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lizzderr's review against another edition
3.0
I would give the first half of the book two stars and the second half three, if I could. It takes a while for things to really get started, and while I appreciate dramatic irony, I think a little goes a long way -- or, if nothing else, when the reader finds herself wanting to bop the narrator on the head for being such an easily manipulated twit and thinking longingly of the strong, self-assured heroines from the previous novels, then I wonder if perhaps the author has gone a bit far. I can understand why Marillier created Fainne the way she did (though the whole "my mom fell in love and had me with her mother's half-brother, and all I got was this lousy deformed foot" thing strikes me as a questionable choice...), but she built up a great deal of good will for the folks of Sevenwaters in the first two books of the trilogy, and so having the protagonist in the third book acting in opposition to those folks was frustrating.
All that said, though, I was happy to see the way all the various threads got tied up (except I feel a little bit like Eamonn got better than he deserved, but I'm bitter that way), and how the prophecy worked itself out. I would still recommend the trilogy as a whole, though it ends nowhere near as strong as it begins. Ah well.
All that said, though, I was happy to see the way all the various threads got tied up (except I feel a little bit like Eamonn got better than he deserved, but I'm bitter that way), and how the prophecy worked itself out. I would still recommend the trilogy as a whole, though it ends nowhere near as strong as it begins. Ah well.
wizardpi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
hurricanyounot's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If magic is what you were looking for in this series, this is the book you were waiting for! At last, we get to see a character with true magic and how she struggles with it. An excellent way to "end" the series (there are 6 books in the series, but you could just read the first 3 and be fine). Stakes even higher than before. Loose ends are finally tied up. Old characters make a return. Secrets and twists are everywhere. The DRAMA. The TEA. Piping hot. Juliet Marillier ate and left no crumbs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Incest, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, and War
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Child death
Major Content Warnings: Fainne isnikitaah's review against another edition
4.0
The end of the trilogy was nothing short of epic. Such a great climax!
I’ll be honest in that I really disliked the main character and I almost DNF. I did not feel like she sufficiently attempted to remedy her situation, nor felt enough remorse for the hurt she caused. However I’m glad I stuck with it and was able to experience the MC’s growth.
I’ll be honest in that I really disliked the main character and I almost DNF. I did not feel like she sufficiently attempted to remedy her situation, nor felt enough remorse for the hurt she caused. However I’m glad I stuck with it and was able to experience the MC’s growth.
carolainam's review against another edition
4.0
Mi relación con esta trilogía ha sido rara, veía los libros en mi estantería y era como bueeeeno. No me llamaban, me daban pereza, no se si era verlos tan gordos o la edición en castellano, no lo se, pero luego era empezar uno y no podía parar hasta devorarlo. He tardado años en acabarla pero oh, he acabo llorando.
Hay patrones que se repiten en cada libro, personajes demasiado parecidos, etc. pero poco importa. Me flipa lo que hace Juliet Marillier. Su ambientación, su magia, ese misticismo que todo lo rodea, sus personajes femeninos y ay los masculinos (enamorada de Rojo hasta que pierda la memoria de vieja ya os lo digo), simplemente todo.
La primera novela, en mi opinión, es la mejor de toda la saga, pero también creo que en esta mejora un poco cosas que no me acabaron de gustar en la segunda, Fianne me ha dicho mucho más que Liadan en su día.
Si no queréis animaros con toda la saga, al menos leed la primera novela. Palabrita que os enamorais de Rojo.
Hay patrones que se repiten en cada libro, personajes demasiado parecidos, etc. pero poco importa. Me flipa lo que hace Juliet Marillier. Su ambientación, su magia, ese misticismo que todo lo rodea, sus personajes femeninos y ay los masculinos (enamorada de Rojo hasta que pierda la memoria de vieja ya os lo digo), simplemente todo.
La primera novela, en mi opinión, es la mejor de toda la saga, pero también creo que en esta mejora un poco cosas que no me acabaron de gustar en la segunda, Fianne me ha dicho mucho más que Liadan en su día.
Si no queréis animaros con toda la saga, al menos leed la primera novela. Palabrita que os enamorais de Rojo.
danaandrade52's review against another edition
3.0
Gostei imenso da história e da sua construção; assim como a representação mitológica e da mensagem presente. O que me desapontou foi a edição portuguesa que contém erros gramaticais, falta de pontuação nos diálogos, etc. Parece que apenas queriam acabar com a tradução, o que levou diversas vezes a uma paragem do enredo súbita; na qual me preocupava mais a tentar perceber palavras ou a perguntar-me porque é que certos capítulos tinham o nome de uma terra traduzido enquanto que noutros capítulos aparecia na versão original, etc.
Pontuação final: 3,8.
Pontuação final: 3,8.
raynireads's review against another edition
4.0
Another beautiful and riveting story by [a:Juliet Marillier|8649|Juliet Marillier|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1373081365p2/8649.jpg]! I was a little nervous going into this one because the general consensus seems to be that this is the weakest of the original Sevenwaters trilogy. And at the beginning, it did feel a little different. I think I was spoiled by the beginning of [b:Daughter of the Forest|13928|Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343589988l/13928._SY75_.jpg|1897725]. At the time, part of me was questioning "when does the main story start?" but the introduction to the world and characters was so immersive and skillfully done. Marillier captivates her audience and sets everything up and makes it look easy! No info-dumping but information conveyed through a story that flows naturally. Specific moments will reveal information that will make a return or be important later in such a deliberate manner that it doesn't feel deliberate–as in, it flows with the rest of the story and does not stick out in a glaringly obvious, over-the-top way. The purpose of a scene may be to tell you a specific piece of information, but you go on the journey with the characters and get so much more out of the scene than just that information.
Following [b:Daughter of the Forest|13928|Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343589988l/13928._SY75_.jpg|1897725], [b:Son of the Shadows|13927|Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters, #2)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602021932l/13927._SY75_.jpg|2801045] felt more like it was dropping you directly into the story–there was less of a slow-build set-up. With [b:Child of the Prophecy|13925|Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters, #3)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343590673l/13925._SY75_.jpg|2271292], that trend continues and the world moves slightly faster. This, along with the naive but magically gifted, unsure and awkward Fainne, made the book remind me more of YA than its predecessors. There was a slightly different energy. And before we dive down a never-ending hole of YA discourse, let me say there's nothing wrong with YA! There are just certain kinds of writing and tropes that are more common in YA, sometimes because the category demands it with its word count restrictions and younger target audience. This slightly different, YA-reminiscent energy never made me think of the book as worse or lesser, it only made me selfishly hunger for more. I like the slow reads that take their time! I like to linger. Faster stories are simply less to my taste. Marillier still did a great job setting up the story, and less build-up is probably a natural evolution in a series, it was just clear that this story had somewhere to go and we were going! I felt less immersed in the day-to-day of Fainne's life and world and more like I was buckling up for a journey. There's no "when does the main story start?" you're in it pretty much from the get-go.
But despite the faster pace leaving me wanting a little more, Marillier is a master storyteller. All those crumbs, the naturally flowing information shares she did in the previous books? She does it again with ease. I might even say she does it more than she did in the first two, or at least I noticed more things coming full circle, from both earlier moments within [b:Child of the Prophecy|13925|Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters, #3)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343590673l/13925._SY75_.jpg|2271292] and the series as a whole! In some ways, this book felt like a love letter to [b:Daughter of the Forest|13928|Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343589988l/13928._SY75_.jpg|1897725] and serves as a satisfying conclusion to Finbar's arc and the story that began in that first book.
Fainne is wonderfully different from Sorcha and Liadan, even if sometimes you want to shake her. She is messy and unsure, truly going on a journey of self-discovery and growing into herself as she faces the larger story journey. Her actions are understandable, even when you hate them. She does some really bad things, but you can feel her inner conflict and how those bad actions eat her up inside. She is complicated and much more isolated than the other characters, lacking guidance and comfort and having to figure out much for herself. She is also more introverted and socially awkward than Sorcha and Liadan, and it is lovely to see her form tentative relationships with the other characters. Darragh is great and also offers a different type of character for the love interest. I only wish we got more of him! I loved seeing everyone from [b:Son of the Shadows|13927|Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters, #2)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602021932l/13927._SY75_.jpg|2801045] again and thrilled in the continuation of their stories, especially (and all me crazy if you want!) Eamonn's. One of my small complaints about [b:Daughter of the Forest|13928|Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343589988l/13928._SY75_.jpg|1897725] was that Lord Richard was too one-note of a villain and Eamonn truly delivered that more complicated, nuanced secondary antagonist energy. He's the worst! Total garbage of a man and yet I still wish for him to be a better person and feel bad for him. [b:Child of the Prophecy|13925|Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters, #3)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343590673l/13925._SY75_.jpg|2271292] added on to what was already there, continuing to explore the selfishness and possessiveness that keep him from finding his own happiness and improvement. His end kind of shocked me but did not disappoint. Eamonn, wish you had looked inward more and realized you were the one causing your own problems.
I greatly enjoyed seeing Ciarán again too and learning more about him and his relationship with his daughter. But I am again saying "hello, [a:Rebecca Ross|14926516|Rebecca Ross|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1655904642p2/14926516.jpg]" because the beginning of this book and everything with the magic and Ciarán and Fainne screamed [b:Dreams Lie Beneath|54557816|Dreams Lie Beneath|Rebecca Ross|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612846880l/54557816._SY75_.jpg|85125909]. I see you. I love it. But poor Niamh! She deserved so much better.
What else can I say? I loved the places this book took Fainne (and me), both literally and figuratively. The various settings and how they focused on various characters made the journey engaging and enjoyable. The ending is bittersweet, but I can't complain and I think Marillier stuck the landing. How else to end such an epic and magical tale? The writing is magic and so is the story, and I'm so glad I read these books. I hear the additional Sevenwaters books are a little different, but I don't doubt that I'll be back and that it will feel like coming home.
Thank you for such a beautiful, new favorite story.
