Anne Kelleher Bush has done it again. The Misbegotten King ties up everything from the first two books and then some. The power in her writing comes through in everything from the relationships between the characters and the strategy between warring armies. Her blending of fantasy and science fiction is fresh and exciting. This book is a must read for everyone who has read the first two books and those who haven't. Dianne Miller (TRDZ95A@prodigy.com

this is the first of Bush's "Pride and Pattern" trilogy, and the best book in the trilogy at that. the book follows the changing relationships between three people, King Abelard, Nydia the witch, and Phineas the captain of the Guard. After saving Nydia from execution Abelard decides to use her against people who stand in his way for gaining complete control over his realm. The society created bu Bush; a scarry and twisted furture america, is intricate and full of mystery, however Bush concentrated on the relationship between Nydia and Abelard more than she should hafe, i think, and this detracted from the actual plot. the ending is completely unexpected and leaves ample room for the two books that followed it.

This book had a wonderfull plot line, and unique ideas, however, there wasfar to much....love making (shall we say) scenes, and it greatly took away from the plot.

When I first got this book, I wasn't too excited to read it because it seemed like one of those sci-fi books from its cover. However, once I started reading it I realized it was filled with interesting characters and a really delightful plot. It follows the story of 3 characters, Nydia(The beautiful witch), Abelard (the King), and Phineas (The Captain of the Guard) and how they relate to each other and to the land in which they live. None of the characters are flawless and that's something a lot of authors tend to do with their characters. Each of the characters have a distinct personality. I also found myself rooting for one character one minute and saying, "What a jerk!" the next. I think this book is a definite must-read for anyone who likes romance, fantasy, and magic.

To be honest, when I picked up this book I was expecting a historical medieval romance, this was not what I got. This story was pure fantasy, about a make believe world with evil wizardry, thurges, master thurges, over thurges - thanes, and all sorts of classes of people that I had never run across before running all over in a fantasy land - again that I had never heard of. But I figured what the heck, I am into it why not broaden my horizons!

The story starts off with Lady Juilene who has been classically trained as a harpist and with a pleasing voice wants nothing more than to enter a competition before she marries her betrothed Arimond. Arimond's sister is attacked rather brutally by the evil thurge Lindos' soldiers - one of many such brutal type happenings in their domain. Arimond thinks he can defeat and kill the thurge if Juilene can, pose as a song-sayer and get Lindos to drop his guard. - This does not happen - Arimond is caught and killed - Juilene is brought back to Lindos' keep and given an option - marry Lindos. She refuses, and he places a curse on her that would hurt anyone who offers her aid, to be broken only by someone who will love her for herself. To save her family and friends she flees with nothing but her harp and a few coins.

The rest of the story tells the trials and tribulations of this once pampered Lady who must now earn coin for her food, shelter and anything else she needs. You get to watch her grow up and draw on strengths she never knew she had. I would say that this was geared more for a young adult but there is a scene in which Juliene loses her innocence that might make a parent think twice. Eventually, a knight does come into her life with many secrets of his own. The romance story is sweet and their journey together is rife with danger. All in all - this not being a genre that I have immense knowledge of - I would say it is an okay read. Interesting concept if you like that sort of thing.

While many of the negative reviewers here raise valid points about predictable stock characters, I still found the book to be a fun read. The premise of Juilene's curse that keeps her from accepting charity is an interesting one, but I feel that it was not exploited as much as it could have been. I'm not sure what the people who accuse it of being slow are talking about... I enjoyed Ms. Bush's writing style and finished the book in a couple of days. While it may not warrant a full five stars it will not dissapoint a fantasy fan who merely wants some light reading while waiting for the next book from their favorite author.

I loved this book. The author manages to put our heroine in an interesting position -- by way of a curse -- which forces her to find her inner resources and to grow up quickly. One of the strengths of the book is the way in which the main character evolves so that her love for the hero is satisfying and deep. Kelleher Bush creates a real and believable world with exciting foes and devastating perils. I hope she'll write a sequel... I want to find out more about these people.

in this book Bush introducesto us the children born at the end of DAUGHTER OF PROPHECY as adults. it follows Roderic, the son of Phineas and Mellisande, who is now the prince of Meriga, as he is thrust into the spotlight when he is called upon to sit in as king when Abelard is kidnapped by his son Amanander. it also follows Roderic's discovery and relationship with Annandale, the daughter of Abelard and Nydia, who is also a magical empath. like DAUGHTER OF PROPHECY, bush concentrates a little too much on the physical aspect of their relationship rather than the intricate plot that was created, but never resolved. but it's a solid book. the only thing i did not like was that unlike DAUGHTER OR PROPHECY, which could have stood on it's own, CHILDREN OF ENCHANTMENT has an open ending, baiting us for the final book in the trilogy.