Twixt Firelight and Water

Sevenwaters #5.5

by Juliet Marillier

Long ago, the sorceress Lady Oonagh cast a curse over her own child. Now a druid, an ill-tempered raven and an adventurous young woman are drawn together as the time approaches for the evil magic to be undone. Fans of the Sevenwaters series will love this new episode, which fleshes out the history of druid Ciaran and his constant companion Fiacha.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Historical Fantasy

56 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Juliet Marillier was born in Dunedin, New Zealand and grew up surrounded by Celtic music and stories. Her own Celtic-Gaelic roots inspired her to write her first series, the Sevenwaters Trilogy. Juliet was educated at the University of Otago, where she majored in music and languages, graduating BA and Bachelor of Music (Hons). Her lifelong interest in history, folklore and mythology has had a major influence on her writing.

Juliet is the author of twenty-one historical fantasy novels for adults and young adults, as well as a book of short fiction. Juliet's novels and short stories have won many awards.

Juliet lives in a 110 year old cottage in a riverside suburb of Perth, Western Australia. When not writing, she tends to her small pack of rescue dogs. She also has four adult children and eight grandchildren. Juliet is a member of the druid order OBOD (the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.)

Reviews

[✩ Yaz ✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With arms entwined, all summer long
We danced to our own secret song
We shone with love’s transforming flame
And then — oh, then — the autumn came.

'Twixt Firelight and Water is a recommended read before moving on to the sixth and final Sevenwaters book.

The 60-page novella can be easily read in one sitting and it dives into Ciarán and Fiacha's past offering more context on their history with the Lady Oonagh. The novella also introduces a new character who is the daughter of a key character—her name is Aisha.

The novella answers two key questions:

• What is Fiacha?
• What happened to Padriac (brother of Sorcha)?

This might be a short novella but don't underestimate the emotional damage it could cause. My heart hurts so much for Ciarán and Fiacha.

Since it's a novella, some events *might* feel rushed.

Marillier was diagnosed with Breast Cancer when she finished this novella and the story encouraged her to stay positive in the face of challenge and it truly is a story of hope and second chances.

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 2 out of 5]

A weird Sevenwaters spin-off story, in which Fiacha turns out to be Oonagh's older son whom she turned into a raven because she's eeeeeevil and because he guided Liam to finding kid Ciaran, and the only way for Fiacha to break the curse is marrying a Sevenwaters woman. The long-lost Padriac's daughter Aisha shows up in the woods and grown-up Ciaran offers to "guide" her back to the keep but actually leads her around in circles until she agrees to marry the raven, aka Conri. There's some more kids-are-the-best-thing-ever-and-everyone-must-want-them preaching (good lord. All Marillier's heroines have married and had kids and I had no problem with that. But lately she's taken to introducing female characters who say they don't want marriage/kids only to have other characters try to convince them otherwise and the women finally fall in love and "see the light" and decide that's what they do want after all. Only evil women don't love/want babies in Marillier world). Then everyone lives happily ever after. Or something.

Also, Aisha is black, but nobody minds because Sevenwaters exists in an alternate version of medieval Ireland in which interracial marriages routinely pass without comment (this is, like, the fourth?), gay men live together openly and the only reason women don't have careers is because they all really, really want to be homemakers.

Marillier describes this story in the Afterword as "brimful with courage, hope and love" and that's pretty accurate. In a recycled, manipulative kind of way.

Remember when her books were actually dark? When Colum was a lousy father and Sorcha's beloved dad and older brothers tortured a kid for being a spy? When Liadan realized her sister was being abused but couldn't turn to anyone in her family for help because they'd forced Niamh into marriage without ever explaining why? When Fainne could never bond with anyone for fear Oonagh would kill them? When, yes, there were (mostly) happy endings but there was enough pain and suffering along the way to make them feel meaningful rather than saccharine? When you genuinely worried for the characters? God I miss those days.

I dunno, I keep reading this Sevenwaters stuff because I loved the original trilogy that much--I can't even tell you how many times I re-read those books during my teenage years and even in college. Seer is the only Marillier story before this that I've genuinely disliked and I was sort of able to write that one off since she wrote it during cancer treatment. And I do think I'll read the next one because I'm interested in Maeve. But this story makes me more apprehensive and if Flame of Sevenwaters turns out to be like this, it'll be time to for me to jump off the Marillier bandwagon for good.

