Heir to Sevenwaters

With Heir of Sevenwaters, Juliet Marillier turns her Sevenwaters trilogy into a quartet that is open-ended enough to spawn an indefinite number of sequels. She would have done better to stop while she was ahead and leave it at three books.

This story is told by Clodagh, one of the daughters of Sevenwaters who was much younger in the third book. Clodagh's mother Aisling is about to have another child, long after her safe childbearing years are over. After six girls, everyone is hoping it will be a boy, an heir. They know this will cause complications with the family succession, but no one guesses that young Finbar will bring the family into contact with tricky Fair Folk who don't exactly play fair. Clodagh must travel into their realm to show more save her brother... but she is soon to learn that it isn't just her brother who is in danger.

Compared to the more sophisticated books preceding it, this one falls flat. It feels as though it was written for a much younger audience. Perhaps that is why it's full of forbidden, pulsing teenage hormones that get full descriptions every couple of pages. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy YA fiction. Just not the inane kind. At one point I wondered if I'd picked up Twilight by mistake. There certainly are a lot of similarities, come to think of it:

• Rather predictable and utterly besotted girl narrates the story
• Skilled supernatural dude is head over heels for the narrator
• Their wild teenage passion intensified by restraint (if you can call it that)
• Jealous ordinary guy vies for the narrator's attention but just can't compare to the Skilled Supernatural Dude
• Narrator bargains with supernatural beings on behalf of the Skilled Supernatural Dude

*sigh*

Heir to Sevenwaters is a weak effort and feels very much like an author trying to cash in on an established series. It is poorly plotted and peopled with Marillier's stock characters who were great the first time, okay the second, a bit blah the third, and just plain boring the fourth. It's the same with Marillier's other books after the initial three; they are all very predictable. It seems she only has one story to tell. I also didn't care for the sly agenda-pushing Marillier tries to slip in there. It's a sad comedown for an author I once enjoyed. Can't recommend this one. show less

With the first three books in the Sevenwaters series resolving the major plot lines, this installment opens a new arc while maintaining a strong connection to the initial trilogy. While the romantic triangle is a bit predictable, Marillier takes it in unexpected and yet satisfying directions. The author also continues her themes of the consequences of not sharing information, the high cost of lying by omission, the importance of loyalty, and the strength of hope. And at the heart, the indomitable power of love. I am looking forward to continuing this series.

After the third "Sevenwaters" trilogy, I didn't think new installments in this series could continue to hold my interest. After all, let's face it -- the first two books are beyond exceptional, and book 3 just couldn't measure up. Still, I love Marillier's writing, and I optimistically and nostalgically gave this latest story a go. And I'm very happy that I did.

No, this isn't as good as "Daughter of the Forest" or "Son of the Shadows" -- two very difficult acts to follow. This is, however, a very good book, with the same beautiful language and rich mythology that characterizes Marillier's work. Clodagh is a wonderful heroine, both strong and believable. Every now and again, it's nice to read a book like this that illustrates the show more extraordinary potential that lies within ordinary people.

And Cathal, I found, is a different sort of male lead than what we've previously seen in this series. Sharper than Red, more volatile than Bran, and definitely more tangible than Darragh. He is, in short, the perfect match for Clodagh, and I greatly enjoyed the connection that sparked, sizzled, then blossomed between them.

I know some other reviewers were disappointed by the formulaic trend in this series, saying this book in particular held no surprises or breaks from patterns. Honestly, I consider that formula one of the high points of this series. Marillier recreates the traditional method of storytelling, in which patterns enrich a story rather than detract from it. Yes, there is predictability, but that's rather beside the point. A fantastical adventure is no less magical when you know it will end back at home. show less

Picking up this last (or most recent) book in Juliet Marillier's fantastic Sevenwaters series, I was totally geared up for a much desired in-depth look at Laiden and Bran's son (from Son of the Shadows), Johnny. As I started reading and found out, no this is his cousin's Clodagh story, I sorta scratched my head and felt a little cheated. Boy howdy, was I ever wrong about being disappointed. (Of course) Clodagh's story was sublime, beautiful and probably my favorite so far. I should simply be grateful for any story Marillier tells and stop having expectations becuase frankly, any story she writes comes out magic.In the midst of her six sisters, Clodagh is happy to be known as the 'domestic' one, usually to be found helping her mother show more organize and run the Sevenwaters household. So it's natural that she fills this role as her mother becomes ill with an unexpected pregnancy late in life. Her mother, Aisling, is convinced she carries the long awaited male heir she has previously failed to deliver. Clodagh and her family are anxious for their mother's health but when the baby is born and is taken suddenly from their home while Clodagh was keeping watch, suspicion and hurt abound as everyone is devastated by his disappearance. Clodagh alone is convinced that the baby was not stolen by a rival clansmen for political gain but by the Fair Folk and so she sets off on a perilous journey to bring him back. Not alone, Clodagh is accompanied by the prickly Cathal, one of Johnny's painted men, who she is stumped as to why he would 1) not only believe her tale but 2) be willing to help her accomplish her goal as he has been nothing but rude to her. Cathal has his own secrets (more than your average painted man's) and it quickly becomes apparent to Clodagh that she can't succeed without his help.Clodagh and Cathal's story was exactly what I wanted even though I wasn't expecting it. Clodagh is resourceful, stubbornly loyal, and so compassionate I couldn't help but love her as she faced impossible challenges. At one point even her own family distrusts her and she never stops loving or trusting them even though their coldness has devastated her. After reading this unexpected book I find myself hoping Marillier has plans to revisit Sevenwaters again. In the near future, that is. Please hurry. show less

This is a recent addition to the Sevenwaters series, but I don’t think knowledge of the first trilogy is necessary to enjoy it. I don’t remember much of the latter two books and still managed to fully understand and love this one.

