Juliet Marillier

CW: flashbacks to violent death of a dog belonging to one of the main characters, references to another dog being beaten by his owner (although the dog is rescued and lives).

Masterful. One of the best books I've read by one of my favorite authors. Takes everything good about the first book in the series, [b:The Harp of Kings|43316755|The Harp of Kings (Warrior Bards, #1)|Juliet show more Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552128464l/43316755._SY75_.jpg|57888974], and kicks it up a notch. The things that annoyed me about Liobhan in Harp are gone; she's a true warrior now, strong without being foolhardy. Not only can she kick butt in a fight, she can also sing a haunting melody and concoct a healing brew.

The journey that Dau goes through - blinded in a freak accident, forced to return to the home where he was tormented by his older brothers and ignored by his father - is absolutely heartbreaking, but through his trials his remaining arrogance is humbled and replaced by true leadership. He and Liobhan demonstrate their never-wavering loyalty to each other, and their relationship finally evolves to the point we all knew was coming, despite its antagonistic beginning in the first book.

The scenes with Liobhan's half-fey brother Brocc that take place in the Otherworld are interesting but unsettling. There's something about his wife Eirne that doesn't sit right with me, and I don't know if the development at the end of the book is a good omen or a foreboding one. The creepy Crow Folk appear in both the human and Otherworlds, and the reason for their violent behavior is obviously going to play a key role in the final book of the trilogy (god willing the world is still turning by the time it is published).

I suppose this book could stand alone but you really need to read [b:The Harp of Kings|43316755|The Harp of Kings (Warrior Bards, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552128464l/43316755._SY75_.jpg|57888974] to fully appreciate the complicated dynamics among Liobhan, Dau and Brocc. Marillier's books are dense and long but completely engaging; I read the 500 page novel in a long weekend. show less

I sometimes forget that Marillier is a slowburn fantasy writer. Action, when it happens, is swift, brutal and harrowing for everyone involved so the bulk of the book is character building. Raven Flight is very much about everyone coming to grips with what they have to do for the greater good. Neryn and Flint both have to square their circles of guilt. Tali and Reagan have to learn to anticipate, not react, no matter how strategic those reactions are.

And above all the Good Folk need to get show more off their high horses and be proactive if they want peace once more.

When we last left Neryn she had joined up with the rebel folk and learned that there was devastating consequences to her powers if she wasn't careful and a larger destiny she needed to fulfill. We open with Neryn still recovering from calling forth he aid of the Good Folk in a fight against Keldec's forces as well as learning what it means to be part of Shadowfell.

In some ways I think that life at Shadowfell is slightly more romanticized then it should be, but its a trait of Marillier's writing that I can't quite be irritated by. Life is rough and people die all the time, so even though Shadowfell seems like a haven the reader is constantly reminded that for all the laughter and companionship these people share, they are not safe at all.

The news that Flint learns is indeed a game changer. Its not a surprise to the folks of Shadowfell (or it won't be, Flint has not rejoined them by the time he learns what Keldec is so excited about), but the timetable will be. Neryn's fretting about having maybe 2 years to find the other Guardians, when really she doesn't even have that.

The summary mentions Tali is worried about Neryn's love for Flint, but it goes deeper. Neryn isn't a stupid girl with a head full of glitter; though she cares for and trusts Flint he still is part of the folk who basically murdered her grandmother. He may play the good guy and work for the betterment of all, but he does nasty, brutal things and she doesn't ignore that so the fear is still there.

Tali is an interesting character who had to grow on me. Initially she is cold and rude to Neryn, even though Neryn is supposed to be the Key to the puzzle of their victory. Its all well and good that she thinks she's a bit loose in the head, but as Neryn trains and travels with her the reader begins to see its more then that. She's seen so many young girls and boys like Neryn come and go, so many killed or run off or captured that Neryn is a harsh reminder. She's not tough or strong, she has no fighting skills to speak of. She lived on the road all those years, but that hardly qualifies her to be one of Reagan's trusted people.

In the end Tali is worried that she'll let Neryn down as well as Reagan and she's tired of that feeling.

The ending scene is a little confusing since Flint thinks one thing and a few paragraphs later has found the answer he didn't want, but knew he would find. I'm not sure if this is a trilogy or longer, it feels a bit like it will be longer, but Marillier surprises me with how deftly she can bring a story to a close without really tying all the loose ends up. show less

Liadan of Sevenwaters, youngest daughter of Sorcha and Hugh (formerly of Harrowfield), twin to Sean, and little sister to Niamh, would be happy to spend her whole life in the lovely lands of Sevenwaters, helping out with the household. However, when a series of increasingly confounding events occur, and people began whispering furtively about the reawakening of a curse, or the fulfillment of an old prophecy, and Liadan is kidnapped by a band of skilled but not-quite-merciless mercenaries, show more she begins to realize that her destiny may lie beyond the simple household workings of Sevenwaters after all.

