The Bridei Chronicles by Juliet Marillier

Seeing as how it's Christmas vacation and I've had some lovely time to myself with the hubby home all week, I finally decided to pick up a series that has been sitting on my shelf for probably over two years now. Ridiculous, no? Especially since it is by one of my favorite authors, Juliet Marillier. Although to be fair, I did need some serious time to devote to the entire series seeing as each book is around 500 pages. Unlike her Sevenwaters and The Light Isles series, The Bridei Chronicles are one continual story -- spanning only about ten years at most. Which is why I've decided to review all three here for you in one fell swoop instead of doing separate installments. Because frankly, I'm too lazy for that, you will NOT want to wait between reading each installment. Trust me.

**And in the interest of keeping things from getting too spoilerly, I'm going to be purposefully vague on some of the details.

Like any good sprawling fantasy, The Bridei Chronicles span several countries and lots and lots of characters. But mostly the series focus on one special boy named Bridei who is being raised to become the next great king of Fortriu. And it all begins with The Dark Mirror. Fostered out to be raised strictly by the powerful druid Briochan, Bridei is taught everything from a very young age -- history, politics, warfare, and even the lore of the druids. But such a demanding life is lonely for a young boy until one night when The Shining One sends a gift to Bridei, a tiny, perfect baby girl. Even though he immediately knows this baby is anything but human, Bridei claims her as his own sister and names her Tuala, against the wishes of Briochan. From the start, Briochan fights Bridei's affection for Tuala but the gods have a different fate in mind for them all.

I so love the set up of this series. Family, loyalty and above all learning when to put yourself second and when to put your wants and beliefs first. And it's all so intricately woven together: politics, history, intrigue, religion and enough adventure and trials to make your head spin. After watching Bridei and Tuala grow up and face numerous challenges it was so amazing to see them come full circle and come into the destiny they were always meant to achieve. And the mythology! Juliet Marillier is a master at weaving details of the Pict and Celtic (new this time!) gods right into the fabric of her stories. She never misses a beat with her gorgeous prose and characters. Bridei is one of those heroes who is so good but who has worked so exceptionally hard to be good that you don't even mind him winning at everything. In fact, it just wouldn't be right if he didn't.


Picking up about five years after the satisfying finish of The Dark Mirror, the next installment, The Blade of Fortriu finds Bridei and Tuala happily ensconced in their new castle while planning a large scale battle with the Gaels. In hopes of securing one last piece of political and military strength, Bridei has sent of his good friend and political hostage Ana, Princess of the Light Isles to marry an unknown Caitt chieftain named Alpin. To make sure she is safe and the appropriate terms met, Bridei also sends his most trusted though somewhat shady man-at-arms Faolan to see the mission through. But disaster upon disaster follows the company. Compounded with the layers of dark secrets they encounter once at Alpin's fortress, it'll take all of Faolan's cunning and Ana's perceptiveness to keep them from utter failure.

If there was one single character from The Dark Mirror who I wanted to see more of it was Faolan. Who wouldn't? As a Gaelic spy and assassin, Faolan is one of those dark, forbidding types who you just know has history. And boy, does he ever. I might have done a happy dance when I discovered he would be a featured character in Blade. His character was so extremely layered and slippery that I was extremely anxious for him for about 90% of the book. Oh, Ms. Marillier, you sure know how to spin out suspense to the extreme! My only complaint would have to be with the princess Ana. I was with her until about half-way through the story when she really started to get on my nerves. Which I admit was a first with a Marillier character, but luckily she did manage to develop a back-bone and I became interested (if only somewhat lessened) again. While The Blade of Fortriu didn't wind up to be my favorite book of series, it did end more than satisfyingly that I thought it might. Aaaand it served as an extremely important setup to the final book in the series. Which contains more Faolan. Don't you know I dove into that one straight away?


In The Well of Shades, Bridei is so close to finally realizing his dream of united and peaceful Fortriu. But he knows it is crucial to discover who are his true allies and those who are simply biding their time to strike once again. For this delicate mission, Bridei once again turns to his trusted friend and spymaster Faolan (yay!) who is not a little unchanged after his disastrous mission to the Caitts in The Blade of Fortriu. Hoping to finally put some of demons to rest, Faolan begins a journey to his homeland to collect intelligence and to fulfill a dying promise to a trusted friend. What he finds is Eile, a young girl who has more strength than Faolan has ever encountered.