Clodagh’s twin sister Deirdre is getting married, her mother is heavily pregnant with a child later in life than expected, and she herself must take charge of the house, try to comfort her worried father, and give up her marital prospects for the foreseeable future. At first, luckily, all this goes off without a hitch, except perhaps for the irritating warrior Cathal who has accompanied Clodagh’s cousin Johnny to the wedding and seems determined to rain on Clodagh’s parade every chance he gets. In the show more meanwhile, she meets again a man she likes very much and successfully gets through her sister’s wedding with the household intact. Clodagh’s mother Aisling even survives the delivery of a healthy baby boy, but then the unthinkable happens and Clodagh is the only one who can save her family from destruction.

I knew I loved the Sevenwaters trilogy, and I wasn’t surprised at all when I loved this, too. Juliet Marillier’s prose is astonishingly beautiful, weaving a fantasy world that exists side-by-side with a historical portrait of early Ireland. It’s so easy to get swept away into this world and Marillier has lost none of its magic. I knew absolutely nothing about the book going into it - not even the main character’s name - but I quickly realized that trouble was imminent. Once the main “trouble” occurred and I couldn’t put it off any longer, I absolutely sped through the book, as I’m sure I was intended to. I had to know what happened and this book is only predictable in some respects. I figured I knew what the ending was, but I needed to know how they got there. I particularly adored the tension between Cathal and Clodagh. That part of the story was beautifully done.

Marillier is brilliant at character development and it’s the people of her world that come alive so well. Clodagh is exceptionally well-rounded and it’s fascinating to watch her strength progress from a position as mistress of the household to braving a foreign world and pitting her wits against those of an immortal fairy lord. One gets the sense that she does not seek such challenge, but has the strength to endure what she must for those she loves. She is so full of compassion and love that she willingly gives of herself without asking to make someone else’s life easier. Similarly, Cathal’s character is revealed very gradually, each aspect of his personality coming out by the end of the story to make him fully understandable and sympathetic. His actions, his past, everything comes to light and in the end it’s impossible not to fall in love with these two.

I would recommend this book to everyone, unless you can’t tolerate fantasy. Marillier has it all, with great characters, an entrancing world you’ll never want to leave, a plot that is engrossing and keeps you up at night, and a beautiful style of writing. I loved this book - and the rest of the series - and I think you will too. In fact, I’m off to go acquire the rest of her books in some fashion, and see if they live up to this amazing series.

http://chikune.com/blog/?p=523 show less

Review by Karen Simpson Nikakis

Having completed a doctorate on the nature of the female hero (as opposed to the conventional heroine), I’m on the lookout for stories that elevate traditional female traits to heroic proportions, rather than create heroines who can run, fight and kill like a man. While I’ve got no objections to this latter type of heroine, as long as they are engaging, I was delighted to come across Marillier’s protagonist Clodagh.

Set in Ireland—in times when the land of faerie is just a misty portal away—the story begins when Clodagh assumes the domestic affairs of the household to support her ailing mother and politically beset chieftain father. Evil of the faerie variety is at work and Clodagh must fight to show more keep her family intact, and for the man she comes to love.

Clodagh emerges victorious, not through the use of arrow or sword, but through the use of feminine wiles and through love. This strength is particularly evident in her relationship to Becan, the baby made of moss, stones, bark and leaves. Only Clodagh sees that he is a real baby, and her fight to nurture and protect him is particularly finely drawn, illustrating both strength and poignancy. show less

The best parts of this book were the baby changeling and the fact that there is a canonically gay character in the Sevenwaters series now.
The only scenes where I had any reaction to this book involved the changeling because those were sort of dark and the baby made of sticks and leaves created a really creepy image in my mind. I liked that.

Unfortunately, everything else about this book bored me. Clodagh was ok, but I didn't care for Cathal and the romance. We are also back to having a 16 year old girl involved romantically with a man in his 20s in this book, which I was never a fan of. Of course we also had to mention how special Liadan is even though she isn't really in this book. When does that character die so I can be free of show more this?

This wasn't as bad as "Son of the Shadows", but it was close. Every time Marillier focuses too much on the differences she perceives there are between the sexes she loses me. Every time there is a lot of focus on women just being useful to have children she loses me.

The book would have also been improved if it had been shorter because it was too repetitive. I don't need to read the same thing 3 times just because once it was in someone's head, then spoken aloud and then told to another character that wasn't present to hear it the first time. Maybe if it was a sentence, but not pages of it. Unnecessary.

I really don't know if I should read the other 2 books in the series or even more Marillier books, besides the ones I already read. I keep hoping that the newest books are better so I will at least give them a try. At least to the first books in the newer trilogies. It's a pity because I really like the writing style. However, the plot and characters almost always overstay their welcome. show less