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416 pages, ebook
First published July 1, 2013
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The river roiled and rose up…
The water rose to my waist. A figure rose with it, taller than a tall man, a being all ripples and eddies and swirls, its features discernible as darker patches in the watery substance of its face. Flotsam adhered to its head, forming what might be hair or a hat, and within its body twigs and leaves washed about as if carried on the natural flow of the river. In its liquid face a mouth opened, a great dark cavity, and one of the men let out a terrified oath.
The river being spoke, its voice a thundering torrent of sound in which I sensed rather than heard words. “Wash, dip, splash, drown?”
Tali glanced at the eldritch creature, then quickly away. “Tell it not yet,” she said. “Not till they’ve answered some questions.”
“Wait, please,” I said, my teeth chattering . . .
The river being held still, keeping the two suspended. So far as I could tell, it was looking at me. “Plunge, toss, drown, change?” it inquired
"Let there be a time in the future, I prayed, when he laughs with his children, and plays on the shore with them, and spends all his nights in loving arms. Let us have that. To whom I was praying I did not know. The future was in our own hands. If we wanted a world where such things were possible, it was for us to make it."I have read a number of sequels this year that have let me down. Second book syndrome, third book syndrome, you name it. Generally, if I like the first book in the series, the subsequent ones will be lacking in some sense. Usually the fault lies within characterization. The first book generally develops the character, and all the development stops as soon as the second book begins. A good plot is always more than welcome, but it takes a hell of a lot more than that to develop a good story. I have been a long-time fan of Juliet Marillier; she has always a masterful storyteller and writer, and I am pleased to say that this book is an excellent continuation of this series. I don't think I need to say much on the quality of her writing; if you have read any of her previous books, you will know that Juliet Marillier's writing is beautiful, evocative, while avoiding the trap of being Dickensianly verbose. Her dialogue is believable, her dialects beautifully done, and written so well that despite their pervasiveness, I have no cause for complaints.
"'Guards?' Steep spoke with derision. 'Ye mean them in the ha'? Just for show, they are, save for the Twa. The real fighters, we're a' doon below. We're the strong backbone o' this place; wi'oot the likes o' us, wha'd keep the Southies in check?'"Back to the meat of the book itself. This book is about learning, bravery, sacrifice. About overcoming your own principles and morals for the greater good. About surrending your own short-term wishes and dreams for the chance at a brighter future. About hope, about holding on to that hope when all seems lost. Lest I give the wrong impression about this book because of my high praises, this book is not saccharine sweet. There is no such thing as saccharine sweetness in a Juliet Marillier novel. The events in this book is harsh, unforgiving; life is difficult, people die, friends and strangers alike. There is no such thing as a "safe" character in this series. Beware to whom you get attached, because you might lose them. Still, life goes on, and the living must continue to live and fight and save the mourning for another day. There is no time for mourning, no time for weakness, because the enemy will use that weakness against you, given an iota of a chance.
"It's going to be a long, hard fight, and people are going to die. You should know that, Neryn. What's needed here isn't soft dreams of true love. It’s anger—the anger that drives a person forward. The fury that keeps them fighting right up to the moment the knife goes in. In our world there's no place for love."Her rebel friends constantly remind her that she cannot afford such crises of conscience, that death is a necessity, that her gift is meant to be used, but Neryn is still frustratingly reluctant to use it, because she remembers how her power can kill as well. She has killed before, for the greater good; if she had not done what she did, even more rebel lives would have been lost, but Neryn is so stricken with her guilt that she can hardly bear to use her power of calling on the Good Folk in times of need.
"'Still weighed down by conscience? Even though what you did saved both our lives? Neryn, the rebellion depends on your gift. Without you, there's no chance we can do it in the time we have. You need to put these scruples behind you; if you can't, they'll become a burden too heavy for you to carry.'"In the previous book, we met the prickly, antagonistic, permanently angry Tali. I didn't like her very much at first then, but her character is built up so much more in this book. It seemed to be a bad idea to throw Tali and Neryn together at first, and I questioned Regan's decision of assigning her to be Neryn's guard...so did Tali. She has been training Neryn, but in her mind, Neryn is still a weak, incompetent girl, ill-equipped to do what she must do to save them all. Her first impression of Neryn is not a positive one, she thought Neryn was "a wee girl wandering where she didn't belong, trying to do a job that was far too big for her. A girl who hadn't the first idea what kind of life she'd need to live if she became one of Regan's Rebels."
"I have no children. I never will. I have no husband, no lover, no family. Only fellow rebels, others like me. All of them understand how it has to be. Hard. Cruel. Brutal. Full of choices like the one Andra had to face. That makes it all the more vital to keep what we do under strict control."I have gone on for so long in this review, gushing about this book for a reason. Read this series. Read this book.
“Let there be a time in the future, I prayed, when he laughs with his children, and plays on the shore with them, and spends all his nights in loving arms. Let us have that. To whom I was praying I did not know. The future was in our own hands. If we wanted a world where such things were possible, it was for us to make it.”
“Look forward, not back," the Hag said. "All is change. Do not regret. Instead, learn.”
“cherish what you have, for in an instant it can be gone. And when it’s gone, let the memory not be a weight that drags you down, but a bright light leading you forward.”
But some things did not change...Courage, for instance. Dedication to a cause. Comradeship. When they were strong and pure, when they came from deep in the bone, those qualities could hold fast against all odds.
“I like your anger…I like your resistance. It makes you less than courteous, but altogether more interesting.”
Let there be a time in the future, I prayed, when he laughs with his children, and plays on the shore with them, and spends all his nights in loving arms. Let us have that. To whom I was praying I did not know. The future was in our own hands. If we wanted a world where such things were possible, it was for us to make it.
”There's a light shining in him, moving him forward: the light of freedom. That's what draws all of us to follow, to take risks, to keep on fighting when we see our comrades fall beside us. But there's no light without shadow.”