Blade Of Fortriu

The Bridei Chronicles #2

by Juliet Marillier

Five Winters have passed since young king Bridei ascended the throne of Fortriu. Five years, in which the people have felt a contentment unknown for generations.

But the security of a people can vanish in a heartbeat, for wolves are often drawn to fields filled with fattened sheep. Bridei is determined to drive the Gaelic invaders from his lands once and for all. And so, with his land secure and his house in order, he prepares for war.
One of Bridei's plans to win the war to come involves the beautiful young Ana. A princess of the Light Isles, she has dwelt as a hostage at the court of Fortriu for most of her young life. Despite being a pawn of fortune, she has bewitched all at court and is dearly loved by Bridei and his queen. But Ana understands her duty. And so she will travel north, to make a strategic marriage with a chieftain she has never seen, in the hopes of gaining an ally on whom Bridei's victory relies.

For secrecy's sake, Ana must travel at a soldier's pace, with a small band led by the enigmatic spymaster Faolan. Bridei implores Ana to trust him and see the good in Faolan but Ana cannot see beyond his cold competence and killer's eyes.

Then, when she arrives at the chieftain Alpin's stronghold in the mysterious Briar Woods, her discomfort and unease increase tenfold, for this is a place of full of secrets and her betrothed is an enigma himself. The more Ana tries to uncover the truth of her new life, the more she discovers a maze of polite diversions that mask deadly lies. She fears Faolan, but he may prove to be the truest thing in her world.

Or her doom."

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Historical, Adult

588 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

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

[Magrat Ajostiernos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro es un poco peculiar, el inicio y el final me gustaron muchísimo pero la parte central se alarga en exceso y se centra en un romance absurdo que tiene cero interés (al menos para mi). Y aún así, y aunque le haya encontrado bastantes puntos negativos, el entretenimiento que me dio y el cariño que le tengo a muchos de estos personajes hace que para mi merezca las 4 estrellas perfectamente.

Quizás el mayor problema del libro es que es bastante largo y hay demasiadas tramas, quedando descompensadas porque la historia de Ana y Faolan (secundarios del primer libro) es la más importante con diferencia. Y como decía, esta historia engloba un triángulo amoroso que odié por culpa de Drustan, que podría haber sido alguien muy interesante pero queda retratado de la manera más simple posible. Algo similar pasa con Ana, que comienza siendo una heroína interesante y termina convertida en el típico personaje idiotizado por el amor.
Por suerte está ahí Faolan, obviamente el favorito de todos (el mío muy fuertemente), y las historias de Bridei, Tuala y Broichan siguen teniendo bastante peso... ¡incluso volvemos ver a Ferada! ♥︎
Lo dicho, a pesar de que esta segunda parte de la trilogía no me haya gustado tantísimo como la primera, caiga a veces en clichés o resoluciones facilonas, Marillier tiene una manera de contar sus historias que me atrapa tanto que para mi representa el puro disfrute. Y además, amor absoluto a Faolan, Tuala, Broichan y un buen número de personajes secundarios de los que espero saber más pronto. Solo espero que sepamos también algo de los seres buenos :3

[Jolene · Rating 3 out of 5]

-SPOILER ALERT-

I was so miffed at this book. I adore Juliet Marillier, and she has a way of writing something that stirs your soul and makes you ache. I was so furious with the female character that I could have slapped her. I suppose that is an accomplishment of the author's writing skills.

I fell in love with Faolan from pretty much the beginning of the book. I dug him in The Dark Mirror, but of course Blade of Fortriu reveals far more about his character and personality.

I loved how he grew fond of and then passionately revered and adored Ana. He got to know her over the time they spent together and it was a beautiful thing. Ana is painted as a strong, dutiful woman who accepts her plight in a man's world and does what she must. She is focused and moves forward throughout the story with a calm strength that's impressive.

Then, she meets stupid Drustan. And turns into a complete idiot. It's blatantly obvious that their relationship is based solely on physical attraction and not a whole lot more, other than the sappy romantic idea of fairytale romance. After they met, I was certain there was going to be a twist in which Drustan would die and Faolan would get the girl. After all, he was the strong silent masculine man's man, Drustan the silly pretty-boy coward. But no. Oh, no. It had to end stupidly, with Faolan's devastated broken heart and Ana playing the apologetic "Oh I'm so sorry I met Drustan! Maybe if I hadn't beheld his beauty, I would choose you and your amazing personality" card.

Granted, The Well of Shades somewhat redeems this book, but still. The experience of reading it made me so annoyed that I think I actually said "Oh how stupid!" aloud mid-page.

I still love Juliet Marillier. Son of Shadows is my favorite of her books. I'd love to read another just like it.

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finding The Dark Mirror somewhat lacking, it took me awhile to get around to reading its sequel, Blade of Fortriu, but I wasn't disappointed; surprisingly, this middle book is actually the best of the trilogy. It begins five years after Bridei's rise to kingship, just as he's about to go to war with the Gaelic kingdom of Dalriada because... well, because they're Gaels and therefore should go back to Ireland. He sends off the hostage princess Ana as a bribe for the mysterious chieftain Alpin of Briar Wood, and with her his Gaelic bodyguard Faolan, chiefly because he's causing King Bridei cognitive dissonance (see: reasons for war). This book follows both sets of characters, alternating between the adventures of Ana, Faolan, Alpin, and Alpin's brother Drustan, and the military situation with Bridei, in addition to a couple of subplots.