[Susana · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone who loves the first four Sevenwaters stories, it pains me to say this, but these two short stories felt really subpar when compared to those novels.
I didn't feel anything reading this.
The writing felt wish-wash, completely deprived of that overflowing emotion that would keep me up almost all night reading, just so I could find out if the characters were going to make it or not.
And it's too bad, because Fiacha's story deserved so much more than what it got here.
Also, no woman would agree to marry a raven in a blink of an eye. Especially an independent woman as Aisha. -_-
Bottom line: I am afraid these shorts have no soul whatsoever.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

¿Quién es Fiacha (el poco convencional cuervo que acompaña siempre a Ciarán)? ¿Qué pasó con el aventurero Padriac, hermano pequeño de Sorcha? esta historia corta responde a estas dos preguntas, que, según Marillier, son las dos preguntas que recibía con más frecuencia respecto a la saga.
Al ser una historia corta, todo va demasiado rápido y me he quedado con ganas de más. La protagonista femenina, Aisha, tenía mucho potencial, pero creo que queda completamente ahogado por la poca longitud de la novelita, haciendo incluso que las decisiones que toma no me resultaran coherentes con su personalidad.
Lo mejor es que sale Ciarán, que es uno de mis personaje preferido de la saga, aunque también tengo que decir que me resultó un tanto... insistente en esta novela a forzar a la protagonista a tomar una decisión.

Indicado para leer o tras terminar la saga, o para evitar un spoiler menor, entre el quinto y el sexto libro.

[h o l l i s · Rating 4 out of 5]

How have I never read this before? Sevenwaters fans, this is a must! It doesn't answer all the questions you might have had about a few characters going into, and throughout, book six but it definitely sheds light on a few!

Also it's Ciarán focused and lovely and emotional and arg I'll never be over this world.

[Sotiris Karaiskos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice short story that adds a few things to the story of Sevenwaters. We learn the story of one of the characters we do not pay much attention to, but it makes a significant contribution to the defeat of the enemies and we do a little exploration of a forgotten branch of our story. Of course somewhere there comes love and the puzzle is completed.

Ένα ωραίο διήγημα που προσθέτει μερικά πράγματα στην ιστορία της σειράς Sevenwaters. Μαθαίνουμε την ιστορία ενός από τους χαρακτήρες στον οποίο δεν δίνουμε ιδιαίτερη σημασία αλλά έχει σημαντική συνεισφορά στην ήττα των εχθρών και κάνουμε μία μικρή εξερεύνηση σε ένα ξεχασμένο παρακλάδι της ιστορίας. Φυσικά κάπου εκεί έρχεται και ο έρωτας και συμπληρώνεται το παζλ.

[Jael Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sweet short story. I read it outside of its intended order - just after finishing Flame of Sevenwaters instead of after Seer of Sevenwaters. I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to read it because I wasn’t sure where to find it, but it was on Hoopla so here we are! I loved seeing Padraic again, even if for a little. And I really enjoyed Conri’s entire story. The many questions I had were answered!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Catherine Lefay · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
Me hubiese gustado que fuera más largo, necesito saber más de Corni y Aisha T-T
Pero en resumidas cuentas me encantó! Siempre es maravilloso volver a Sevenwaters.

[crashqueen73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the beauty of Marillier’s writing. I don’t read it often because it leaves me all mopey because of this but I love her stories. Her characters are rich and her word building evocative.

This story was short, as expected but I still fell in love with all of the characters. It has been a while since I read any of the Sevenwaters books but this makes me want to read them again. The pain, the angst, the lows and the triumphs, Marillier does it all brilliantly.

4.5 stars.

[Kathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely short story/novella that sheds light on a couple mysteries from the Sevenwaters series.

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Day 23 in my 24 Days of Shorts

‘In a vision. If you are open to it, I can reveal the story to you in the water of this pool. Indeed, that would be entirely apt, since the tale begins between firelight and water.’

This was a delight! It was longer than most short stories, but I wished it was longer still. (And I never say that!) It had the right amount of Conri, but not enough Aisha.

It had been a long time since I read the Sevenwaters books, and I did have to brush up on the family tree a bit, but it mostly came back to me. I don’t recommend this to readers who have not read any other Sevenwaters books.



read it for yourself here:
Unfortunately, I was not able to find this story online. Luckily, I was able to borrow it from my library!



