This is, sadly, my least favorite book of the series so far. I didn't connect with the main characters or found the romance appealing. Still, it was intended to be at least a 3.5 star book, until the very last chapters, which were just too predictable, and therefore tedious and dragging. I have to point out, however, that it was not a very bad book by any means. It's just that for Juliet Marillier's standards, I found it lacking. The writing was still beautiful, in typical and magical Juliet Marillier fashion, and the plot wove seemingly effortlessly, seamlessly, from one point to the next. The beautiful landscapes and fairytale-esque feel to the setting and plot was very much in evidence, which saved this book from lower rating. Overall, I was somewhat disappointed, but still think the Sevenwaters series is a beautiful one, and well-worth being read. I have yet the last book to read, and here's hoping that I would like it as much as the other books in the series... ( )

Amazing! As always... JM just takes me away completely. It is hard to choose what's next after that.


Couldn't wait for delivery - stopped on the way home and bought this tonight. Want to start it right NOW, but I know if I do I will be up all night and miserable tomorrow. Thank goodness it's the weekend!!! ( )

In diesem Buch geht es um Sibeal, die Tochter von Sean und Aisling. Seit frühster Kindheit folgt sie ihrer Berufung als Druidin. Nun verbringt sie einen Sommer in Inis Eala. An der dortigen Küste geschieht ein Schiffbruch und Sibeal rettet einen jungen Schiffbrüchigen.
Das Buch wurde nicht mehr ins Deutsche übersetzt. Tatsächlich ist es wohl auch nur für Sevenwaters-Fans interessant. Man trifft die alten Freunde wieder und das ist natürlich schön. Aber das Buch hat nicht annähernd den Zauber und die Faszination der anderen Bücher aus der Serie. Ich habe zum Vergleich noch mal in das erste Buch hineingelesen, was für ein himmelweiter Unterschied!
Natürlich ist Sibeal ein interessanter Charakter, doch die Handlung war mir zu einfach und durchschaubar, streckenweise sogar langatmig. Als Sevenwaters-Fan kann, ja muss man es lesen. Aber allen anderen empfehle ich zum Einstieg die ersten Bücher der Serie. ( )

A strong addition to the series, though I was skeptical at first -- the first-person PoV alternates between the two protagonists, and, to make matters worse, one is in past tense and the other in present (though I confess that the present tense was rather effective when that narrator has total amnesia). I didn't hate this as much as I expected to, though (significant, as this is usually a deal-breaker for me), and the strong plot and complex characters made up for it, earning five stars. ( )

This is altogether an amazing series on a number of levels. I think Ms. Marillier will be a common fixture on my currently-reading shelf for some time to come. I picked up Flame during release week and I have Cybele's Secret - the second Wildwood book.

And: yeah, I know; fantasy-adventure and historical-fiction shelves at the same time; what's up with that?; read the series and we'll talk about it. ( )