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bethan's review against another edition
4.0
I felt that overall this was a rather good conclusion to the Sevenwaters Trilogy.
I really liked Fainne's character - although she wasn't as self-assured or as confident as Sorcha and Liadin, I thought she was rather realistic.
I would say the only issues I had with this book is that around 50% through I still felt like nothing had really happened... like sure things HAD happened but the pace felt slower than the previous two books.
I'm also quite iffy on the ending... The ending where she gets Darragh just seems so unrealistic to who Darragh is a character - he is described so very often as a man of the land and a travelling man and so for him to just accept the fate of living on a rock for the rest of his days just to be with Fainne just seems so OOC...
(I've also read some of the next book the Heir of Sevenwaters and it seems like with the ending Fainne was pretty much wiped from existence because none of the children mention her at all despite it only being 4 years time gap - whether this ever gets explained or not I'm unsure as I've decided to DNF the next book for the time being...)
I really liked Fainne's character - although she wasn't as self-assured or as confident as Sorcha and Liadin, I thought she was rather realistic.
I would say the only issues I had with this book is that around 50% through I still felt like nothing had really happened... like sure things HAD happened but the pace felt slower than the previous two books.
I'm also quite iffy on the ending... The ending where she gets Darragh just seems so unrealistic to who Darragh is a character - he is described so very often as a man of the land and a travelling man and so for him to just accept the fate of living on a rock for the rest of his days just to be with Fainne just seems so OOC...
(I've also read some of the next book the Heir of Sevenwaters and it seems like with the ending Fainne was pretty much wiped from existence because none of the children mention her at all despite it only being 4 years time gap - whether this ever gets explained or not I'm unsure as I've decided to DNF the next book for the time being...)
knuckledown's review against another edition
4.0
The beauty of this book comes from the change in perspective. Fainne was raised away from Sevenwaters, giving her a fresh voice when she joins the rest of the family. Having read the previous books, the reader often knows more than the narrator does about the situations and characters. This book is similar to the first in the focus on the narrator's impossible task rather than the love story. At times I could hardly bare to read about her trials, but that powers marks good writing.
But that Juliet Marillier, she had me fooled again. Not really in the form of a decoy love interest. I mean, did we really think any good was going to come from the next generation of Sevenwaters women getting involved with Eamonn? No, she fooled me into believing that Fainne would truly have to give up her love for the greater good. I squirmed through the conclusion because of it. Then in the last ten pages...the reunion was probably worth the agony.
But that Juliet Marillier, she had me fooled again. Not really in the form of a decoy love interest. I mean, did we really think any good was going to come from the next generation of Sevenwaters women getting involved with Eamonn? No, she fooled me into believing that Fainne would truly have to give up her love for the greater good. I squirmed through the conclusion because of it. Then in the last ten pages...the reunion was probably worth the agony.
irmingard's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
5.0
the second book made a beeline toward normalcy, and the third book follows the more magical/fantasy storytelling like the first one. while still pertaining the realness behind the story as well as a message for the modern reader
He didn't understand. None of them understood the hollow emptiness inside.
He thinks, in his ignorance, to tame the very earth, to force the very ocean to his will. And so he will lay waste the body of the mother who gave him birth; and will not know what he does.
He didn't understand. None of them understood the hollow emptiness inside.
He thinks, in his ignorance, to tame the very earth, to force the very ocean to his will. And so he will lay waste the body of the mother who gave him birth; and will not know what he does.
rosetaylor2's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
shanellewrites's review against another edition
3.0
Unfortunately, not a great development/installment of the Sevenwaters series.
