This book is all about Maeve and her journey to overcome her trauma which stemmed from a fire that rendered her unable to use her hands and also left her scarred for life. I loved how resilient, strong and determined Maeve was and how she always fought for what she thought was right. The way the romance happened in this book felt a bit rushed and nonsensical, even for a book with so much magic, but I liked that she got her happily ever after. I enjoyed how this book tied all the previous stories together in a neat end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this final visit to Sevenwaters. However, I was completely put off by the shortest courtship ever. Maeve’s immediate undying love for a man she met 5 seconds ago was jarring and awkward to read. I had no problem with him being a dog for most of the story - I guessed that pretty early on. However, a few paragraphs between his transformation and “will you marry me” would have been nice.

Even though I enjoyed the book, the ending felt forced and rushed. I would have read another chapter or two for a richer conclusion to the book and the series.

Publication Date: 6th November 2013
Publisher: MacMillian Australia
ISBN: 9781742611624
Age Group: Young Adult to Adult
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
Source: Bookshelf
Lootability: *****

Going home can be the hardest thing of all...
When Maeve, twenty year old daughter of Lord Sean of Sevenwaters, accompanies a skittish horse back to Erin, she must confront her demons. For Maeve carries the legacy of a childhood fire in her crippled hands. She has lived with her aunt in Britain for ten years, developing a special gift for gentling difficult animals.
Maeve arrives home to find Sevenwaters in turmoil. The forest surrounding her father's keep also has uncanny inhabitants, including a community of Fair Folk. Now the fey prince Mac Dara has become desperate to see his only son return to the Otherworld to rule after him. To force Sean's hand, Mac Dara has made innocent travellers on the Sevenwaters border disappear, and now their bodies are appearing one by one in bizarre circumstances. Mac Dara's malign activities must be stopped. But how? What human army can defeat a force with magic at its fingertips?
Maeve's gift with animals earns her respect at Sevenwaters. She bonds with her enigmatic small brother, Finbar, his druid tutor Luachan, and two stray dogs. When Maeve discovers the body of one of the missing men, she and Finbar are drawn into a journey where the stakes are high: they may bring about the end of Mac Dara's reign, or suffer a hideous death. For Maeve, success may lead to a future she has not dared to believe possible.
The last of the Sevenwaters books (for now) follows the adventures of young Maeve, last seen when she was tragically disfigured and crippled during the events of Child of the Prophecy. Now Maeve returns home to the pitying and horrified stares and she must face her fears to save the family she has been hiding from for ten years.

What I Liked: Maeve is an interesting protagonist. When Marillier worked with Fainne in Child of the Prophecy, who had disfigured foot causing a limp and a natural shyness that made her an awkward heroine, she showed us she could write a heroine who could be flawed. Maeve was a much bigger undertaking, with her stiff crippled hands like claws and facial scarring. She is practical about her physical appearance – knowing she would be beautiful if not for the scarring and she has accepted she will never have a normal life.

Maeve can be somewhat bitter, not about her disfigurement, but in her feelings towards her family, particularly her Mother. She cannot reconcile the woman she faces with the Mother of her childhood, causing tensions between them that do not exist between Maeve and her father.

Her adventure is exciting and Maeve has a decidedly different time in the Other world and amongst the Fair Folk than in previous Sevenwaters tales. Her perspective allows an almost domestic insight into the Tuatha Dé Danann that makes them at once more, and less, magical than before.

The secondary story arc of the druid keeps the two time lines in place and prepares us for the final show down. Written like a tale told by the fire, the Druid’s adventures show Marillier’s dedication to the old seek and find tales.

On a side note: It was also good to see some follow up to Marillier’s short storyTwixt Firelight and Water, and to know Eilis is off on her own adventure, even if we won’t see it, and to know Aisha and Conri seem to be getting their happily ever after.

What I Didn’t Like: Flame of Sevenwaters is the sixth book in a beloved series, and when you’ve been adventuring alongside an author for as long as I’ve been reading Juliet Marillier (not to mention re-reading) you start to recognise their styles and it can make the story a little predictable. Almost from the beginning I knew how three or four of the main threads of the novel would unravel.

For the most part it doesn’t matter; even when you can predict an outcome in the book, Marillier does it in an unexpected way. It does sometimes blunt some of the delight when there is a moment of revelation. I can live with that though.

A thrilling conclusion (for now!) to one of my all time favourite series, and one I think many will thoroughly enjoy. It certainly looks good standing in a row on my bookshelf.