My 24 Days of Shorts
1. File N°002 by Sylvain Neuvel
2. File N°247 by Sylvain Neuvel
3. Skinner Box by Carole Johnstone
4. The Weight of Memories by Liu Cixin
5. A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong
6. If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again by Zen Cho
7. Meat And Salt And Sparks by Rich Larson
8. Seven Birthdays by Ken Liu
9. Where Would You Be Now? by Carrie Vaughn
10. Old Media by Annalee Newitz
11. Nine Last Days on Planet Earth by Daryl Gregory
12. Sweetlings by Lucy Taylor
13. An Unexpected Honor by Ursula Vernon
14. Hell is the Absence of God by Ted Chiang
15. A Love Story by Samantha Hunt
16. The Lake by Tananarive Due
17. Ghost Hedgehog by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
18. Finnegan's Field by Angela Slatter
19. Among the Thorns by Veronica Schanoes
20. Rag and Bone by Priya Sharma
21. The Mothers of Voorhisville by Mary Rickert
22. As Good as New by Charlie Jane Anders
23. Twixt Firelight and Water by Juliet Marillier
24. The Christmas Show by Pat Cadigan

[V.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet companion story to answer all those questions I always had about Fiacha the raven. He and Ciaran are arguably two of my all time favorite characters in the Sevenwaters series, and I'm happy to have his history along with a suitable open future for him.
Other familiar characters are touched upon as well, so we have a bit of clarification on what happened to those who ventured away from Sevenwaters.
As merely a digital companion story, this does not have the depth or development I'm used to in Marillier's work, but I like it for what it is - just a bit more of the magical history surrounding Sevenwaters.
And I don't think it a spoiler to say it gives a happy ending/new beginning to the sad past both Fiacha and Ciaran endured!

[Sandrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely little story! Now I know Fiacha's wonderous story and what happened to Padriac. :)

[Brave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay wait wtf! I LOVED this!! I wish this had been a full-length story! Fiacha, my HEART

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read/devoured the Sevenwaters Saga years and years ago before I was on Goodreads and this series remains on my all-time fav series’ shelf! So this was a nice little re-visit for me back to Sevenwaters. It provides a nice explanation on how Fiacha became a raven and links to Ciaran’s story. Written after book 5, I would recommend you read all this series in order and not read this as a stand alone. Juliet is an absolute treasure and I just love all her books and the worlds she takes me to.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Short, bittersweet, and very Juliet. I’ve read all the Sevenwaters books and somehow missed that this one even existed. This is the story of Ciaran’s raven Fiache and also features one of Padriac’s offspring.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like how Fiacha’s story evolved, also not a fan of novellas in series.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok! As far as I will EVER be concerned Juliet Marillier can never do wrong when she puts her imagination to paper! I finally got my paws on this Sevenwaters short, and I tell you, it was beyond worth the wait for me! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!! I loved how it answered questions I really had, particularly "what did happen to Padriac after his sister's funeral and what is up with that darn raven?" Well this short answered both those questions for me! Did I mention that I loved it and the author for her amazing talent, and of all the authors that I am a fan of, it's Juliet's work that I am always the most excited about, and the saddest as soon as I've finished reading it because I know I'll have to wait the better part of another year before she brings anything else out! Anyway, this short was great, had great characters in it and an interesting story line. I also have to say, that as a black women who adores Juliet Marillier's writing and the time periods she is accustomed to writing about, I am always impressed and excited that there is at least one"DARK" person in her stories(LOL)! I loved the fact that Padriac's daughter was dark skinned, I can remember her mother from the earlier Sevenwaters book when he brought her with him before Sorcha fate was completed. Like I said, great short, it pulls you right in, as only her stories can, great writing, great author! I can't wait until Shadowfell and Flame of Sevenwaters comes out!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novella in the Sevenwaters saga. It provides an explanation for Fiacha the raven's identity and links in to Ciaran and Padraic's story. It was written after book 5 but I read it after book 3 Child of the Prophecy. It feels more like a standalone tale than a spoiler for books 4 and 5. If you have not read the series, do not start here gt a sample chapter of Daughter of the Forest instead.

