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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Having given pre-Celtic Scotland a once-over in Wolfskin (2003) and Foxmask (2004), Australian author Marillier returns with a much more in-depth study that draws on what little history is known and surrounds it with the pretty boy-meets-girl story of Bridei, a boy raised by a group of wily councilors determined to mold him into a king who can reunite their divided land, and Tuala, his fey-born adopted sister who runs wild while he studies and is outcast where he is welcome. No one familiar with the current crop of historical fantasy will be in the least surprised by Bridei's extraordinary ability to command both men and magic, or Tuala's struggle to be accepted as a strong-willed and intelligent woman in an alien and prejudiced society. Yet somehow, carefully rounding her characters and paying exquisite attention to detail, Marillier pulls it off so well that you completely forget you've read essentially the same story a hundred times before. Fans of Judith Tarr, in whose footsteps this tale meticulously treads, will be enthralled, and the happy ending—all too rare in first volumes of series, and only slightly overshadowed by the inevitable dark portents—will encourage new readers to seek out both future installments and past publications.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Bridei is only four when he is sent to live with Broichan, one of Fortriu's most powerful druids. Broichan is reserved, but Bridei feels welcome, and the druid's household quickly becomes his entire world. His lessons are engaging, and time passes uneventfully until he discovers a tiny fairy child--a gift, he thinks, from the Shining One herself. Smitten, he names her Tuala. Broichan, however, sees her as a threat and wants to send her away. Intuitively knowing that old magic is at work, Bridei insists Tuala stay. Broichan remains distrustful but reluctantly agrees, and the two children grow up together. When Bridei reaches majority, he is certain that he is to be king in perilous and turbulent times and that, to succeed, Tuala must be his queen. Dark and formidable forces disagree. In this captivating tale based on the elusive history of the Picts, Marillier excels at breathing life into the past. Possessing the charm and sweetness of the very young, Bridei and Tuala keep their golden glow to the last page. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad, but I was expecting better.,
By
This review is from: The Dark Mirror: Book One of the Bridei Chronicles (Mass Market Paperback)
I'm a long time fan of Juliet Marillier and would indeed name her as my favourite author. As such, I had high expectations for this book, since I'm a steadfast fan of the Sevenwaters series and enjoyed Heart's Blood much more than I thought I would with its advertised emphasis on romance.With that being said, I won't say I was unhappy with The Dark Mirror. It did take an extremely long time to actually get going. I was reading the ebook edition on my Kindle and I was 80% through before I finally got hooked enough to be eager to turn the pages. Before that it was something of a struggle driven only by blind faith in the author to eventually get the story to go somewhere interesting. I did come to care for Bridei very early on, but the first 80% of the book was bogged down far too much in historical detail and politics for my liking. In summary, I liked the book, but it isn't something I can see myself rereading (unlike every other Marillier book that I own so far). I'll test the remainder of the trilogy through the library before paying for them. One final note that may not be relevant to Amazon.ca but that .com (and Kindle) users may wish to know-- the ebook edition is full of some sort of either programming error or typist error wherein much of the punctuation ends up displaced. Sentences end without periods and quotation marks pop up for no reason. Occasionally names appear with random spaces in them, particularly if they're the first word of a chapter. This made for a grating reading experience which made me downright unhappy upon seeing that I'd paid more for the electronic edition than I would have paid for the print edition which is more than likely error-free.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible characters, and world,
By Tiffany King (Manitoba) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Dark Mirror: Book One of the Bridei Chronicles (Mass Market Paperback)
Having read the 'Sevenwaters Trilogy' I couldn't resist picking up another Juliet Marillier book.The way she gives her characters depth, the love they both have for one another but think the other will never accept, how they live in the roles they think they are meant to live in. All these things were so wonderfully woven. You can't help but love Bridei and root for him to win Kingship, for the wonderful things he would do. Tuala and her innocent nature, and her devotion to Bridei are intoxicating. And Broichan and his hatred towards Tuala, and his love towards his Foster son, make you wonder what his intentions are and how his decisions will affect the future. I highly recommend this book if you like romance, adventure, magic and mystery in a fantasy world.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (36 customer reviews) 32 of 36 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful,
By guitarchick24 - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Dark Mirror: Book One of the Bridei Chronicles (Hardcover)
I don't often read Juliet Marillier, but this one looked intriguing so picked it up. I'm glad I did. It's just a gorgeous book."The Dark Mirror" follows Bridei's life as he grows up from an adopted druid's son to the hope and future of their country. Everything that happens to him and his foster sister Tuala serves a purpose in shaping who they are, how they view the world, and who they will become. The characters all have their reasons for their actions, and even with the best and noblest intentions, things don't always proceed the way they should. Every character in "The Dark Mirror" is three-dimensional and well-developed. There's good and bad in them and they all have to make hard choices and deal with what happens as a result. I can often get through books quickly, but this one makes you want to slow down, take your time and just get lost in the novel.... An excellent book to pick up and savor. 34 of 39 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as her others, but far, far better than most,
By Susan "snewsat11" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Dark Mirror: Book One of the Bridei Chronicles (Hardcover)
Marillier, as usual, presents an interesting view of life in the dark ages, ranged side by side with magic tied closely to the earth. Book has alot of ambiance, and her hero is engaging. Somehow, tho, I'm not as riveted as I was in her first several books. I'm a little worried that her talents are becoming diluted with publishing contracts and schedules. Her hero is maybe a little too perfect. Her heroine is a cipher, and THAT I never thought I'd see. There's some meddling by supernatural forces which is downright annoying! The romance in this one is hardly developed at all, and that's very disappointing. In each of her other books, even the ones I don't consider my favorites, you can see love and affection grow between the main protagonists. In this one, it seems only proximity is required. Compared to 99.9% of the books out there, of course, this is a masterpiece. Compared to the author's own works, it's a little weak. Hope she does better on the next.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely incredible,
By Jessica G. "lilac_jive" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Dark Mirror: Book One of the Bridei Chronicles (Hardcover)
Juliet Marillier begins what seems to be a promising new series with "The Dark Mirror." For fans of the Sevenwaters trilogy, the only aspect that you might not have liked with those is not going to happen here (can't say for those who haven't read it).This story was so deftly told, I kept forgetting that this was based on a true story. Marillier weaves fact and fiction so well that she'd make Dan Brown shake in his boots. The description is vivid and lush, and the plot is exciting and moving. The best feature by far are the two main characters: Tuala and Bridei. Bridei at first may seem one sided, so devoted to his studies as well as stoic in his behavior. But he is well balanced with Tuala, who is more wild and ethereal. I found it perfectly reasonable that this pair were two halves of a whole. From the popularity of her previous books and the amazing manner this book was written in, I think its safe to assume that this whole series will captivate and entrance readers. But since there's a while til "Blade of Fortrui" will be released, I'll settle with everyone giving this first book a read. |
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