To be honest, I really didn't know what to expect with this final installment in the Bridei story. While it does follow Faolan on his journeys for a large portion of the book, Ms. Marillier did manage to spend quality time with Bridei and Tuala and their many struggles at Cloud Hill for much of the story. Which was a happy reunion for this reader to be sure. How gratifying it was to see Bridei handling the challenges of being a king in a true partnership with Tuala. I just love the trust and respect between those two. And then there's Faolan. Goodness, I couldn't have imagined a better ending for that scarred man. Eile was a perfect feisty and fearless yet totally selfless foil to Ana's pale boring goodness (I know, harsh) from the previous book. Honestly, she's probably one of my new favorite Marillier heroines (right up there with Sorcha and Liadan) and I couldn't think of anyone better to challenge and love Faolan. All said and done, this was a stand-out series with intricately woven conflicts and much in the way of the power of redemption. There's a reason I will read simply anything Juliet Marillier writes. This series is a prime example.

series reading order:
~ The Dark Mirror
~ The Blade of Fortriu
~ The Well of Shades

Because everyone likes a second opinion:
Book Harbinger's review book one, two, three
Calico Reaction review book one
Chachic's Book Nook review book one

book source: bought

Coming soon to a blog near you!

Be sure to mark your calendars for the upcoming Seven Days for Sevenwaters feature hosted by the wonderfully talented Holly of Book Harbinger. She's got some incredible guest posts lined up -- including one from Juliet Marillier herself -- (and one from coughcough yours truly) that you won't want to miss!

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

Dealing the worst kind abandonment a girl could ever have to face, Neryn has become a wanderer. Unable to return to her home village for years now -- a place filled with so many memories of death and pain she'd hardly be able to return even if it was safe -- or to settle down anyplace new in Alban, Neryn decides to set off for the mythical haven known only in whispers as Shadowfell. A place where one such as herself, a girl with the uncanny ability of communicating with the Good Folk, could finally find peace and safety from the merciless hunting of the King's men.

Though most people she meets along her way are too scared of King Keldec's wrath to help a stray girl, Neryn does encounter a select few who secretly offer her a meal or a slight kindness. Including a dark stranger called Flint, who after saving her life, Neryn cannot seem to shake from dogging her very footsteps. Along with her strangely persistent savior, the Good Folk become more and more bold with Neryn, hinting that ahead of her lies a great work and that she must be ready when the time comes. Fearful of accepting aid from either set of her new companions, Neryn swiftly comes to learn her part in the struggle to free Alban will be great and to succeed, she's going to need all the help she can get. But she just has to make it to Shadowfell first.

As soon as I put down this book I immediately flipped back to the beginning without hesitation, set on rereading the entire thing again right then and there. It's been awhile since I've had a Juliet Marillier book captivate me as much as Shadowfell did. And as always for me with her books, its the characters that are the true standouts in this story. I've seen that some readers have been put off by Neryn's wanderings but can I say how utterly opposite I felt regarding that solitary time? Such introspection is always welcome and Marillier proves once again that she has a deft hand when it comes to portraying young women figuring out how to become strong, brave and capable. That said, I adored the back and forth exchanges between Neryn and Flint too. Their slow, tender friendship was beautifully developed with plenty of secrets hinted at to keep things interesting. Likewise, Marillier's depictions of the Good Folk and their mythology never failed to delight. I so loved the glimpses of their individual personalities and their varying reactions to Neryn.

Admittedly, I was a wee bit happy to find Shadowfell a bit more...mature...than her previous YA novels, books I truly enjoyed but never really fell for. Shadowfell in contrast has everything I like about her adult fantasy novels, complicated heroines setting out on a seemingly hopeless quest aided by unexpected companions (and usually a good solid --and handsome-- hero) and the fickle Good Folk. Though there is also a definite shadow of darkness over this book which underscores the necessity and danger of Neryn's task. And makes for some compelling sequences I tell you what. I could not help holding my breath each time Neryn came thisclose to disaster. Shadowfell is the latest in a long line of beloved Marillier books and, I am extremely happy to report, the first in a new series. Because there's no such thing as too much Juliet Marillier.