1. Maeve should have been likeable, but I found her boring.

The beginning of “Flame of Sevenwaters” was excruciatingly slow, but the end somewhat made up for it. The beginning is a study in how to write a character who is pathetic and also stubbornly strong, who alternately irritates and inspires the reader. On the one hand, Maeve isn’t content to let her useless hands define her. After the injury she sustained in one of the previous books, she went to live with Bran and Liadan. She’s learned to do things in her own way, to stand up for herself, and to know her limitations and accept them. But there are other times when she’s incredibly frustrating to read. She laments about being a claw handed monster and no man will ever love her. She returns to Sevenwaters and immediately starts to criticize the way her parents are raising her little brother, despite not having been there for ten years. She tells her brother that she has learned not to be scared of fire (which was part of her accident), because it’s required for life, but later on, she’ll cower or act afraid of fire. If she’d only flinched or been uncomfortable, I might have believed her, but because she was only hiding her fear, I didn’t respect her courage as much. For 200 pages, we get Maeve feeling awkward, being uncomfortable in her old home where no one knows how to cope with her disfigurement, and an awful lot of Maeve cooing over various animals. There’s a skittish horse to which Maeve says “kind hands and quiet” over and over and over again. Then she adopts two stray dogs and does the same. I would’ve been infinitely more satisfied if the author had just said “and Maeve uttered nonsense to them in a peaceful tone” and didn’t beat us over the head with how soothing she could be.

2. Flame of Sevenwaters is just SLOW.

It takes almost halfway through the book for the plot to actually get going, namely that her little brother Finbar is visiting and gets lost while chasing after the aforementioned skittish horse, and since her brother has been in danger for his whole life, this is a big deal. View Spoiler » So Maeve goes tearing off into the forest with her dogs and gets lost, and nothing really happens for two days but for some reason, we follow her throughout those two days in yet more excruciating detail. It was at this point, around 62% where I thought about DNFing. If “Flame of Sevenwaters” had been a library book, I would’ve, but I paid $6 for it and felt compelled to finish it out. It’s hard to be crazy.

3. Thankfully, the last 30% of the book was where it finally picked up and made the other 70% somewhat bearable.

Don’t get me wrong: the book up until that point was set up, then putting Maeve into position for the climax , and then Marillier finally got on with it. Her method of resolving the plot, tying up all the loose ends, and surprising us with some plot twists was solid and effective. I ended the book thinking “okay, that was a good story.”

Spoiler

I’m still pretty eked out by the fact that her dogs turned into the missing sons of the neighboring land owner, and she and her favorite of the pair immediately decided they were in love and getting married. Like okay … but he was a dog. Sure, he’s not now, but he also might have a totally different personality as a person with human thoughts, and you’re not even going to see how the relationship goes before deciding to marry him as soon as possible? I know I’m not a dog person, but my doubts are justified here, okay?

In the End:

The whole book just felt like Marillier had signed another Sevenwaters trilogy and had enough of Sorcha’s granddaughters to write more books, but then she ran out of story, so she just stretched the set up for this one as far as humanly possible. I’m not sure there was a single moment of Maeve’s journey that we didn’t follow in detail. Ultimately, the dragging pace and the total lack of plot throughout 70% of the book made Flame of Sevenwaters a pretty boring read.

This review for "Flame of Sevenwaters" first appeared on ReadingbyStarlight.com.

I am so glad I managed to get all the Sevenwaters books in hardcover. I sincerely adored each and every one of the six books, and I'm definitely glad Marillier didn't stop after the first trilogy, because the second trilogy was also supremely excellent, and I love how everything ends.

Maeve, daughter of Lord Sean of Sevenwaters, was badly burned as a child, leaving her with scarring on her face and hands like claws. She has lived the past 10 years with her Aunt Liadan and Uncle Bran at Harrowfield in Britain, but now she returns to Erin and Sevenwaters at Bran's request, to care for Swift, a high-strung yearling colt. For Maeve has a gift with animals, able to calm horses and dogs with nothing more than her voice.

At Sevenwaters, she learns that the fey prince Mac Dara, in a desperate bid to get his son Cathal back to the Otherworld, has abducted the men of Lord Cruinn of Tirconnell, in what is being called the Disappearance. So far, a number of the men have been found, each one dead in peculiar circumstances. None of the men, however, is either of Cruinn's sons, Tiernan and Artagan, or their bosom companion Daigh. When Maeve discovers one of Cruinn's men, she and her little brother Finbar embark on a strange journey that will change their lives, and the lives of their family.

I have loved Marillier's Sevenwaters books since I read Daughter of the Forest years ago. This one does not disappoint. In fact, it moved me near to tears on several occasions. The characters are wonderfully drawn, especially the dogs, Bear and Badger, that Maeve saves from the forest. Marillier clearly understands dogs as well as she does people.

If you like your fantasy with a Celtic twist, try these books.

