The Sevenwaters Series

It was quite by accident that I started reading one of my favorite fantasy book series. I was searching for something to read on a long airplane flight. I happened to be in a grocery store I don’t usually patronize. Their book section pulled me in, and I found one I couldn’t resist. It’s called, “Daughter of the Forest,” by Juliet Marillier. It spoke to me because I was headed from Arizona to a wooded area of Minnesota. The book is an historical fantasy story which was originally intended to be the first of a trilogy. The series did so well that Marillier expanded it to a total of seven books. Appropriate, considering the property owned by the Sevenwaters clan, is named for the seven rivers which empty into the lake on their forested land.

Marillier writes characters who value nature and “the old ways.” Some have unusual skills, such as magic, healing, or telepathic communication. With sorcerers to battle, “other world” Fair Folk who may or may not have good intentions, and warring factions of "Britons" endangering their ways, each book has plenty of action, adventure, and at times, romance.

My intent is to give you summaries without any spoilers so that if you purchase them in whatever way you choose, you can enjoy the reads without knowing specifics.

Published in 2000, Daughter of the Forest, is based on the fairytale, “The Six Swans,” attributed to the Brothers Grimm. As many of Grimms’ tales, it really is a grim story, with gruesome details and elements of deceit. Marillier’s version has some dark edges to it as well, following the original story but with her own setting (Ireland), characters, and twists. The series is not for children.

The story won the Le Prix Imaginales for best novel in translation and the American Library Association’s Alex Award. It was also a finalist for the Aurealis Awards and the RWA (Romance Writers of Australia.)

The second book, Son of the Shadows, is about the first character’s youngest daughter, who is kidnapped to heal the kidnappers’ friend, a blacksmith. Their leader, a heavily tattooed “painted man” despises women. She learns more about her family and this “son of the shadows” as she is traveling throughout Erin, guided by Fair Folk.

The final book of the original trilogy, Child of the Prophecy, is about the daughter on the evil side of the family, who must decide if she wants to continue to be loyal to her grandmother and father who have trained her in sorcery, or to help her Sevenwater cousins.

The fourth through seventh books are: Heir to Sevenwaters, Seer of Sevenwaters, Twixt Firelight and Water, and Flame of Sevenwaters, the last of which was published in 2014. Most of these books have references to earlier characters, but each one has new, distinct individuals and challenges.

Many of the Sevenwater characters have unusual names. There are pronunciation guides, usually found at the front of each book, but I’ve found that it’s easier just to pronounce the name in a way that makes sense to me rather than continually referring to the guide if a name trips me up. Reader’s choice, of course.

According to her official website:

She [Juliet Marillier] was born and educated in Dunedin, New Zealand – the most Scottish city outside Scotland itself – but now lives in Western Australia. Juliet’s novels combine historical fiction, folkloric fantasy, romance and family drama. The strong elements of history and folklore in her work reflect her lifelong interest in both fields. However, her stories focus above all on human relationships and the personal journeys of the characters.

Marillier is great at creating characters you will love or love to hate. She puts her heroines and heroes into situations which seem insurmountable. They don’t always succeed fully or cleanly, giving her tales just enough realism for my taste.

If you are looking for a great set of books to get wrapped up in, I highly recommend the Sevenwaters series by Juliet Marillier.