Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: November 2009

Author Website: www.julietmarillier.com

First Line: “At a place where two tracks met, the carter brought his horse to a sudden halt.”

GoodReads Synopsis: This is a stunning gothic love story based on the legends of Beauty and the Beast. Whistling Tor is a place of secrets, a mysterious, wooded hill housing the crumbling fortress of a chieftain whose name is spoken throughout the district in tones of revulsion and bitterness. A curse lies over Anluan's family and his people; those woods hold a perilous force whose every whisper threatens doom. For young scribe Caitrin it is a safe haven. This place where nobody else is prepared to go seems exactly what she needs, for Caitrin is fleeing her own demons. As Caitrin comes to know Anluan and his home in more depth she realizes that it is only through her love and determination that the curse can be broken and Anluan and his people set free.

Kathy’s Review: As soon as I heard that Juliet Marillier had written her own version of Beauty and the Beast I knew I had to read it. I admit I’ve had this one checked out from the library for quite awhile waiting for the right mood before I began. I think Marillier has a very unique way of writing; she is able to create a lot of atmosphere in her novels. She does go into a lot of detail and spends a lot of time on world building and character development. I think that is why I have to be in the right mood before reading one of her books.

While the book certainly reminded me of Beauty and the Beast, it also reminded me a lot of Jane Eyre. There are a lot of similarities to both stories, yet Marillier truly created a unique story that I think stood on its own. While the plot was somewhat similar to Jane Eyre, Marillier really creates her own magic and unusual characters. Caitrin was a unique heroine. I liked her, for the most part. I was of course sad by the physical abuse she suffered by her aunt and cousin, but she found the courage within herself to leave and find a better life. At times though, she seemed almost too hopeful, when something went wrong she would feel bad, but then quickly be hopeful and positive again. Which I guess isn’t a bad thing; at times I would have liked a little more anger or something. Anyway, as for Anluan. I did like him, I understand why he was negative and hard on himself. I liked to see the growth that he went through and the changes he made. To be honest though, I didn’t feel that much chemistry between the two. At times it felt more like good friends then romance. It seemed like the two were falling in love, but neither really showed it to the other. But, in the end I was happy with how everything turned out and felt they were right for each other. I admit I did a little self editing where his description was involved (I mean bright red hair and snow white skin…yikes!).

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite Marillier book, but I still enjoyed it.

Content Warning: Caitrin has suffered emotional and physical abuse from her aunt and cousin and there is sexual content.

Bookworm Rating: 3.5

What is your favorite fairytale retelling?

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Heart’s Blood
By Juliet Marillier
Release Date: November 3, 2009

Synopsis: “This is a stunning gothic love story based on the legends of Beauty and the Beast. Whistling Tor is a place of secrets, a mysterious, wooded hill housing the crumbling fortress of a chieftain whose name is spoken throughout the district in tones of revulsion and bitterness. A curse lies over Anluan's family and his people; those woods hold a perilous force whose every whisper threatens doom. For young scribe Caitrin it is a safe haven. This place where nobody else is prepared to go seems exactly what she needs, for Caitrin is fleeing her own demons. As Caitrin comes to know Anluan and his home in more depth she realizes that it is only through her love and determination that the curse can be broken and Anluan and his people set free.” -GoodReads

Why I’m Waiting: For those of you who know me, you know that I have a very big weakness for fairy tales and their re-tellings. So, of course when I heard that one of my favorite authors, Juliet Marillier, was writing a book based on Beauty and the Beast I couldn’t have been happier. Marillier is a fantastic writer and I know she will create a wonderful world with rich characters, magic, and of course romance. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of Heart’s Blood!

Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier

Genre: Fantasy

Author Site: www.julietmarillier.com

First Line: “My mother knew every tale that was ever told by the firesides of Erin, and more besides.”

One Word Review: Entrancing

Book Synopsis: “Son of the Shadows takes up the story of the children of Sorcha, who saved her enchanted brothers, and Hugh, the Briton she married. Sorcha's daughter Liadan is a gifted seer and healer who thinks, in spite of her visions, that she knows what the future has in store for her--caring for her dying mother and then an alliance marriage to Eamonn. A chance meeting on the road carries her off to care for a dying man--one of the mercenaries of the sinister Painted Man, Eamonn's archenemy and a killer for hire. Liadan discovers that she cannot choose whom she loves and that she and the Painted Man are as bound up in destiny as her mother and father were before her.” -GoodReads

My Review:
This is the second in the Sevenwaters Saga, and although it was a bit darker than its predecessor, I still enjoyed it, maybe I was more prepared for it this time around. Thinking back, I actually did enjoy DOTF quit a bit. Son of the Shadows was a captivating read; Marillier is a fantastic writer and really sucks you into a story. Although I have a million other things I need to be doing, like eating & sleeping, I kept saying to myself “just one more chapter”. This is definitely not a quick read and some parts were a little drawn out, but overall it was a good story.

