Heir To Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier

I have posted on this blog before about my love for Juliet Marillier, so you can't be surprised by the fact that I loved this book. It was not my favorite of her books, but it was still a very enjoyable read.
Heir To Sevenwaters is another book in Marillier's Sevenwaters series (originally a trilogy). These were the first books I read by her, and I just adored them. Marillier is a fantastic storyteller when it comes to traditional folklore. The Sevenwaters series takes place in Ireland, and has a lot of aspects of traditional Celtic mythology. This book takes place a few years after the events of Child of the Prophecy. The main character is Clodagh, daughter of Lord Sean of Sevenwaters (for readers of the series, Sean is Liadan's twin brother). Sean's wife is pregnant with a much-desired baby boy, although everyone fears for her health, as she is past the age for being able to carry a child without complications. The baby is born with no complications, and everything is looking as though it may be okay, until the baby is kidnapped and a changling is left in his place. However, only Clodagh can see the changling - everyone else thinks she's losing it. She takes it upon herself to rescue her baby brother from the Fair Folk who she knows have taken him, while her father searches in a more human way. Although she does not have any of the special abilities that mark some of her family (except for being able to communicate mind-to-mind with her twin), she finds that her love and the courage of her heart are all she needs to complete her quest.
Reading about the Sevenwaters family again was so much fun. This book could probably be read without having read the others, though, as Clodagh sort of fills you in on the important family history. Of course this one had a romance, all of Marillier's books do, although this one was not as flawless as her others. She definitely sets the story up for a sequel, more so than I remember the other Sevenwaters books doing. Maybe it will be another trilogy? For fantasy lovers, these books are very highly recommended, and I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys great storytelling or a good romance.

Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier

I really don't know if it's possible for me to express how much I love Juliet Marillier. She is one of those fantasy authors whose new books I always read, and I always love them. So this is not going to be the most objective review in the world.
Cybele's Secret is a companion novel to Wildwood Dancing (my review of that book is here), Marillier's first young adult book. The events in Cybele's Secret take place six years after Wildwood Dancing, so I suppose it could be called a sequel, but maybe it is a companion novel because it follows different main characters, and can probably be read as a stand-alone novel. The main character in this book is Paula, the fourth oldest of the five sisters of Piscul Draculai (her sister Jenica, the second daughter, is the main character of the first book). Paula is a scholar, and has joined her father on a trading venture to Istanbul. They are there to procure an ancient religious artifact, one that is both desired and feared. From their first day in Istanbul, they realize that this is a more serious venture than they thought, and already a man has been killed over the transaction. The item in question is Cybele's Gift, an artifact that supposedly holds the last words of the goddess Cybele.
Paula has experience with otherworldly beings from her time in the Otherworld near her home as a child. Her sister Jena had a quest to complete for the denizens of this Otherworld, and her oldest sister Tatiana now resides there with her lover. But Paula never expected to be drawn into a quest of her own. While in Istanbul, she meets three people who will be integral to her being able to finish the quest, two of whom are on quests of their own, and are intricately intwined with her.
One of the things that I think Marillier does best is romance in the fantasy worlds that she creates. But the romance never overshadows the rest of the story. It is essential to the story of the main character, however, and things always look very bleak at some point. But the reader can rely on Marillier to provide a happy ending that fits her characters perfectly. This book, and the one before it, focus more on the quest aspect than many of her other books. Paula must learn and grow to be able to complete her quest. She must remember her strengths and know her weaknesses, and she must be able to trust in love and hope, and friends. Cybele's Secret is a magnificent story, which I liked even better than the award-winning Wildwood Dancing. Readers who enjoy these books should definitely look into Marillier's adult fantasy titles.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

This is Marillier's only book that is written for young adults, as far as I know, but it has all of the elements of her other fantasy writing. Like her other books, it is drawn from traditional folklore and is set in our world, although magic is a part of that world. In this case the folklore is Romanian, and the story takes place in a castle called Piscul Dracului. The main character is the second of five sisters who for years have been traveling to the Other Kingdom through a secret passageway in their bedroom, every full moon. The sisters range in age from five to seventeen years old, with Jena being fifteen years old. Jena's best friend is a frog she found in the forest who speaks to her telepathically and joins her in everything she does. Although Jena is only fifteen, and female, she is given a lot of responsibility, and helps her liberal-minded father with his trading business. The story begins when her father is very ill, and must leave for the winter for warmer climates if he wants his health to improve. Jena and her sisters are left in charge of the manor in his absence.
The sisters' cousin, Cezar is eighteen, and seeks to take control of the family and the business while their father is gone. Jena must learn how to protect her family from his machinations, while keeping her younger sisters in line, managing the manor and the business, while her older sister has become lost in her love for a man from the Other Kingdom. It is a coming of age story, about learning to trust yourself and those you love, and at the same time learning to let go of those things that you have no control over.

**this review also posted at hip librarians book blog**