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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
I think I've finally finished Sevenwaters, all of them. After awhile, the stories tend to blend into each other. Girl finds out family is in trouble, love and/or trouble pushes her into the land of the fae, she finds a solution and/or love, and returns - if she's lucky - to the human world wiser and with new respect for the otherworld. Somewhere, a druid will appear to impart wisdom and tell a story after dinner.
Also, honey cakes.
Nevertheless, Marillier's Sevenwaters stories are magic. It doesn't matter that nearly all of them have similar fundamental plotlines - each character is unique and has their own strange problems and hurdles to overcome.
Maeve is no different. She has terrible burns, that show themselves on the side of her head and in her useless hands. She requires help to eat, open doors, dress herself, everything. Her life is a list of failures; her everyday failures to be of any use or beauty are probably the most numerous on that list, but her failure to save her puppy in the fire that disfigured her so badly is the worst of the lot.
Yet, she is called home to Sevenwaters when Mac Dara plays mischief with men's lives. She meets Finbar, her little brother (the one Clodagh went off to save). She meets Laochen, Finbar's handsome, strange tutor. She meets Bear, and Badger, two strange dogs who venture out of the forest and win her heart with their bravery and love. She argues with her mother, and prickles with shame at the things people say about her. She tries so very hard to hold her head up high, and just get on with things.
Maeve is a strong character. I love her straightforwardness, and her practicalness. Her strength and her compassion, and her tendency to collect animals and connect with them. Her lady's maid is wonderful and compassionate and a valuable friend.
Marillier does not write happy endings, exactly; she writes stories where people try, and if they try hard enough, sometimes they wind up back home safe again. Maeve certainly gets no magical cure, no easy answer, no solution - in fact, she turns these offers down again and again with a staggering will and a bleak hopelessness. She doesn't take the easy way out. Coming to terms with her disabilities has turned her into a highly practical woman - but also one with a tendency to be bitter and sad. The book allows for her to learn to have hope! I loved that.
It's a very good read, a very human one, full of quiet warmth and love and strong as steel. I think at this point my wonder in Sevenwaters has dimmed - after 6 books? no wonder, really - but I still love it and respect it all the same. Marillier's a great writer. I finished this in a matter of hours. 9/10 recommend.
Also, honey cakes.
Nevertheless, Marillier's Sevenwaters stories are magic. It doesn't matter that nearly all of them have similar fundamental plotlines - each character is unique and has their own strange problems and hurdles to overcome.
Maeve is no different. She has terrible burns, that show themselves on the side of her head and in her useless hands. She requires help to eat, open doors, dress herself, everything. Her life is a list of failures; her everyday failures to be of any use or beauty are probably the most numerous on that list, but her failure to save her puppy in the fire that disfigured her so badly is the worst of the lot.
Yet, she is called home to Sevenwaters when Mac Dara plays mischief with men's lives. She meets Finbar, her little brother (the one Clodagh went off to save). She meets Laochen, Finbar's handsome, strange tutor. She meets Bear, and Badger, two strange dogs who venture out of the forest and win her heart with their bravery and love. She argues with her mother, and prickles with shame at the things people say about her. She tries so very hard to hold her head up high, and just get on with things.
Maeve is a strong character. I love her straightforwardness, and her practicalness. Her strength and her compassion, and her tendency to collect animals and connect with them. Her lady's maid is wonderful and compassionate and a valuable friend.
Marillier does not write happy endings, exactly; she writes stories where people try, and if they try hard enough, sometimes they wind up back home safe again. Maeve certainly gets no magical cure, no easy answer, no solution - in fact, she turns these offers down again and again with a staggering will and a bleak hopelessness. She doesn't take the easy way out. Coming to terms with her disabilities has turned her into a highly practical woman - but also one with a tendency to be bitter and sad. The book allows for her to learn to have hope! I loved that.
