Wednesday means it’s time to write about the books I have been reading in the previous week. I finished Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters series, reading the last two books. Here they are…

Seer of Sevenwaters and Flame of Sevenwaters are books five and six of the series and the latter rounds off the tale with a satisfying ending.

This is the blurb for Seer of Sevenwaters!

“Sibeal has always known that she is destined for a spiritual life, and is committed to it with all her heart. The only thing left for her to do before she enters the nemetons is to spend the summer visiting her sisters, Muirrin and Clodagh, on the northern island of Inis Eala.

But Sibeal has barely set foot on the island before a freak storm out at sea sinks a ship before her eyes. In spite of frantic efforts, only three survivors are fished alive from the water, and one of them, a man Sibeal names Ardal, clings to life by the merest thread.

Sibeal befriends Ardal as he begins to regain his health. But it becomes clear there is something unusual about the three shipwrecked strangers. Why won’t the beautiful Svala speak? And what is it that the gravely ill Ardal can’t remember – or won’t tell?

When a visiting warrior is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, and an attempt is made on Ardal’s life, Sibeal finds herself a pawn in a deadly game. The truth will be far more astonishing than she could ever have believed – and the consequences for Sibeal are unimaginable.”

Here is my response on Goodreads…

Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Although not quite as good as the first three books in the series, I still really enjoyed reading this one. Once again, Marillier’s writing of character and setting is excellent and the magical elements are also well done. The plot engaged me right until the end, although there were slow sections. Definitely a worthy addition to a great series.

View all my reviews

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I went straight on to read the last book in the series: Flame of Sevenwaters. Here is the blurb…

“When Maeve, twenty year old daughter of Lord Sean of Sevenwaters, accompanies a skittish horse back to Erin, she must confront her demons. For Maeve carries the legacy of a childhood fire in her crippled hands. She has lived with her aunt in Britain for ten years, developing a special gift for gentling difficult animals. 

Maeve arrives home to find Sevenwaters in turmoil. The forest surrounding her father’s keep also has uncanny inhabitants, including a community of Fair Folk. Now the fey prince Mac Dara has become desperate to see his only son return to the Otherworld to rule after him. To force Sean’s hand, Mac Dara has made innocent travellers on the Sevenwaters border disappear, and now their bodies are appearing one by one in bizarre circumstances. Mac Dara’s malign activities must be stopped. But how? What human army can defeat a force with magic at its fingertips? 

Maeve’s gift with animals earns her respect at Sevenwaters. She bonds with her enigmatic small brother, Finbar, his druid tutor Luachan, and two stray dogs. When Maeve discovers the body of one of the missing men, she and Finbar are drawn into a journey where the stakes are high: they may bring about the end of Mac Dara’s reign, or suffer a hideous death. For Maeve, success may lead to a future she has not dared to believe possible.”

I wrote the following review on Goodreads…

Flame of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think that this is the weakest of all the books in the series. The main character is unappealing and the response to her disabilities is very unlikely given the apparent historical period of the book. The ending rather too neatly finishes the whole series with a quite ridiculous romantic turn. All of that being said, I did enjoy a lot of the book and the return of some previous characters and am glad that I finished the series. I will definitely read more by Marillier in the future.

View all my reviews

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Now I am going to move on to a completely different kind of writer, although still in the Fantasy genre. All will become clear in next week’s Reading Roundup.

Until then I wish you Happy Reading!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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