*potential spoilers*
Right. I guess I'm giving this a three in comparison to J.M's other books. I did enjoy this book, don't get me wrong, but I found Maeve really hard to like. I found her to be super self pitying and a bit weak really. I didn't see her as this amazingly strong women that the written characters seemed to see. She seemed bitter and a little self-absorbed. Rhian on the other hand was a wonderfully selfless character and i really liked her.

Back to the overall story. It was slow, but as usual, J.M has this wonderful ability to build worlds and make the reading experience incredibly visual. You can almost smell the forest, she does such a great job.
I think the story progressed ok.. but i figured out the "twist" SO early on...that may have been cos Wildwood dancing is one of my faves, so it almost seemed obvious that bear had been changed, especially because Maeve's connection to him was SO strong. How could he not be destined to be her true love?

I get SO annoyed that she refused to listen to Finbar, but i guess she hasn't had as much experience with seers as all us dedicated readers have, so i'll forgive her that.

I think the biggest flaw to the story in my opinion was that we didn't have enough time to really love Artagan in the way i think we have fallen in love with say Red, darragh, cathal etc Yeah he was a great dog, but WHO is he? He's just not a deep enough character to get the heart racing as the other books do. The sheer wonder of the love in the other books far surpasses this one.

I'm glad to finally have Maeve's story, but i am a little bummed that she was so unlikable. I would say read it, but this one is definitely not J.Ms best, but it's also not her worst, and even at her worst she still will always be my #1 author!! Even at her worst she is better than so many others :)

Love you J.M. Look forward to your next book!

I was hoping for a bit more of a conflict as far as Mac Dara was concerned. Maybe not an all out war but...just something more. But overall, it was a good story with an ending where everything was wrapped up very happily and neatly. I'm sad that according to the author's FAQ, there won't be more tales from Sevenwaters, because I grew very fond of the place and its inhabitants. But it was also a good ending, so maybe best to leave it this way after all.

In the [possibly] final installment of the Sevenwaters saga, author Juliet Marillier gave us the story of Maeve, the daughter of Sevenwaters who was badly burned in ‘Child of the Prophecy’, and carries the legacy of that fire in her crippled hands and her scarred face. She finally returns home after ten years of living in Harrowfield with Liadan and Bran, and has grown into a courageous, forthright woman. She has a special gift for gentling difficult animals, and particularly loves working with horses. Though her body’s scars have healed, her spirit remains fragile and she’s still afraid.
When she returns home, Sevenwaters is in turmoil. Mac Dara has become desperate to see his only son return to the Otherworld, but Cathal refuses because of his marriage to Maeve’s sister. To force Lord Sean’s hand, Mac Dara has caused a party of innocent travelers on the Sevenwaters border to vanish, only to allow their murdered bodies to be found, one by one. When Maeve finds the body of one of the missing men in a remote part of the woods, she and her brother Finbar embark on a journey that will bring about the end of Mac Dara’s reign or lead to a hideous death for both of them.

This book was very solid – I love Maeve as a character. I have always been a huge fan of Ciarán’s, and getting to see him so much in this book was fantastic. I absolutely adore that she realized instantly that she needed to be there for Finbar, and even when she knew it wouldn’t end up the way she wanted, she did everything she could to make his life better at every step of the way.
I loved the way Maeve grew into her love for Badger and Bear – everyone was so scared at first, and then they grew into the friendship between the three of them. Her decision at the end felt somewhat like Sorcha’s (heart’s) decision to love Red, and not Simon, which was such a depressing thought for such a lovely ending that I had to banish it to the Otherworld. ;) Really, I wish Badger all the happiness in the world with his bride-to-be, and I hope that he’s happier with her than Simon was with Elaine, despite the sucky circumstances.
Ciarán. Can we please talk about Ciarán? This man is so absolutely wonderful. I had always thought that he would take Cathal’s place when the time came to it. He was so absolutely miserable, thanks again to really sucky circumstances, but he was able to find happiness and family, finally. I think that his decision to take Cathal’s place as leader of the Otherworld is brilliant – think about it, guys. If he is the leader of the Otherworld, he can probably see and talk to his daughter, Fainne. He probably hasn’t been able to see or hear from her since Child of the Prophecy, which was roughly ten years ago at the start of Flame of Sevenwaters
I have to say, though, Luachan was far too perfect from the beginning. No one, I repeat NO ONE, is as tactful and handsome as he is without there being something seriously wrong with him. That being said, I had a few moments of doubt that Marillier was going to have Maeve fall in love with him because he’s so perfect, and because he was good to Finbar, but no, Juliet is not that mean, he was just an Otherworld spy. Caisin totally took me by surprise. Like, I thought it was a little fishy that she was helping Maeve find everything without asking for anything in return, but I didn’t think she was as bad as she turned out to be. Maybe I just really wanted to trust her, be able to believe in help without ulterior motives. I guess I just have to be constantly reminded of the fact that the Otherworld beings are not always as friendly as they seem to be. Good thing I own almost all of Marillier’s books.
I really really really hope that we get a book about Eilis. She reminds me of my favorite cousin, and I want to know why she went so far away from home that she couldn’t come home to visit Maeve. I’d also love a book about Finbar as chieftain… and a book about Johnny adjusting to life as chieftain, but that would mean Sean was dead, which would be depressing… I think the real issue is that I do not want this series to be over. Hey Juliet, wanna do a girl a favor and write those? Pretty please?
All in all, I loved the book. Sure, it was a little predictable occasionally, but I was always enjoying it. It made me giggle, it made me cry, and it made me exclaim with “I KNEW IT” occasionally, despite the fact that I read the last two hundred pages in public, surrounded by friends. It was a VAST improvement on Seer of Sevenwaters, which I almost hated because of the fact that Sibéal’s suddenly okay with the fact that she’s going to basically give up everything she’s worked for for like ten years for a man, but not quite as good as the original trilogy. If it is the final book, then I am okay. If it’s not… I WANT AN EILIS BOOK!

With the previous installment being slightly disappointing I was delighted that the Sevenwaters series ended in a high note – as a whole the series is right up there with Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, which the greatest praise I can give to a fantasy series. Although this is very different from those two old favorites of mine: not only have I discovered Juliet Marillier as an adult, each of the six books follow a different main character, a different female member of the Sevenwaters family. Their stories are filled with magic, romance, adventure and mystery and together they form such a spectacular world that you don’t want to let go off it. Even the installments I found some faults in were only disappointing compared to other Marillier novels and those set the bar very high.

More of the same and that's fine by me! :)

I have only read the first title in this series along with the latest "Flame of Sevenwaters" and had no problem figuring out what was going on. I love the take on mythology and ancient England.

As many previous reviewers have said, her later Sevenwaters books aren't as masterful as her original trilogy, yet I think that we shouldn't be comparing them. The first book is what I consider the legend in this epic, and that's the way it was told. Everything further built on it, and became a bit more real. The magic is still there, it's just in another form, just as in Sevenwaters forest. I will always be a fan of her work and this family.

The entire story was extremely predictable, the characters were shallow, and Maeve was a bit of an annoying character. Overall though it's a fun read and I enjoyed it despite my listed annoyances.

What a great ending to the series! It didn’t follow quite the same formula as the others, which made it slightly more difficult to predict. The ending was satisfying, and Maeve was a delight to read about. I almost wish there were more books in this series! I’d love to stick with Sevenwaters for as long as possible!