Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

Title: Shadowfell

Author: Juliet Marillier

Date Read: 20.July.2012

On TBR for: 1 day

Format: paperback

Source: Won on a giveaway (Raiding Bookshelves)

Challenges: 2012 Outdo Yourself




Shadowfell is the new series by Juliet Marillier and I was so lucky to win a copy in the Raiding Bookshelves giveaway, and not wait till September to read it, and have the gorgeous Australian version of the book. I take this moment to thank both Alex and Juliet for this book. And now, on to the review.

Shadowfell takes place in Alban (read Scotland, oh Beloved Scotland), and the main character Neryn is on the run, soon to be very alone in a country ruled by a tyrant, and where people who have uncanny powers are either executed or made to work for the king against their will. The odds are not very good for Neryn, even worse because she also has an uncanny power herself, one that allows her to see and talk with all sorts of Good Folk. She is in search of a place called Shadowfell, a name that is only whispered and is the synonym to the fight against king Keldec, but that to her it's a place where she can be safe.

And then there is Flint, a stranger who won her in a wager, saved her from the king's Enforcers, and said that all he wanted was to give Neryn a choice. But in these dark times of Alban, trust is a foreign concept, and Neryn would much rather make her way on her own than be with this mysterious man.

The journey to Shadowfell is fraught with dangers and perils and misfortunes, but also with unlikely friends. It's a journey of growth, self-discovery and some healing.

So, did I like it? Yes, of course I did. I didn't fall in love with it from the start, but once I closed that last page, I wished to still be in Alban with Neryn and Co., to not have to wait for book 2 to be written/published. I came to love the characters, main and secondary. Actually, one of strengths of this book is the richness of the supporting characters. I absolutely adored the ensemble of Good Folk characters.

Yet, this book feels like it is just the first leg in a very long journey. I am not sure if I should consider this a good thing or bad thing. I think it ties with the fact that it is written for young adults, and for a Juliet Mariller book, it felt shorter than it should have been. Maybe it was just me wishing it had been longer, because as a reader, I always want more.

And for all the downsides of books targeted to young adults, this one is all that such a book should be. In some ways, I would have loved to have this book as my first contact with fantasy (and Juliet Marillier for that matter). There is magic, but also the price of it, the consequences of actions, and how everything will help you grow. In fact, I think Neryn's growth throughout the book is one of the things that makes you like it so much (besides the Good Folk. And Flint.).

And so, after all this, how much did I like this book? A lot, though it was a gradual love, but like I said before, once I was done with it, I wished I was still there. I will anxiously wait for Raven Flight, hoping there will be more of Flint, of tyrant Keldec, of Good Folk, of Regan and his warriors and, of course, of Neryn.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Other Reviews: Raiding Bookshelves | The Silence in the Library 

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | Amazon UK| Amazon US

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Wrote A Review For

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week a theme for a list is suggested. This week is Books You Loved But Never Wrote A Review For (either books you loved and couldn't bring yourself to write a review for or books that you read long before blogging...time to give them a shoutout!)

There are a lot of books that fit this category, so I had a little trouble selecting. Some I chose because they are not very well known and deserve a shout-out.



1 - Earthsea Trilogy Quartet Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin is one of my favourite authors, and that love started with this series. A Wizard of Earthsea was being advertised as a Harry Potter kind-of-book (despite being much older, and altogether different), and so I dove in into it. And loved it. And then I went for the next book in the series, The Tombs of Atuan, which I loved even more, and then kept reading, and reading, and discovering there were more books and short-stories.

In total there are 6 books, in which the 5th one, Tales from Earthsea, is a collection of short-stories set in the same world (and one of them a bridge between book 4, Tehanu, and book 6, The Other Wind).

Tombs of Atuan (Book 2) and Tales of Earthsea (Book 5) are my favourites, but all of them are marvellous. I love the characters and especially the world building. Bonus points: Dragons!

