Scent of Magic

Rating:
Summary: Another good novel by the author
Review: Andre Norton is one of those rare authors who can continue to create new characters and settings in well developed plots. The present book introduces Willadene, a bedraggled waif fostered to a distant cousin to work as a scullery maid in the cousin's inn. Her future prospects are scant, with the cousin wanting to give her in marriage to a bloated drunkard of evil character who frequents the inn - a typical medieval notion of an arranged marriage. But Willadene's sensitivity, which makes her ill working in a tavern kitchen, turns out to be an asset to a dealer in herbs and cosmetics, and even more of an asset to the Duke's household.

Events carry Willadene into a grand and dangerous adventure. The Duchy is infested with evil which must be rooted out. She becomes involved with the Duke's daughter, the chancellor, a visiting prince, and "the bat," as the story moves forward to an action filled climax. The story seems to jump forward in a few spots, and switches between actions of different characters, but overall it's a good tale.

Rating:
Summary: Another good novel by the author
Review: Andre Norton is one of those rare authors who can continue to create new characters and settings in well developed plots. The present book introduces Willadene, a bedraggled waif fostered to a distant cousin to work as a scullery maid in the cousin's inn. Her future prospects are scant, with the cousin wanting to give her in marriage to a bloated drunkard of evil character who frequents the inn - a typical medieval notion of an arranged marriage. But Willadene's sensitivity, which makes her ill working in a tavern kitchen, turns out to be an asset to a dealer in herbs and cosmetics, and even more of an asset to the Duke's household.

Events carry Willadene into a grand and dangerous adventure. The Duchy is infested with evil which must be rooted out. She becomes involved with the Duke's daughter, the chancellor, a visiting prince, and "the bat," as the story moves forward to an action filled climax. The story seems to jump forward in a few spots, and switches between actions of different characters, but overall it's a good tale.

Rating:
Summary: THIS WAS EXCELLENT
Review: I first discovered Andre Norton quite by accident two years ago when I began an avid reader of fantasy quite also by mistake. This book was excellent. She is from the time when people wrote stories to take you away to far away worlds and places that only the imagination can lead you to. Scent of Magic was a great find for me. The characters were well developed and the story line was well done. I enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I really tried to enjoy this book, since I've liked other books by Andre Norton, but this one just doesn't have much of a plot. The two main characters are both strong, interesting women. The descriptions are vivid and detailed (too much so, in fact, bogging the book down). The book revolves around an interesting situation, with a scullery maid who can actually smell evil and ward it off with herbal concoctions. But the two heroines mostly just hang around the castle, attending lunches and making feeble attempts to identify the villains, until the last couple of chapters. At that point they have a bizarre and not very believable adventure that leads to a not very interesting climax. This was a boring book.

Rating:
Summary: Bad.
Review: I really wanted to like this book.The problem is ,I didn't.It was just so terrible.It didn't get anywhere,the characters were impossible to understand,and it was so filled with pointless stuff,so that by the end when they faced the bad-guyes,there was virtually no room left.
God knows why I finished this book.I suppose it was because Norton is one of my all-time favorites.But she really blew off on this one,god knows why she thought we care about Mahart;or Willadene.If you actually want Norton books that are good,read Wind in the Stone,Breed to Come,or the Elvenbane.This book is a waste.

Rating:
Summary: Fresh
Review: Norton's prose and characters had me hooked within the first 35 pages. This is a rich story with thrilling, original action sequences and characters possessing grit and presence. Very clever storytelling. My main complaint is that the story wasn't filled out in 2-3 volumes. This was a wonderful tale and I really think there was room for more. The story had something of an epic feel but by necessity much of the background was summarized. The ending is rather flashy, and perhaps jarring when contrasted with the subtlety of the rest of the book. Minor points, this book is excellent.

This book is far above and beyond most fantasy novels in terms of quality of writing and entertainment value. This is my first Norton novel and I'm beating my head against the wall for having missed out on her books for so long.

Rating:
Summary: Scent of Magic
Review: This is the first Andre Norton book in my library, and it won't be my last. I very much disliked the author's science fiction, but the fantasy is amazing. The characters were very fleshed out and the plot was twisted with evil.

Quite similar to _Crown Duel_ or _Court Duel_ by Sherwood Smith...maybe not as good as those two, but has the ability to grasp the reader from beginning til end.

Rating:
Summary: Poorly-edited book falls flat
Review: This was my first encounter with Andre Norton's works, and unfortunately it was not a pleasant one. While the plot hints in passing at a rich magical worldview, the book is hamstrung by poor writing and editing.

I started marking particularly atrocious examples about two-thirds of the way through, so these quotes are only from the last section of the book:

---------
"His body, toughened as well as he could exercize muscles most men did not even guess they might posses, served him well." (p333)

"Find the way down to the lower land he did." (p334)

"Again she felt the pressure of his fingers closing about her upper arm.
'How did you know that?'
She buried her nose in that untidy bundle her amulet had become.
'There was the scent of aspicen fern -- that and black evil!'" (p290)
---------

Characters are one-dimensional and do not develop over time, with little emotional attachment on the part of the reader. Dialogue is trite, and description mostly revolves around uses of the words "stench" and "evil".

No offense intended to people who enjoyed this book, or to Andre Norton (who is writing for a younger audience, maybe 11-14), but this book could have used a lot more time with an editor wielding a large red pen.

Rating:
Summary: Not Norton's best .
Review: This was my first encounter with Andre Norton's works, and unfortunately it was not a pleasant one. While the plot hints at a rich magical worldview, the book is hamstrung by poor writing and editing.

I started marking particularly atrocious examples about two-thirds of the way through, so these quotes are only from the last section of the book:

--------
"His body, toughened as well as he could exercize muscles most men did not even guess they might posses, served him well." (p333)

"Find the way down to the lower land he did." (p334)

"Again she felt the pressure of his fingers closing about her upper arm.
'How did you know that?'
She buried her nose in that untidy bundle her amulet had become.
'There was the scent of aspicen fern -- that and black evil!'" (p290)
---------

Characters are one-dimensional and do not develop over time, with little emotional attachment on the part of the reader. Dialogue is trite, and description mostly revolves around uses of the words "stench" and "evil".

No offense intended to people who enjoyed this book, or to Andre Norton (who is writing for a younger audience, maybe 11-14), but this book could have used a lot more time with an editor wielding a large red pen.

Rating:
Summary: loved it.
Review: When Norton described the villain as having 'thick, blubbery lips', I started to wonder whether 'Scent of Magic' was one of her half-hearted, co-authored novels which are usually not worth reading. However, this book turned out to be vintage Norton. Not one, but two feisty heroines: a middle-aged herbalist and her apprentice combat an ancient evil, newly sprung to life.

When at the top of her form, this author magically transports her reader right into her fantasy world. This is one of Norton's books where I can actually see, taste, and feel through the senses of the heroine, who starts out as an abused scullery maid and ends up (through her own talent and courage) as a savior of the kingdom. If you liked Norton's Witch World books, 'Scent of Magic' is definitely for you.