~Juliet Marillier Website~
The Well of Shades: reviews
(Warning: reviews may contain SPOILERS for the earlier books)
This most recent novel in Juliet Marillier's 'Bridei Chronicles' primarily follows Faolan, Bridei's mysterious right-hand man. Bridei has sent Faolan on a secret mission to Ireland, but on the way Faolan has to go to Cloud Hill to deliver news of a brave warrior's death to his kin. What Faolan finds there is both unexpected and unpleasant, and he ends up on the run and responsible for a troubled young woman, a child and a dog. Worse still, he finds himself in the middle of the dark past he has spent so much time and effort running from.
Back at White Hill, Bridei is beset by problems and in need of Faolan's friendship and advice. His wife is pregnant, a young woman is killed in suspicious circumstances, another is wreaking havoc within the court, a crucial member of his council appears to have betrayed him, and Broichan, his teacher and mentor, has disappeared.
Marillier's characters and their interactions, and her flawless evocation of time and place, make her novels hard to put down. I was completely engaged with this story, despite the fact that the romance was a tad predictable. All round, this series has been a great read and I can't wait to see what else is in store for Bridei and his companions.
(Review by Jo Knowles in Good Reading magazine, January 2007)