Kirsten Reviews: Tower of Thorns by Juliet Marillier
Tower of Thorns by Juliet Marillier
Blackthorn & Grim #2
Award-winning author Juliet Marillier’s “lavishly detailed”* Blackthorn & Grim series continues as a mysterious creature holds an enchanted and imperiled ancient Ireland in thrall.
Disillusioned healer Blackthorn and her companion, Grim, have settled in Dalriada to wait out the seven years of Blackthorn’s bond to her fey mentor, hoping to avoid any dire challenges. But trouble has a way of seeking out Blackthorn and Grim.
Lady Geiléis, a noblewoman from the northern border, has asked for the prince of Dalriada’s help in expelling a howling creature from an old tower on her land—one surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns. Casting a blight over the entire district, and impossible to drive out by ordinary means, it threatens both the safety and the sanity of all who live nearby. With no ready solutions to offer, the prince consults Blackthorn and Grim.
As Blackthorn and Grim begin to put the pieces of this puzzle together, it’s apparent that a powerful adversary is working behind the scenes. Their quest is about to become a life and death struggle—a conflict in which even the closest of friends can find themselves on opposite sides.
Disillusioned healer Blackthorn and her companion, Grim, have settled in Dalriada to wait out the seven years of Blackthorn’s bond to her fey mentor, hoping to avoid any dire challenges. But trouble has a way of seeking out Blackthorn and Grim.
Lady Geiléis, a noblewoman from the northern border, has asked for the prince of Dalriada’s help in expelling a howling creature from an old tower on her land—one surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns. Casting a blight over the entire district, and impossible to drive out by ordinary means, it threatens both the safety and the sanity of all who live nearby. With no ready solutions to offer, the prince consults Blackthorn and Grim.
The story picks up shortly after the conclusion of Dreamer’s Pool, the first book in the series. The story is told from the perspective of Grim, Blackthorn, and the person who they are attempting to help, in this case, Lady Geleis. Of note, her motives are not straightforward, and this complicates the protagonists’ work and also serves to heighten the overall tension of the book.
As with most series, the second book is an opportunity for the author to expand on the world, its people and rules, and this is the case in Tower of Thorns, allowing Marillier to delve further into the politics, family relationships, and religious beliefs.
While Blackthorn and Grim have been damaged by the things they have been through, their strength and abilities are explored further, and their bond strengthened by the challenges they face in this book. They are not cheerful adventurers, and their complicated histories and the lessons they are learning, serves to help them heal as much as it does the people they seek to help.
As a whole, the book moves the characters forward, but does not put them on a pedestal, keeping them on a path that will compel them to grow, which will make readers eager to read further books in the series.
(Received a copy from the publisher)
Rating:
Other Reviews:
Rabid Reads
The Bibliosanctum
The Eater of Books!
Previous Books:
1. Dreamer's Pool
