Reviews

This was a really strong installment for this series. Marilier is a truly gifted writer and storyteller, and Clodagh's story was a great example of her skill.

I was admittedly distracted while reading this book, but it was still a great read-I thoroughly enjoyed the snatches of time I grabbed to read this. Clodagh was an interesting character with great depth, but I found her to be just a little lacking in personal ability-she was far too much the damsel in distress, and over-reliant on her knight, Cathal.

Ah, Cathal-while he was certainly a compelling character, I didn't connect with him too much, the way his story was revealed, as well as the context for his behavior, felt a bit inauthentic to me. This inauthenticity, however was nothing comparing to the downright sappiness of the love story-which literally had me clenching my teeth at times. Our hero and heroine devolved into blithering idiots that were so tender with each other (inconsistent with behavior from earlier in the book), that the transition was jarring and unwelcome-Marilier laid it on just a bit too thick.

Overall, this was a great read, featuring a compelling villain and a beloved family/heroine. I'm truly dedicated to this series, and have thoroughly enjoyed each book in this series-they're so wonderfully inventive and fantastical!

I recommend this book to fans of Marilier, fantasy or any looking for a Celtic-based nature-based read. It's beautifully written and a ton of fun!

lucy_qhuay's review

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5.0

Heir To Sevenwaters was a beautiful journey, that confronted me with one of my greatest fears.

I loved the way Cathal and Clodagh's relationship developed.
There was huge animosity between the two of them, especially from his side, which made me suspect since the beginning that he was interested in her.
However, they didn't really know one another and what happened is that they made a lot of false judgements and kept making each other outraged.
And then there was also Aidan, Cathal's best friend, who was interested in Clodagh, to make things harder.
But once they got together to complete Clodagh's mission, meaning saving baby Finbar from the Otherworld, they got to know each other really well and see the truth behind the façade.
Clodagh saw that Cathal was not the insolent, arrogant jerk that he seemed but that he was a warm, giving, caring man capable of love and who harbored a lot of pain inside him.
He had always known that he was different and that he would never fit in anywhere, which caused him great sorrow, so he always made sure, with that hostile behavior of him, that he would be even more singled out from the rest of people.
And Cathal saw that she was not a boring little girl, whose only purpose in life would be being a fine wife to some guy.
He saw that she was a strong woman with a great heart and who always saw the best in everybody. A woman capable of great love and sacrifice.

Their love story was just beautiful! +.+
Cathal really needed somebody to love him, no matter who or what he was, with all his flaws and oddities.
He was such a great tortured hero!
He always lived with a deep hatred of his father and everything he did to his mother and, as he always suspected who his father was, until a certain point, he has always hated himself as well and feared that he could become just like him.
Also, he always suffered thinking that his mother had failed him, which made him close himself even more.
He really needed to see that no, he wasn't alone and that he wasn't his father. He needed to see that he was worthy of love and that the people who loved him would never leave him.
He just needed a chance, liek everybody else.

So, we're talking about Juliet Marillier here folks. Of course that this book is awesome and you should all read it! =D

kelsilitts's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was another lovely book in a beautiful series! This one seemed a bit lighter and had more of a romantic edge than the other books. As with the entire series, I absolutely loved the old stories and folklore woven into the novel.

karbzzz's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

bookwyrm_kate's review

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4.0

I love this series, it does for me what Grimm stories did for me as a child. I love the mythology, the structure, and the mystery. This story moved much quicker than the others, so I think she's hitting her stride with the pacing (if you'll excuse the pun). It's true that I was hoping for a bit more surprise and complexity, but it feels like the beginning of another trilogy, so I'll reserve judgement on that until I read the next book(s).

leah24601's review

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emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

rebzreads100's review

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5.0

A lovely, intriguing story! I read Seer of Sevenwaters two years ago, and that was a good book in sense of adventure, but Heir to Sevenwaters had more mystery and romance to it, which I enjoyed!

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