Blade of Fortriu starts off amazingly well; for the first 200 pages or so, it was my new favorite Marillier book. The plot is compelling, and Ana and Faolan make much more interesting characters than Bridei and Tuala did in the last book... for that matter, Bridei and Tuala have improved, as his struggles with the reality of war and hers with her frighteningly precocious toddler make it easier to relate. The problem is that the story doesn't quite follow through on its promises as it progresses. Alpin begins as a rather intriguing character with some complexity, only to devolve into a one-dimensional villain; Ana's love life is interesting at first, only to be glossed over in the second half of the book, as if even the author thought she'd chosen the wrong man. Ana and Faolan's story is by far the more interesting for most of the book, but when it starts to lose intensity, the slack is only partially picked up by Bridei's plot, which is action-oriented but predictable.

Still, this is an enjoyable read, and if you liked The Dark Mirror (or your reasons for not liking it included Bridei's annoying perfection or the lack of action inherent in watching children grow up), you'll probably like this one. Blade of Fortriu could probably be read as a standalone; the setting and most of the characters are introduced in its predecessor, but the plot is new. Be warned, though: the end of this one screams "sequel!!" so loudly that you might as well just get The Well of Shades too.

[Lidia · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF: 50% This is the first Marillier book that I do not finish it. The main reason is the main character Anna , that at first was a brave and wise woman with dignity but everything goes of the window the moment she meets Drustan. Her interactions with this man are absolutely cringe that I could not take anymore. The worst part is that in the end she remains with him 😣 I would have taken Faolan any day, he is a smart man with a kind heart , he really deserved the girl but maybe in the end as how stupid Anna begins to act is better that he doesn't remain with her!

P.S: I will finish this trilogy just to see Faolan's happy ending!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard to pick a rating for this book. It had so much potential. I really enjoyed the first part of the book and could hardly put it down. Everything was going swimmingly until Drustan and Ana met. Oh the cheese! From then on I had a hard time liking Ana. Why is she so drawn to Drustan? To me he seemed infantile. Despite Marillier describing the "intelligence" in his eyes, his words and behaviors only showed a childlike ignorance. Also, I have a very hard time with love-at-first-sight nonsense. Their relationship was based on blind infatuation. Yes, I know this is fantasy, but I can only take so much. It would have made sense for Ana to fall in love with Faolan. However, as the book moves on I am reconciled to the fact that Faolan doesn't end up with Ana. Ana shows herself to be vapid and selfish. Even after she knows Faolan loves her, she still whines on about Drustan. Really? Conjure up a little self-control woman!
I give this book 3 star for Faolan's sake. Blade of Fortriu

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is not my favorite Juliet Marillier novel. I loved everything but the female protagonist and the "love story." She had such potential, starting out, but then, in an unexpected twist, she falls in love with a pretty face, at first sight... it feels a bit contrived.

The writing, the scene descriptions, the plot, the other characters - all excellent, and I did really enjoy it.

I do really look forward to the next in the series, which continues the story of the main male protagonist, who is really incredibly dynamic in this book. Found myself sympathizing with him much more than the previously mentioned female protagonist.

[Libby Lanser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the best in the trilogy. I am happy that it was the first book in the trilogy that I read. I read the others simply because I wanted to fill in some gaps and cravings to know more. But it wasn't crucial.

I give the book a high rating because I love Faolan and his character developement. He was shown in his strengths and chiseled away to show his weaknesses. I could relate to his desire to run away from his pain as well and put it all behind him.

*SPOILER ALERT*

The one thing I massively hated - Drustan and Anna. The way their relationship developed was entirely unrealistic. I swear the only reason Drustan was created was to solve issues that would take to long to figure out. It makes me cringe thinking of it. Drustan's other annoying reason was to effectively block Fway. But that stiffled a good plotline and flatlined it. Yeah, it made book three possible but such a let down!

Besides my rant there, this is easily one of my most favorite books around. Love, love, love it!

[Airmid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book as it focused on two relatively minor characters in the first book. None of the previously developed characters were forgotten and neglected. The fleshing out of Ana and Faolan were well-done.

[Emilee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The previous book in the series was a fantastic beginning that led me to pick up the second book immediately. Unfortunately, as much as Marillier is one of my favorite authors, this book felt much more lacking as far as characters went.

Most of my issues come from the character Drustan. He felt extremely underdeveloped to me. It seemed like the thing everyone thinks about him is, "Wow he's so beautiful like wow I can't even this guy is hot". It's over the top such that this is the first thing everyone thinks when they see him. Elsewise, he seems extremely bland and overwrought. The instant romance between him and Ana was just ridiculous. There was absolutely no build up or getting to know one another.

Faolan, on the other hand, is far more developed, probably due to being a perspective character. His scary past wasn't so impressive, but he seems like a much more real and feasible person with strong flaws than Drustan, whose only failing seems to come from being scared Ana will hate him if she knows he's a shapeshifter, when it's obviously so blinded by love he could have two heads and she probably wouldn't care. Elsewise, he's brave, kind, intelligent, talented, blahblahblah boring. It makes me pissed for Faolan, when he's certainly a man of many talents but also many flaws. It's like A Tale of Two Cities except without any symbolism whatsoever.

