Heir to Sevenwaters-Juliet Marillier

	Title: Heir to Sevenwaters Author: Juliet Marillier Genre: Fantasy Pages: 395 Publication: New American Library, 2008 Source: Own Rating:

The chieftains of Sevenwaters have long been custodians of a vast forest, one of the last refuges of the Tuatha De Danann, the Fair Folk of ancient story. Human and Otherworld dwellers have existed there side by side, separated by a thin veil between worlds and sharing a wary trust. Until the spring when Lady Aisling of Sevenwaters finds herself expecting another child, and everything changes.

With her mother pregnant, Clodagh fears the worst since Aisling is well past the safe age for childbearing. Clodagh's father, Lord Sean of Sevenwaters, faces his own difficulties as warring factions threaten his borders. When the baby is born the unthinkable happens, and Clodagh's world is turned upside down.

To set things to rights for her family and for all the people of Sevenwaters, Clodagh must enter the shadowy Otherworld and confront the powerful prince who now rules there. Accompanied on her quest by a warrior of uncertain allegiance, she will have her courage tested to breaking point. The reward may be far greater than she ever dreamed.

 Juliet Marillier spins an engaging tale in Heir to Sevenwaters where the line between the Otherworld is not only very real, but crossed. Delving into the lore of the Tuatha De Danann, Marillier weaves a fascinating story full of drama, fantasy and adventure. Unexpected alliances, betrayal and plot twists move the story along at a quick pace, with very few lulls where a reader can wander away from reading.

Marillier’s writing is beautiful. Her use of emotion is so good that I found myself feeling what Clodagh felt. I could feel her desperation and determination, her sadness and fear. I even cried at one point, which is rare for me while reading. Not only does she employ emotions well, but her use of foreshadowing is fantastically executed. The way dialogue is presented, you know that you have to pay attention because it is going to be important later on, but you don’t quite figure out why until Clodagh starts to connect the dots herself.

Overall , I really enjoyed reading Heir to Sevenwaters. The pace was quick and smooth, the storyline interesting and the characters engaging. There were no dull moments where I wanted to put down the book and do something else. It also really makes me want to read some of Marillier’s other novels.