

I loved the unique twists on the traditional Fantasy format. The book had several aspects that separated it from the flock. First, it combined genres. All the fantasy elements we expect were present like; Swords and sorcery, feudal systems, usurpers to the crown, hidden heirs and complex world building. However there were two deviations from the norm. One, was the creepy and dark, emotionally complex ghostly characters that continue to play roles throughout the tale. The other was the gender twist on the main protagonist Since the boy prince was actually a girl hidden in her brother's skin through some horrible magic. These aspects made this far more than a simple tale and led me to love the whole series.

What other book might you compare The Bone Doll's Twin to and why?

Since it crosses so many genres I would have to say it is a mix of Raymond Feist's Riftwar saga (at least in feel and tone) and Anne Rice with dashes of Poe mixed in.

Which character – as performed by Victor Bevine and Lynn Flewelling – was your favorite?

Ki and Lehl were my two favorite characters though Arkonio grew on me as well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

YES! I could not sleep. I had to keep reading and figure out what happened. This author does not spare characters and kills them off occasionally so you never know what will happen. I really enjoyed the relationships between many of the characters. I found them heartwarming and genuine.

Any additional comments?

The narration was excellent. An all around wonderful read. This is a trilogy and this is the first book. Due to the nature of the story they must be read in order.

Gothic Fantasy

I enjoyed the story but there are some caviats to my rating. The author definitely wants you to feel the emotions and growth of the character, Tobin, but I feel there is some lack of development on some of the larger political backgrounds that would make this more believable for some readers.

I'm not sure I toally agree with other reviewers that a major plot hole is to be found with Tobin's mother avoiding the king's assassins all of his other female relatives fall down dead. Some vague allusions are made about the politics and love protecting Tobin's mother, but I didn't really feel convinced. Perhaps if the politics were more clearly explained in this book beyond just vague prophecy, the plot hole would be shored up . Obviously the book has factions in its politics, and they play a very important role in Tobin's life, so I myself would have enjoyed learning more about them.

That said I feel there are some interesting characters in this book that warrant 4 vs 3 stars. It definitely is not a book that is cookie cutter and I'm interested to see some of the other hard decisions that the author forces her characters into.

This book is more focused on the emerging sexuality of Tobin and allowing all other explanations to fall to magic. There are a lot of dark consequences to the decisions made for Tobin at an early age by his guardians that are out of his control and greatly shape who he will become when the magic is removed. This book is not a political drama in a fantasy setting. If you're looking for that, this is probably not the book for you.

Good read with twist and a strange dark twin.

I like this book it was dark, but it keep me on the edge. Hoping that the character would not be discovered, and that her true nature would not put her in hot water with her feelings growing for another and that ghost brother of hers. and finally seeing her true self for who she really is. I don’t like giving the whole story away, However if you have read all the reviews you get the gist of the story anyway.
But you don’t get the in depth details, or real knowledge of the other characters that play into the whole story at large.

As a whole I liked the story but not the end. It just leaves you hanging; so knowing that key point about this book when you buy it. You know that you must purchase the other two books in order to get the full story and the final outcome. I do also like long books you get so much more detail and character development and it is so much more enjoyable if the book is good.

The narration is pretty good by Victor Bevine too so that makes the story flow nicely. I read a lot of books but don’t do many reviews. This being only my second review out of more than two hundred books read on audible.

Companion reread

Loved this book for years, thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. Narration was super well done, fit the story very well. I've switched to audio books for many reasons and have wanted to reread this one for a long while, so this was a great way to experience it in a new way. Lynn Flewelling has been a favourite author of mine for many many years and I am actually kind of excited to take a new journey through her catalog via audio format. Also is super nice to have on while I do work or chores, makes it all easier

Not a bad beginning, but . . .

I hated this series. By the time you're done with it, you feel completely depressed. It is the opposite of entertainment.

The story is unrelentingly grim. I love dark fantasy, and horror/gothic style stories, but this one starts with the murder of a newborn baby, and just goes downhill from there. I especially hated the lack of logic in the story. A King has all the women and girls in his bloodline murdered, including newborns, so that he won't have competition for the throne -- but incredibly, he allows his sister, the rightful ruler, to live. It makes no sense. There are countless nonsensical plot holes like this one, that just make the awful things Flewelling tossed into the story, feel excessive and gratuitous.

I regret having filled my mind with the images it provokes. Read with caution.

Confusing

I enjoy books in this type of genre, but this one was confusing at best! The introduction just served to add to the confusion, the characters were dull - I finally shut it off about 1/3 of the way through, it was exhausting to listen to.