Shadowfell is due out September 11, 2012.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
A Rogue Librarian's Reading List review
Book Harbinger review
Cuddlebuggery review
Raiding Bookshelves review
Read. Breathe. Relax. review

book source: NetGalley

Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier

Juliet Marillier is one author I have come to know and love over the past year. Her writing is always lush and evocative and she never fails to take a story places that I truly never expected it to go. So as I settled into her latest, Heart's Blood, I was delighted to find myself in a suitably misty and atmospheric Celtic retelling of Beauty and the Beast that could only be described as vintage Marillier.

Running from an abusive situation, the young scribe Caitrin doesn't know where she is going, she just knows she has to go now. After traveling for days she stumbles upon the strange village of Whistling Tor whose occupants fill her head with strange tales of their young Lord Anluan - a cripple who never leaves his hilltop castle. But Caitrin is desperate and when Anluan's servant comes to the village looking for a scribe, Caitrin jumps at the chance, even though she is strongly warned against journeying to the crumbling castle with its strange and remote inhabitants. Upon her arrival Caitrin is confronted with a monumental task that will require all her wits and strength and a Lord who is struggling to simply keep his estate intact - and who doesn't exactly even want her around. Slowly, Caitrin and Anluan begin to work together, unearthing chilling family secrets long buried while they quickly discover they must depend on each other in order to turn the tide of misfortune for all of Whistling Tor.

Perhaps what makes Caitrin and Anluan's love story so poetic is how they both truly only want to make the other happy - through whatever means, even if it means letting go. It's not easy or even destiny for these two (more than one large obstacle stands between them and HEA) but they simply work together in a mature and selfless way that just makes them both better people in their own time. ::sigh::

It never fails to surprise me how good Juliet Marillier is at taking a very well known and beloved fairy tale (read: Beauty and the Beast or the Seven Swans) and subtly twisting or manipulating it until the story itself is something totally new and unique. Small and subtle details are left along the way (a magic mirror, a man deformed) to remind the reader that you are still in a particular tale; just not like you've ever heard it. Marillier has such a gift for making every single story her very own, which only makes everything she writes simply a pleasure to read.

**By the way, this is actually the UK cover which I adore as opposed to the US cover which is sorta meh.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
The Book Muncher review

The Book Smugglers review

The Neverending Shelf review

Specusphere review

Tempting Persephone review

book source: my local library

Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier

Picking up this last (or most recent) book in Juliet Marillier's much loved 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 because 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 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.

series reading order:
~ Daughter of the Forest - my review
~ Son of the Shadows - my review
~ Child of the Prophecy - my review
~ Heir to Sevenwaters

Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier

This third book in the amazing Sevenwater's series (truly, you should read them now) continues with the story of the family's three-generation long struggle to safeguard the forests and the fae folk who dwell there which surrounds their home Sevenwaters. Raised by the outcast druid Ciaran and her grandmother, the evil sorceress Lady Oonagh, Fianne has been trained since birth to master the magic that would be able to destroy the Sevenwaters family. Believing this her only choice, Fainne is sent to Sevenwaters with explicit instructions from her grandmother to do her bidding or those she loves will suffer. Fainne finds herself being lulled into the companionable atmosphere at Sevenwaters even though she knows what she must accomplish will hurt those that she grows to love.

Fainne's story seems more to delve into how people see themselves - as good or evil - and the lengths they will go to either change or keep that perception. Fainne has had one idea drilled into her head for so long that despite the many times her family tells her otherwise, she struggles to believe it. That said, I did have a little trouble relating to Fainne. With Sorcha and Laidan in the previous two books, I felt an immediate connection that even though I enjoyed this story it made me feel as if something was missing. Fainne is a wonderful character with strength and courage but I found it hard to connect with her choices and sorrows. Even though she is forced, she still has to do some horrible things that fill her with long lasting self-loathing and guilt. Like others, I've found in Marillier's books, her characters always face extreme hardships and suffering before they can achieve happiness - this is pretty standard. But I felt Fainne's reward for her struggles didn't adequately compensate for the hardships she had faced up to that point. I guess it had me feeling a little down after finishing. But it was still a lovely book full loyalty and trust and beautiful Irish stories inherent in any of Marillier's wonderful books.