The rest of the plot was interesting enough that I liked the book despite the romance, however. Alpin kept me guessing for most of the book, although I was a bit disappointed he turned into a "hahaha" evil villain at the end instead of an ambiguously grey character that he seemed to be at the beginning. Then again, most of Marillier's villains tend to be cut and dry bad news, so I guess that's not too surprising. I guess I expected more because the previous novel didn't have any truly evil persons in it, just a lot of misguided people or those whose ambitions kind of got in the way of each other. Alpin was just an ass for no particular reason.

Anyways... probably the weakest novel by Marillier I've read so far, but definitely had many positives to it. Sorry to focus on the negatives, but it's easier to be disappointed when Marillier already had the bar set so high from her previous works.

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

(review in english below)

Este segundo livro d' As Crónicas de Bridei agradou-me bastante mais do que o primeiro. Faolan é um personagem e pêras e merecia o destaque que lhe é dado. Também gostei de ser enganada quanto à história de amor que estava a congeminar na minha cabeça.

Quanto à tradução (o tradutor deste 2º livro não é o mesmo do 1º), não me parece que "mestre" seja a tradução mais apropriada para "master"... Mas ao menos aqui o Guardião das Chamas não sofreu uma mudança de sexo (passei todo o 1º livro irritada com o facto de estar sempre a ler "a Guardiã das Chamas" quando se percebia logo que era uma divindade masculina, neste caso o Sol). No entanto, há outras "falhas de continuidade" que deviam ter sido evitadas, como transformar o "poço das sombras" na "fonte das sombras", até porque o 1º está mais correcto.

Ficaram muitas "pontas" penduradas no final, mais do que no fim do 1º, o que obriga a ter o 3º à mão (felizmente é o meu caso).

I liked this second book of The Bridei Chronicles a lot more than the first one. Faolan is quite a character and he deserved to be in the spotlight. I also enjoyed being misled regarding the love story I was imagining.

I had some issues with the translation, namely some continuity problems between this and book 1, since the translator was not the same.

There were a lot of loose ends, more than in book 1, forcing the reader to have book 3 right at hand (luckily, that was my case).

[Calypso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depois de um primeiro volume que não me conseguiu agarrar eis que o segundo volume das "Crónicas de Bridei" me agarrou de tal forma que tenho pena de já ter terminado.

Neste segundo volume a história centra-se em Ana e na sua viagem, na qual é acompanhado por Faolan, duas personagens já introduzidas no livro anterior que mereceram um maior destaque.

É fabuloso vermos a forma como a personagem Ana evolui ao longo do livro assim, como termos uma maior consciência da humanidade de Faolan.

Um livro que sem dúvida merece ser lido pelos amantes do género!

[Rhiannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know if it's me or Juliet Marillier who had changed. Either way, I was really disappointed in this book, the sequel to The Dark Mirror, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The narrative was completely weighed down by melodrama and clunky exposition.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Juliet Marillier é uma das minhas escritoras preferidas!

[Mira15 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Na Escócia antiga, havia um jovem rei, um espião destroçado com um amor impossível e uma derradeira batalha para ser vencida. Agora, as portas desse mundo voltam a abrir-se.


Cinco anos volvidos desde os acontecimentos d´ “O espelho negro”, Bridei está no trono e juntamente com Tuala, a rainha e sua amada de longa data, têm um pequeno bebé chamado Derelei.Contudo, nem tudo é um mar de rosas… Em 555 d.c. a guerra contra a invasão celta está iminente e os preparativos militares vão avançando rapidamente. Para fazer face a este desafio, o jovem rei necessita de toda a ajuda possível. Nesse sentido, planeia conseguir o apoio de um importante chefe tribal de Caitt através de um casamento. Mas os planos não decorrem como o esperado e tudo fica em risco: o sucesso da empresa priteni, a segurança de todos e a preservação da fé aos antigos deuses.

Nesta sequela das “Crónicas de Bridei” dá-se uma mudança abrupta no enredo. Aqui, a autora debruça-se, particularmente sobre a incrível viagem - tanto física como psicológica - de Ana e Faolan (personagens secundárias no 1º volume), reservando o fascinante par do livro anterior, a tão esperada batalha que trará a liberdade a todos os Pictos e a ligação profunda que todos nutrem pelos deuses para segundo plano. Os caminhos que ambos percorreram foram encabeçados por ferozes obstáculos, demasiado grandes como as árvores que os cercaram nos caminhos para Briar Wood. Estas contrariedades são o mote para descobertas impressionantes, com cenas de cortar o folgo, onde algumas ligações se construíram e fortificaram, enquanto outras desabaram…

“Deixaram-se ficar junto ao ribeiro. Pouco falaram, descansando em silêncio, satisfeitos coma companhia um do outro. O cavalo pastava solto. Naquela extensão de terras, as ervas cresciam em abundância e o animal não tinha razões para se afastar. Faolan pensou que seria um dia a guardar na memória, a ser usado como um talismã precioso que o encorajaria quando tudo aquilo terminasse. Sabia que, para ele, não voltaria a ter um dia assim, um curto espaço de tempo que parecia destacar-se da vida normal de um homem ou de uma mulher. Um dia que não fazia parte dos afazeres turbulentos, sendo, simplesmente, uma dádiva.” P.112

Resumidamente, o livro desenvolve-se em três grandes planos: a viagem, os preparativos e a batalha, e a corte com Tuala e Broichan. Nesta leitura, os horizontes alargam-se e à medida que prosseguimos, conhecemos novas personagens carismáticas. Algumas marcam-nos positivamente, outras nem tanto, mas todas têm um papel específico no enredo. Por outro lado, confesso que fiquei desiludida com o papel insignificante concedido a duas figuras: mais precisamente a Ban, o cão fiel de Bridei, e Bela, uma idosa cujas palavras que determinariam uma decisão, mas que nunca apareceu.

