#sevenwaters

Sevenwaters was strongly recommended to me right after I became completely obsessed with Wildwood Dancing. People said so many wonderful things about it that my expectations were sky-high.

But they were so far beyond exceeded that I can hardly believe it. After The Mists of Avalon, I thought I’d never find something as beautiful, grand, and spiritually rich. I couldn’t have been more wrong—thank goodness!

Daughter of the Forest, the first book in the series, completely captured me. I was so fascinated that I couldn’t put it down until I finished. Sorcha’s story and her brothers’ curse made me cry in public—from joy, despair, and heartbreak. The emotions it stirred in me were so unique that I can safely say it’s now my favorite book 💜

October was a great reading month and I got through ten(!) books in the month. That's more than I've read in a while, so it felt good to be able to know I can still read that many. I read some spooky/halloweenish books, as well as continued a few series, and finished a series.

1.Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters 2) by Juliet Marillier, 5/5 stars. I started the month with reading the second Sevenwaters book. Just like with book 1, I enjoyed this immensely, and I found the characters and storyline to be strong and engaging. This one is even more romance heavy than the first books. Adult historical fantasy

2.Paladin's Hope (Saint of Steel 3) by T. Kingfisher, 4.5/5 stars. Another good installment in this series and new mystery that our characters are faced with. This one was a bit shorter than the first two books, and I wish this was a little longer, but otherwise it was great as always! Adult fantasy romance

3.The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way by Bill Bryson This was my nonfiction book for the month, and I read this on audio. Enjoyable, but I felt like it was a little dated. I've read other more recent books on linguistics, and enjoyed them more. Nonfiction.

4.Echo North by Joanna Ruth Mayer, 4/5 stars. This was an enjoyable YA fantasy, and a good blend of fairytales I really enjoy. I don't read a lot of YA anymore, but this reminded me of some of the 'older' YA that is really good. East of the Sun West of the Moon, batb, cupid & psyche retellings all blended together. The author also credits Robin McKinley, DWJ, and Edith Pattou as big inspirations, and I could tell. YA fantasy

5.Last Argument of Kings (First Law 3) by Joe Abercrombie, ?/5 stars. I honestly was so done reading this trilogy, and just wanted to know how it ended so I could just finish it. I skimmed most of it, and only read the Glokta chapters and the ending. This type of fantasy is 100% not for me. I only finished the series because my brother gifted me the boxed set (and he read them). Adult fantasy

6.I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacquline Harpman, 5/5 stars. This is a lesser known classic that's gotten some popularity recently. It's part dystopian, part science fiction, and reminded me a little of The Wall which I read earlier this year. Very poignant, dark, but an exploration of self and a woman on her own. This is translated from French!

7.A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher, 4/5 stars. Another good T Kingfisher fairy tale retelling (however this was quite loose on the retelling), but also dark, featuring child abuse and animal horror. But there is humor, and a good cast of adult characters trying to fix the situation, and I like how T Kingfisher writes competent adults.

8.Witch Week (Chrestomanci 3) by Diana Wynne Jones, 3/5 stars. I started this on audio, but finished with the physical book. Can't say I enjoyed this one as much as the first two. This just reminded me of how horrible middle school was! A good halloween time read though. Middle grade fantasy.

9.The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky, 4/5 stars. This is a historical fantasy that has been on my tbr since 2019. This is light on the fantasy elements, and about first contact between Inuit and Vikings in present-day Canada about 1000 years ago. Our main character is an Inuit shaman, and they and a viking have to team up to save the land and their peoples. Super detail rich and well written.

10. Graveyard Shift by ML Rio, 4/5 stars. A good read for Halloween, and excited to see that ML Rio is publishing again! A thriller about 5 people trying to discover who made a new grave in an abandoned graveyard. As someone who works in academia, I liked the academia element in this story, I only wish it was longer!

I'm on track to finish my Goodreads Reading Challenge this year, which is 80 books. Usually I get somewhere in the 90s, but not this year I guess. For Nov and December, I'm planning on finishing the Sevenwaters series, and Chrestomanci, so I'll be prioritizing those books.

November tbr:

The Scorpio Races (reread on audio)

Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters 3)

Heir to Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters 4)

Chrestomanci: The Magicians of Caprona (book 4)

Paladin's Fate (Saint of Steel 4)

Nonfiction

The Word for Woman is Wilderness

Cape Cod (on audio?)

My feet will tread soft as a deer in the forest. My mind will be clear as water from the sacred well. My heart will be strong as a great oak. My spirit will spread an eagle's wings, and fly forth. - Sorcha, Daughter of the forest by Juliet Marillier

Two things I will never grow out of: online doll makers and Juliet Marillier historical fantasy novels. So here’s all the main couples from Sevenwaters!

Sorcha and Red

Liadan and Bran

Fainne and Darragh

Clodagh and Cathal

Sibeal and Felix 

Maeve and Artagan

The Sevenwaters Trilogy Covers all together!

The colors are a little muddy with the anti-AI filter, but I think they look good all together. I wish I could show you them in better quality, but too much art is stolen these days. This is how we live now

(TT ^ TT)

The Challenge: Create a book cover in as little time as possible (don't look at me like that I have work and, shockingly, a full roster of commissions. Name of the game is fast or not at all). I am not allowed to make new art or illustrations for the covers, it must all be either old art I've made repurposed, or stock images. I have to make them on Photoshop, using only my trackpad (because I don't want to dig up my mouse from wherever it's hiding). And yes, the weird digital layer is on purpose in hopes of dissuading scrapping. Part 2 is to try to actually edit them into videos for TikTok, wish me luck!

I am the artist! Do not post without permission & credit! Thank you! Come visit me over on: instagram, tiktok or check out my coloring book available now \ („• ֊ •„) /

Liam would’ve married Eilis and they would’ve been very happy together. I like to think they would’ve had two kids (like Eilis and Eamonn do)—a boy called Colum, and a girl called Aisling.

Diarmid and Cormack probably would’ve been warriors and died in an attempt to retake the Islands like in canon.

Conor would’ve still become a Druid, and sooner than in DotF because there’s no curse to delay him.

Finbar… hmm. I’m not sure about him! Maybe he would become a brithem? Or he could help Liam with stuff at Sevenwaters, maybe using his gift to provide advice? Who knows.

I think Padriac would definitely still leave Sevenwaters and go sailing. There’s nothing really for him to do in the forest. I can see him still running off and finding him own way in the world. Maybe he comes back to visit Sevenwaters more often than in canon, since Lady Oonagh never murdered his animals and cursed him in this version of events.

Sorcha is another tricky one… I suppose she would get married when she turns 16. Either Lord Colum would arrange a suitable marriage for her, or the Fair Folk meddle and ensure that she falls for a Briton in this timeline as well. Or actually, since Oonagh never arrives at Sevenwaters Sorcha’s brothers don’t forcibly remove her from Father Brien’s place and she finishes healing Simon. So I could see Sorcha falling for Simon, and the child of the prophecy could be kickstarted that way.