I had heard that, while the first book in the Sevenwaters series, Daughter of the Forest, was pretty good, the second book, SON OF THE SHADOWS, would blow me away. I admit to a bit of good-natured skepticism when I was told this. Okay, yes, Daughter of the Forest was good, but it’s still the same author writing the second book, which is set in the same world, and has similar characters with similar problems, right? But no, somehow, miraculously, in an act that seems to defy the unstated law of sequels (“Thou shalt never be good as the first book”), SON OF THE SHADOWS is an astounding original work of fantasy that sweeps the literary awards in the categories of characters, plot, pacing, and readers’ emotional investment.

Daughter of the Forest was constrained by it being a retelling, albeit a lush and engaging retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales, melancholy and terrifying and inspiring and heartbreaking all at the same time. However, Marillier hits her writing prowess out of the ballpark when she strays away from the retelling and makes the world she created fully her own. SON OF THE SHADOWS has everything a die-hard fantasy fan will want from a fantasy: a strong protagonist, an epic romance, complex political dynamics, nasty villains. Daughter of the Forest focuses more on Sorcha and her difficult journey to break the curse set on her brothers, whereas in SON OF THE SHADOWS, Marillier takes her time in exploring and expanding the world in and around Sevenwaters. In this book, we can feel the motions of the operations of an estate: its fluid routine under strong leadership, and its heart-wrenching struggles when the leadership is being bombarded by political manipulations and betrayals.

I love that the delicate nature of political relationships is explored so thoroughly in this book. Liadan, Sean, and Niamh being children related to the “lord of the manor,” it is inevitable that their destinies would involve how Sevenwaters’ relations with its neighbors and strategic allies must evolve. The lovely thing about this being the second book in the series is that we can already sympathize with Liadan’s parents, Sorcha and “Red,” from reading about them in the first book; thus, they never end up assuming the “antagonist parent” role. So much of this book revolves around the Sevenwaters’ inhabitants’ political relationships with others: Liadan and neighboring lord Eamonn, Niamh and her unhappy strategic marriage to an ally, and so on. I found it utterly engrossing how Marillier deftly weaves these complex strings of human desires and ambitions so that no one is entirely good, no one entirely bad.

But I haven’t even gotten to what may arguably be the best part of the book yet! Liadan’s and Bran’s romance is…epic. There is no other word for it. It sweeps you off your feet in a violent whoosh and keeps you dizzily, giddily swinging through the air, all the while knowing that you are safe, because the person holding onto you is one whom you can trust with your life. That was what it felt like for me when I was reading about their romance. Liadan and Bran: such seemingly incompatible people at first, and yet they share the same values, both have the same good intentions and dreams that they must fight and fight and fight in order to achieve. So they—and I, as the reader—are swept away with the unexpectedness of their connection to one another; and then the incredible trials they must go through in order to have even the barest hope of being happy together is the dizzy, giddy part, pulling the reader along in great breathless gasps, desperate that things might work out for the characters. Finally, no matter how dizzy and breathless and gut-wrenched you may feel along the way, you know that you are safe, because Liadan and Bran are both such fundamentally good, strong, and loving people—even if their life situations do not allow for them to show it—that you can believe that they are, without a doubt, absolutely right for one another, against all the odds.

Whew! I think I’m gonna stop there with the review. The more I write, the more I realize I don’t think I have the words to express how phenomenal my reading experience of SON OF THE SHADOWS was. Just…just read the series. Read this book. show less

This was a fantastic follow-up to Daughter of the Forest, and has left me anxious to read the rest of the Sevenwaters series. Marillier's prose is lush and reverent, and her characters are as believable as they are perfectly flawed. Her blending of myth, story-telling, and drama -- not to mention magic, in just the right doses -- makes these books virtually impossible to put down once they're begun, and although some of the largest elements of the story's arc were somewhat predictable, the show more novel still pulled me along without fail.

I will say that this book got off to a slightly slower start than the first book in the series, but within a few chapters, it still had me hooked, and so I'd absolutely recommend it. I'll also add that I think this is a series readers absolutely need to read in order if they want the full flavor of the characters, so Daughter of the Forest should be picked up before this installment. show less