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Description edit see section history

Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives, they are determined that she know only contentment. But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her... read more

Summary edit see section history

Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives, they are determined that she know only contentment. But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives, they are determined that she know only contentment. But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift-by staying silent. If she speaks before she completes the quest set to her by the Fair Folk and their queen, the Lady of the Forest, she will lose her brothers forever. When Sorcha is kidnapped by the enemies of Sevenwaters and taken to a foreign land, she is torn between the desire to save her beloved brothers, and a love that comes only once. Sorcha despairs at ever being able to complete her task, but the magic of the Fair Folk knows no boundaries, and love is the strongest magic of them all...

Characters edit see section history

  • Sorcha: The youngest of seven children. She is tasked by the Fair Folk to save her brothers from the curse of the Lady Oonagh.
  • Liam: Eldest brother, a natural leader who will one day become cheiftan of Sevenwaters.
  • Diarmid: Second eldest brother, a fierce warrior with a gentle side toward his dog, Linn. Taken advantage of by the enchantress, thus later seeks revenge.
  • Cormack: Twin brother to Conor, also a fervent warrior
  • Conor: Twin brother to Cormack, a scholarly man who trains to be a druid
  • Finbar: Second to youngest brother, has the ability to communicate with Sorcha mind to mind.
  • Padraic: Youngest brother, an adventurer who excels at creating objects and healing animals
  • Lady Oonagh: The second marriage of Lord Colum. A woman capable of bewitchment.
  • Hugh of Harrowfield (Red): A Briton Sorcha meets in the forest of Sevenwaters whom protects her with every fiber of his being.
  • Lord Colum: Cheiftan and Sevenwaters and father, falls under the spell of Lady Oonagh
  • Niamh: First wife of Lord Colum, dies during childbirth while having Sorcha
  • Simon: The jealous brother of Hugh, briefly held captive at Sevenwaters and taken care of the healer, Sorcha.
  • Lady Anne: Red's mother, whom does not approve of the mute enemy her son has brought home and sworn to protect.
  • Richard: Lady Anne's awful brother.
Show all 14 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Real life is not quite as it is in stories. In the old tales, bad things happen, and when the tale has unfolded and come to its triumphant conclusion, it is as if the bad things had never been. Life is not as simple as that, not quite.”
    Sorcha
  • “You know not, yet, the sort of love that strikes like a lightning bolt; that clutches hold of you by the heart, as irrevocably as death; that becomes the lodestar by which you steer the rest of your life. I would not wish such a love on anyone, man or woman, for it can make your life a paradise, or it can destroy you utterly”
    Father Brien
  • “There is no good or evil, save in the way you see the world. There is no dark or light save in your own vision. All changes in the blink of an eyelid; yet all remains the same.”
    Conor
  • “There is no truth on this island of yours. Rather, there are as many truths as there are stars in the sky; and every one of them different.”
    Red
  • “Our strength comes from that magic, from the earth and the sky, from the fire and the water. Fly high, swim deep, give back to the earth what she gives you.”
    Niamh

Setting & Locations edit see section history

First Sentence edit see section history

Three children lay on the rocks at the water's edge.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 7 in Sevenwaters Trilogy. (standard series)

Followed by Son of the Shadows.

This book is in Endicott's Adult Fairy Tales Reading List. (community list)
This book is in Young Adult. (community list)
This book is in Best Fantasy Books. (community list)
This book is in Fairy Tale Retellings. (community list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Juliet Marillier (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Tor Books
Country: Ireland
Publication Date: March 14, 2001
ISBN: 0312875304
Page Count: 400

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PR9619.3.M26755 D3 2000
  • Dewey: 823.92

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

Some violence -- see spoiler note for details

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Scatterheart
  • Son of the Shadows
  • The Swan Kingdom
  • Princess of the Wild Swans

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • Son of the Shadows
  • Child of the Prophecy

Books That Influenced This Book edit see section history

   
  • Die wilden Schwäne

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