No início, confesso que estranhei a drástica mudança de cenários e enredos, mas quanto mais mergulhava na história mais rendida ficava. A partir de metade, fiquei irritada e até angustiada com alguns acontecimentos e o rumo na qual a história parecia avançar. Já durante o clímax, retomei o gosto e excitação, e lá me conformei com as decisões feitas. Mas fiquei desolada com o pungente desfecho em aberto…

“Bridei estava no terraço da Fonte do Corvo, a partir de onde olhava para os pinheiros negros e para o brilho gelado do Lago da Donzela. Sentiu um arrepio. Era o reconhecimento da passagem do tempo e a consciência de que, no grande ciclo que era o nascimento, a vida, a morte e o renascimento, surgiam outros ciclos, outras repetições. Não aprender alguma coisa com eles, era a garantia de uma vida desperdiçada.” P. 311/312

Graças ao trio amoroso fui arrastada para um turbilhão de emoções em que ora deleitava-me ora era possuída por uma irritação e uma tristeza que não me deixou aproveitar a leitura como queria. Por essa razão, não gostei tanto deste livro - confesso que por vezes só me apetecia atirá-lo contra a parede. Todavia, valeu a pena para assistir ao desenvolvimento de outras personagens tão queridas para mim e à principal revelação. Apesar de já ter desconfiado de um passado terrível e mais tenebroso do que qualquer outro fiquei abismada quando, finalmente, soube o que realmente tinha acontecido a Faolan e o porquê de se ter tornado tão distante nas relações humanas… Sem dúvida, uma das personagens mais densas e cativantes que a autora já nos apresentou!


+ Existência de instrumentos extremamente úteis: um mapa das Terras Altas (com indicações das viagens realizadas durante a trama) e uma lista de personagens.
+ A autora controla a narrativa e consegue organizar os capítulos e sequências de forma a sentir-mos exactamente aquilo que pretende.
+ Continuação envolvente de uma história que já nos é muito familiar e que queremos sempre ler mais!
+ Pormenores de uma riqueza surpreendente, contagiando-nos com uma aura genuína de pura magia.
+ Este 2º livro apresenta um tom mais realista e menos fantasioso que o primeiro volume.
+ Livro com valores humanistas, que mostra personagens vulneráveis que cometem erros, mas que apesar disso aprendem com eles e lutam por aquilo em que acreditam.
------------------------------------------------
- Devido à mudança de tradutor, dois nomes foram alterados neste volume.
- Romance muito repentino, não tão credível como outros tantos pares que Juliet já juntou.
- Previsibilidade nalguns factos.
- Algumas incoerências relativamente a informações sobre datas e personagens.


As reviravoltas e surpresas emocionantes perduraram, o simbolismo imbuído nas obras de Juliet Marillier e a enorme ligação à natureza e animais também, bem como um grande vilão que não descansou até trazer sofrimento a todos com os seus planos egoístas e malévolos. Com um final nada esperado e muito diferente de outros livros da escritora, estou completamente ansiosa por conhecer o que acontecerá posteriormente no terceiro, e actualmente, último volume: “O Poço das Sombras”.


**4,5 estrelas**

[Sotiris Karaiskos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The king prepares for the great counterattack that will permanently drive out the invaders, trying to keep the secrecy and, above all, seeking potential allies. At that time, however, such a quest had a more personal tone as well as weddings of strategic importance were part of the game. So a woman who is very close to him and his queen takes on the difficult task of marrying one of the potential allies but somewhere there things go wrong and then love make its appearance that comes into direct conflict with task and things so become very complicated for our heroes but also very touching for readers who are invited to enjoy another particularly sensitive, innocent and tender love story, shortly before going back to its harsh reality ofwar.

A very nice story that takes us away from some of the main heroes we met and loved in the first part but in return introduces us to some new and makes us get to know some of the less important characters as their role in events becomes more necessary. However, this story may be somewhat predictable and not particularly original, with its erotic part not escaping clichés, but the author has the ability to make the simple to stand out and with her sensitivity to deliver beautiful reading moments to all of us, that's why and at least I can forgive any weaknesses because of the very positive result. Part of this positive result is the risk that the author takes by using less magic by creating more familiar situations, with which we are able to identify more emotionally while we move further into the historical facts, that give rise to some thoughts about the meaning of war. Of course, the fantastic element still exists, following patterns from the mythology of the area.

So after the encouraging start, there is a particularly interesting second part that may not make the series taking off but it certainly offers something beautiful for all those romantic souls out there.

