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Dec 09, 2010

Mariel rated it:

The latest Juliet Marillier book in the Sevenwaters series is out. I had been looking forward to it for a long while (marked it off on my Hugh Jackman calendar and everything) and now I don't really feel like reading it. I think I'm too down to read about a Mary-Sue (Sibeal had definite Mary-Sue qualities, although probably not the 100%, accept no substitutes Mary-Sue that her auntie Liadan is. I kinda hate Liadan). Marillier wrote one heroine whom I absolutely adored - Fainne of Child of the Pr More...

10 comments like (7 people liked it)

Sep 29, 2009

Shanon rated it:

Admittedly, I have not read many epic fantasies so I have very few works to compare The Dark Mirror to (I’m fairly certain this would constitute as an epic fantasy). I was worried when I began that I was not going to like the book but I stuck it out and am glad that I did. Once involved in the story I truly enjoyed it and it had absolutely no problems holding my attention. The reader is introduced to the characters and the world in such a way that it is easy to understand the complexities of More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

May 19, 2008

Charlotte rated it:

This was my first read by Juliet Marillier and I found it captivating. Bridei and Tuala were easy to like and identify with. I especially appreciated Tuala's struggle with finding her place as a woman in this society. In fact, the theme of a woman's role and the pagan vs. christian religions reminded me of The Mists of Avalon (one of my all-time favorites).

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Marillier's descriptions of the scenery, gods, pagan ceremonies, etc. Usually I get bor More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 12, 2008

Belcantomom rated it:

The Bridei chronicles have been a wonderful series. I can't wait until the next one is releases in the US. One thing I have always been impressed about in Marillier's work is her absolute shamelessness in making religion a huge part of her storyline. The bridei Chronicles are an amazing example of this. Of course, the religion is pagan, and they are battling the Christians, but they are very tireless in their worship. It's a nice change from author's who refuse to even acknowledge how impor More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 29, 2011

Annette rated it:

I first read the Sevenwaters books by Juliet Marillier a few years ago and I have to admit for having a very soft spot for those, for the mythical place of Sevenwaters in the books is based around the area where I grew up in Northern Ireland and I was doubly fascinated because of that.

Not knowning much about Scottish history, I wasn't sure how I was going to like the Bridei Chronicles. I needn't have worried. You don't need to know anything about the history or the places, because Ms More...

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Apr 06, 2011

Emma rated it:

I rounding my rating up to a 3, but only because it's Marillier.

I'm a huge fan of her Sevenwaters trilogy; after reading the reviews, I ended up buying The Dark Mirror used. I agree with a lot of what has been said here: this book may not be bad as far as general fantasy is concerned, but for Marillier it's lackluster. Worth reading if you're a fan, but not her best effort.

The Dark Mirror, written in third person, mostly follows Bridei, the hero. There is a "heroin More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Phoenixfalls rated it:

This is a good book. The writing is fairly good, the world well researched and evocative, the action well paced, and the story resolves well emotionally while leaving the larger plot open for the next two novels. Its main flaw is that it seems so terribly familiar. It is an imaginative chronicling of Bridei, son of Maelchon, who ruled the Picts in Scotland in the 11th century, but it could be any number of historical fantasy novels. There is the requisite young boy destined for greatness; his di More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 04, 2010

Larissa rated it:

Bridei's destiny is to one day become king, the druid Broichan and his secret council have worked hard towards this even before Bridei was born. They planned every step and every aspect of Bridei's life, save one.

Tuala was a gift from the gods, a daughter of the goddess and a child of the Good Folk. She and Bridei grew up together, much to Broichan's dismay, but even he would not turn his back on what was seen to be the will of the gods. But neither would he trust her, especially with More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 08, 2009

Finalefantasy rated it:

The Dark Mirror is a strange read. It's artistic, it's artsy, it's character-strong and character-weak... Early on I thought I might give it 4 stars, but now I can't bring myself to give it 3...

Pros: Prose; lots of nice prose, though not amazing. The supporting characters offer a lot to the book as well, with a variety of interesting and unique personalities. The plotting varies, sometimes moving very quickly and sometimes quite slowly, but it is mostly strong and compelling.

