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: 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: A Book Profoundly Spellbinding
Review: Did Daughter of the Forest and Son of the Shadows leave you spellbound? Well, the brilliant tapestry that author Juliet Marillier has woven with her words of magic is completed with grace in her conclusion to her acclaimed Sevenwaters Trilogy. Fainne, the product of a forbidden relationship, is raised in solitude on the shores of Kerry, by her sorcerer/druid father, Ciaran. But, her isolation ends in a decision to meet the family she never knew, the family of her mother, the beautiful Niamh. She is sent on a quest, that her father has no knowledge of, a quest that will finally allow her grandmother, Lady Oonagh, to finally achieve the goal she had her eyes set on since she upset the Sevenwaters clan in Sorcha's time, using Fainne and Ciaran's strong father daughter relationship to bend her grand-daughter to her will. Fainne, despite her misgivings to her mother's family for forbidding the relationship of Niamh and Ciaran, finds herself becoming one of them, becoming the niece and grand-daughter that she always was. She is torn between destroying her new family, and killing the 2 people she holds dearest to her heart. It may be difficult to connect with Fainne, since she is very different from her aunt, Liadan, and grandmother, Sorcha, but soon enough, you'll find yourself identifying yourself with her emotions and thoughts. This book is full of heartache for fans as deeply connected to the trilogy as I am, but, you when you've finished, you realize that despite these things that happen, Child of the Prophecy is a book that keeps your eyes glued to it's pages and mystifies you with it's enchantments. Child of the Prophecy is an amazing conclusion to an enchanting trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat Disappointing
Review: I had anticipated reading the third book of the Sevenwaters trilogy since the first two books were amazing. Unfortunately, I was somewhat disappointed at the end of this great series. It seemed as if there were certain elements of the story that was re-used/recycled from the previous two books, thus it seemed that some of the events were familiar. Although I found it rather interesting to see certain events in the perspective of an 'evil' character, though that's rather harsh as Fianne (the narrator and main protagonist) is not nearly as evil as her grandmother, Lady Oonagh. She struggles with her lineage as she figures out if she will follow the footsteps of her evil grandmother or her other grandmother, Sorcha, the very first protagonist of this series. The ending was somewhat disappointing for such a great series but overall, I think it is still better than most books that I have read. Juliet Marillier weaves the story with such intricate detail that you can't help feel as if the story is real. I suppose, reading the first two books of the series made my expectations of the next book unbelievable high. I believe Ms. Marillier is a wonderful author and I hold her in high regard as a great storyteller for this generation.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Series
Review: I just finished reading Child of the Prophecy and I must say that I loved it. It was one of my favorite books of all time. The writing style was awesome and Fainne was deffinatly my favorite character. She was not blindingly perfect like Liadan of book 2, but not as meek and shy as Shorcha (book 1). Fainne was a complicated character who had to deal with a hopeless situation - this made her seem real. At first, I was nervous to read this book because of some of the reviews here on amazon, but the book was AWESOME!!! Even a week later, I could not stop thinking of some of Fainne's situations. As much as I loved this novel, I found the end somewhat lacking. My opinion of a happy ending would have been if Fainne could have lived her life at Sevenwaters with her love, but I guess Marillier's ending was the only one possible. This was a GREAT novel, but I found the ending less than satisfying.
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: 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: 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: 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: Actually, it's 3.5 stars!
Review: I rushed to the book store and bought a hard cover (which I almost never do) because the first 2 books in this series were so awesome. I can't say I was sorry I did it, because Marillier is a fantastic writer, with an unusual ability to make you breathe her world of magic and nature. I have no fault to find with the story line, but I just found it so hard to like the heroine. I like strong female protagonists, and you really can't say this one was strong. However, JM was true to her story, and you have to respect that. After all, you can't expect to like a girl who has been brought up by a cold and distant father and an evil and controlling grandmother. AS usual, she blended this story seamlessly with her previous one, and she gives her readers such a fresh view of medieval life lived side by side with magic. The novel's journey towards the final showdown between an evil sorceress and the family which has always been her enemy, is satisfying. But, I felt a little sceptical with the reintroduction of some characters from the previous tales. For instance, why would a clairvoyant, who had seen his death decades ago, not recognize when the time had come? Why would any self respecting woman of even minor intelligence, who had been brought up specifically to recognize and wield magic and power, take so long to recognize her place in the prophecy? I am willing to work at ignoring these little glitches, because Marillier deserves the extra slack, but there's no doubt that this tale is less satisfying than the previous 2.
All in all, this final chapter of a riveting 3 volume tale, left me unsatisfied, but feeling like I really should get over my little problems and appreciate a wonderful, original tale very well told.
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