There was, without a doubt, many moments during this novel that I wanted to take Alberon aside and smack him upside the head. Between him and his father I'm honestly not certain who has less sense. If Razi hadn't already said that he didn't want to be King (and proved as much time and again) I'd urge him to stay far away because it appears the royal family loses all sense once given power.

I, like probably most of the readers, had been looking forward to when Razi, Albi and Wynter would be reunited. It was obvious that neither Razi nor Wynter accounted for the changes in their childhood playmate, but Razi was realistic. Wynter wasn't. Despite everything to the contrary she kept fast to the idealistic belief that once they were together again things would be back to the way they were before. Any wrongs would be corrected, any misunderstandings cleared up.

Kiernan juggled a lot of developmental things in this book. Before Razi, Wynter and Chris treated each other as more or less equals while traveling. They accepted each other and ignored the rest. Once with Alberon however those differences in station and treatment became very apparent. Razi was still a Prince, Wynter was still a Lady of the Court and Chris was...nothing. Almost worst then nothing. Alberon held to the station differences, but I think he also felt like Chris was intruding on something. He was as much an idealist as Wynter, though in a different manner.

Its not strictly true to say that there's a climatic showdown between Alberon and his father. Kiernan stuck to what she wrote best--character driven plot with a little bit of action. You can almost feel when 'childhood' falls away for the last time from the three friends, when they realize that no one is perfect and their parents lest of all.

The ending was amusing and fun. It gave the reader a chance to see what everybody could be like in peace. Its an uplifting one, if a trifle sad when you think of what it cost to bring about. As a conclusion to a historical fantasy such as The Moorehwake Trilogy was, it fit perfectly. ( )

Wynter Moorehawke and her friends Razi and Christopher, have braved bandits and Loup-Garous to find their way to their childhood friend, Alberon - the exiled, rebel prince. When we meet the Prince, it is instantly clear that he is no longer a boy, but rather a harsh and somewhat unhinged young man who is sure of his power as Crown Prince.

Now that they are there, they soon learn firsthand that politics is a deadly mistress. With the king and his heir on the edge of war, and alliances made with deadly enemies, the Kingdom is torn not just by civil war - but strife between the various factions as well. No-one has the answer to the problems that plague the Kingdom - and it seems likely that their differences will not just tear apart the friends - but the Kingdom as well.

Wynter, Razi and Christopher arrive in the camp accompanied by the Merron, Christopher's people. But after the events of the last book their relationship with Razi is shaky. And yet despite those shocking events, I still could not help but like most of these strange people, with their ancient habits and traditions and wanted them to get the new beginning they were so desperately seeking.

Prince Alberon's camp is made up of numerous political envoys from different nations and the relationships between them are tentative at best. But when the hideously violent Loup Garous arrive, the same people that enslaved and mutilated the man she loves, Wynter is suddenly very fearful for the future. It seemed that Alberon the boy she had once loved like a brother, was no longer a person she knows or understands.

In this new environment, Razi’s quiet strength is subdued because he is playing advisor to his brother; Christopher is overlooked and downtrodden by those who feel he is inferior; and Wynter is treated unfairly as a woman who obviously isn’t good for anything except getting married off.

At last, and most importantly we finally discover what the feared 'bloody machine' is that King Jonathan and Wynter's father have done everything in their power to hide. The revelation is shocking to our three main characters, and Alberon's plans for it are even more disturbing.

The Rebel Prince is a great conclusion to the trilogy and I enjoyed it a lot. Whilst I found it to be less character driven than it’s prequels, it is still a well-paced, interesting read. My only reservation is the epilogue. Set five years later, it makes an attempt to convey some of what has occurred. Whilst it does so admirably, I didn't really feel there was enough closure. It felt a bit like a rushed ending, there to tidy up loose ends. ( )

Though I finished this book with mixed feelings, I think that was due more to me wanted more intimate details about the resolution, not the quality of the writing or the decisions Kiernan made.

In retrospect, this series brings to mind Guy Gavriel Kay's "Tigana" and "The Lions of Al-Rassan", though I don't think I will be re-reading The Moorehawk Trilogy with quite the same devotion as I gave Kay. Still, an excellent series. ( )

Wynter, Christopher und Razi erreichen mit ihren merronischen Gefährten endlich das Lager des Kronprinzen Alberon und versuchen ihn mit seinem Vater auszusöhnen.

Endlich über die Pläne Alberons unterrichtet zu werden tut gut, sind sie doch Anlass für die gesamte Trilogie. Etwas schade ist, dass man sie selbst nur schwerlich beurteilen kann, denn allzu viel wurde über die Politik der verschiedenen Länder doch nicht gesagt, sodass man sich wohl auf das Urteil der Charaktere verlassen muss. Dennoch liest sich auch dieses Buch wieder schnell und relativ angenehm. Das Ende ist unnötig dramatisch und dann doch zugleich relativ seicht, das Endkapitel anstregend zu lesen und besser aus anderer Perspektive geschrieben worden. ( )

I was looking forward to finally meeting Prince Alberon after reading about him in the previous two books. But when we meet him it is instantly clear that Alberon is no longer a boy, but rather a harsh and somewhat unhinged young man who is sure of his power as Crown Prince. To be honest, I was disappointed in Alberon’s character: he had too many mood swings and generally made me uncomfortable.

The other characters are also changed in the book because of the re-introduction of courtly life. Razi’s quiet strength is subdued because he is playing advisor to his borhter, Christopher is overlooked and downtrodden by those who feel he is inferior, and Wynter is treated unfairly as a woman who obvously isn’t good for anything except getting married off. All of these changes are to be expected, however, and I enjoyed the book despite them. The major change that I did not like is Wynter’s reluctance to acknowledge her relationship with Chris because others look down on him. It made me really angry and although she eventually realises that the opnions of others don’t matter, it ruined a lot of the book for me.

The plot of the book is exciting - fast paced and full of political intrigue that I enjoyed a lot. Some of the slower parts of the book involved complex political manoeuvring and may have been boring, but the author makes it really interesting through amusing interactions between the characters as they theorise. The ending is abrupt and a bit confusing, but satisfying overall. There is an epilogue, which some readers may not like, but I enjoy reading them and found interesting.

The Rebel Prince is a great conclusion to the trilogy and I enjoyed it a lot. I found it to be less character driven than it’s prequels but still a well paced, interesting read.

You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic. ( )