I usually don't read 'fantasy' type books, but for some reason this one caught my eye and I did not regret purchasing it. It was engaging, interesting and kept me up late at night.

3.5 stars. Ysabel is a young adult urban fantasy novel. 15-year old Ned is in France with his father, a photographer. While exploring a cathedral, Ned meets Kate, who is about the same age as he is. Odd things start happening. Without giving too much away, the story involves two men and a woman from 2500 years ago, merging in today's world and somehow Ned and his family are involved.

I liked it. I am not usually a big fan of fantasy, but I've found I tend to prefer ya and urban fantasy. I've only read one other Kay book, which for me, took an incredibly long time for the story to get going. I was happy that this one started off with the action right off the top.

I very much liked this book. Being a fan of Kay's from way back, i was unsure what to expect...and was nicely surprised. Celts and Romans merging the past with the present...characters that were simple yet likeable. Not one of Kay's more intense and involved books...but i think it's the simplicity of the story, wrapped up with history and the geography of Provence, that made it hard to put down.

Ysabel, set in modern Provence, is a tale about recurring tales, a theme that was visited in Kay's best-selling work, Fionavar Tapestry. As such, I found the story not particularly fresh, which is unusual for most of GGK's work. A pity, because certainly this author has a lyrical voice, one that can utterly captivate a reader as he did in Tigana and Last Light of the Sun.

The characters in Ysabel weren't particularly memorable, in my opinion, and were in not for GGK's ability to manipulate language I might easily have passed on finishing this novel.

It should be noted, however, I am not a fan of the origin of this book, the Fionavar Tapestry, and am not a fan of spin-offs to best-selling books, so this prejudice may have coloured my enjoyment.

Still, the novel is good for a cold winter's afternoon, cuddled up by the fire with a fragrant cup of tea.

I really enjoyed this book. This is the second book I read by this author. Very different from the other title, "Tigana" . This book would appeal to anyone from 15 years and up. A great read, fast paced, but I was left a little unsatisfied by the ending. Not completely clear.

I just finished this after a two day reading marathon. I found myself thinking about it at work and could hardly wait to settle in for a good read when I got home. Now I know what all the fuss was about.

With believable characters, nicely layered history, and just enough mystery. And an ending that was actually satisfying.

Man, I hope Kay writes some more of this...

A fantastic, colorful novel, I could barely put down! Beautifully written! Everyone I know also loved it! Pick this one up!

For once a story where teenagers come across something amazing, but dangerous and actually involve the adults! That alone was refreshing, but the whole storyline was pretty unique. Not the best I've ever read, but very enjoyable. It left me wanting to know more about the back story and most of the details were left unexplained, but that just added to the mystery of the story. I'm interested to read more of Kay's works, hopefully a prequel to this one.

With the exception of The Last Light of the Sun, which I have so far been unable to find, I have read all of Mr. Kay's works. By far my favourite is the Tapestry trilogy, but Ysabel is close to coming in second. I have not yet finished reading, yet I am writing this because I cannot put it down! Perhaps it is the introduction of Dave & Kim into the story .......... I don't know, all I know is that I would recommend it to anyone.
Thank you Mr. Kay