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0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 11, 2009

Sandy rated it:

Excellent Fantasy Story

When Bridei arrives at Pitnochie as a four-year-old, Juliet Marillier lets the reader see the unsure thoughts of the druid Broichan who will mentor and educate him. We get to wonder if this little child will be able to handle all that Broichan has planned for him. And the mystery just keeps piling on from there. Marillier reveals little pieces of the puzzle as the story unfolds, as Bridei takes lessons in magic, in history, in battle, in strategy, etc. Marillie More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 15, 2009

Eileen rated it:

Unlike the Sevenwaters trilogy, which I tore through in about 2 weeks, this book was less gripping. I could easily read a chapter, set it down and go about my business, without needing to know what happened next. I think it was because it had a lot more politics, war and intrigue than the others, which interest me less. I skipped entire paragraphs at times because I couldn't even be bothered. I liked the Tuala character, and felt for her along the way but would be hard pressed to describe Bridei More...

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Dec 21, 2009

Kelley rated it:

This is not altogether a heinous attempt at historical/fantasy fiction... but it's not an amazing success at one, either. It is obviously meticulously mapped in terms of plot, but character development was oddly disjointed. Some of the action didn't make sense at all and could have been dispensed with, I think. Although the grammar and actual writing was better than average, some of Ms Marillier's word choices were inappropriate, usually in their historical connotations. She obviously paid atten More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 04, 2011

Michelle rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 22, 2010

Nisha rated it:

This took me a ridiculous amount of time to finish considering I had Spring break. This wasn't because the book was difficult or boring. It was well-written and moved at a good pace. Bridei was nicely developed (though I do have some difficulty imagining a 5 year old with his maturity) and likeable. He was not unnecessarily described to be toughest and the best of the lot, he was just the most worthy to become king. Tuala was the other protagonist, described to be selfless, loyal and true. She i More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2011

Rea rated it:

Full review can be found here.

Though a fantasy title, this story is steeped in historical fact based on real people who crop up in the historical record. Unfortunately, the Picts did not leave a written record, and in an author’s note, Mariller states very clearly that a lot of the story is made up of informed guesswork and imagination. In particular, I really liked the religious aspects that Marillier presents based on other religious practises that took place in similar tribes in the More...

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Jan 25, 2010

Holly rated it:

Bridei is only 4 years old when he arrives at Pitnochie, his new home with foster father Briochan, a druid of power and influence in the kingdom of Fortriu. Although there's little time for play, Bridei comes to love his sheltered, disciplined upbringing. He knows he's been uprooted from his family and specially tutored for a purpose, but he's not sure what, and he will learn nothing from calculating Briochan. But Briochan will learn quickly that not everything is under his control when Bride More...

2 comments like

Feb 02, 2009

Michelle rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Oct 13, 2011

Emiiva rated it:

I always wanted to read this book series, but somehow the story about the growing up of a druid's foster son and the strange little girl he finds one morning on his doorstep did not seem interesting enough to me.
After the first few sentences I was completely captured by this book and the story.
I really enjoyed the point of view, which made it possible to be everywhere from time to time, looking into Bridei's thoughts as well as Tuala's, and even some of the Good Folk.
Also, I usual More...

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May 21, 2011

Jenny rated it:

The Bridei Chronicles is a great read!
It contains several POV and it flows smoothly from one to the another with no jarring or conflict..
I found that I was reading to comfirm that what I wanted to happen did actually come to pass.
<spoiler>

Bridei to sent to a druid who is training him to be King - the Good Folk (read fairies) send one of their own as a baby - and Bridei's life is nover the same

Tuala grows up with him and they share a deep bond - but More...

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Apr 09, 2009

Patricia rated it:

Este é o primeiro livro da trilogia “As Crónicas de Bridei”, no qual se seguem “A Espada de Fortriu” e “O Poço das Sombras”.
Neste livro assistimos o crescimento de Bridei, desde a sua tenra idade até se tornar num jovem adulto. Bridei foi educado pelo druida Broichan, cujo objectivo é preparar Bridei para o futuro que o espera.
Numa noite gelada de inverno, Bridei acorda e encontra uma bebézinha abandona à porta de sua casa. Bridei aceita esta dádiva dos Deuses e recolhe a bebé – Tual More...

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Dec 26, 2011

Patrícia rated it:

Juliet Marillier é um dos nomes possantes do Fantástico. Considerada a herdeira de Marion Zimmer Bradley, a neo-zelandesa conquistou milhares de fãs em todo o mundo com a aclamada e amada trilogia Sevenwaters. Conhecida pelas suas histórias, pelas suas protagonistas, a escritora desenhou mundos que fazem parte do imaginário de todos os que já tiveram o prazer de a ler e é considerada por muitos como insubstituível.
Mas não só Sevenwaters apaixonou os seus leitores. As Crónicas de Bridei é c More...