While I did not factor this in to my rating, I do want to note that the audiobook is the worst audiobook I have ever listened to. It's hard to know how much of it was due to technical difficulties when the narrator was recording, how much was poor audio editing, or what, but I really do not recommend listening to this book on audio at all. To be clear, I don't have a problem with the narrator. They are talented and I enjoyed listening to them. There were some pronunciations that were incorrect, or varied from pronunciations used in the two previous audiobooks, but the biggest issue was that parts of the text that sounded like they had been edited in from a completely different session. They were very loud and really took me out of the story, and from about a quarter of the book through to the end, they happened what felt like every 10-20 minutes. Clearly there was no quality control, or the producers/publishers decided they didn't want to spend the money to either remedy or redo it.
In terms of the actual story, writing, and characters, they all felt much weaker than Daughter of the Forest in particular. I don't know how the next books in the series will measure up, but I really, really hope that they are more in line with the first two than with this one.
While I did not factor this in to my rating, I do want to note that the audiobook is the worst audiobook I have ever listened to. It's hard to know how much of it was due to technical difficulties when the narrator was recording, how much was poor audio editing, or what, but I really do not recommend listening to this book on audio at all. To be clear, I don't have a problem with the narrator. They are talented and I enjoyed listening to them. There were some pronunciations that were incorrect, or varied from pronunciations used in the two previous audiobooks, but the biggest issue was that parts of the text that sounded like they had been edited in from a completely different session. They were very loud and really took me out of the story, and from about a quarter of the book through to the end, they happened what felt like every 10-20 minutes. Clearly there was no quality control, or the producers/publishers decided they didn't want to spend the money to either remedy or redo it.
In terms of the actual story, writing, and characters, they all felt much weaker than Daughter of the Forest in particular. I don't know how the next books in the series will measure up, but I really, really hope that they are more in line with the first two than with this one.
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
It seems odd to attach the word "disappointing" to anything by Juliet Marillier, she of the unparalleled fantasy works. But CHILD OF THE PROPHECY is generally considered to be one of her weakest, and even knowing that way before going into the book, I was still struck by how disappointed I was. Oh, CHILD OF THE PROPHECY is still miles above 95% of all published books with its fluid, lyrical writing and respect of its characters' multidimensionality. However, two things doomed this book from entering the Annals of Eternal Worship in my opinion--one avoidable, one not so much.
First was the utterly overdramatic portrayal of Lady Oonagh, who, yes, makes a reappearance in this book as, once again, the villain. Only this time Lady Oonagh is ten times worse than she was portrayed in Daughter of the Forest, to the point where she resembles a caricature of a cackling crone using her powers for evil. It got to the point where I was doing all-body cringes whenever her insult- and exclamation point-ridden dialogue appeared on the page, which they unfortunately did with more and more frequency toward the end of the book. Lady Oonagh was a disappointment after the marvelous subtleties in characterization displayed by Marillier in the previous books in the trilogy.
Secondly, and perhaps unavoidably, was how the story set Fainne up to lurch on the edge of the Too Stupid To Live cliff. Such are the woes of a book where the main plot revolves around the main character being blackmailed/terrorized/otherwise manipulated into doing things she does not want to do.
And on a final note, did Eamonn?
First was the utterly overdramatic portrayal of Lady Oonagh, who, yes, makes a reappearance in this book as, once again, the villain. Only this time Lady Oonagh is ten times worse than she was portrayed in Daughter of the Forest, to the point where she resembles a caricature of a cackling crone using her powers for evil. It got to the point where I was doing all-body cringes whenever her insult- and exclamation point-ridden dialogue appeared on the page, which they unfortunately did with more and more frequency toward the end of the book. Lady Oonagh was a disappointment after the marvelous subtleties in characterization displayed by Marillier in the previous books in the trilogy.
Secondly, and perhaps unavoidably, was how the story set Fainne up to lurch on the edge of the Too Stupid To Live cliff. Such are the woes of a book where the main plot revolves around the main character being blackmailed/terrorized/otherwise manipulated into doing things she does not want to do.
And on a final note, did Eamonn
Spoiler
really have to turn into a lecherous middle-aged man who is randomly redeemed through his act of sacrifice at the very end of the booksierrainstitches's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
*sobs uncontrollably*
cbaxcar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0