series reading order:
~ Daughter of the Forest - my review
~ Son of the Shadows - my review
~ Child of the Prophecy
~ Heir to Sevenwaters

Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier

Son of the Shadows is the second novel in Juliet Marillier's amazing Sevenwater's series which follows Sorcha's youngest daughter Liadan. Liadan is a talented healer; so kind and open that people constantly compare her to her wonderful mother. Like her uncle Finbar, she is also gifted with the Sight which is more of a burden than anything. She was blessed to have been raised in happiness, however, she keeps having ominous feelings and flashes of insight warning her that life will soon be changing for the worse. Powerless to do anything about this, she clings to her brother and sister, trying to keep them close any way possible. On the way home from seeing her sister wed, Liadan is captured by a group of mercenaries who are known for their fierceness and cruelty. Forced to heal one of their badly wounded men, Liaden finds herself drawn to these men who proclaim to have no past or future but who are in awe of her. She especially is drawn to the Chief, Bran, whose future, like it or not, is directly tied to hers.

Liadan faces some truly hard challenges, but unlike her mother Sorcha, she fights against what the Fair Folk and destiny have in store for her in favor of making her own future. I like that she's feisty and has a heart at the same time. I keep forgetting how young these girls are though. I mean Sorcha was 14 when she started her quest in Daughter of the Forest and Liadan is like 15 or 16 for most of the action in Son of the Shadows. Yikes, that's what you call a fast childhood.

This was such a fantastic sequel to an amazing first book. I am constantly amazed by Marillier's seemingly slow buildup of action and conflict. You know something is going to happen to her characters but they are just going innocently along until...BAM...it hits and you never even guessed what she had in store. On top of that, her love stories are always hard-won. Liadan and Bran are no exception. There is no easy happily-ever-after in any of Marillier's books and I think that is what makes their stories just so dang readable.

reading order:
~ Daughter of the Forest
~ Son of the Shadows
~ Child of the Prophecy
~ Heir to Sevenwaters

Summer Reading Blitz update: 21/30

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Sorcha is the seventh child of a seventh son, Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Her elder six brothers adore and watch out for her as her mother died delivering her. Her life has been happy and full of wonderment until her father becomes enamored of a wicked sorceress who has him under her spell. Things begin to change quickly for Sorcha as her stepmother seeks to control their lives and pit father, brother and sister against one another. In an act of true inhumanity, the stepmother transforms Sorcha's six brothers into swans and Sorcha's only hope of lifting the curse is to weave six shirts, one for each brother, out of the painful starwort nettle and to not utter a word until her task is complete. Agreeing to the monumental task, Sorcha sets off on a long road full of suffering to restore her brothers and her family. But along the way she meets those will aid and alter her story forever.

Set in a pre-Christian Ireland, Marillier's work is full of Celtic mythology and descriptions of people and place that I felt myself right there along Sorcha as she traveled across the land. Marillier's characters never have a easy time of things and this book is certainly no exception - Sorcha pays dearly to gain what she wants with many casualties along the way. This was no easy read for me and is definitely recommended to mature readers only. I find that Marillier can create some truly good characters. They prove themselves time and again. But Marillier allows even her good characters to face challenges and difficulties that forever change them - usually for the better, but not always. Likewise, Marillier's villains are truly evil. There are some folks in this book that are too creepy to think about. It's an amazing book though - based on a Brothers Grimm fairy tale - but competely unique and spellbinding in its heartbreak and joys.

I did find one part strikingly similar to another of her books, Wolfskin, which I read a few years ago. They both contained the same idea of a young Irish girl healing a foreign man in seclusion aided by a holy man. Not that it was the exact same circumstances, but both scenes were similar enough to make me wonder if anyone else thought about how much they paralleled each other.

reading order:
~ Daughter of the Forest
~ Son of the Shadows
~ Child of the Prophecy
~ Heir to Sevenwaters

Summer Reading Blitz update: 20/30