Rating: 
Summary: Breathtaking
Review: I don't normally make a point of reviewing books, but I have to make an exception for this one. Son of the Shadows (along with its prequel, Daughter of the Forest) is a truly magical book. Marillier's characters are vibrant and three-dimensional, and her stories are beautifully crafted. This series is a must-read for any fantasy lover.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the best
Review: If I could, I too would give this book and Daughter of the Forest 6 stars. The only bad thing is I have to wait for the next one. I ordered this one over Amazon.uk cause it was out quicker there. A must read!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding work
Review: After her first book, Daughter of the Forest, I didn't think that her writing could get any better. I was obviously wrong. While this book is somewhat different than her first, it again shows the courage of a young woman who had need to change things around her.
Rating:
Summary: Must Read!!
Review: Once again, Juliet Marillier has managed to write something incredibly beautiful. Son of the Shadows, like Daughter of the Forest, manages to evoke a dreamtime quality that is especially enchanting. Every scene of forest or water is etched with power and cast in a slant of faerie, a bit like those sun-slashed magical afternoons of childhood. However, there is no need to suspend disbelief, because her character development and situations are wholly real and particularly powerful in their ability to draw you into the story. While reading her books, I find myself fascinated by each detail, and praying for her characters the way I would pray for a beloved sister. At times, I identify with the characters so completely I forget that their woes and joys, and even their compulsions, are not my own. In truth, I find reading her books especially frustrating, since I do have to work in the morning and that unfinished chapter really nags at me all day, even though I did stay up three hours later than usual to get to it.
Rating:
Summary: A 6! A beautiful adult fairy tale
Review: An evil enchantress turned Sorcha's seven brothers into swans and forced her father to dance to her malevolent tune. Sorcha, the youngest sibling, managed to break the spell and freed her brothers though they paid various prices due to the transformation. Sorcha married a Briton named Tubdan and they had three children, Niamoh and two younger twins Sean and Liadan.Liadan inherits the mantle of Sevenwaters and pays the price associated with fulfilling her destiny. She is beautiful and is expected to marry a powerful lord, but instead is kidnapped by outlaws who wear animal masks to conceal their faces. Liadan loses her heart to the gang's leader Bran who sends her away when he learns she is from Sevenwaters because he holds a grudge against her father. However, Liadan carries his child, a being who the revered Old Ones say one day will save humanity.. Adults who never lost the child within them will enjoy this marvelous epic fantasy that proves that Juliet Marillier is an enchantress wielding a spellbinding pen. SON OF THE SHADOWS is a powerful brew centering on love, war, and magic in such a wonderful way that the plot and its key charcaters enchant the audience into a one sitting read. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Follow Up
Review: After reading Daughter of the Forest, I was eagerly awaiting Son of the Shadows, and I was not disappointed the main story is of Liadan, Sorcha's youngest daughter and it is full of mystical folk law tales and adventure. If you enjoyed Daughter of the Forest then Son of the Shadows is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: I expected to love it, and I did!
Review: Some will tell you never to expect too much, you'll be disspointed. WEll, they never read Juliet Marillier! Her first book "Daughter of the Forest" gave you an original and mystical tale of adventure. Her second "Son of the Shadows" is even better. If that's possible. Her heroine, Liadan, is strong, competent and shrewd. For that alone, I would be willing to kiss JM's feet, it's such a rarity. But she goes further to give us such an unusual tale containing mercenaries, magic, feudalism, loyalty, family ties, sorrow and triumph. I can't, right now, think of another author who's able to build onto a first novel so seamlessly and believably. Liadan's sorrow at the changes within her family are so poignant, and her strength in dealing with anything that comes her way is so satisfying. The male protagonist is compelling and completely unusual. JM is simply the best at developing characters and relationships. I know you will enjoy this novel at least as much as you did the first in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: The fairy tale ends, but a great series continues
Review: The sequel to "Daughter of the Forest" finds Sorcha and Hugh still residing at Sevenwaters, with their three children: Niamh, Sean, and Liadan. As for Sorcha's six brothers, only two remain with her - Liam is Lord of Sevenwaters, and Conor is the chief Druid nearby. Padriac has become an explorer who makes a brief appearance, as does Finbar, who was the one brother left with a swan's wing after their stepmother's curse was lifted. Diarmid and Cormack have died in battle - an unsatisfactory ending, I thought, to two characters who bore such import in the first book. This book focuses again on the youngest daughter, Liadan, who is kidnapped by a band of outlaw mercenaries to heal one of their members. She then has to decide whether her loyalty belongs with her family, or with the tragic heroes of the outlaws, all of whom are more noble than many of the other allies of Sevenwaters. In particular, Liadan is drawn to the enigmatic chief of the band, whom she dubs Bran and who plays the whole "I hate you/I love you/Get the hell away from me" repetoire repeatedly. Bran's secret past figures prominently, as do the alliances between Sevenwaters and the nearby clans in trying to drive out the British invaders. This story isn't based on an existing fairy tale (that I know of) the way "Daughter" was, which allows the author more freedom but leaves those of us who like the adult fairy tale genre a bit out in the cold. In treating her characters from the first book so cavalierly, Marillier has cut us off a lot from what we liked about "Daughter"; indeed the tone of "Son" is often very different, less mystic and magical, more immediate and grounded in reality. Fans of the first book could easily stop there, where the fairy tale ends. Still, it's worth it to continue - "Son" remains a well-written and lovely book in its own right and a worthy heir to the series.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantasy Filled With Love, Magic and Celtic Lore- Excellent