2 - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
I will probably make a proper review of this one because I plan on re-read it soon.
The Hobbit was not my first Tolkien book, I had just finished The Lord of the Rings, and I NEEDED MORE! MORE! So, I read the Hobbit. The Hobbit was the first book that I read in English (besides picture books), but since this is, in essence, a book for children, it wasn't much of a problem.
Reading The Hobbit after reading The Lord of the Rings (plus all the annexes) means I knew part of what was going to happen, at least relating to the One Ring. But there is so much more to this story than just Gollum and Bilbo. I loved every bit of it!

3 - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
After being finished with the first books of Earthsea I went to look at everything else that Ursula K. Le Guin wrote, and found out most of it was Science Fiction. The problem was I was under the impression I didn't like Science Fiction (in truth what I don't like is Space Opera, but I only learnt the difference much later). I gave The Left Hand of Darkness a try, it had a cool name.

And I loved it. In a way it was a good book to start, there are just some references to advanced technology and other planets, the plot is all set in Winter (the planet, in constant winter, hence its name), and deals with social and political issues. So, the only thing different from a non-science fiction book was that it was not on Earth, and most of the characters were not human.

The thing that sold this book to me was actually the natives of Winter. They were pretty much like any Earthling, except that they are androgynous and asexual for most of their lives, until they get to the reproductive phase when they can either became male or female. The complexity of relationships and how the entire society was based on different physiological features was the high point of this book.

4 - Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
This started with a band, Gogol Bordello. It's lead singer, Eugene Hutz, plays Alex in the movie based on this book, and some of their songs are on the soundtrack. So I watched the movie, and it's a favourite of mine. So I had to read the book.

If the movie is wacky, the book is wackier, crazier, but also more bittersweet. In the book there are 3 stories: Alex's story, the (dubious) history of Jonathan's ancestors, and Alex's letters to Jonathan, mostly commenting on his own story, but also commenting (and complaining) about Jonathan's version of his family history.

I loved this book. A lot.

5 - Voice of Fire by Alan Moore
Alan Moore is known for his graphic novels, but my first contact with his work was this book. It's a mixture of historical fiction and fantasy, and really surreal and weird. Good weird. It's a collection of short-stories, set in the same point in space (that point being Northampton, England) but spanning 6000 years.

The first story/chapter of this book is something I have to talk about. Set in 4000BC, the narrator/main character has a limited vocabulary and very little grammatical coherence. Meaning that it's a hell to try to understand what is going on at all. It's more like a detective work. But that is part of the fun, trying to figure out what is going on. I also have to applaud the Portuguese translator, because translating gibberish and maintaining its little sense while not losing its gibberish quality is a huge feat.

The rest of the stories are really good, some irreverent, some sad. One of these days I will re-read this book.

6 - The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and The Unfinished Tales by J.R.R Tolkien
...or anything related with the Lord of the Rings.
I love the world building of Middle Earth, and the way that The Silmarillion is a History book for the whole thing.

The story of Lord of the Rings is really gripping, and while reading it I felt immense joy and despair. That is actually one of the reasons I have trouble re-reading it, I can't get through Bilbo's birthday party knowing how much bad it gets towards book 3. But there is really not much need for another Lord of the Rings review, so I'll just say: it's good and I love it.

7 - Books by Juliet Marillier that I haven't reviewed (yet)
I love this author, and I have reviewed some of her books, some because I read them not so long ago, others because I re-read them not so long ago. But there are are still a lot of them that I love and have yet to do so. Namely, The Daughter of the Forest, The Child of the Prophecy, The Heir to Sevenwaters, The Light Islands Saga and the Wildwood books.

I will most certainly re-read those in the near future, so I might review them then. Suffice to say, I love them all.

8 - American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Fantasy with mythology, and very dark, this one was right up my alley. It has some interludes, or short stories inside the main story, that were weird and disturbing, but my overall opinion of this book is WOW. There is a grittiness to it that I particularly liked.

The main character, Shadow, took some time to get to know and like, but there is an assortment of secondary characters that are simply amazing.

9 - A Segunda Manhã do Mundo by Manuel de Pedrolo [not available in English, original in Catalan: Mecanoscrit del segon origen]
This was another book I picked up based on the title alone. The second morning of the world, as translated in the Portuguese version. And it's a name that summarizes well this short book. It's a post apocalyptic story, about two kids that survived the apocalypse, and how they manage to survive (and repopulate the world).

