Cybele's Secret (original 2008; edition 2008)

To my surprise, I actually enjoyed Cybele's Secret more than Wildwood Dancing. The main problem I had with Wildwood Dancing was the predictability, and maybe the tortuous way everything went wrong, and so the pacing... For the most part, Cybele's Secret was better, in that respect. I didn't figure out the whole plot in the first fifty pages as I did with Wildwood Dancing, so it didn't drag so much for me -- and when it got to the last part, I was hooked, toes curling with excitement, grinning like an idiot: the lot.

My main criticism of Cybele's Secret is how very, very similar Paula's tone was to Jena's. The two sisters are alike, but... Not so alike, I'd thought. I might have been reading the same narrator, though, or so it seemed to me... And the separation of Paula and her father, the way she got on the ship... Once she was on the ship, she acted in character, but there was nothing level-headed about going to confront a man she believed to be violent, unscrupulous and cruel. I didn't believe that as something she would do. Which is unfortunate, because part of the plot hinged on that.

I predicted who would be following them, too, and even how she would end, so it still didn't keep me on my toes -- but the feeling of utter familiarity wasn't there.

It's hard to say, after that, what I did like so much. Duarte and Stoyan, mainly. I believed in both their characters, and in their different loves for Paula. And I believed in her affection for them. The end made me smile a lot. ( )

Paula is accompanying her father to Constantinople on a trading trip. She might “only” be a seventeen-year-old girl, but she’s an intelligent, able assistant. They’re in search of an ancient religious artifact, Cybele’s Gift. Once in Constantinople, Paula starts seeing strange visions, visions that she feels sure are coming from the Other Kingdom, the fairy tale world next to ours. She learns that it’s her turn to go on a quest. Can she accomplish the task set for her?

I am so torn in rating this book. The beginning felt like it was at least a hundred pages too long. I don’t know exactly what could have been cut, I’m just left with the feeling that a lot of it was unnecessary. It was all character development and setup for the quest, but it got a little boring and I was feeling disappointed that this wasn’t as good as [b:Wildwood Dancing|13929|Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood, #1)|Juliet Marillier|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1236781023s/13929.jpg|2024857]. It was interesting to read the descriptions of Constantinople, but there should be a limit to setup. I read 200 pages before I really got into it, but once the story got going, it was a fantastic fairy tale with impossible challenges, riddles, dangerous pursuit, and all the stuff that make us love the old stories. I finished the rest in one sitting, on the edge of my seat, waiting to find out what happened next. Three stars for the first half, five stars for the second half, and we’ll average it out at four.

Paula is a woman ahead of her time. She loves to read and dreams of opening her own book trading business. She sometimes gets a little too lost in her own head though, and needs to be reminded that there is a whole real life to be lived outside of books. She also has a temper that gets her in trouble a few times. It took me a little while to warm up to her, but in the end I liked her almost as much as her sister Jena.

Duarte the pirate is a dashing, charismatic figure, and I was never quite sure what to make of him. There are hidden layers to the man, and it was fun to watch Paula sounding him out. I kept picturing him as Iñigo Montoya.

And then there’s Stoyan. Oh, Stoyan, my love. He almost made me cry. The page got all blurry on me and everything. Do you know how it is killing me to admit that? I absolutely hate to cry, but he got to me. Captain Wentworth’s letter is the last word in romance from an eloquent lover, but Stoyan takes the cake for the blue collar guys. He’s tall and handsome of course, but he’s a wise, old, gentle soul. He can handle himself in a fight, but he ultimately knows what’s important in life and inadvertently reminds Paula of that frequently. He’s loyal, quiet, and willing to do anything for her. As Duarte says to him, "It is blindingly clear to me that you would jump through fire for her." If you’ve ever read [b:I Capture the Castle|31122|I Capture the Castle|Dodie Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168212057s/31122.jpg|950769], Stoyan just might remind you of Stephen.

This is a “companion novel” to Wildwood Dancing. I don’t think it’s necessary to read them in any kind of order, but a small part of the plot from Wildwood will be spoiled if you read Cybele first.

I highly recommend this for fans of fairy tales, but you’ll have to have patience with the beginning. And be prepared to fall in love with Stoyan. ( )

The second book in the Wildwood series. Eighteen-year-old scholar Paula, is travelling with her merchant father. From their home in Transylvania, they are on their way to bid for an ancient pagan artifact rumoured to be in Istanbul and sacred to the goddess Cybele. On arrival they discover that her father's advisor has been murdered - probably over the artifact; and there are others who will stop at nothing to acquire it for themselves.

Paula keep's catching glimpses of her sister, who several years ago vanished into the Other Kingdom. Why are the folk of the other world using her sister to guide her? Who can Paula trust? Her newly hired bodyguard, a women who has created a safe place for female scholars, or the handsome pirate who seems to be pursuing the artifact too?

A good fantasy read in a completely different setting from Marillier's other books. Being reminded that Paula is highly intelligent is slightly irritating, as are her sometimes foolish actions! ( )

[2.5 stars:] I really loved Wildwood Dancing, so I'm surprised that I didn't end up liking this more. There are a couple reasons:

- The plot didn't seem as well put together.
- I didn't like the ending as much. If the last 100 pages had been different I'd probably give it another star automatically. Basically, it seemed unnecessarily drawn out and it also reminded me of what Juliet Marillier has done before in both Wildwood Dancing and Daughter of the Forest.
- The writing itself is decent, but not amazing. I noticed this with Wildwood Dancing, but it started to annoy me more here.
- At one point, something reminds Paula of "freshly mown grass." Did they really mow grass in the 1500s?
- I didn't like any of the new characters as much as Jena and her frog. ( )

This wasn't as good as the first one but still enjoyable. Like the first, it took a bit to get pulled into the story but once pulled, I was well and truly sucked in. A very fast, intriguing read. I wish the next one was out already. (Is there a next one? There better be!) ( )