Child of the Prophecy (The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Book 3) (original 2001; edition 2003)

It wasn't awful but it didn't engage me. I skimmed the last 100 or so pages because I wanted to know what happened in the end, but I was just tired of slogging through it. The plot was actually interesting, but the prose was sort of lifeless. Its like the author plotted out all three and enjoyed writing the first one, but by the time she got to number three she just ran out of enthusiasm. ( )

This review has been crossposted from my blog Review from The Cosy Dragon Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me.

'Child of the Prophecy' follows Fainne, which is interesting to the reader as the title of the book purports that this novel is about the Child of the Prophecy, thought to be a male. Nevertheless, Fainne is likable, if rather misguided. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and was sad when I had finished it.

Fainne is the granddaughter of Sorsha and Lady Oonagh and the forbidden child of Niamh and Ciaran. Fainne has had a sheltered childhood, but she must leave her cosy home in Kerry to go out to perform her grandmother's wishes. Travelling with her old childhood friend Darragh is difficult for Fainne, knowing the impossible task her grandmother has set her.

Similarly to the other two books in the trilogy, at the beginning I felt myself wanting to rush with my reading to get to some action faster. Mid-way through the books, things were finally happening, but I was torn as to what the conclusion of the book would be.

The ending is somewhat unexpected, but satisfying, and nail biting right to the end! Often in this novel the reader will notice something before the protagonist does, which makes it more exciting. Fainne is thrown this way and that by others' wills, but it is up to her to make or break things - and not even the reader can tell what she will be able to do.

Marillier has crafted a beautiful narrative - the characters are engaging, the scenery convincing and the plot riveting. The only part I was unsatisfied with was that the book ended too soon! As a concluding novel for a trilogy, 'Child of the Prophecy' tied up the loose ends of the narrative nicely.

I'm hankering after the next two books set in the same world 'Seer of Sevenwaters' and 'Heir to Sevenwaters'. One of these will be my reward for having read and reviewed 10 books from my shelf! I probably won't read it until after review 20 though, as I will want to read the two books together. ( )

It seems odd to attach the word "disappointing" to anything by Juliet Marillier, she of the unparalleled fantasy works. But CHILD OF THE PROPHECY is generally considered to be one of her weakest, and even knowing that way before going into the book, I was still struck by how disappointed I was. Oh, CHILD OF THE PROPHECY is still miles above 95% of all published books with its fluid, lyrical writing and respect of its characters' multidimensionality. However, two things doomed this book from entering the Annals of Eternal Worship in my opinion--one avoidable, one not so much.

First was the utterly overdramatic portrayal of Lady Oonagh, who, yes, makes a reappearance in this book as, once again, the villain. Only this time Lady Oonagh is ten times worse than she was portrayed in Daughter of the Forest, to the point where she resembles a caricature of a cackling crone using her powers for evil. It got to the point where I was doing all-body cringes whenever her insult- and exclamation point-ridden dialogue appeared on the page, which they unfortunately did with more and more frequency toward the end of the book. Lady Oonagh was a disappointment after the marvelous subtleties in characterization displayed by Marillier in the previous books in the trilogy.

Secondly, and perhaps unavoidably, was how the story set Fainne up to lurch on the edge of the Too Stupid To Live cliff. Such are the woes of a book where the main plot revolves around the main character being blackmailed/terrorized/otherwise manipulated into doing things she does not want to do.

And on a final note, SPOILER ALERT: did Eamonn really have to turn into a lecherous middle-aged man who is randomly redeemed through his act of sacrifice at the very end of the book? ( )

Easily my favorite of the three--I enjoyed Fainne's story and characterization, and found myself empathizing with her and rooting for her no matter how difficult her choices got. I found Darragh to be the only low point; their relationship is patchy and he comes off looking a little creepy--not to mention that he would have saved everyone a lot of bother if he had just listened to Fainne when she told him to let her do what needed to be done! ( )