Love the series, but has problems

I have mixed feelings about this author and series and especially this installment. On the one hand, Juliet Marillier has created a world and characters that we've come to love. While there are certain predictible formulaic aspects to the stories, she does not write cookie cutter stories. She often takes chances with her plots and characters. They aren't always the typical hero/heroine.

She also takes her time in her writing. Really takes her time. Which is not always good. This book could have been trimmed at least 20% and lost nothing. She has a tendancy to go on and on and repeat things until I start to lose patience with her. This is a long book, which I normally love and I don't feel like I'm a person who needs non-stop action, but for half the book almost nothing happens. We're mostly waiting for the male character to get well. At one point, she spends at least 15 minutes telling the story of Son of the Shadows over again. Perhaps it's because I've been listening to this series in succession, but it annoyed me for her to spend so much time repeating a story we already know.

The story itself has few surprises. It's pretty easy to guess where the story is going. This is also a weakness of this author that her plots are often pretty transparant.

The narration of this didn't help. Felix, the main male character sounds too whiney. Everything is too dramatic and drawn out, which does not help this story which is already too drawn out. I found myself wondering if I would have liked the story better if it was read differently.

So with all those negatives, would I recommend the book. Yes, if you like this series. It's still a part of the 7 Waters story, which I quite like. When I think of this story as a whole, it's a decent installment, just not 17 hours worth of story. Make sure you have something else to do while listening to this one.

It brings me back to the overall love/hate problems I have with this author. I love her characters and worlds, but I wish she had an editor that forced her to tighten up the repetitiveness and drawn out drama in her writing.

16 people found this helpful

A disappointed listener

This 5th book of the Sevenwaters series was a great disappointment. I'm accustomed to how this author seems to take forever to get a story started but this book took forever to get to the action then forever to draw to a conclusion. BORING!

The narrator Terry Donnelly was terrible. Her voice variations, especially for male characters and creature were grating, annoying or laughable (when they weren't meant to be funny). The intensity of her delivery made the characters sound overwrought, hysterical or whiny all the time without fitting the situation. I continually found myself thinking Ho hum...more histrionics...get over it. I'm sure a more suitable reader would have made this book enjoyable.

The only reason I hung in there with this book for more than 21 hours was because I was already 4 books into the series. Would i recommend it to a friend as a stand alone book? No. Not unless I didn't like the person much! If you are as far along in the series as I am and want to see the story through to the end, I wish you luck!

10 people found this helpful

Get rid of this narrator!

What did you like best about Seer of Sevenwaters? What did you like least?

This narrator is too slow and too dramatic. She makes the characters seem weak. Her emoting was hard to take. The main character seems to be crying throughout the entire book.

How could the performance have been better?

Please go back to Rosalyn Landor!

6 people found this helpful

I love this story!

Would you listen to Seer of Sevenwaters again? Why?

Yes, because I love the story that Ms. Marillier wrote.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

There was something about her accent... it bothered me, and I can't exactly say why. Also, her accents for each character just sort of blended together, so I was never a hundred percent sure who she was supposed to be unless it was said, or where they were supposed to be from. I just kind of wish that they had stuck with Ms. Landor for this book as well since she did such a good job with the others.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book has always tugged at my heartstrings. :)

2 people found this helpful

Not my favorite, but still pretty good

I agree with some of the other reviewers that the story spends a tremendous amount of time building up to a momentous voyage for relatively little payoff. By the time that the voyage is finally underway, the book is nearly finished, and it seems that things are wrapped up rather quickly in comparison to the many months that preceded. After the triumph of the previous installment in the series, this one was a bit of a disappointment for me.

Kudos to the narrator for distinguishing between Irish and Norse accents, but I admit that it started to grate on me a bit. I can't precisely pinpoint what annoyed me so much about it, but I think it has more to do with the harsh, nasally tone to Felix's Norse accent verses the clear, smooth tone of Sibeal's. I got to where I really didn't want the narration to switch to Felix's P.O.V... I won't be re-listening to the audible version of this book, but rather re-reading the physical book on my shelf should I desire to do so. Overall, though, the story is still a solid addition to the series, so I can't give it a poor rating just because I'm picky about how things sound to my ear.

1 person found this helpful

worst readers ever!

I LOVE this book and so upset at how horrible the readers we're! they've made the characters sound like they're whining the whole book! they get the expressions and emotions wrong! I'm so disappointed that I bought this book and have no idea how these people are narrators for books!

1 person found this helpful

Another Winner!

Loved it as much as the previous Sevenwaters Series books. Highly recommend to Irish-tale lovers!!

1 person found this helpful

distracting narrator

I have a couple complaints about the narrator. she pronounces series terms differently than previous narrators; names, places, everything. her cadence and intonation is annoyingly similar no matter who's talking or what's going on. there are two settings- regular whine and really whiny that she saves for dramatic moments. having listened to the previous books, this character is supposed to be the most mature and sensible, but this narrator seems to have no idea who she's voicing! as the words keep reminding us, shes supposed to be a druid, but she keeps sounding whiny, pouty and just generally an unhappy little girl way out of her depths. not at all the calm we've seen before. I've been enjoying this series, but this narrator is too jarring, and whiny, to continue.

1 person found this helpful

Re-read on audio

Terry Donnelly was the narrator of this one and I did enjoy her narration except for her Norse male voices they just sounded odd I can't describe exactly what was wrong with them but they were just off and didn't sound at all Norse to me. other than that she did a good job.

Read in Paperform in 2011 re-read 2013 on audio.

Another great addition to the Sevenwaters saga! In this one we follow Sibeal on her path to become a druid ,Ciaran has sent her to the island of Inis Eala to spend the summer with her sisters before she makes her final pledge to become a full druid. But as with all daughters of Sevenwaters her path takes some twists and turns. Also in this book we had some continuation of Clodagh and Cathal’s story but their story is far from over so I look forward to more from them.


This was a really good story and I loved the look back in stories that were told in the hall it made me remember some of the details I had forgotten from the previous books since it has been awhile since I’ve read them. It also reminded me how many generations of the Sevenwaters family I have come to know and love. Sorcha’s great grandchildren were born in this book and I guess I’d kind of forgotten just how far this story has come.

The story did wrap up but there is definitely more story to tell and look forward to the next book in this wonderful series.

4 ½ Stars

1 person found this helpful

Unbelievably poor, meandering, seemingly pointless

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Could have been a well written story? Not a constant litany of moaning, whining, pathetic repetitive comments. A journey with no seeming destination.

Has Seer of Sevenwaters turned you off from other books in this genre?

no.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Terry Donnelly?

yes.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment and tedium

Any additional comments?

Don't know what Marillier was thinking with this one.

3 people found this helpful