Opinião do blogue Chaise Longue: http://girlinchaiselongue.blogspot.pt/2013/09/opiniao-chama-de-sevenwaters.html

Abrir pela primeira vez A Filha da Floresta é uma experiência que deixa marcas, uma experiência que muda a nossa concepção de fantasia, uma experiência que não mais poderá ser esquecida ou comparada a outras. Sevenwaters é um mundo especial. É um mundo que nos acolhe, que nos apaixona, que nos faz recordar com carinho a primeira vez que percorremos os seus caminhos, que nos deixa saudades atrozes, cujo regresso é sempre feito com nostalgia e amor.
Juliet Marillier deu-nos este mundo. Fez-nos adorar as suas personagens, viver cada história como se fosse a nossa, sonhar para lá do inimaginável. E provocou-nos a maior dor que um leitor pode ter, a despedida. Não uma, mas duas vezes. Despedir-me de Sevewaters uma vez foi suficientemente doloroso mas despedir-me outra vez partiu-me o coração. Quero pensar que este também não é um adeus definitivo mas talvez um até já, mesmo que longínquo.
A Chama de Sevenwaters é o último volume da fantástica saga Sevenwaters. Terceiro volume fora da trilogia original, este livro foi publicado o ano passado e ainda só foi traduzido para português e holandês.
Depois de dois volumes onde o feitiço de Sevenwaters transpareceu, num mais forte do que noutro, heis um volume onde o antigo feitiço desta floresta encantada transbordou, cheio de toda a magia e encanto, de toda a glória que fez tantos apaixonarem-se por ela. A Chama de Sevenwaters restitui o verdadeiro espírito de Sevenwaters, numa demanda cheia de sacrifícios, testes, actos de coragem e destino, tudo aquilo que tornou a saga mais famosa de Juliet Marillier num sucesso literário, conseguindo, dos três livros escritos posteriormente, ser o mais fiel e o que mais restituirá sorrisos aos fãs da saga.
Mantendo o estilo de escrita com que nos conquistou, aquele dom de bardo que poucos têm, Juliet conta-nos uma história que bem podia ser um conto de fadas, uma história de amor e coragem, de beleza interior e sacrifício, que nos prende da primeira à última linha. Escrito com mestria e encanto, este livro recorda as histórias antigas, contadas de geração em geração à volta de uma fogueira pois, tal como essas histórias, esta tem muitas lições a dar e está repleta de magia, obscuridade e laços feitos pelo destino. Repleta de esperança e temores, esta narrativa é uma demanda pelo fim do Mal, na qual os heróis estão onde menos se esperam, os sacrifícios são necessários e o perigo pode estar no sorriso mais afável. Como em qualquer livro de Marillier, os nossos protagonistas são postos à prova, devendo ultrapassar os seus medos mais profundos e inseguranças, demonstrando que na alma mais simples ou atormentada pode encontrar-se algo único. Os sentimentos, como sempre, transcendem-se através de expressões e gestos, de uniões de amor, sangue ou ódio, provocando no leitor uma tempestade de sensações, prendendo-nos a cada momento da nossa leitura.
Maeve é uma protagonista inesperada. Frágil, desiludida, racional, forte de carisma e carácter, ela é a filha que Liadan e Bran não tiveram. Nela encontrámos pedaços destas duas personagens, bem como dos seus pais, Sean e Aisling, e um traço muito próprio que nos faz, não só adorá-la como admirá-la. Tal como ela, toda a história é inesperada, feita de reviravoltas e acasos, de encontros destinados, de amores que, por mais inesperados, se formam da confiança, do carinho e do companheirismo. Uma história que encaixa na perfeição com Maeve, alguém que dedica amor aos mais fracos, que faz da fragilidade força, que é leal até ao âmago e corajosa mesmo não sabendo. A sua própria história de amor é uma surpresa, um pedaço que nos fará chorar e suspirar, que tornam este conto em algo poderoso e mágico.
Finbar, a outra grande personagem desta história faz-me lembrar alguém e isso fez-me sorrir de saudade quase durante toda a leitura. Demasiado sério, às vezes inocente, ele sabe que nada será fácil mas em momento algum é capaz de desistir ou trair os desígnios. Mas, no fundo, a história não se faria sem outra personagem, a do meu querido Ciáran, que neste livro tem um papel crucial. Foi com muita saudade, carinho e desgosto que acompanhei esta sua aventura e, mais do que nunca, lamentei tudo o que lhe aconteceu e recordei, com uma grande dor no peito, cada perda e infortúnio. Ele é, sem dúvida, para mim, a grande personagem deste livro e uma das maiores desta saga.
A Chama de Sevenwaters é uma despedida agridoce, um adeus que não sei se é para sempre mas que me doeu tanto como o primeiro. Mais uma vez, Juliet partiu-me o coração mas deixou outras tantas recordações maravilhosas.

Frist of all i absolutely love fantasy books, i just love them! So this saga was basicly made for me. I loved this book in particular because i love the caracters, and in a way i can relate to Meave because we all have our limitations and we all need a hand every once in a whie and besides i loved her strength and her ability to overcome problems. I loved the plot twist at the end and i just hope this saga goes on because it's amazing, it never lets me down it's soooo great