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Nov 05, 2010

Cindy rated it:

I usually zip through Marillier's books, but this one took me a long time. This story is actually based on the story of a real person, and while I enjoyed all of the details and facts and politics that Marillier put into the story, they also sometimes bogged it down. It wasn't until the last 50 or 60 pages that I hit the point of "can't put this down." The book did raise a lot of interesting questions for me—is it appropriate to take a child and raise him/her in order to fulfill your i More...

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Oct 06, 2009

Shaylaina rated it:

I started off enjoying this book and getting right into it...then as Bridei left home I got a bit bored by it, so I fast forwarded, and skimmed read through some of the middle until Tuala left home and it got interesting again. The information in the middle is needed to know what Bridei was going through, but I liked it better when Bridei and Tuala had some contact. So the first and the last was really good...just had to skim the middle. I didn't find I enjoyed it as much as the Sevenwaters Tri More...

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Oct 07, 2011

Tiffany rated it:

I really enjoyed this book but not as much as the other Marillier books I've read, like the Sevenwaters Saga and Heart's Blood. It continued with similar pagan druidism from the Sevenwaters Saga, albeit slightly different because Sevenwaters is set in Celtic Ireland and the Bridei Chronicles are set in Pictish Scotland. I did enjoy the plot twists and the ambiguity. Many characters, including the supernatural ones, I was unsure of whether they were "good" or "bad" until th More...

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Dec 27, 2009

Anna rated it:

I am a huge fan of the first two books in Juliet Marillier's Sevenwaters Trilogy, Daughter of the forest being one of my favorites. However much I wanted to enjoy The Dark Mirror, I just found it slow, filled with slightly numbing and dull details, and I never got involved with the lives of either Bridei or Tuala. Usually, I love books involving intricate descriptions of pagan ritual ( druidry/goddess religions) but without a desire to follow along with the characters, I just felt as though the More...

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Jan 12, 2012

Lucinda rated it:

One of the main reasons I liked this book was because it is similar to the Arthurian myths. The book is full of Druids who are powerful, see into the future and do magic, but are fallible nonetheless and a young man who is destined to be king, but will be incapable of fulfilling his highest destiny without the love of his life who just happens to be of the "Good Folk." The struggles include political intrigue, the fight for power and the attempt to save a threatened culture from the sp More...

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Feb 01, 2010

Kristin rated it:

This book is very long, very wordy, and very descriptive - at times, it was a little too distracting. I would stop paying attention to what I was reading and my mind would drift to other random thoughts.

However, the book was fantastic. I loved it. The character development was perfect. I loved how the book started with Bridei as a child and with Tuala, falling in close behind, as a baby. I loved seeing them grow up together; becoming playmates, friends, and then, sweethearts. I More...

2 comments like

Jan 19, 2009

Briony rated it:

This book was good, but very dark. Bridei (Brid-day) Was an actual King of the Picts, in ancient Scotland. Not much is known about him, but Juliet Marillier has taken it upon herself to give him a history that is both fantastic and facinating. This author likes to take periods of ancient history and see what they would be like if all the superstitions and religious beliefs of those people were true. I really like this book, but the Picts practiced ritual human sacrifice, and that was hard f More...

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Jul 28, 2011

Donna rated it:

This book was a little slow for me. I enjoyed Tuala's POV but seemed to lose interest when it got to Bridei's. In many instances, the book reminded me a lot of Mists of Avalon, which is probably why I stayed with it to the end. The story is different than in Mists, but they share a lot of the same types of rituals, worship, and just a general feel. The two Fae or whatever they were supposed to be, were particularly annoying and, to me, pointless to the story. Overall, it was an OK read, and I'll More...

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Jul 25, 2011

Donna rated it:

This book was a little slow for me. I enjoyed Tuala's POV but seemed to lose interest when it got to Bridei's. In many instances, the book reminded me a lot of Mists of Avalon, which is probably why I stayed with it to the end. The story is different than in Mists, but they share a lot of the same types of rituals, worship, and just a general feel. The two Fae or whatever they were supposed to be, were particularly annoying and, to me, pointless to the story. Overall, it was an OK read, and I'll More...

0 comments like