Son of the Shadows

I can nitpick some pacing and plot element issues this book had, or talk about how it started a little bit slow and uneven for me; but I ultimately ended up not caring about any of that because it had blown me away by the time I'd finished it.

An important aspect of this book is the main character (and PoV) Liadan's position in the supernatural side of the plot (which is what influences everything in this series, mind): She is a prophet and a critical element for one of the main prophecies that will be important in future book/s, but she is also outside of prophecies. Her influence and decisions are somehow outside of the scope of prophecies or the sight of the fairy court; which makes her a liability to the latter. I have a complicated relationship with prophecy storylines: I don't like narratives where fate is inevitable (even when it's only inevitable because we believe in it, aka self-made prophecies, etc), and being an epic fantasy reader in general, you can guess how often I have to struggle through such stories. Sevenwaters series was shaping up as another example for this with the first book, Daughter of the Forest, but by making Liadan occupy this unique position, Son of the Shadows suddenly intrigued me more than I anticipated. And oh how well it paid off!

Even without any prophecy storylines, Liadan would be an amazing character: She is a dutiful daughter to a family (who can be traditional in some ways, but unusual in others, compared to their society; it's complicated) and is a dedicated healer, she is incredibly observant and introspective, she is sincere and loving, and she is brave to the point of disregarding her well-being for the well-being of others in the face of danger. Added to all of this, she can also be very critical and stubborn; and these turn out to be double-edged swords as far as character traits go. So, she is an interesting one in her own right (I can't describe well, so you really have to see for yourselves), but with the added facet of how she interacts with prophecies she is given and prophecies she herself sees... I fell in love, basically! She ended up embodying my own frustrations with prophecies and higher-beings (fairies, in this case) who push them for their own agenda, and she basically got to scream that to all their faces - metaphorically, and sometimes even literally. Reading this part of her story unfold was nearly cathartic for me, and my friends whom I screamed at in various IM services in the dead of the night as I was reading it can testify.

Now, this book also has a central romance in it, intertwined with the active plot, so I have to say something about it I suppose. Although the mutual infatuation of Liadan and [Spoiler!] came too fast for my tastes, I did end up loving their subsequent dynamic and relationship growth, so I don't complain. One added aspect to this romance also made it more than simply a romance to me (which is important because while I do enjoy romance a lot, sometimes it's just not enough to keep my attention on it). The romance between these two is very complicated due to the main plot and the position of both characters; they are practically star-crossed lovers at one point. Actually, now that I think about it, they are literally star-crossed lovers. Huh. Anyway, the added facet: Their romance also served as an exploration of love-as-healing, which can be an amazing theme but most of the time falls flat due to one crucial mistake this author did not fall prey to. Yes, love can heal, but it does not erase. It cannot erase, because it can't change the past. What we can expect out of being surrounded by loving people who care about us is their support and presence; not their ability to somehow erase our traumas. The book explored this theme in this romance plot, and another romance subplot; and it did both with a twist. It wasn't just romantic love that served to heal, but other loves as well. This book is not the first that does this obviously (even Daughter of the Forest explored it a little), but the books that do this are rare enough that I treasure them whenever they come up; especially when there are romance narratives that could easily drown out the other types of love between people.

Mind you, there is also a pseudo love triangle at work in this romance plot. I call it pseudo, because it really is not a choice Liadan struggles with, and the two men were in conflict with each other long before her affection was part of anything. However, I understand why people are becoming allergic to anything resembling a love triangle, so I warn you. It is there.

One last warning: This book deals heavily with domestic abuse, against spouse and against children. I really advise being prepared for these mentally when reading this book, because they are quite potent and moving when they do come up. I can supply more specific warnings (chapters, for instance, or just more details to help oneself prepare - I know having either or both of these help me when I need to mentally prepare for heavy subjects) if you contact me in private.