Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier

432 pgs.

Target audience: Young adult

Rating: Dragon

The latest in the Sevenwaters series by Marillier introduces us to Sibeal, the fifth daughter of the Lord of Sevenwaters. She is a seer and druid in training. Her mentor, Ciaran, sends her to the island of Inis Eala to spend time with her sisters and determine whether the contemplative life of a druid is what she truly wants. When a ship suddenly shipwrecks on the island, she rescues a man who's washed up on shore and can remember nothing. The two other survivors, a Norseman and his mute wife add to the mystery of what happened to the ship. As Sibeal helps the stranger recover his memory, she finds herself emotionally drawn to him. The rich characters and compelling plot leave you wanting more. You need not read the first four books to enjoy this one. Some of the characters carry over from previous books, but there is enough explanation that it doesn't marr the reading experience. Although the first three of this series must be read in order, after that the stories become enough removed from the original three that they can be read independently.