Following [b:Daughter of the Forest|13928|Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343589988l/13928._SY75_.jpg|1897725], [b:Son of the Shadows|13927|Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters, #2)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602021932l/13927._SY75_.jpg|2801045] felt more like it was dropping you directly into the story–there was less of a slow-build set-up. With [b:Child of the Prophecy|13925|Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters, #3)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343590673l/13925._SY75_.jpg|2271292], that trend continues and the world moves slightly faster. This, along with the naive but magically gifted, unsure and awkward Fainne, made the book remind me more of YA than its predecessors. There was a slightly different energy. And before we dive down a never-ending hole of YA discourse, let me say there's nothing wrong with YA! There are just certain kinds of writing and tropes that are more common in YA, sometimes because the category demands it with its word count restrictions and younger target audience. This slightly different, YA-reminiscent energy never made me think of the book as worse or lesser, it only made me selfishly hunger for more. I like the slow reads that take their time! I like to linger. Faster stories are simply less to my taste. Marillier still did a great job setting up the story, and less build-up is probably a natural evolution in a series, it was just clear that this story had somewhere to go and we were going! I felt less immersed in the day-to-day of Fainne's life and world and more like I was buckling up for a journey. There's no "when does the main story start?" you're in it pretty much from the get-go.
But despite the faster pace leaving me wanting a little more, Marillier is a master storyteller. All those crumbs, the naturally flowing information shares she did in the previous books? She does it again with ease. I might even say she does it more than she did in the first two, or at least I noticed more things coming full circle, from both earlier moments within [b:Child of the Prophecy|13925|Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters, #3)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343590673l/13925._SY75_.jpg|2271292] and the series as a whole! In some ways, this book felt like a love letter to [b:Daughter of the Forest|13928|Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343589988l/13928._SY75_.jpg|1897725] and serves as a satisfying conclusion to Finbar's arc and the story that began in that first book.
Fainne is wonderfully different from Sorcha and Liadan, even if sometimes you want to shake her. She is messy and unsure, truly going on a journey of self-discovery and growing into herself as she faces the larger story journey. Her actions are understandable, even when you hate them. She does some really bad things, but you can feel her inner conflict and how those bad actions eat her up inside. She is complicated and much more isolated than the other characters, lacking guidance and comfort and having to figure out much for herself. She is also more introverted and socially awkward than Sorcha and Liadan, and it is lovely to see her form tentative relationships with the other characters. Darragh is great and also offers a different type of character for the love interest. I only wish we got more of him! I loved seeing everyone from [b:Son of the Shadows|13927|Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters, #2)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602021932l/13927._SY75_.jpg|2801045] again and thrilled in the continuation of their stories, especially (and all me crazy if you want!) Eamonn's. One of my small complaints about [b:Daughter of the Forest|13928|Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343589988l/13928._SY75_.jpg|1897725] was that Lord Richard was too one-note of a villain and Eamonn truly delivered that more complicated, nuanced secondary antagonist energy. He's the worst! Total garbage of a man and yet I still wish for him to be a better person and feel bad for him. [b:Child of the Prophecy|13925|Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters, #3)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343590673l/13925._SY75_.jpg|2271292] added on to what was already there, continuing to explore the selfishness and possessiveness that keep him from finding his own happiness and improvement. His end kind of shocked me but did not disappoint. Eamonn, wish you had looked inward more and realized you were the one causing your own problems.
I greatly enjoyed seeing Ciarán again too and learning more about him and his relationship with his daughter. But I am again saying "hello, [a:Rebecca Ross|14926516|Rebecca Ross|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1655904642p2/14926516.jpg]" because the beginning of this book and everything with the magic and Ciarán and Fainne screamed [b:Dreams Lie Beneath|54557816|Dreams Lie Beneath|Rebecca Ross|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612846880l/54557816._SY75_.jpg|85125909]. I see you. I love it. But poor Niamh! She deserved so much better.
What else can I say? I loved the places this book took Fainne (and me), both literally and figuratively. The various settings and how they focused on various characters made the journey engaging and enjoyable. The ending is bittersweet, but I can't complain and I think Marillier stuck the landing. How else to end such an epic and magical tale? The writing is magic and so is the story, and I'm so glad I read these books. I hear the additional Sevenwaters books are a little different, but I don't doubt that I'll be back and that it will feel like coming home.
Thank you for such a beautiful, new favorite story.
itsbecky's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
amsaduke's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. I remember not loving it as much as the first two when I first read the series but I just reread it and I love it. The story is different than the first two but I feel like Fainne is a much more relatable character than Sorcha and Liaden. I loved the book, loved the character development and the ending.
lurdes_oliveira's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the first two books, but this one let me down a bit. I did like the ending, but I felt the pacing was slow.
Everything was wrapped up nicely, but the beginning and middle dragged a bit. I didn't like Fainne very much, she frustrated me. Sorcha and Liadan were both strong, fierce women who stayed true to themselves against all odds.
It's a shame, but Marillier’s writing is very enchanting and absorbing.
Everything was wrapped up nicely, but the beginning and middle dragged a bit. I didn't like Fainne very much, she frustrated me. Sorcha and Liadan were both strong, fierce women who stayed true to themselves against all odds.
It's a shame, but Marillier’s writing is very enchanting and absorbing.