I loved post apocalyptic stories, and this one was really good. It portrayed very well the hardships of two teenagers suddenly all alone in the world, and what had to be done in other to survive.

10 - Terra Prometida by José Manuel Fajardo [not available in English, original in Spanish: El Converso]
This one is Historical Fiction, set in 17th century and is the story of two man who keep re-encountering each other in different times, in different places in the world, and in different situations (not always the best), and manage to help each other out each time (while keeping score). But most of all is a story about freedom, something both men seek, although for different reasons.

I loved the writing in this one, and the different cultures portrayed: Caribbean, Arabic and European. The way the stories of the two men connected was marvellous, even if at times it was a surprise they did connect at all.

Reading Challenge - 71 to 75

And here it is! The final post of the 2010 75 books reading Challenge. Only a month late (and because I forced myself to finish this today).

71 - A Sabedoria dos Mortos by Rodolfo Martinez [The Wisdom of the Dead]

This a collection of three stories, pretending to be new, unpublished adventures of Sherlock Holmes, that never saw the light of day because of their uncanniness. The author proposes that these have been written by John Watson, M.D. (not Arthur Conan Doyle – but there is an explanation for that), and that his job as been merely of translating the texts found on box in an antique shop in Soho.

Overall it was a nice book, it makes me wish I read more of Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft. While I was reading I had some trouble in believing that John Watson could have written these stories. Not because he is a fictional character, but because it showed that the author of this story didn't have English as native language. Part of these objections where put to rest on the Translator's Note at the end of the book, but still I am unconvinced (especially having spend the entire book with those objections).

(4/5)

[Full Review]

72 - The Gift by Cecilia Ahern
This a book is something like a a Christmas Chic Flick. You know, the kind that comes out in the beginning of December, or that passes non stop on TV on Sundays afternoons.

It was a freebie, and it took me a long time to get around to read it because I was sure it wouldn't be my kind of book. I wasn't wrong.

It's light, and full of those special messages of being kind and good, and enjoying your family and your time with them. There is a bit of the story there but not much. The ending was clearly design to make the reader burst into tears – but it completely failed to do so with me.

It is also full of awful metaphors and similes that made me want to spoon my eyes out.

The only plus side is that is set in Dublin – and since I've been there, it was nice to read about something I know about.

(2.5/5)

73 - Scottish Fairy Tales by Philip Wilson

A collection of Fairy Tales, that I had on my bookshelf for ages.

I like fairy tales, but I might be too used to fairy tale retellings to properly enjoy a simple fairy tale. The stories on this book where nice, some were known, some weren't. Some repeated themselves, some were quite good. Common to all of them was the simplistic writing style.It was more enjoyable on a curiosity level than on a literary one.

(3/5)

74 - Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
Seer of Sevenwaters is the new instalment of the the once-trilogy-and-now-series of Sevenwaters. Even if I feel that nothing really compares to the first books on the series (which were the start of my love for Juliet Marillier's books), this book managed to surprise me in how much I loved it!

To me, it's a book of dualities. Two points of view, and also two parts on the story. The first one is recovery and getting to know oneself again. It's mostly character driven, but not without some action. The second part is about adventure and setting wrongs right. It's full of action and excitement. And all this dualities are so well woven one into each other, they complement each other, and you wouldn't want to have one without the other!

I loved this book, and even if I'm biased, I have to say that if you like historical fantasy, I really recommend Seer of Sevenwaters (or any other Sevenwaters book).

(5/5)

[Full Review]

75 - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

This was a bit of a re-read. Only a bit because the last time I read A Christmas Carol I was a tiny lass (not that I am much bigger now), and the version was abridged. So I guess it could count as a new read. The reason for me picking this book up, especially at the time I did had very little to do with being Christmas Time, and all with Doctor Who Christmas Special (based on this story, and quite marvellous).

It is my opinion that you can never go wrong with Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol is a very simple story - bad guy shown the error of his ways, and provided with a second chance. And it's hardly an unknown plot, as it has been adapted to all kinds of media (my first encounter with such an adaptation was The Muppet Christmas Carol).