For fans of the series it is a nice little 'filler' however it suffers due to the nature of the narrative. Being a novella Marillier does not have the scope to develop her characters fully so this is more like a caricature than a painting. In addition, we are given two points view, which is curious but rather unsatisfying given both the short length and a compulsion to build in a HEA from an unlikely scenario. This is a shame as the story idea could have been developed into a narrative just as strong as any of Marillier's first three books. I also felt that the explanation and resolution of Fiacha's tale contradicted some hints we had of the raven in book 2, and felt there was unease or inconsistency in relation to the world lore and depiction of Ciaran's early childhood.

In summary, don't read before book 3 and perhaps this is a novella for existing fans, which should be read with an eye on the afterward.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing, as usual, is beautiful and quite satisfying. I loved learning more about the backstory of certain sevenwater's characters. Marillier tied things together nicely.
However, being a short story, there was only so much time for events to unfold; and unfortunately I felt that the inevitable end was quite rushed and stretched my suspension of belief just a tad beyond it's limits. (I'll buy transfiguration and Fair Folk mischief, if that means anything) I'd love to see it fleshed out a bit in a full length novel.
The story will be enjoyed by anyone who is already enthralled by Sevenwaters, just be aware that the ending might disappoint. Not that it's not GOOD, mind you, just that it's rushed or hasty, even as she explains away the haste.

[Oracleofdoom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story of Fiacha's background. It was incredibly poignant and brought to mind Juliet Marillier's older stories, that were so incredibly moving and tragic. I loved Conri immediately.

I did not feel as much care was taken with Aisha. I didn't really get a good feel for her as a character. I would have liked to, but there just wasn't enough there for a short story. I know because I'm told, rather than shown, that she is a formidable, strong woman. Exactly like pretty much every other woman in the Sevenwaters family. I really would have liked to see her developed more, and see more play out from her interactions with Conri.

Still, Conri's story alone was moving enough that it's worth the read.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering Juliet Marillier is probably one of my favorite authors of all-time, I really enjoyed this shorter story. As with all of her books, her writing is brilliant and while I wished it had been full-length (what can I say, I love reading her books!), I thought the telling of Fiacha's story, tying in other characters from the extensive Sevenwaters family was very well-done. Because it was short, I felt like some elements of the story (don't want to give away the details) were a little rushed and some of the character's decisions surprised me, but being able to piece together other parts of the Sevenwaters drama was worth some of those discrepancies.

[Brin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this sitting on my kindle for some time now but only today decided to read it. I don't know why I didn't tear into this before. The tale is rather short, but has all the charm of a full-length Sevenwaters novel. I loved finding out Fiacha's true nature and also getting a further insight into Ciaran's past. I also loved seeing Padriac again, however briefly. The only criticism I would have is that I wish there was more of a chance to get to know Aisha a bit better, but due to the length of the story there was not much room for this I suppose. Still, I really enjoyed reading this.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent little addition to the world of Sevenwaters and it answered questions long left hanging since Son of the Shadows. I was pleasantly surprised to see the momentary return of a character that I thought long gone as well as the introduction of a new one I think I could come to adore. I only wish it was longer and fully developed. I want to know more about these new characters, I want to see them grow and (I hope) fall in love.

Hey. Hey, Juliet. Hint, hint?

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading the story of Fiacha. I was always curious about him. A few reviews have seemed overly critical of this story. Twixt firelight and water is not meant to be a life-changing, epic adventure. This lovely short story was meant to tie up loose ends and bring hope to the reader. I for one, will take any opportunity to wander again through the forests of Sevenwaters.

[Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awh, what a sweet side story. It was so awesome to find out what happened to Padriac and what was up with Fiacha/Conri. I hope Conri & Aisha are in the last book. :) I would love to find out what happens. Wish this book was longer.

[Jennykatz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, entertaining tale. I love her gorgeous writing and I love the Sevenwaters family. Getting a glimpse of Padraic satisfied my continued curiosity about what the youngest brother had been up to all these years.

[Eskay Wolfersperger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story really. I do not usually like short stories. But as part of Sevenwaters, this was a very interesting journey into a corner with the raven Fiacha and Padriac the youngest of the swan boys.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story takes me back to Daughter of the Forest. It's every bit as beautiful as the first Sevenwaters book(which will always be my favorite Sevenwaters).

I can't wait for her collection of short stories!