Ο βασιλιάς ετοιμάζεται για τη μεγάλη αντεπίθεση που θα διώξει μία για πάντα τους εισβολείς, προσπαθώντας να διατηρήσει την μυστικότητα και πάνω από όλα αναζητώντας πιθανούς συμμάχους. Εκείνη την εποχή όμως μία τέτοια αναζήτηση είχε και έναν περισσότερο προσωπικό τόνο καθώς μέρος αυτού του παιχνιδιού ήταν και οι γάμοι στρατηγικής σημασίας. Έτσι μία γυναίκα που είναι πολύ κοντά σε εκείνον και στην βασίλισσα του αναλαμβάνει το δύσκολο καθήκον να παντρευτεί έναν από τους πιθανούς συμμάχους αλλά κάπου εκεί τα πράγματα δεν πηγαίνουν όπως πρέπει την ώρα που έρχεται ο έρωτας που έρχεται σε απευθείας σύγκρουση με το καθήκον και τα πράγματα έτσι γίνονται ιδιαίτερα περίπλοκα για τους ήρωες μας αλλά και πολύ συγκινητικά για τους αναγνώστες που καλούνται να απολαύσουν άλλη μία ιδιαίτερα ευαίσθητη, αθώα και τρυφερή ερωτική ιστορία, λίγο πριν περάσουν ξανά στην σκληρή πραγματικότητα του πολέμου.

Μία πολύ ωραία ιστορία που μας απομακρύνει λίγο από τους βασικούς ήρωες που γνωρίσαμε και αγαπήσαμε στο πρώτο μέρος αλλά σε αντάλλαγμα μας συστήνει κάποιους νέους και μας κάνει να γνωρίσουμε καλύτερα μερικούς από τους λιγότερο σημαντικούς χαρακτήρες καθώς ο ρόλος τους στα γεγονότα γίνεται περισσότερο απαραίτητος. Βέβαια ίσως η ιστορία αυτή είναι κάπως προβλέψιμη και όχι ιδιαίτερα πρωτότυπη, με το ερωτικό σκέλος της να μην ξεφεύγει από διάφορα κλισέ αλλά η συγγραφέας έχει αυτή την ικανότητα να κάνει το απλό να ξεχωρίζει και με την ευαισθησία της να προσφέρει όμορφες αναγνωστικές στιγμές σε όλους εμάς, για αυτό και τουλάχιστον εγώ μπορώ να συγχωρήσω οποιεσδήποτε αδυναμίες εξαιτίας του πολύ θετικού αποτελέσματος. Μέρος αυτού του θετικού αποτε��έσματος είναι και το ρίσκο που παίρνει η συγγραφέας να βασιστεί λιγότερο στην μαγεία δημιουργώντας περισσότερο οικείες καταστάσεις, με τις οποίες μπορούμε να ταυτιστούμε περισσότερο συναισθηματικά, την ώρα που προχωράμε περισσότερο στα ιστορικά στοιχεία, που δίνουν και την αφορμή για κάποιες σκέψεις για το νόημα του πολέμου. Φυσικά το φανταστικό στοιχείο εξακολουθεί να υπάρχει, ακολουθώντας μοτίβα από τη μυθολογία της περιοχής.

Οπότε μετά από το ενθαρρυντικό ξεκίνημα υπάρχει έντονο ιδιαίτερα ενδιαφέρον δεύτερο μέρος που μπορεί να μην απογειώνει τη σειρά αλλά σίγουρα προσφέρει κάτι όμορφο για όλες εκείνες τις ρομαντικές ψυχές που βρίσκονται εκεί έξω.

[Neide Parafitas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volvidos 5 anos desde os acontecimentos decorridos em "O Espelho Negro", a história centra-se agora em 2 personagens secundárias do livro anterior: Ana e Faolan. Ana, a princesa refém de Fortriu e Faolan, o guarda e espião de Bridei.

Uma guerra há muito esperada é preparada para banir do Ocidente os invasores Celtas e Ana é enviada para Norte para se casar com um homem importante que não conhece para ganhar um aliado para Bridei. Durante a viagem, Ana é escoltada por Faolan, um homem que despreza.

Mas ao chegar ao seu destino, Ana depara-se com um lugar cheio de segredos e descobre um prisioneiro na mais cruel das reclusões!

Entretanto, Bridei marcha para a batalha, mas aos seus é revelado que o espera a morte e apenas um mensageiro poderá alcancá-lo a tempo a fim de evitar a tragédia!

"A Espada de Fortriu" é a continuação do livro "Espelho Negro" e posso dizer que ainda adorei mais este livro que o anterior! Neste a acção é desconcertante, o que não aconteceu com o primeiro livro que considerei, apesar de muito bom, um pouco parado em termos de acontecimentos!

A autora não me desilude nunca!

Para quem gosta de acção, romance e drama este é o livro perfeito!! :)

[Kaleigh Gibbons · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Spoilers (sort of)* To echo the sentiments of others, Blade of Fortriu receives three stars because of Marillier's incredible talent. HOWEVER, I am incredibly annoyed and displeased by the ending.



While I appreciate how Ana's love life took a different turn than I was expecting (the love connection is usually pretty obvious), the ensuing relationship made me gag. It was so superficial and obnoxious: this guy is SUPER MEGA HOT, also amazingly intelligent, also has literally no faults, and he ends up being a savior to multiple people!!!!! It was ridiculous. Plus, Ana went from an admirable female lead to an insipid teen romance character. Perhaps I'm just bitter about Faolan (who is clearly going to feature in part 3). "Maybe the gods sent her two men to love." - honey, if you >don't< choose the Gael, well, that's just for the birds.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am very into romance. I tend to judge a book by it's romantic dialogue, which isn't very intelligent or fair, but that's me. This is the reason this book got 3 stars for me. I wasn't at all pleased with the romance in this book. I felt like Ana chose the wrong man and I just couldn't enjoy it for that reason alone.