I enjoyed reading this, not because it was mindblowing, but because it was well written, a nice story that you like because it is being told, not because of what's being told.

(4/5)

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So here it is: Challenge Completed!

This would be place where I would post Stats and Stuff about the Challenge, but I've seem to have done that already :D So all that is left to say is that I enjoyed reading (most of) these books, and thank you for reading my reviews (and in some cases cheering me in order to finish this challenged): Thank you!

Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier

Seer of Sevenwaters
Seer of Sevenwaters is the new instalment of the the once-trilogy-and-now-series of Sevenwaters. Even if I feel that nothing really compares to the first books on the series (which were the start of my love for Juliet Marillier's books), this book managed to surprise me in how much I loved it!

And now for a disclaimer: I love the books of Juliet Marillier, and in my eyes she can never do wrong. I read her books knowing that I'll love them. This one was no different.

Seer of Sevenwaters is the story of Sibeal, and what is basically her last summer holidays. Sent to the Isle of Inis Eala, where her cousin has his school of warriors, she can hardly wait before going back to the Forest, and begin her training in Druidic matters. But when a shipwreck occurs near the shores of Inis Eala, and the few survivors come ashore, she'll have to put her knowledge and abilities to the test, as well as her certainty in regard to her future.

Seer of Sevenwaters is told from two points of view, Sibeal's and Felix's. Felix is one of the survivors of the shipwreck and the book follows his recovery at the hands of Sibeal, and the amazing trio of healers: Muirrin, Evan and Gull. This was one of the things I loved the most about Seer of Sevenwaters. Multiple points of view is not a new thing, but it usually is done for characters not occupying the same space/time. Here we had two sides of the same story, and this is a bit harder to accomplish without repeating oneself. Juliet has done it beautifully! I never had the feeling that I was reading the same thing over and over again.

Returning to Felix, one of the new characters in this book, I have to say that I really liked him. I've always liked the name Felix, so I was instantly drawn to him (and instantly means right from the prologue! - the first word that is his name indicating it's his POV). But as I read along I couldn't help but love him more. He is not your usual hero, although brave, he is not a warrior. And it is refreshing to read a romance from the perspective of the male part. Of course that in this case, Felix is waaay more romantic than knowledge and duty oriented Sibeal.

Another thing that I loved, and that I believe is a treat to everyone who liked the original series (especially Son of Shadows, like me), was the inclusion of a lot of characters that were important then, and see how they have aged, how their life has changed. And it was so good to hear a story so well known to me (from Son of Shadows), but told from another point of view. It took me back to the feeling I had when I first read that book.


To me, it's a book of dualities. Two points of view, and also two parts on the story. The first one is recovery and getting to know oneself again. It's mostly character driven, but not without some action. The second part is about adventure and setting wrongs right. It's full of action and excitement. And all this dualities are so well woven one into each other, they complement each other, and you wouldn't want to have one without the other!

I loved this book, and even if I'm biased, I have to say that if you like historical fantasy, I really recommend Seer of Sevenwaters (or any other Sevenwaters book).

(5/5)


Other Reviews: Cuidado com o Dálmata

Vouchers, Reviewing and Writing

Vouchers
Bookdepository is giving away -10% vouchers that we can share with friends, so if you want one, just fill in the form below - I'll send you one.





Reviewing
A few days ago The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really) posted about an article about the top 20 most annoying book reviewer cliches and how to use them all in one meaningless review. It's a very interesting article, and some of those clichés do make me think of reviews right away. I'm even guilty of some of them.

Here is the list:

1. Gripping

2. Poignant: if anything at all sad happens in the book, it will be described as poignant

3. Compelling

4. Nuanced: in reviewerspeak, this means, "The writing in the book is really great. I just can't come up with the specific words to explain why."

5. Lyrical: see definition of nuanced, above.

6. Tour de force

7. Readable

8. Haunting

9. Deceptively simple: as in, "deceptively simple prose"

10. Rollicking: a favorite for reviewers when writing about comedy/adventure books

11. Fully realized

12. At once: as in, "Michael Connelly's The Brass Verdict is at once a compelling mystery and a gripping thriller." See, I just used three of the most annoying clichés without any visible effort. Piece of cake.