I really liked Liadan; she was a very believable character for me. I loved that she made her own choices and didn’t let her family, the fair folk or anyone tell her what to do. She was strong, smart, courageous and faithful. Her love interest Bran had a very sad past, it was hard to read about and I skipped most of it, but I just love his character. I don’t know what it is about “warriors” but they just do something to me (maybe that’s why I married a Marine?). Bran is misunderstood and is really an amazing guy; it’s very easy to see why Liadan falls for him. I would have liked if their relationship was built up a little more (at least longer than the week it actually took) before they really “fell” for each other, but I guess they had an underlying bond that helped things move along quickly. There are plenty of villains and other stories going on to really draw you in. My heart broke for Niamh and once again I skipped over some of her story, but I was glad how things ended up for her.

With the Sevenwaters saga Marillier addresses some rough topics, things I don’t usually like to read about, but it’s still a captivating tale and probably wouldn’t bother others. I think I prefer her young adult novels a little more.

Reading Order:
Book One: Daughter of the Forest
Book Two: Son of the Shadows
Book Three: Child of the Prophecy
Book Four: Heir to Sevenwaters

Other Reviews:
See Michelle Read

Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier

Cybele's Secret is the companion book to Wildwood Dancing. I don't feel like I can properly explain the plot of Cybele's Secret without giving away plot twists in Wildwood Dancing so I'll be brief. This book is told through Paula's perspective. (sister to Jena who narrates Wildwood) Paula travels to Turkey to acquire a religious artifact Cybele's Gift. Paula is a scholar and must solve puzzles and complete a quest to obtain the Gift. She also must choose between two very different men. Ultimately both test her in ways she never expected. Well, I realize that really doesn't give you a good idea of the plot....sorry.

I really enjoyed Cybele's Secret in spite of the fact that it lost much of the magic and whimsical elements from Wildwood. The two books are really quite different and it isn't until the end that it captured the feeling of Wildwood. The love story in Cybele's Secret was much more front and center than in Wildwood and I really enjoyed that part. Overall a really well written book. My only complaint, which is a personal problem, is that I don't enjoy reading about female oppression that was very central to Turkey during this time period. For some reason it just really rubs me the wrong way. It does however add an interesting obstacle that would be hard to achieve another way.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Wildwood Dancing has renewed my faith that great books are still written. I just need to find more of them. This book has everything. Love, mystery, action, and fantasy. The book is set in Transylvania and centers around a household of 5 sisters who discover a portal to the Other Kingdom which they visit each full moon. The story is told through Jenica's perspective and I fell in love with her character. The book is whimsical and magical and feels like your favorite fairy tale complete with a talking frog, vampires, dwarfs, and gargoyles. Thankfully the author doesn't get bogged down in description and the story really moves along. Jenica's life outside of the Other Kingdom is just as interesting as her time spent there and the two stories connect is a really fun way. I can't think of one bad thing to say about the book and I don't want to tell you too much about it and risk giving something away. For me it is a must read and it moves to the top of my best books list.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Young Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Irish Lord Colum of Sevenwaters, a domain well protected from invading Saxons and Britons by dense forest where, legend says, fey Deirdre, the Lady of the Forest, walks the woodland paths at night. Colum is first and foremost a warrior, bent on maintaining his lands against all outsiders. Not all of his sons are so bound to the old ways, and that family friction leads to outright disobedience when Sorcha and her brother Finbar help a Briton captive escape from Colum's dungeon. Soon after, Colum brings home a new wife who tries to manipulate everyone around her and casts a spell over the six brothers. By her spell Sorcha's brothers are cursed to become swans. Only Sorcha, hiding deep in the forest, can break the spell by painfully weaving shirts of starwort nettle--but then Sorcha is captured by Britons and taken away across the sea. Determined to break the curse despite her captivity, Sorcha continues to work, little expecting that ultimately she will have to chose between saving her brothers and protecting the Briton lord who has defended her throughout her trials. (Amazon.com)

I love fairytales, they are my weakness. I love reading them and I love modern-day retellings. Daughter of the Forest is a retelling of an old fairy tale “The Wild Swans” by Hans Christen Anderson, and “The Six Swans” by the Brothers Grimm.

I really liked the main character Sorcha and the strength of character that she had. She had a wonderful relationship with her brothers, which often made me think of my three older brothers. And took on the most impossible task in order to save their lives, at great sacrifice to herself. The love story between her and Hugh was sweet. I liked how he took it upon himself to be her protector, how they had a connection and even though she couldn’t speak they were able to communicate and build a friendship, where she would eventually be able to trust and love him. I really wanted to loved this story, it’s a classic fairytale and if a few things had been done differently it really would have been great.

***Spoiler alert***
Here are the things I didn’t like about the book. About 150 pages into the book Sorcha is raped. Had I known there was a rape in the story I wouldn’t have bothered reading it. Although I skipped over that part, I found it very upsetting and couldn’t believe the author added that to the story. It was completely unnecessary, and left a sense of darkness throughout the rest of the book. It really ruined the whole story for me and I think the author should have stuck closer to the original stories and not taken such liberties in adding such a needless tragedy. I also thought the book really needed a good edit. It really dragged on and on. There was way too much detail and side stories and the chapters were too long. I would have enjoyed it more if the story had been more concise.