Rating: 
Summary: great ending to an awesome series!
Review: i loved the new perspective for the ending of the series. Fainne is a great character and it was nice to see more of the other side of the sevenwater family for a change. the series is one of my favorites and i'm sorry it ended, but i must say this is the best way to go. i loved the book and the series and i would recommend it to anyone who liked fantasy
Rating:
Summary: Strong Conclusion To An Extraordinary Trilogy- A Great Read!
Review: "Child of the Prophecy" is the concluding book in Juliet Marillier's extraordinary Sevenwaters trilogy, and perhaps the most powerful of all three novels. I think this is partly so because Fainne, daughter of the renegade druid Ciaran and Niamh, the Sevenwaters daughter who was lost to the clan long ago, is the strongest of Marillier's heroines. This in no way diminishes the strength of Sorcha and Liadan, nor the roles these remarkable women played in the trilogy's first two books.Fainne was brought up in almost total solitude after her mother's death. She and her father lived alone in the Honeycomb, a network of caves on the Kerry coast. It was, at best, an austere and lonely existence, especially for a child. Ciaran schooled her unceasingly in Druid craft and lore and Fainne didn't really want more out of life than to please her father - and pleasing him meant becoming proficient in all he taught. Ciaran, a great Druid priest, had little time for his daughter, other than to pass on his knowledge. He spent most of his life continuing to learn the ancient ways. This story is set in a period when magic is fading and Christianity is fast becoming the dominant religion of Erin and Britain. The Old Ones are being driven to the Western Realms, beyond the reach of mankind. The ancient groves and forests are being destroyed and without them the true knowledge of the land will disappear. The prophecies say there is a way to prevent the total disappearance of this priceless lore...and that salvation lies within the Sevenwaters clan. It is to this end that Ciaran works to pass his knowledge to his daughter. The wicked sorceress Oonagh is Fainne's grandmother. She emerged from the shadows in book one, "Daughter of the Forest," to exert her evil ways and plan the destruction of all the Sevenwaters clan had worked for. Ciaran saw the necessity to leave his child for a time under Oonagh's tutelage. With her grandmother, Fainne would learn magic that she had never known or imagined before, and she would learn terrible fear as well. Fainne is such a complex character. Her heritage is one of extreme darkness and of light - of both good and evil. The best of generations of the Sevenwaters clan runs in her blood, as does the evil of Oonagh. In order for the prophecy to succeed, Fainne must overcome her dual nature and prevail against her grandmother's power, while protecting those she loves. Many characters from the previous books are present here: Conor the Druid, swan-winged Finbar, Liadan and her family, and vengeful Eamonn. So are the Fair Folk, (Tuatha de Danaan), and Old Ones. They await the Prophecy's end which will decide their own fate. All depends on Fainne's actions. 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 "Child of the Prophecy" can be read without reading the first two books, I strongly recommend reading them to best understand and enjoy this wonderful novel.
JANA
Rating:
Summary: The end of the beginning
Review: I read the first two books of this trilogy a while back and realized I hadn't finished it! So, I went out, got it and just finished reading it again. How wonderful to be transported back to the land of Erin, to be rejoined with all those of Sevenwaters. I found this book to be rich with visualizations, heartache, love, and twists and turns. In it, we meet Fainne, the daughter of Niamh (daughter of Sorcha) and Ciaran (son of Lady Oonagh and Lord Colum, Sorcha's father). Through Fainne, we learn of her hardship, of her strength, and of her otherworldly abilities. The tale is woven in such a way that you can easily get sucked back into the lives of those you have read about in the first two books. By the end of the book, I saw Fainne as a friend and wished I could have been there to help her in any way possible. Marillier does a fabulous job of tying up all the loose ends and bringing the trilogy to a satisfying conclusion. Definitely worth reading this entire series!
Rating:
Summary: Child of the prophecy
Review: To me, Child of the Prophecy was a little more interesting than Son of Shadows. I also like how this book focuses on the perspective of the more evil characters. Then there were some parts that were tedious, which involved the same despisable, annoying characters mentioned in Son of Shadows. I also did not like the ending; I feel that there could have been some other alternative (although, I don't know if it would've produced good results). The ending was kind of hasty and it just didn't fit well with the trilogy, which started off with a retelling of the Six Swans. This is the very reason why I'm not inclined to read books that have more than one sequel; they usually never pull off. On the good side, Fainne was a very unique, interesting character. Yes, she does experience some inner conflicts, but it's great how she manages to find solutions by the end. I'd definitely recommend fantasy lovers to read this series though. The words are well-crafted and at times moving.
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