13. Timely

14. " X meets X meets X": as in, "Stephen King meets Charles Dickens meets Agatha Christie in this haunting yet rollicking mystery."

15. Page-turner

16. Sweeping: almost exclusively reserved for books with more than 300 pages

17. That said: as in, "Stephenie Meyer couldn't identify quality writing with a compass and a trained guide; that said, Twilight is a harmless read."

18. Riveting

19. Unflinching: used to describe books that have any number of unpleasant occurences -- rape, war, infidelity, death of a child, etc.

20. Powerful

The prize of the competition

Writing
The final item of this post is about writing, my own writing. Juliet Marillier Café and Mundo Mariller, together with the author Juliet Marillier held a creative writing competition to win a copy of her new book, Seer of Sevenwaters (that I'm anxiously waiting for).

I participated on JM Café, with a prose text. Unfortunately I didn't win. If you are curious about my piece, you can read it here.

Reading Challenge - 20 a 24

20 - Oath Breaker by Michelle Paver
This is the fifth book on the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series. Set in pre-historic times, it is aimed to children/young adults, but it is such a beautiful story that I think everyone should read it.

This book deals with revenge and hatred, and is great because it teaches that it is never the best option:

"Vengeance burns, Torak. It burns your heart. It makes the pain worse. Don't let that happen to you."

The characters are amazing, both good and evil, but my love goes to Wolf, because it is not a talking animal, and is not anthropomorphized in any way. He is a wolf, no doubt about that. He has a way to communicate, and he has thoughts of his own, but those are clearly not human. The way he describes things is probably the best: Tall Tailless (Torak, his human "brother"), Bright Beast that Bites Hot' (fire) or Fast Wet (river).

It is a well paced story, that never leaves you wondering if, had it been an adult book, there would be more depth to it (it probably wouldn't).

Loved it.

(4.5/5)


21 - Ghost Hunter by Michelle Paver
The last book in the series. It is a brilliant ending to a brilliant series. It deals with darker themes, of death and ghostly things.

I loved following the struggle of Torak, Renn and Wolf. Being the last book in the series, it featured the last battle against the last of the Soul Eaters. It was mesmerizing and hard to put down the book, the pages flew by, as I always wanted to know what happened next. With all the bad things happening there I was craving the happy ending that I felt was so much deserved.

It is truly a wondrous series, with an amazing storyline; fantastic characters, believable and likeable; and beautiful covers (I only bought the first one because it was so pretty!).

One complaint (not really): Why introduce such a great character in the end of the last book? Now I want to know more about him!

Recommended! Go read the entire series.

(4.5/5)


22 - Secrets of Surrender by Madeline Hunter
This was borrowed from a friend, and not exactly my kind of read. Too much on the chic lit side for my tastes.

The story goes like this: a girl has fallen prey to a very bad man that treats her as his plaything, even auctioning her off in a dinner party. The man who "buys" her turns out to be a gentleman and to save her from greater misery (because appearances are so very important) he proposes to marry her. There is no great mystery, there is only a story of falling in love and trusting each other, and the occasional (tasteful) sex scene.

It is a nice book if you are into that sort of thing, which I am not.

(2.5/5)


23 - Son of Shadows by Juliet Marillier
Another Juliet Marillier re-read (yes, I guess it is that time in the year). This is a personal favourite, and every once in a while I pick up this book to read my favourite parts. For me it's hard to review it without repeating myself: I love Juliet Marillier's writing; the historical element allied with some fantasy, but that still renders the story believable; and the complexity of the characters and their relationships.

The characters on Son of Shadows are actually one of the things that makes me continually pick this book up. I love that there is not a clear evil character thwarting our hero's plans, there are simply people with different opinions and on different sides. Liadan is probably one of my favourite female characters, strong in her convictions, making her own path and letting no one, be they human or fey, dare separate her family.

Loved it, as always.

