Skip to main content

Son of Shadows (Book #2 of the Sevenwaters Series) by Juliet Marillier: A Book Review

Son of Shadows (Book #2 of the Sevenwaters Series)
Author: Juliet Marillier
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: 2002
Pages: 608
Source: Personal Collection
Synopsis: Beautiful Sorcha is the courageous young 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 Sorcha's brothers were brought home to their ancestral fortress Sevenwaters, and her life has known much joy. 

     But not all the brothers were able to fully escape the spell that transformed them into swans, and it is left to Sorcha's daughter Liadan to help fulfill the destiny of the Sevenwaters clan. Beloved child and dutiful daughter, Liadan embarks on a journey that 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 dark forces and ancient powers conspiring to destroy this family's peace--and their world. And she will need all of her 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.

     My Review: This is the sequel to Daughter of the Forest that focuses on the second generation of the Sevenwaters family. The story centers on Sorcha's daughter, Liadan. Liadan is a shy girl who just wants to concentrate on being a healer. Certain events take Liadan on an unexpected turn when she gets abducted by a group of mercenary warriors. Soon, Liadan falls in love with the leader of these warriors that has a dark past. Can Liadan help bring this leader to a path of light and goodness, or must he continue on the path of darkness and death?

     This was a good follow up to Daughter of the Forest. The story takes place sixteen years after the events of the first book. It ties up all the loose ends, including what happens to the brothers, that were not answered in Daughter of The Forest. It was great seeing the characters that I loved again from the first book and being introduced to new loveable characters. Reading the book felt like a family reunion.

     Liadan is a strong heroine. She has her mother’s gift of healing. However, she soon finds out that she not only has the gift of healing physically, but also mentally. The love story Liadan has is beautiful and heart-wrenching. Her love interest, a mercenary, is a great match to Liadan, for he is emotionally-damaged, and it is Liadan’s quest to heal him from the shadows that continually haunts him.

     Overall, this book's message was be true to yourself. It is also about friendship, love, family, and loyalty. There is a love triangle, and a lot of mini stories of Irish folktales. There are new villains and heroes in the story. Liadan has to make hard choices, and also has to make a sacrifice in order to bring about a greater good. Readers will fall in love with the main character and will be able to empathize in her triumphs, her pains, her choices, and her sacrifice. This is a very satisfying sequel to Daughter of the Forest. I recommend this to lovers of historical fantasy, feminism, and romance.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Check out my review of the Sevenwaters series:

Daughter of The Forest

Also check out my reviews of Juliet Marillier's other novels:

Shadowfell (Book #1 of the Shadowfell Series)







Comments

  1. I have a strange feeling that there is a fairy story with a similar theme: men transformed into swans. Perhaps it is called The Seven Swans. I could be wrong. On the other hand, nothing we read is new; everything comes from the same source - it is the presentation that makes it different.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, the first book is based on that fairy tale. However, book two and the other books in her series tells what happens after her fairy tale retelling in the first book. Because of that, book 2 till the end of the series are her own original and creative fairytales.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) by Lucinda Riley: A Book Review

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) Author: Lucinda Riley Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Atria Release Date: 2015 Pages: 463 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis: Maia D’Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, “Atlantis”—a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva—having been told that their beloved father, who adopted them all as babies, has died. Each of them is handed a tantalizing clue to her true heritage—a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of her story and its beginnings. Eighty years earlier in Rio’s Belle Epoque of the 1920s, Izabela Bonifacio’s father has aspirations for his daughter to marry into the aristocracy. Meanwhile, architect Heitor da Silva Costa is devising plans for an enormous statue, to be called Christ the Redeemer, and will soon travel to Paris to find the right sculptor to

A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower by Patricia Bernstein: A Book Review

A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower  Author: Patricia Bernstein Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: History Through Fiction  Release Date: March 7, 2023 Pages: 266 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A Noble Cunning is a novel based on the true story of persecuted Catholic noblewoman Winifred Maxwell, who rescued her husband from the Tower of London with the help of a group of devoted women friends in 1716.             A Noble Cunning is a novel based on the life of Winifred Herbert Maxwell (1680-1749), who became the Countess of Nithsdale in 1699.     Set amidst the 1715 Rebellion against England’s first German king, George I, the novel depicts the ruthless persecution of Catholics and the relentless determination of protagonist Bethan Glentaggart to save the life of husband Gavin after he is captured and condemned to death. Bethan faces down a mob attack on her home, travels alone from the Scottish Lowlands to London through one of the wo

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath