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This was probably my least favorite Juliet Marillier novel.

I’m a big fan of her later work, in particular the Blackstone and Grim and Harp of Kings series.

The earlier stuff, not as much. I guess she was still developing her chops as a writer back then.

The story is a poignant retelling of the Irish legend The Children of Lir and the Grimm fairytale The Six Swans. A wicked step mother turns her step sons into swans and their sister must maintain a vow of silence and weave six shirts, one for each brother, from a plant with thorns that hurt her fingers, in order to break the spell. Marillier’s tale takes place in an unspecified time period in medieval Britain and Ireland. There’s plenty of magic and fantasy. It’s a cross between a historical novel, a fantasy, and a romance, with some YA thrown in, as the heroine is a teenager.

There is certainly some good stuff here. As usual with Marillier, the world building is excellent. The romance at the heart of the story is lovely. The ending is satisfying.

But the book goes tediously on and on, ad nauseam. The pace of the story was glacial.
I’m normally patient with slow moving novels, but this was ridiculous. This novel could have had been cut in half and it would have told the same story better. Plus, there were questionable plot elements
apparently thrown in simply to advance the story. Sorcha/Jenny, the heroine, is portrayed as a victim/damsel in distress. She does have a difficult path to walk in a culture where men dictate the lives of young women, but she’s also very strong. Her strength is not always highlighted. Plus she is praised and rewarded for her selflessness and putting others�� needs first. Sadly, in my experience, while this “virtue�� is often expected from women, it is seldom rewarded or recognized. People simply take advantage of such a woman until she puts her foot down. But ok, this is a fantasy, and virtues are ultimately rewarded (although Sorcha does deal with quite a bit of abuse before that happens).

Terry Donnelly’s audio reading didn’t help matters. Her reading pace was infuriatingly slow. It was unbearable until I took a cue from another frustrated ŷ������ reviewer and increased the narration speed on my audio. Also, I found her reading melodramatic and histrionic at times. She plays Sorcha as an often helpless and victimized girl. The high pitched voice
reminded me of the early silent movies, in
which the damsel in distress was tied to the railroad
tracks and swoons as she waits for the hero to swoop in and rescue her. (Though this was in part, due to Marillier’s silly and predictable plotting). It feels like audio reader is calling attention to herself as if she’s a theater actress. Donnelly’s reading style was like a fingernail scratching a blackboard..it made me cringe. Donnelly also made a few mistakes reading the text, though not many. Personally I much prefer low key readers who read the text accurately and do not draw attention to themselves. Such readers also express emotion, but do it more quietly. Donnelly, while not the worst audio reader I’ve heard, is an example of how an inappropriate audio narrator can ruin a book. Conversely, a really great audio narrator can bring a novel to life.

I probably need a break from the “Sevenwaters�� series.
I’m still a fan of Juliet Marillier, although this was certainly the weakest book of hers that I’ve read so far.