Review: Since my childhood, I have always loved a good fairy tale and Juliet Marillier's Celtic-themed Sevenwaters trilogy is a real winner - for both teens and adults alike. "Son of the Shadows," book two in the series after "Daughter of the Forest," is every bit as good as book one. A second generation of the Sevenwaters family is introduced here and many familiar folks from the first book have roles to play also. The characters are wonderful. They change and grow so much throughout the novels, that it is easy to care about and empathize with them. And the magic is...well, simply magical. Sorcha, the "Daughter of the Forest," married her beloved British husband Hugh of Harrowfield, who gave up his ancestral home to move to Erin and live with his wife at Sevenwaters. Together they became stewards of the enormous estate which, with its magical forest and strong ties to the old, druidic faith, prosper under their care. They have been blessed with three children: Niamh, who is as beautiful as she is willful; Sean, strong and capable like his father; and Sean's twin, Liadan, who, like her mother, is a gifted healer and seer. Liadan's birth was not foreseen by the fairy folk, the Tuatha de Danaan, who so frequently intervene in the lives of this family. It is they who are determined to preserve the old ways through those of the Sevenwaters line. Neither Liadan's mother nor the magical beings who populate the age-old forests of Sevenwaters had counted on Sean, (whose birth was predicted as part of a prophecy), having a twin sister. This lack of foresight gave Liadan the power to change things previously ordained - to defy prophesy. But Liadan does not want power nor does she want a position of leadership in the clan. She is shy, and prefers the art and lore of healing to the more common pleasures of girls her age. Yet, it is Liadan who is finds herself thrust into the midst of the enemy, and taken away from the family that has loved and sheltered her. She is carried off to heal a dying outlaw, a mercenary in the band of the notorious and feared "Painted Man." This is a beautiful tale of familial devotion, self-sacrifice, steadfastness, adventure, travel - and above all, of love that must be strong enough to defy all odds - with a hero who is worthy of the exceptional young woman Liadan is. Although the plot and subplots are very strong this novel is definitely character driven. And, as noted before, Ms. Marillier develops her cast of characters and gives them great depth. As with all fairy tales, there is magic at work here, just the right amount to awe but not to disturb reality too much or take away from the characters' independence and ability to choose. Although "Son of the Shadows" can be read and enjoyed without reading the first book, I strongly recommend reading "Daughter Of The Forest" before picking-up this terrific novel. ENJOY!
JANA
Rating:
Summary: SON OF THE SHADOWS--by Juliet Marillier
Review: A fantasy with all the crutial elements, "SON OF THE SHADOWS" is a real page turner, (sorry about the cliché, but this is the first book that has ever given me the must-read-more feeling). Juliet Marillier has a talent for writing in an intense fashion where everything and every emotion seems so real. Action, drama, romance, and magical folklore keep anyone who reads this book thoroughly entertained.
It's written in first person, which provokes an emotional attachment with the lead character, a young woman called Liadan. She greatly resembles her mother Sorcha, the daughter of the forest. Like her mother, she is a healer with the power to communicate with certain others through thought. She has visions that come to her unbidden, a power she must learn to control.
Liadan has a twin brother called Sean, whom she can speak to mind to mind, and a beautiful sister called Niamh. They live together with their family at the Sevenwaters fortress. Sean is going to inherit Sevenwaters someday and is mostly concerned with war tactics. Niamh is a lovely, vibrant young woman whose main concern is her hair. When Niamh is discovered to have a lover, she is quickly married off to an allied chieftain for reasons unknown to her or her siblings.
On her way back from seeing her sister off with her new husband, Liadan is led through a village where a woman stops her to ask if she could help heal her son. Liadan obliges and goes into the woman's cottage. While she's inside, she discovers the boy is only mildly ill when suddenly, she receives a blow to the back of her head and is knocked out (Juliet Marillier writes it with greater suspense). She wakes in the camp of the Painted Man and his band of men who are professional killers for hire.
The Painted Man is not pleased with Gull, Dog, and Snake (Three of his men) for kidnapping a 'healer girl' to help save the smith, Evan. Liadan is quick to help Evan when she discovers The Painted Man's solution to help Evan's painful, severe injury is to slit his throat. She goes head to head with him, standing up for her beliefs. Her will to heal drowns out her fears of what will become of her and whether she will ever return home to her family.
I highly recommend reading "DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST" before this one because you will have a better history of the family (and it's also an incredible page turner as well). Of The Sevenwaters Trilogy, "SON OF THE SHADOWS" was my personal favorite, but they are all three made up of such powerful and mysterious characters that they are inredibly enjoyable to read.
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