Continued great writing, jarring change...

In narration.
Each of these books has had a different narrator. I cannot emphasize enough the need for continuity when producing a series in audio. It's really jarring when the narrator 'mispronounces' the names of people or places which we've become accustomed to.
Still, Juliet Marillier's writing holds my attention. I love this series.

12 people found this helpful

Great Story Very Well Narrated

Heather O'Neill’s narration was great, Fianne unlike the rest of her family in Sevenwaters was born in a different part of the county and had a stronger Irish accent more I don’t know maybe lowborn but I thought Heather’s portrayal of her was very well done. I truly enjoyed all her accents. I would definitely listen to more by this narrator.

Fianne daughter of Niamh and Ciaran comes to Sevenwaters after her mother’s death and is welcomed into the family fold, however things aren’t as they seem because the Sevenwaters clan has no idea she has been tutored not only in the ways of a druid by her father but in the dark arts by her grandmother the evil sorceress who was the one who cast the spell on the sons of Sevenwaters. In a long ago prophecy it states that it will take a child that was neither of Britain nor or Erin but at the same time both, who is marked by the raven to take the sacred island back. Everyone assumes this is Johnny son of Liadan & Bran and the evil sorceress has sent Fianne there to kill him when the moment is right so the prophecy is not fulfilled.

I enjoyed Fianne’s story very much she is as all other Sevenwaters women very strong and goes through a lot but she is being controlled by the sorceress but also still has the good in her that comes from her father’s teachings. She has a very hard road I think the toughest since Sorcha, because she so wants to be good even when the sorceress forces her to do terrible things that injures one of the other daughters of Sevenwaters.

I liked this book because it is filled with the Sevenwaters family no one is really off their own, Fianne is surrounded by people who want her to be good and want her in their lives, her two biggest allies are Finbar the uncle who still wears a swans wing thanks to her grandmother and Darragh her childhood friend. This is also our first look at island of Inis Eala where Bran’s men under the tutelage of his son Johnny are running a sort of school for warriors and we see the families of the men from Son of Shadows including Gull’s wife Biddy who was a favorite character of mine. We also have the creepy Eamonn again and contrary to outward appearances he has not forgiven what he feels are the wrongs done to him by Bran & Liadan.

I would say this is my second favorite of the series after Daughter of the Forest. I thoroughly enjoyed Fianne journey and the outcome, even though fans of the other books may need hankies towards the end, I know I did.

4 1/2 Stars

10 people found this helpful

sooo dark a story...

i must admit i am barely through half of this book. with the first two books i could not wait for the next, this one i'm not so sure about. i'm apprehensive about the dark, unsettling feeling i get as i listen.
i do not care for books that have so intensely manipulative main characters, that use their own dark evilness as the force behind their desire. there is not enough 'good' in this book so far to out way the unease that grips me as i listen. although i keep listening in hopes that the light will soon overcome the darkness.
regardless of how well written or how talented the author, i do not want books that leave me unsettled in my spirit. there is enough of that in the world without intentionally taking it in through fiction.
there are things about this book that disturb me, though you do get glimpses of hope, and almost certainly you think you know that in the end 'right' will surpass 'wrong', and all will be well at the end.
now, about what i've read so far...i can't believe after the first two books, that the main female character, although young, is so naive to the point of stupid. infact, i feel angry at the author for making her this way. and the way no one tells anybody else what is going on, always to the detriment of family and loved ones is beyond belief! i hate 'stupid' ! so many secrets, so many lies and deceptions. with such history of how this does not work for them, you'd think they'd learn by now.
i can't believe the author doesn't smarten up her characters a little. the story would be so much better if those with 'powers' were to communicate or use these powers to get where they're going with a little more intelligence. what's the point of having abilities when you don't use them as needed? it would make the story so much better.
i will eventually finish this book in hopes that it gets better, but will say this is the worst book in the series so far.
once again there is too much left out from the second book to this one. just as in the first to the second, there are many years left out. i wanted those years!! i still want those years.
i will say that the narrator is very good, and i enjoy listening to her. i just wish the author had done as good a job writing this book as the narrator did telling it.