(5/5)


24 - The White Raven by Diana L. Paxson

This is a re-telling of the Tristan and Iseult legend, here with the names of Drustan and Esseilt. I was not very familiar with it, but this book didn't make me want to know more. It was told from Esseilt's cousin, Branwen, point of view (in the 1st person), but it was about Esseilt herself.

I felt distanced from the romantic pair, but to tell the truth, I was not very intrigued by them either. Esseilt was only a spoilt child, who never seemed to realize that Branwen was an actual person with feelings. One other aspect that I didn't like (but that is not really the author's fault, it's part of the lore) is that Drustan and Esseilt's love is due to a love potion. This robbed me of my favourite part in any romance novel: the falling in love part. One moment she was trying to kill him, the other she was deeply in love with him, and falling into bed with him. Also, much of the misery and angst could have been avoided had the characters talked (I mean, really talked) among themselves.

I wish there was more to Branwen's story, it had potential. There were hints of a story there, between her and the king, with mystical elements (in short, what I really like).

It was an ok book, that could have been so much better if it wasn't so focused on Drustan and Esseilt's story.

(3.5/5)

Reading Challenge - 11 to 15

11 - Catwings Set by Ursula K. Le Guin
(I read the first book in the beginning of the year, but will comment here and consider the 4 books as one. They are very small.)
 
Catwings is the first in this series. It introduces us to a litter of very special cats: wigged cats. It is an adventure story for young kids (I mean, really young). It's about finding your place in the world even if you are different. And it's about friendship. And about children, who don't care about the cats being different as long as they can keep them.  (4/5)

In Catwings Return, the kitties return to the city to try to find their mother. Instead they find a very scared sister (winged as well) who refuses to speak (the cats talk among themselves). Another adventure for catwings. And a very enjoyable read.  (4/5)

Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings introduces us to a normal cat. And a very snob one at that. It is again about friendship, but is also about overcoming a trauma. And it is still a children's book.  (4/5)

Jane On Her Own is about the little sister found on the second book. She goes back to the city to try to have adventures on her own. To me this is the best book in the collection. Although the main character is cat, the story is about people and their relation with animals, and what they expect to get out of them.  (4.5/5)



12 - Priestess of the White by Trudi Canavan

Trudi Canavan is one of those authors that seems to have a fixed place on the fantasy bookshelf of any book store, but I had never read anything written by her, this book was my first. I enjoyed it, although it is very much like most the fantasy that is written nowadays.

I liked the two odd races presented, and the religious aspect of the differences between the tribes. I will most certainly read the next one in the series to find out what happens next.

(4/5)



(The next 3 books are a re-read of a series. I wanted to read the three books in one sitting, the first time I read them I had to wait about an year between books, for them to be published, and the experience is quite different. I called it my Bridei ReRead Marathon: 3 books in one week :D)

13 - The Dark Mirror by Juliet Marilier

I love this book. I love the way it's a historical novel, with elements of fantasy and you still believe it could have happen exactly like it's told. But I find that to true in all of Juliet's books.

I loved the story of Bridei, how he grows up to be a king. This being a reread, I knew what he would face and how some around him knew his path wouldn't be easy and helped him along (and usually by not being easy on him). I loved Tuala, and the almost sisterly love that she shared with Bridei, and seeing it turn into something more deep. And not getting the impression of incest when it happen.

This is a love story in essence, but there is a lot more to it. There is a clear political storyline, and it isn't there just to fill the background. It's important to everything that happens and it's one of the main strengths of the book.

Highly Recommended!

(5/5)


14 - Blade of Fortriu by Juliet Marillier

Blade of Fortriu takes place five years after the end of The Dark Mirror, and the characters were not idle during that time. This book has two separate storylines, Bridei's and Faolan's. Faolan was introduced on the first book and soon became a favourite of mine (and all the readers, it seems), so it's no surprise when in my first read of the book I avidly read the parts relating to Faolan and Ana, while skimming Bridei's war campaign parts.

This time I was able to enjoy Bridei story that, like in the first book, has a political nature. I liked learning about what it meant to rule as king, the choices he made, and his anguishes. I also loved to read about Tuala, now being able to remove the (wrong!) image that I had of a meek girl from the first time reading. She still is as feisty as she was when younger!