It's a very good read, a very human one, full of quiet warmth and love and strong as steel. I think at this point my wonder in Sevenwaters has dimmed - after 6 books? no wonder, really - but I still love it and respect it all the same. Marillier's a great writer. I finished this in a matter of hours. 9/10 recommend.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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:
Yes
I do always love a Juliet Marillier book, and the Sevenwaters saga will always hold a special place in my heart... but I much prefer the original trilogy to the later books (although I do love how this wraps up the saga so nicely).
Despite that, Flame of Sevenwaters is still a wonderful story. I do like that we finally get to see Maeve return to Sevenwaters, and how that has implications both for her, and those around her. I also appreciated getting to know young Finbar, and seeing more of Ciaran as well. But this is a very slow developing story (many of Marillier's are, but this particularly feels like not much happens for the first 50% or so...), and unfortunately I didn't connect with the romance element as much as I normally do - understandably, given the circumstances.
Still, I will always read a Juliet Marillier book (eventually), and I will never be disappointed! (Even if I do love some more than others...)
Despite that, Flame of Sevenwaters is still a wonderful story. I do like that we finally get to see Maeve return to Sevenwaters, and how that has implications both for her, and those around her. I also appreciated getting to know young Finbar, and seeing more of Ciaran as well. But this is a very slow developing story (many of Marillier's are, but this particularly feels like not much happens for the first 50% or so...), and unfortunately I didn't connect with the romance element as much as I normally do - understandably, given the circumstances.
Still, I will always read a Juliet Marillier book (eventually), and I will never be disappointed! (Even if I do love some more than others...)
This book, and this series as a whole, was hugely frustrating for me.
I really enjoyed this book, for the most part. Maeve is a complex, interesting heroine, who lost the use of her hands in an accident years before this book takes place. She lives with her disability well, has found ways to work around it and understands those things she simply cannot do, but struggles with how others perceive her, and how her family will perceive her after spending ten years away from them. Maeve is my favorite Sevenwaters heroine since Sorcha herself, and her disability echos Sorcha's inability to speak in the first book. While the romance in many of the books in this series felt spontaneous, forced, and too prominent, it was almost absent for much of this book, letting Maeve's personal struggles with her family and the politics of both humans and the Otherworld play major roles.
And then, in the last hundred or so pages, all of this is ruined. The conclusion of this book strays far too close to deus ex machina, as does the romance. All the tension that builds throughout the book is resolved in a way that is too on the nose. The ending becomes too tidy too quickly. For all Maeve's struggles, she is rewarded with an ending that is trite and downright bizarre.
Like the previous book in this series, Seer of Sevenwaters, Maeve shares narrative time. In this book, it isn't her love interest, but her uncle Ciarin who becomes a secondary protagonist. His chapters are written in present tense for seemingly no reason, and probably total no more than ten pages throughout the book. This switch is jarring and unnecessary.
Another problem with this book is which former Sevenwaters protagonists are mentioned, and how often. This story develops very much on what Heir to Sevenwaters laid down, which would make for a tidy arc if Seer of Sevenwaters played any role in the overall story of these three books. You might think that Sibeal, a druid and seer, would play a prominent role in a fight against the Otherworld king Mac Dara, but the overly saccharine ending of Seer served only to erase her from the plot, not bring her into some series-spanning saga. There's also virtually no mention of Fainne, despite the fact that her story ties closely to that of Maeve's and that her father is a point of view character in this book. Sorcha is also almost forgotten, which is disappointing in a book that ends the series that started with her.
There was a lot of promise here, but it left me unsatisfied. That goes for both this book, and the second part of the Sevenwaters series as a whole. Fans of Daughter of the Forest, Son of the Shadows, and Child of the Prophecy should skip the last three books in the series.
