Book Review for “Flame of Sevenwaters” by Juliet Marillier

I have finally finished the Sevenwaters series by Juliet Marillier with the sixth book, Flame of Sevenwaters. While I didn’t care for the previous book, Seer of Sevenwaters, this one was much more enjoyable and a worthy ending to such a good series. This review will be spoiler free.

Synopsis:

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, a courageous, forthright woman. But while her body’s scars have healed, her spirit remains fragile, fearing the shadows of her past.

Sevenwaters is in turmoil. The fey prince Mac Dara is desperate to see his only son, 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—only to allow their murdered bodies to be found one by one.

When Maeve finds a body in a remote part of the woods, she and her brother, Finbar, embark on a journey that could bring about the end of Mac Dara’s reign—or lead to a hideous death. If she is successful, Maeve may open the door to a future she has not dared to believe possible….

My Thoughts:

• Rating-⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really struggled with how to rate this book. If I’m being totally honest, I think it’s more of a three star read, rather than a four. However, since it is the final book of the series and I did have a good time reading it, I decided to bump it up. I both liked and disliked many things throughout but let’s talk about what I enjoyed first.

Throughout all the books in this series, I have thought the sibling relationships were really well done. They may fight or grow apart but the love is still there. I particularly enjoyed Maeve and Finbar’s relationship and how it developed throughout the story.

I really liked Maeve and Finbar in general. Maeve, at times, could be stubborn to the point of stupidity and that was annoying but I admired her courage and her determination to overcome her disability. I really enjoyed and related to her deep love of animals, as well.

I was also really glad that a large portion of this book took place in the Otherworld. I like fantasy (obviously) and the more magic and fey in the story, the better. If Marillier ever chooses to write more in this world, I hope it primarily takes place in the Otherworld and revolves around the fey characters. Now let’s discuss what I disliked…

The pacing was simply bad. It took forever for the actual story to start and then the climax and ending felt rushed. The love story came COMPLETLEY out of left field and was the definition of instalove. I did like the fairytale aspect to the romance but I would’ve enjoyed it so much more if it would have developed before the last few chapters. I also wasn’t overly impressed with the final battle with Mac Dara. It wasn’t bad, just underwhelming.

Final Thoughts:

While I wish that some things would have been done differently in Flame of Sevenwaters, I enjoyed the story overall. I’m sad the series is over but I am excited to read more from Marillier in the future. If you’ve read any of her other books, let me know what series I should start after this one. Thanks for reading and have a great day!