[chi · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.
I am so disappointed. Utterly, disgustingly, horribly disappointed. Juliet Marillier has grown up with me since I was a wee little child. I loved her Sevenwaters series and hold them close to my heart - they were like Harry Potter to an Australian child. Surely, she would never disappoint, I had thought. I was wrong. And now I'm pissed. Why? Why!? I think I'm going to lock myself in my room and cry for three days straight.

I'm kidding, I'm not that dramatic. However, I do feel as though this series and the 'Blackthorn & Grim' series weren't her best ones. Hopefully, I'll see better works from her soon. Seriously though, this book was so boring and cliché, I DNFed it around halfway.

I thought Ana would be a determined character, understanding what to do and what not to do. I mean, she seemed so smart at first! No, that wasn't the case later on in the book. She became that dumb female protagonist who has a serious case of Damsel in Distress™. I'm so pissed.

Then Faolan, the heroine. He's a jerk, a big jerk. I understand, something in his past made him like that, but seriously, he's too much of a jerk for me to handle. He's rude and insolent and -------- no, just no.

And there's the world-building. It's set in 6th Century Britain, with folklore added to it. There was no ounce of history whatsoever in the book, and while it's a fantasy, the Britain aspect of it makes me question why it's a fantasy. Shouldn't it be paranormal or at least a mix between fantasy and paranormal? I don't know, I just didn't like it. Not to mention, nothing in this world is explained properly. Why is something like this? What does this mean? It was messed up.

ALSO (I'm nearly done, I promise), there was essentially no plotline to this. Like the previous book, up to the part where I DNFed, it is basically void of a storyline. While Bridei did his stupid druidic studies in the first book, Ana and Faolan travelled all the time. They were travelling, then stopped, then travelled. Not fun. There's a possibility that things will get more interesting later - it most likely will, but I DNFed halfway, and that's already too far for it to be this boring. I'm sure everything will end neatly, but I have no interest in that whatsoever.

So yeah, this is just not for me. I think I'm going to go and reread Marillier's previous books to see whether I was wrong as a child on my opinion of her books. Maybe they were horrible and my tiny little self loved them. Maybe.

[Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melhor que o primeiro volume, mas um pouco diferente daquilo que esperava.

Foi um bom livro, porém bastante diferente daquilo que eu esperava da autora. Não quero com isso dizer que tenha sido necessariamente pior, embora definitivamente tenha acabado por me desiludir um pouco, pois as expectativas que eu tinha foram defraudadas. No entanto, disse e reitero, é um bom livro. Não excelente ou perfeito, na minha opinião, contudo bom e também melhor que o primeiro volume. O ponto mais positivo do mesmo é sem dúvida a personagem do Faolan e a sua evolução. A Ana também tem algum espaço de crescimento, se bem que gerou por vezes em mim sentimentos algo contraditórios. Não esperava acompanhar tanto do Bridei, da Tuala e restantes personagens com maior destaque no primeiro livro. Gostei de os voltar a ver, de saber o futuro de alguns deles, mas reitero que o enredo da Ana e do Faolan me envolveu muito mais. Estou ansiosa por saber o desfecho da história completa!

Aquilo que esperava era que teríamos um romance épico entre os protagonistas, que terminaria em bem. Foi assim em TODOS os livros que li da Juliet Marillier, que não foram assim tão poucos! Definitivamente algo que não esperava era um triângulo amoroso, principalmente um que terminasse com o Faolan, tão querido do público, protagonista da história, a virar costas ao seu amor, de olhos marejados e coração partido, preterido por um homem saído de um conto de fadas! Não um daqueles cor-de-rosa, mas um daqueles em que os heróis e as heroínas passam por privações e perigos inimagináveis. Posso afirmar que por não ter sido o desenlace feliz que eu aguardava a narrativa teve menos qualidade? Não! Não posso e não seria verdade. No entanto, também não posso dizer que me tenha agradado como eu esperava. Se o problema é exclusivamente das minhas expectativas, talvez demasiado altas, ou pura e simplesmente diferentes, ou se a minha sensação de leve desconforto com a história vai mais longe, honestamente não sei precisar.

Talvez no fundo tenha achado a autora demasiado cruel e injusta com o Faolan e consequentemente com os leitores que torciam por ele. Começar a história com uma viagem dos dois, claramente equivocados sobre as reais qualidades um do outro, conhecerem-se e começarem-se a respeitar mutuamente, ficarem sozinhos, dependentes um do outro, quando todo o resto da comitiva que os acompanhava pereceu, mostrar o passado trágico e a alma sensível do Faolan, escondidos tantos anos por trás de uma máscara de insensibilidade e eficácia, pela Ana, pelo amor que voltou a sentir, ele, tão humano, tão despedaçado, para ela depois escolher o herói irreal, quase um príncipe encantado, é demasiado trágico e deixa um sabor amargo no final do livro.

