Son of the Shadows continues the saga of beautiful Sorcha, the courageous young woman who risked all to save her family from a wicked curse and whose love shattered generations of hate and bridged two cultures.
It is from her sacrifice that her brothers were brought home to Sevenwaters and her life has known much joy. But not all the brothers were able to escape the spell that transformed them into swans, and those who did were all more–and less–than they were before the change.
It is left to Sorcha’s daughter Liadan who will take up the tale that the Sevenwaters clan is destined to fulfill. Beloved child, dutiful daughter, she embarks on a journey that opens her eyes to the wonders of the world around her…and shows her just how hard-won was the peace that she has known all her life.
Liadan will need all of her courage to help save her family, for there are forces far darker than anyone should have guessed and ancient powers conspiring to destroy this family’s peace–and their world. And she will need the strength to stand up to those she loves best, for in the finding of her own true love, Liadan’s course may doom them all…or be their salvation.
Title : Son of the Shadows
Author : Juliet Marillier
Series : Sevenwaters (book two)
Format : physical
Page Count : 607
Genre : fantasy / historical fiction / retellings
Publisher : TorBooks
Release Date : May 18, 2001
Reviewer : Hollis / Micky
Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Hollis’ 5 star review
This series has lived in my heart for twenty years so is there really any surprise this is five stars? Even though it’s a reread and there was nothing new to experience or learn, knowing the course of this story didn’t mean I cried any less. And I cried a lot.
“Don’t you long for something different to happen, something so exciting and new it carries you along with it like a great tide, something that lets your life blaze and burn so the whole world can see it?“
Daughter of the Forest told of Sorcha’s story and Son of the Shadows reunites us with this family and a new generation of characters; ones to love, ones who break your heart, and ones to hate. Liadan knows the horrors her family has endured for peace, for happiness. She wants no more than to stay home, unmarried, and care for her parents, tend to the household. She is much like her mother in stature, in the arts of the stillroom and healing, but though Sorcha had her own bravery, her own strength, Liadan, when forced to rise to challenges she never imagined, is even stronger, fiercer, so much in possession of her mind that she will not be swayed by the forces around her; be they old and ancient, fey, wise, or family.
The greatest tales, well told, awaken the fears and longings of the listeners. Each man hears a different story. Each is touched by it according to his inner self. The words go to the ear, but the true message travels straight to the spirit.
Secrets and betrayal begin to fester amongst a family that cannot risk being left vulnerable to unfriendly forces, to the darkness that nearly overcame them once before. Mistakes are made, truth obfuscated, and thus Liadan is forced to navigate, to unveil, and to rescue her family, her love, and her future.
“You captured a wild creature when you had no place you could keep him.”
An interesting twist to this particular instalment, however, is how we see the unintended consequences of the previous book’s happily ever after. So often we get that ending, everything is great, and life goes on. But reality is never so tidy and events can be twisted and a person can be left hurting. Not in the way you might think, though. And I really loved how Marillier made this connection and created a way to go back without undoing any of the hard-earned events of book one.
“What about his mother? What did she have to say about it?“
“She was a woman. The tale does not concern itself further with her.“
For a story written so long ago, what surprised me was how, sometimes, Marillier’s narrative or dialogue was almost wry in how she, and her characters, navigated the inequalities and double standards of gender. Nothing so overt the way we have these days, where the goal is to make a point, but there are subtle digs, bits of dialogue, observations. So much is careful, considerate, and also very purposeful. Which is probably why so much of this book, this series, is devastating. Because there is so much imbued, so much that resonates, and it comes through.
Much like with book one, I have never tried to review this, and once again I know I haven’t done this book any justice at all. It’s impossible to express my love for this book because it’s honestly so deeply embedded in my soul. I read this as a young human and it’s been with me, and I’ve relived it, over and over throughout the years, and we are irrevocably entwined. Some books you lose the love for other the years, as your taste or perspective or style as a reader changes. This book, this series, isn’t one of those.
(yes, I did steal most of those last paragraph from my review of Daughter of the Forest, and yes, I am calling myself out for it)
“Come, dear heart. Lean on me and let us walk this path together.“
Lastly, I just want to give a huge shoutout to the Sevenwaters Squad with whom I spent a very fun — but emotionally draining — weekend buddy reading this book. Most had never experienced this before, having come only recently to this series, and while I loved having the excuse to revisit, I loved living through it with their eyes, too. Can’t wait for book three, and the rest of the series, with you all!
Micky’s 5 star review
Headlines:
Feminist folklore fest
Morally grey characters
No-one is safe
An ocean of tears
I feel pretty incoherent in writing a review for this book, so much happened, so much was felt on my part and despite the emotions I felt, I don’t want to leave this book or this world. If I thought Daughter of the Forest was amazing, Son of the Shadows took that feeling, that world and expanded my love for it even more. This is a spoiler-free review.
Finding myself back in Sevenwaters was rich and colourful but it also carried some lament and sadness. The protagnist of this story was Liadan, a young woman who was single-minded, gifted and real. It was wonderful to be back with characters from book one even if some elements were bittersweet. There were so many character favs: Bran, Johnny, Dog, Evan, Sorcha, Red and Finbar.
The story was totally unpredictable, many plot lines that were sneaky, well thought out and deep but not overly complex. The mystical elements of the story were clever and added to the whole experience. The writing style was simply divine. The prose Juliet Marillier uses just speaks to my book soul.
Tread slowly. Tread light as a wren, that makes barely a rustle in the leaves of the hazel thicket. Tread softly, I told myself, or she would shatter into pieces, and it would be too late.
The book took my emotions on a journey. It was easy to invest in these characters that were new and those of old. I don’t think I’ve felt so connected to characters in this way in such a long time. I cried, I figuratively held my breath and I angsted my way through this, loving and living every minute.
This is swiftly becoming one of my favourite fantasy series of all time. If I could award more than 5 stars, I would. Everything about this reading experience was centred around a brilliant set of buddy readers and we are now on a Sevenwaters quest together.
A Take from Two Cities 