Juliet Marillier

Son of the Shadows (The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Book 2)

Risa C

Very different from "Daughter of the Forest," and perhaps it's my fault for expecting the two to be similar, but I still find myself disappointed. Juliet Marillier's prose is so emotive, lush, and even breathtaking at times, but she lost me on the narrative here. The pacing of the story felt erratic and the immediate stakes never felt high enough for there to be any real tension, especially in the face of the vaguely referenced backdrop of an awakening supernatural evil, tenuous political alliances, and an ever-growing foreign incursion.

I'm glad that Liadan was a very different protagonist from Sorcha, but I don't think I prefer her over her mother. It's heartening to read female characters who are strong-willed and assertive, confident not necessarily in themselves always but in their unshakeable principles, but I often found myself frustrated with and bewildered by her decision-making. I prefer Bran to Red as a love interest, but I didn't really like Red at all in the first book (not for any good reason tbh).

Overall, "Son of the Shadows" is worth reading if you want to marinate in a beautifully written fantasy romance, but will come up short if you wanted an epic fantasy where great mystical powers or terrible wars come to shape the entire world. It certainly feels like this book has started to set the stage for that, though I'm uncertain if I'll stick around for when they finally raise the curtain.

Son of the Shadows is the sequel to Juliet Marillier's evocative first novel Daughter of the Forest. It continues the saga of beautiful Sorcha, the couragous yong woman who risked all to save her family from a wicked curse and whose love shattered generations of hate and bridged two cultures. It is from her sacrifice that her brothers were brought home to Sevenwaters and her life has known much joy. But not all the brothers were able to escape the spell that transformed them into swans, and those who did were all more--and less--than they were before the change. It is left to Sorcha's daughter Liadan who will take up the tale that the Sevenwaters clan is destined to fufill. Beloved child, dutiful daughter, she embarks on a journey that opens her eyes to the wonders of the world around her...and shows her just how hard-won was the peace that she has known all her life. Liadan will need all of her courage to help save her family, for there are forces far darker than anyone chould have guessed and ancient powers conspiring to destroy this family's peace--and their world. And she will need the strength to stand up to those she loves best, for in the finding of her own true love, Liadan's course may doom them all...or be their salvation.

Book Two of the Sevenwaters Trilogy

Son of the Shadows

Judy McClure

Another excellent book that I couldn't put down.

Kaitlin Gates

Kirsten

Pepper

Nora 

Joana Sá 

Rachel Kanyid

Shay Henrion

Lorien O'Brien

Alina

Sarah Viana Torres

Kathy Rodger 

WINNER OF THE AUREALIS AWARD FOR BEST FANTASY NOVELThe second book in the epic and compulsively readable Sevenwaters seriesSon of the Shadows follows the trials of the next generation at Sevenwaters and continues the struggles between the Irish and British that began in Daughter of the Forest.After years of happiness, darkness has fallen upon Sevenwaters. Trouble is brewing and leaders are being called into strategic alliances to defend their land. There are some who blame the Britons of Northwoods, for as long as the Islands, home of mystic caves and sacred trees are lost, there can be no peace, and there are some who believe the enemy are much closer to home. Liadhan, with her gift of Sight and healing hands, seems to hold the key. For she exists outside the pattern and she alone seems to have the power to change it.How close are love and hate - and yet how unalike.PRAISE FOR SON OF THE SHADOWS"A wonderful, riveting story" Barbara Erskine"Beautifully written... a sparkling saga of a family whose destiny is to help free Erin from British tyranny." Publishers WeeklyFans of Marion Zimmer Bradley, Isobelle Carmody and Robin Hobb will love Juliet Marillier.

Son of the Shadows (The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Book 2)

Reviews