Penso que uma das coisas que mais me incomodou foi o não saber o que sentir pelo Drustan. Para mim ele foi uma constante contradição. Ele é o herói que não é possível odiar, nem o Faolan o consegue, porque no fundo não tem defeitos. É demasiado perfeito, belo, mágico, forte, altruísta! É injustiçado, igualmente com um passado trágico, à semelhante do que acontece com o próprio Faolan, porém, ao contrário deste, essa injustiça e esse passado aparecem como num conto de fadas, apenas como parte da sua trágica história, mas em poucos momentos o definem realmente. Drustan é um homem que sofreu um destino cruel, uma terrível injustiça, porém que no fundo não tem grandes cicatrizes visíveis de tudo pelo que passou a nível de relacionamento, pelo menos não com a Ana. É apresentado como o herói com todas as qualidades possíveis e mais algumas, para qual a donzela é o seu raio de luz e vê-la apaga todas as mágoas, todas as injustiças e todo o resto do mundo. Ele necessita do amor e da presença dela para contrabalançar toda a tortura que sofreu pelo seu aprisionamento prolongado e basta estar ao lado dela para ser feliz, completo e não lhe faltar nada. Pensa que é violento mas com ela é doce, é um prisioneiro mas com ela sente-se livre, é apresentado como um monstro mas na realidade é incrivelmente belo, e não falo apenas no aspecto exterior. No fundo, ironicamente, o principal defeito do Drustan e a razão pela qual nunca consegui torcer por ele ao longo do livro, é que ele não tem realmente defeitos. Apesar de passar por desafios difíceis, a alma dela sai sempre pura e imaculada, ele não falha, não fraqueja.

Noutras circunstâncias não sei se não gostaria desta história, ou se teria alguma coisa contra ele. Nestas circunstâncias, porém, não há como negar que senti uma certa má vontade para com ele durante toda a narrativa. Talvez o problema dele de parecer saído de um conto de fadas é apenas o contraste brutal que isso gera em comparação com o Faolan, que é tão palpavelmente humano nas suas qualidades e defeitos. Considero demasiado cruel e desigual para com o Faolan. Tudo parece feito para nos arrancar o coração em sofrimento pela falta de sorte dele! Então, admito que talvez haja algum desapego da minha parte, ao vê-lo pelos olhos do Faolan, que já conhecemos e com quem já criamos empatia, como um adversário pelo coração de Ana. No entanto, acredito que vai um pouco mais longe e há realmente algum fundamento mais justificado na minha antipatia pela personagem do Drustan.

Penso que outro desses factores foi a própria Ana perder muito ao apaixonar-se por ele. Acredito que um bom romance eleva as qualidades de ambos os intervenientes. Como leitores, criamos mais empatia com cada um individualmente porque o amor faz crescer, faz com que nos importemos mais, dá-lhes uma espécie de brilho que os torna mais interessantes de acompanhar. Aqui aconteceu precisamente o contrário. Apesar de a minha má vontade com a Ana, quando se trata do Drustan ser indubitavelmente em parte devido a eu não gostar dele e não torcer por ele, sinceramente acho que ela perdia bastante do seu brilho quando ficava transformada naquela bela apaixonada pelo mostro, que depois por acaso afinal era o homem mais belo e forte daquela terra e arredores! Assim como em comparação com as tantas camadas que vamos descobrindo aos poucos ao Faolan, o Drustan em comparação é raso e unidimensional, também a Ana ao contracenar com ambos absorve muito dessa envolvência. Enquanto perto do Faolan lhe descobrimos novas facetas, a vemos a superar-se a si mesma, sentimos que essa relação faz mudar e crescer ambos, é algo real e palpável, ao lado do Drustan ela é reduzida ao papel da donzela apaixonada, que sente um amor instantâneo, arrebatador e inexplicável, que por tudo isso se sente muito menos autêntico.

Nota sobre esta edição: a revisão do livro não está grande coisa. Tudo bem que é uma edição de bolso mais barata (que apenas comprei porque a normal está esgotada) mas podiam ter mais atenção! Pontuação fora do sítio, palavras trocadas (lembro-me por exemplo de um "ele" em vez de um "ela", entre outros que não memorizei), etc... Nota-se a falta de cuidado.

[Rocio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho más que el primer libro. En esta ocasión, además de Tuala y Bridei, seguimos a Ana y Faolan, que viajan a tierras lejanas para que la primera se case con Alpin, un jefe con el que el rey busca una alianza (y uno de los personajes más odiosos que he leido en mucho tiempo).
En general es un libro entretenido, aunque cada vez que aparecía Alpin acababa de muy mal humor y el "instalove" de la historia, en mi opinión, ha quitado mucho a la pareja. Me alegra ver que Broichan ya no juzga tanto a Tuala y con cierto giro de los acontecimientos quiero saber que tal van a ir las cosas.

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detracting a star because, as much as I love you Juliet Mariller, this book just tested my patience and my undying love for you. Really it did. It would have been a two star (I know what you are thinking, a two star for a Juliet Mariller book? BLASPHEMY!) but Foalan, and possibly Bridei and Tuala's subplots were the only thing keeping me going.

I think rereading this book, like other titles (e.g. Matched, Wuthering Heights) has given me a whole different perspective because there was just things now that didn't bother me as much before, but now I just get really cheesed off with.

Warning: This review is coming from the perspective of a bias shipper/fangirl. And there will be spoilers. Prepare yourselves.

There isn't much that I have to complain about, if only maybe the length and pacing (which I admit did seem to drag a bit in the middle). The writing is fine, even if I felt Mariller didn't have to infodump us stuff for paragraphs on end.

