by Juliet Marillier
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Product Description
Magic is fading... and the ways of Man are driving the Old Ones to the West, beyond the ken of humankind. The ancient groves are being destroyed, and if nothing is done, Ireland will lose its essential mystic core.
The prophecies of long ago have foretold a way to prevent this horror, and it is the Sevenwaters clan that the Spirits of Eire look to for salvation. They are a family bound into the lifeblood of the land, and their promise to preserve the magic has been the cause of great joy to them... as well as great sorrow.
It is up to Fianne, daughter of Niamh, the lost sister of Sevenwaters, to solve the riddles of power. She is the shy child of a reclusive sorcerer, and her way is hard, for her father is the son of the wicked sorceress Oonagh, who has emerged from the shadows and seeks to destroy all that Sevenwaters has striven for. Oonagh will use her granddaughter Fianne most cruelly to accomplish her ends, and stops at nothing to see her will done.
Will Fianne be strong enough to battle this evil and save those she has come to love?
Amazon.com Review
The powerful fantasy novel Child of the Prophecy successfully concludes Juliet Marillier's Sevenwaters Trilogy, which chronicles a fated family's three-generation struggle to preserve the failing magic of ancient Ireland. The daughter of a forbidden romance, Fianne has been raised in isolation and trained in magic by her loving but remote druid-father, Ciaran, and her ruthless sorceress-grandmother, the Lady Oonagh. They send Fianne to Sweetwaters to live among relatives who had no knowledge of her existence and who may have instigated the death of her mother, their sister Niamh. Fianne has come to carry out her grandmother's long-planned vengeance on the clan--and on the Old Ones, who are the source of Ireland's mystic power. Despite her mother's death, Fianne is reluctant to harm her Sweetwaters kin. But if she lets them live, the Lady Oonagh will kill both her father and Darragh, the handsome young horse tamer who has captured Fianne's heart. Child of the Prophecy works as a standalone novel, but readers will benefit by first reading its equally accomplished prequels, Daughter of the Forest and Son of the Shadows. --Cynthia Ward
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Lovely, 2008-12-27
The Sevenwaters series is one of the best reads I have enjoyed in a long time. The perfect recipe of adventure, history, great characters, and romance. Ms. Marrillier is a witty and creative writer and I plan to explore her other books.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Strong Characterization, Slightly Flawed Narrative Leading to Poor Conclusion., 2008-08-09
I just finished reading The Child of the Prophesy and wish to share the mixed feelings I have for this book.
What is positive about the novel is that once again Marillier weaves a very complex story that keeps the reader guessing and in suspense until the very end. Her characterization of Fainne is brilliant in that she is multi-dimensional and shows a deep insight into the psychological workings of the human mind. We are all shaped by what we are taught by others, but ultimately it is our inborn goodness etc. that comes through, is Marillier's message in this story.
What I find disappointing about the novel is that the concluding chapters lacked Marillier's usual narrative prowess. The most crucial scene in the novel between Ciaran, Lady Oonagh and Fainne amidst a large sea of onlookers was poorly written and thought out with Lady Oonagh's speech approximating the traditional fairytale wicked witch. The climax of the series - defeating the evil sorceress and restoring the sacred islands - could have been more creatively thought out to inspire awe and send goosebumps up the reader's spine. At least it did not give me the same chills as The Return of the King did. Finally I was rather disappointed with Fainne's fate as the child of the prophecy. I'm sure no one could be sane for long having to do what she had to do in the end, and the fact that certain others too have to share her fate seems unfair to me. I would have preferred a sad ending with Fainne facing the future alone rather than the "mushy" ending.
Well, its difficult to rate this book because on one hand the characterization is strong and the plot complex and interesting, while on the other hand the strength of the narrative fizzled out towards the end. I personally did not like the conclusion. Nevertheless this is a novel that can be thoroughly enjoyed if you can forgive the poor ending.
The novel is both strong and weak. It is with a heavy heart that I give it 3 stars.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Gorgeous!, 2008-07-01
Third book in the Sevenwaters trilogy.
