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!