8 people found this helpful

Well-crafted, Well Performed, Small Volume Errors

Well performed by the narrator and thoroughly enjoyable! There were some volume struggles in this one which I didn't encounter in the first two of the series, as though there were parts that were re-recorded and weren't properly adjusted to the volume of the rest of the narrative. The story was also well crafted. While the other two novels in the series were highly focused on oral storytelling, this one was more focused on the druidic faith itself and seemed to contain a subtle critique of Christianity, the faith that historically followed the passing away of Celtic belief structures. I was captivated by Faine. Her story line is heartwrenching, transfixing, and inspiring. My only critique of the story itself is that towards the end the author's message seems to overpower the plot line. Moments felt somewhat preachy. However, on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and the narrator's performance.

2 people found this helpful

Unsympathetic main character ruins this book

What did you like best about Child of the Prophecy? What did you like least?

I find this book hard to listen to. The main character, Fianne, is completely unlikely, and unsympathetic. She seems to be quite stupid and is constantly whining about how she is "forced" to do things, yet she continues to do them time after time. She constantly says how she was trained to figure out puzzes on her own, to come up with her own solutions, to think things out, but she doesn't ever do that for the main story line! Her excuses for the things she does are hollow, unbelievably, unsympathetic, and I really I grow to hate her more as the book progresses. I've come to wish she would just die. No matter what magic what put upon her, what threats she is faced with, her actions are inexcusable and hard to listen to. I haven't reached the end of the book yet, but if her family were to forgive her for the things she's done, I'd find that to be the cherry on the top of this ridiculously unlikable story. I thought these books were supposed to have a heroine as the main characters? There is no heroine here.

Has Child of the Prophecy turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. I will continue to listen to this series because I liked the first book. Hopefully the other books won't suck so much as this one.

Which character – as performed by Heather O'Neill – was your favorite?

I like her accent. It gives a bit of authenticity to the story. The voices aren't so different as to picking a favorite character though.

Was Child of the Prophecy worth the listening time?

Not really. If it wouldn't upset your understanding of the storyline in the series, I would suggest skipping this book altogether. It is painful to listen to.

5 people found this helpful

Amazing!!

I absolutely love the world of Sevenwaters! Each time i pick up one of these stories i'm dragged into their world and love every minute of it. The characters are so interesting and i can't wait to read the next in the series!

1 person found this helpful

The Story Continues...

Third in the series, this book jumps forward about five years and continues this tale. Well-written and involving, following the families and the magic through the generations, the ending was even more than expected. Thank you, Juliet! I'm going for Book 4'

1 person found this helpful

Complex and satisfying installment to the series

I wondered what I was getting into with this book because several reviews said it was dark, sad, and the main character was not someone they liked. Since, I'm into the series, though, of course I bought it.

While it's true that this story is very different from the first two in the series which had female characters who were strong, pure and good, I found this story and heroine to be very rich and intriguing. She was in ways, more complex than the other heroines.

I'll try to explain without giving any spoilers, which is hard. This character struggles with the good and the bad in herself, but a lot of that is laid on her by exterior forces, history, etc. I found this to be a story about finding your true self and finding what you value. The story has consequences, but I didn't think it was sad.

There are a lot of story lines from the previous books that come to resolutions in satisfying ways. Not always "happy" but there was a balance and development that felt right. (Again, hard to elaborate without spoilers!)

I quite liked the narrator. It's unfortunate that the production quality had frequent bits where the quality was inferior, but it wasn't so bad that it ruined the story.

I found this to be a very satisfying installment to this series.

1 person found this helpful

Badly edited performance, good story

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoy the characters. I think they are fairly consistent to real people. The main characters are convincing teenagers.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator did fine. The difficulty was in the production. There were obvious takes cut and pasted in later that were at different audio levels. The narrators voice was different enough in these takes to draw you out of the story.

Any additional comments?

If bad audio or flaws in narration bother you too much, don't get this as an audio book. It isn't one or two instances, but starts about an hour into the book and continues regularly to the end.

3 people found this helpful

Child of the Prophecy

The series is addicting. Action packed and moves well. Great narrator! I thought I would stop and intersperse with other books but it is not happening. The books keep your attention.

1 person found this helpful