Flame of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier

Maeve, daughter of Lord Sean of Sevenwaters, was badly burned as a child and carries the legacy of that fire in her crippled hands. After ten years she’s returning home as a courageous, forthright woman with a special gift for taming difficult animals. But while her body’s scars have healed, her spirit remains fragile, as she fears the shadows of her past.

Sevenwaters is in turmoil. The fey prince Mac Dara has become desperate to see his only son, who is married to Maeve’s sister, return to the Otherworld. To force Lord Sean’s hand, Mac Dara has caused a party of innocent travelers on the Sevenwaters border to vanish.

When Maeve finds one of the missing travelers murdered in the woods, she and her brother Finbar embark on a journey that may bring about the end of Mac Dara’s reign — or lead to a hideous death. But if she is successful, Maeve may open a door to a future she has not dared to believe possible...

Flame of Sevenwaters is the 6th (!) book in the Sevenwaters series. I must say the magic has somewhat worn off in the last few books. Not that they're not charming, enjoyable reads, but they're not mind-blowing, gut-wrenching love stories anymore like the first one was. There's been a clear formula for at least the last 2 or so books now. Girl has given up on men. Mystical hilarity ensues. Girl finds shmexy leading man after all.

I think what really got me was the abruptness of Maeve's love interest. Out of the blue...and they just KNOW and then they're engaged. And that's not really how love works...and those aren't the love stories I like to read.

All in all, as I said, this book was charming, but fluffy and read like YA. It was a quick, enjoyable, light read. While I probably won't read this one up again, I will pick up the next Sevenwaters book (if there is one).

Bottom Line

 To sum it up: The Sevenwaters legacy continues.

Overall Rating: 3 / 5

Buy or Try? Try

More? Standalone but 6 / 6 in series

Content

Plot: 3 / 5

Setting: 4 / 5

Characters: 2 / 5 (somewhat flat and cookie cutter compared to Marillier's other works)

Style
Pace: Fast
Descriptiveness: Prose

Fantasy factor: Magical Realism

Amazon.com link