What I wished that was better on this book was the connection between the storylines. It is there, but it's faint, and mostly lost in the romance and love triangle of Faolan's story. But still a very good read.

(4.5/5)



15 - The Well of Shades by Juliet Mariller

The Well of Shades was a book that I loved the first time I read, and loved even more the second time around. In the third volume of the series, Faolan also plays a very important part (actually we realize how vital he is to Bridei). It takes part immediately after the end of Blade of Fortriu, and again, has multiple storylines.

I loved the characters in this book, both old and new. Most of all, I loved the children, so well portrayed, and their relationship with the adults.

Sometime after I finished my first read (when details start to get hazy) I started having the feeling that Eile's was a kind of treat to Faolan, after the second book (like saying, you can't have Ana, take this red head instead). How wrong I was! How could I forget how amazing her character is, how things keep piling up on her, and she still has a will to live.

This book is on of my favourites, perhaps the favourite. I recommend it to everyone!

(5/5)

Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier

This review has been written for The David Gemmell Legend Awards for Fantasy site.






Heart's Blood tells the story of Caitrin, forced to leave her house, running from her violent and controlling family. She finds herself upon Whistling Tor, a place dominated by a haunted castle, where spirits roam the hill, terrifying the village. The Lord of the castle, Anluan, does nothing to save the villagers from the presences of the underworld, in fact, he does nothing to rule his lands.

When Caitrin ran, she took with herself the tools of her father's trade: inks, quills and paper. As a scribe, and fluent in Latin, she sees an opportunity when a man from the castle comes to the village inquiring for someone with such skills.

She comes to meet Anluan, a man with a bad temper and some physical deficiencies, and a retinue of servants, most of them not entirely human. Her task will be to translate the diaries of Anluan great-grandfather, in which there might be a way to save the Whistling Tor from the host of undead that roam the hill.

Based on the Beauty and the Beast fairytale, Heart's Blood is much more than a simple retelling. Caitrin, the heroine, is a girl running away from the nightmare that her house has become, but not a frighten girl cowering from the world. She has a strong mind and during the story she comes to face her biggest fears. Anluan, the “Beast”, is not the monster portrayed in the fairytale. Most of his beastly qualities are due to his temper, and his attitude towards Caitrin. Most of all, he sees himself as a monster. However, the story does have the elements of the fairytale, a magic plant, not a Rose, but Heart's Blood; a magic mirror, actually several; a household full of enchanted servants, in this case undead. And of course, a happily ever after ending.

Although the book follows Caitrin, there are different storylines woven in Heart's Blood. Parallel to Caitrin's story, there is the story of Nechtan, the evil great-grandfather, and his quest to assemble an horde of spirits to his binding; the story of Anluan's father, Irial, a botanist at heart struggling with depression after his wife death; and the story of the women of Whistling Tor, all of them with a tragic ending.

Among the amazing characters are the undead that live in the castle. Do not think of spirits, because they can be touched, they are not wisps of smoke moving about; neither are they zombies, running aimlessly around. They are clearly different, cold and pale, but they remain human (although some more than others). And it's their humanity that brings a bigger depth to this story, to be more than a simple fairytale.

It's a beautiful story, that deals with fears and disability, well suited for young adults, although there is no age restriction to like a good book. The style of writing is very fluid, like all of the Juliet Marillier's books. (5/5)

Actors to play Juliet Marillier's Characters

On a discussion on Juliet Marillier Oficial FB fanpage many actors were suggested to play the different characters.

Here is a summary of what has been suggested. Comment if anything is missing or to suggest more.

Sevenwaters Series
Saga of the Light Isles
The Bridei Chronicles
Wildwood
Heart's Blood




EDIT: Nerwen Elendil has created an website for this, with galleries for each book with the actors suggested here. Go see it!

EDIT 2: Actors in need of role here.

EDIT 3: Another blog has been created to vote in the characters: Casting Sevenwaters. It's slowly coming live. The characters in this blog which name is a link, direct to the voting page.