[DJM]⋙ Download Gratis The Autumn Castle Kim Wilkins 9780446616638 Books

The Autumn Castle Kim Wilkins 9780446616638 Books

Download As PDF : The Autumn Castle Kim Wilkins 9780446616638 Books

The Autumn Castle Kim Wilkins 9780446616638 Books

I've had this book on my reading list for quite some time. I just finished it and was so glad I read it. Christine Starlight is a young woman living in Germany with her artist boyfriend. Her life has been full of tragedy, having lost her parents as a child in a horrible accident; the same accident has left Christine in chronic pain. Her parents were famous and left her enormously wealthy, but Christine refuses to touch the money until she is married.

As a child, Christine was best friends with May, the girl next door. They pricked their fingers and became blood-sisters. Shortly thereafter, May is taken from her house in the night, never to be seen again. That is, until one day when Christine takes a fall and wakes up in a beautiful otherworld only to find that her childhood friend is Queen Mayfridh, who rules a faery kingdom. The kingdom is only accessible to Christine because the two worlds are aligned for a short time.

When Christine is pulled back to her world, Mayfridh decides to journey to the Real World to find here again. She then becomes entangled in a plot of romance, betrayal and magic, beautifully woven together. Kim Wilkins keeps a close eye on the rules of the magic, and it never gets out of hand, even for a fantasy novel.

My only criticism is the ending. I predicted it about halfway through the story. Still, it is very much worth reading, and for fantasy lovers, it won't disappoint.


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The Autumn Castle Kim Wilkins 9780446616638 Books Reviews

I have been wanting to read a book from Kim Wilkins for a while now. I listened to this on audio book and the audio book was well done. This was a pretty good book. It is an urban fantasy but reminds more of Charles DeLint type of urban fantasy versus Laurell Hamilton type. This book also channels a very fairy tale like vibe; you have a fairy princess, an evil killer, and an evil crone.

The book switches between the viewpoints of four different characters. The first is Christine who lives in an artist colony with her boyfriend Jude and whose life is ruled by the chronic pain (caused by a horrible car accident) she goes through every day. The second is Mayfridh, the fairy queen and childhood friend of Christine, who is drawn into the real world and starts to inadvertently cause trouble for Christine with her beauty and attraction to Jude. The third is Emanuel (Manny for short) who is a fairy hunter who kills fairies to use their bones in his sculpture, he runs the artist colony where Christine and Jude live. The fourth is an old crone who controls the fairy kingdom's magic and hates Mayfridh with a passion; she believes Mayfridh is not the true fairy queen. When Christine enters fairy land and discovers a pain free existence, she begins to get addicted to it; when Mayfridh enters the real world she begins to be addicted to Jude; the old crone is out for Mayfridh's blood, and Manny wants to bone Mayfridh to complete his Bone Wife sculpture. Needless to say Midsummer's Dream-like chaos ensues in matters of love, life, and death.

There are a few things I really liked about this book. The characters are well done, easy to sympathize with, and easy to understand. The fairy world that Wilkins has created is interesting in how the realm switches location with seasons, it is interesting how much of a role this fact plays in the storyline. I love how Wilkins weaves a story in which all these somewhat unrelated characters are drawn together to create an intriguing story.

Most of the story is propelled forward by the reader's need to learn Jude's big secret. Wilkins does a good job of keeping the secret...well..secret and also does an excellent job of having the characters gradually pile deception on top of deception until eventually they are all caught up in a web of lies.

I do have some complaints though too. I really didn't like any of the characters. Christine is too passive and whiny for most of the book, Mayfridh is self-centered and naive, Jude self-centered and cruel...and those are the "good" characters. To be honest I was kind of happy to not read more about them; these characters all personified elements of what is wrong with humanity and society in general.

This book was more of a mystery/drama/romance than anything; there isn't much action at all. This is an urban fantasy that is more like some of Charles DeLint's works than the more modern urban fantasies that are being published by the boat loads. To be honest, although I enjoyed the fairy-tale like quality to the story, it was a bit slow for me at points and I missed the action. The set-up took a bit too long and the story seemed to drag on towards the end.

The story ended well with a satisfying and happy ending. In fact the ending seemed a bit too happy given the tone of the rest of the story, but I like happy endings so I won't complain.

Overall a good story; recommended for fans of dark fairy tales and urban fantasies like Charles deLint's. I also have Giants of the Frost by Kim Wilkins to read and I will be reading that. I wasn't totally sold on Wilkins as an author, but I liked it enough to read another book by her before I make a final judgment.
As a child, Christine's best friend was abducted; as an adolescent, Christine's parents were killed in a car crash that left Christine with chronic pain. Now, autumn in Berlin, living with her lover in an artist's hotel, Christine is confronted by the return of her childhood friend--who has spent the intervening years as a faery queen. The Autumn Castle is an urban fantasy-cum-portal fantasy with a gleeful sense of the grotesque, and could easily be too frivolous for my tastes--but to my surprise, I loved it. It's far from perfect the writing is often only serviceable, characters are often immature, the star-crossed romances are deeply heteronormative and a bit boring, there's a sizable dose of fat-shaming, and the plot has a distinct sense of inevitability--the reader waits to see not what will happen, but when and how. Yet that discovery is a joy because the book has such depth. The worldbuilding is sufficiently unique as to be refreshing, characters are often aware of their flaws and offer distinct voices and emotional complexity, and the book digs deep into each moment while seeming always to offer one more, and so feels longer than it is in the best possible way; combined with a readable lightness of tone, it's a book to get lost in for hours at a time as escapist but resonant, fulfilling entertainment. Even Christine's chronic pain is handled well--not with so much depth as to slow the book, but with relative grace. I picked up The Autumn Castle on simple whim, and it has its limitations, but the truth is that I enjoyed every page and will probably seek out more by the author. It's not exceptional, but if you have the chance to try it I recommend that you do.
Love Kim Wilkins!! This is very imaginative and also good to read to kids as they can get this book and the reader can enjoy it.
This book is probably one of my all time favorites. The characters are well thought out, the plot is believable, and it is fun to read over and over and never get bored.
I wish it was possible and would happen to me!
I've had this book on my reading list for quite some time. I just finished it and was so glad I read it. Christine Starlight is a young woman living in Germany with her artist boyfriend. Her life has been full of tragedy, having lost her parents as a child in a horrible accident; the same accident has left Christine in chronic pain. Her parents were famous and left her enormously wealthy, but Christine refuses to touch the money until she is married.

As a child, Christine was best friends with May, the girl next door. They pricked their fingers and became blood-sisters. Shortly thereafter, May is taken from her house in the night, never to be seen again. That is, until one day when Christine takes a fall and wakes up in a beautiful otherworld only to find that her childhood friend is Queen Mayfridh, who rules a faery kingdom. The kingdom is only accessible to Christine because the two worlds are aligned for a short time.

When Christine is pulled back to her world, Mayfridh decides to journey to the Real World to find here again. She then becomes entangled in a plot of romance, betrayal and magic, beautifully woven together. Kim Wilkins keeps a close eye on the rules of the magic, and it never gets out of hand, even for a fantasy novel.

My only criticism is the ending. I predicted it about halfway through the story. Still, it is very much worth reading, and for fantasy lovers, it won't disappoint.