Unlike the heroines in the first two books, Sorcha and Liadan, Fianne is not perfect and completely self-sacrificing. While some other reviewers thought this detracted from the story, I found her a more interesting and complex character. Fianne is the daughter of Ciaran and Niamh, with a heritage that includes the strength and goodness of the Sevenwaters clan as well as the darkness of Lady Oonagh. She was raised in solitude by her father after her mother's early death.
After a mysterious illness strikes Ciaran, Lady Oonagh shows up to torment Fianne. Lady Oonagh convinces Fianne that she is destined to be evil, even while controlling her by threatening the people she loves. Lady Oonagh is still plotting to destroy Sevenwaters and plans to use Fianne to accomplish her evil plan.
As the residents of Sevenwaters gradually work their way into Fianne's heart, she learns that she is stronger than she ever realised and reaches deep within herself to fight Lady Oonagh.
A satisfying ending to a marvelous trilogy.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Blah, blah, blah..., 2008-02-29
I felt that It had been finished in less than half the pages and the editor insisted it be of equal length to the others. She then went through and reiterated the romance and guilt aspect of it on every single page. Boring. I skimmed the second half and still guessed the ending. The first two were entertaining light reading. This was just annoying.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Perhaps the Best of the Trilogy--certainly the most ambiguous and complex!, 2007-08-30
I always find ranking the books in this trilogy hard, as they're all so good--usually it comes between the enchanting fairy-tale-like first book, Daughter of the Forest, and this one however (I like the second one as well, but it just didn't grip me quite as much as the others, and Liadan is my least favorite protagonist).
Personally Fainne is my favorite heroine of the trilogy, the one I could relate to the most, whose plight I felt for the most. As much as I love Sorcha and Liadan, they always seemed almost larger than life, a bit too saintly and selfless and perfect (especially Sorcha). Whereas Fainne is all too achingly human and flawed, complex and conflicted, which makes for a much more identifiable character. I really did grieve for the poor girl, I think she did have the hardest lot of all of them, even Sorcha, as tortured and isolated as she was, and as difficult as her task was. It was also nice to have a character who wasn't so black and white all good--Fainne does some terrible things, and yet struggles to do good and fight the evil of her grandmother. Furthermore, it was refreshing to get a new and different perspective on the saintly Sevenwaters clan and of the Forest itself--to find a heroine in this series who was NOT in love with the Forest, but who found it confining and suffocating. Who didn't view Liadan all that well, and who had a soft spot for Eammon.
At the same time, I think Fainne's love with her childhood best friend Darraugh is my favorite of the series. The childhood best friend to something more model is one of my favorites in romance, and Marillier does it beautifully in this novel, painful and heart-breaking yet true and deep. Darraugh's devotion to her over the years is quite stirring and sweet, and feels more real than the other two loves IMO.
I also love Fainne's relationship with Ciaran--I grew to love Ciaran as I never could have imagined doing in SotS--the deep and tender love that Fainne feels for her father is palpable and breaks your heart, and just feels so real in a way some of the other familial relationships have not. It's nice once again to get a new perspective of Ciaran, and even of the Lady Oonaugh, who is now "Grandmother".
So overall, I found Fainne's story to be one of the more interesting ones, the way she is going about trying to bring down the plans of Sevenwaters under duress from her grandmother, while trying to save the day at the same time. I love her interactions with Eamonn, the spying scene, her time at Liadan's home, etc--IMO the plot of Son of the Shadows is less intriguing and exciting. The final battle was also very exciting and climactic, with some nice surprises and twists. I also loved seeing more of my fave characters, especially Eammon, who I find to be the msot complex and interesting "villain" of the series, and whose arc I really enjoyed in this book, especially his redemption in the end.
So overall, an excellent conclusion to the series, and probably my favorite. It is certainly the book I have picked up to re-read the most often, which is telling of how much I enjoyed it. I would highly recommend it, though you need to read the first two books (or at least Son of the Shadows) first.
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