I really enjoyed this book, for the most part. Maeve is a complex, interesting heroine, who lost the use of her hands in an accident years before this book takes place. She lives with her disability well, has found ways to work around it and understands those things she simply cannot do, but struggles with how others perceive her, and how her family will perceive her after spending ten years away from them. Maeve is my favorite Sevenwaters heroine since Sorcha herself, and her disability echos Sorcha's inability to speak in the first book. While the romance in many of the books in this series felt spontaneous, forced, and too prominent, it was almost absent for much of this book, letting Maeve's personal struggles with her family and the politics of both humans and the Otherworld play major roles.
And then, in the last hundred or so pages, all of this is ruined. The conclusion of this book strays far too close to deus ex machina, as does the romance. All the tension that builds throughout the book is resolved in a way that is too on the nose. The ending becomes too tidy too quickly. For all Maeve's struggles, she is rewarded with an ending that is trite and downright bizarre.
Like the previous book in this series, Seer of Sevenwaters, Maeve shares narrative time. In this book, it isn't her love interest, but her uncle Ciarin who becomes a secondary protagonist. His chapters are written in present tense for seemingly no reason, and probably total no more than ten pages throughout the book. This switch is jarring and unnecessary.
Another problem with this book is which former Sevenwaters protagonists are mentioned, and how often. This story develops very much on what Heir to Sevenwaters laid down, which would make for a tidy arc if Seer of Sevenwaters played any role in the overall story of these three books. You might think that Sibeal, a druid and seer, would play a prominent role in a fight against the Otherworld king Mac Dara, but the overly saccharine ending of Seer served only to erase her from the plot, not bring her into some series-spanning saga. There's also virtually no mention of Fainne, despite the fact that her story ties closely to that of Maeve's and that her father is a point of view character in this book. Sorcha is also almost forgotten, which is disappointing in a book that ends the series that started with her.
There was a lot of promise here, but it left me unsatisfied. That goes for both this book, and the second part of the Sevenwaters series as a whole. Fans of Daughter of the Forest, Son of the Shadows, and Child of the Prophecy should skip the last three books in the series.
There is no way that I could read and not fall in love with any book set in Sevenwaters. That being said, this was definitely the weakest in series. I like Maeve, but I didn't connect with her as I did with the heroines from the other novels in the series. The romance fell short for me as well. I saw it coming from the beginning and though it was rather sweet, it just wasn't the same slow burn romance that I have come to know and love from Marillier.
This was a beautiful and wonderful end to the Sevenwaters series. All loose ends from the series were tied up beautifully, and things came full circle. I found myself tearing up upon finishing because this series meant so much to me growing up and I couldn't believe that it was over. Despite this being my least favorite of the series, Flame of Sevenwaters was a strong and gorgeous conclusion to a beloved series.
This was a beautiful and wonderful end to the Sevenwaters series. All loose ends from the series were tied up beautifully, and things came full circle. I found myself tearing up upon finishing because this series meant so much to me growing up and I couldn't believe that it was over. Despite this being my least favorite of the series, Flame of Sevenwaters was a strong and gorgeous conclusion to a beloved series.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
Een mooi boek in de Zeven Wateren serie, maar wel een dat ik makkelijk weg kon leggen als een ander boek meer trok vanwege een challenge op de ff-leesclub. Ik zou het een 7 geven, maar dat kan hier niet. Een 8 is het voor mij zeker niet.
Sevenwaters is magical. Despite any repetition that does happen with this series, I think each heroine in these books does have their own special voice. I loved the majority of this book, although everyone is correct in saying that the love story is extremely weird.
“I often tell myself, there is no point in wishing certain things had not happened. We can’t change what has been, only do our best with what is to come.”
Spoiler
My heart would have been much more happy in this case if Bear had remained a dog; and I say this as someone who normally adores the love stories that Marillier writes. Even if Bear could not have remained a dog, I think Maeve finding hope and love elsewhere could have been just as satisfactory. Although, it seems silly for me to even say or wish that, since Maeve herself tells us:“I often tell myself, there is no point in wishing certain things had not happened. We can’t change what has been, only do our best with what is to come.”
Live love love love love. I wish this series had more books