You know what, screw this, let me get down to my personal rambling and tell why I didn't like this book as much.

Okay so here's the thing. I enjoyed the beginning of the book - it had an interesting premise, especially with Ana and her journey to have an arranged marriage to this chieftan Alpin for purposes of a treaty. I really liked seeing Ana's character - this poor, frightened girl who still understands her duty as a princess (and hostage) what she must do, and especially for Bridei and Tuala, who have become very dear friends to her. So essentially she is paired up with Bridei's right hand man and top assassin, Foalan. They don't get off to a good start because of their differences and bad opinions of each other - he thinks she's just some pampered spoiled brat of a princess, and she thinks he's a monster.

So during their journey, it isn't until they get ambushed on the way and they have to rely solely on each other to survive for the mission. It is during this journey, and especially when Foalan is hurt that he isimpressed (even in his pained, faitgued state) at how capable, resourceful and strong Ana is. She starts to realizes that he is just a man; albiet one who is brooding, reserved and definitely has a past to him but has redeeming qualities such as his thoughtfulness, bravery and his loyalty to Bridei.

Anyways, so time goes on and Foalan develops feelings for her, although hers for him are kept pretty ambiguous - a little less so towards the end. But she is betrothed to this barbaric, sexist oaf named Alpin and then - to top all of this off, she falls in love with Alpin supposedly crazy brother Drustan.

Okay so there is a love triangle between Ana/Foalan/Drustan. She ends up with Drustan - and I realized why I never liked their relationship and was always on Team Foalan. Even though both Ana and Foalan both never reach that point where they are confessing undying love to each other (near the end, it's kind of like a Leia/Han Solo "I love you, I know" thing) - I just enjoyed reading about the potential for their relationship. Especially at how much they changed because of each other for the better, and how they grew to be friends (and possibly more, if only in my mind).

With Drustan, I supposed he's better than his villainous brother - but seriously? This guy was like a bland and flaky guy. I mean, he meets her once and suddenly the next time he talks to her, he's spouting all of this corny and ridiculously overly poetic/romantic crap to her about how he would never leave her, would always love her, etc etc. Unfortunately, she pretty much reciprocates such sentiment in the same manner.

[insert gif of someone barfing because Photobucket is a butt]

Spoiler alert: This is pretty much like how almost all of their conversations go. Gag me with a spoon someone. Please.

Personally I don't see any foundation for their relationship. I argue, it even borders on an instalove kind of thing - where they see each other, and she's thinking of how damn comely and gorgeous he is (seriously, almost everyone in this book talks about how ridiculously good looking this guy is. Even Foalan.). When you hear about his supposedly blood-stained past (of him killing Alpin's wife and unborn child, hence he was locked up by Alpin for about seven years now) - of course Ana is so determined to think he is innocent, based only by how innocent and good looking he is. Seriously, Ana, I expected better but maybe my indifference/annoyance with Drustan is showing.

But yeah, I'll admit it was a bit of a painful read towards the second half - what with Dustran/Ana mooning over each other and she going into a pining state when she is separated from him as she is escaping from Alpin with Foalan. She's all about how Dustran never made her feel this way before and their passionate love affair - but I start getting that deja vu "this reminds me a lot of badly written YA romances and I am getting really bored and pissed off" feeling for most part. I'm sorry, Mariller, I didn't mean to go there! But yeah, and while that is going on - we have poor Foalan, who is jealous but seems to resigned and defeated - accepting that she chose someone else and deciding to go on his own journey, at the behest and encouragement of Ana (i.e. the third book).

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing continuation, way better than te first one.
Faolan, a character impossible not to love.

“Death, of course, should not be feared, but awaited with certain wonder. To die was to step across a threshold into a new world, unknown, unimaginable.”

[ˋ°•☆&;josie.ೃ࿐ · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a book gives you genuine goosebumps all over, surely you must give it a five! I like this, basically. On to the third immediately ❤️ I just want Faolan to be happy 😭

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been five years since Bridei became king and he's anxious to banish the Christian Gaels from Fortriu's western shores. Success depends upon many carefully planned and executed offenses such as false intelligence, surprise, and an alliance or at least a vow of neutrality from the wild Caitt. The only way to do so seems through a strategic marriage between the princess of the Light Isles and the Caitt chieftain Alpin. Although Ana's been a royal hostage most of her life, she is loyal to Bridei and will fulfill her duty with dignity even if it means traveling far away and marrying a man she's never seen. With cold and methodical Faolan, Bridei's most trusted adviser and spy by her side, she couldn't be more tense. That is until her journey is far from smooth sailing and she arrives at Briar Wood to find Alpin a big, crude, and secretive man who keeps both Ana and Faolan guessing as to his true motives. Meanwhile Bridei's forces begin their attack, Briochan is not himself and Tuala sees a vision that may shed life on her parentage but spells death for Bridei. With a little luck and the endorsement of the Shining One their efforts just may be enough to avert the mounting obstacles and drive out the Gaels.

After finishing The Dark Mirror I felt rewarded by the amount of closure but also left eagerly anticipating another new beginning for Bridei, now as king, and the future of Fortriu, both in borders and in belief. In both cases Bride of Fortriu satisfied but what surprised me was the overall improvement in the writing and how attached I became to the characters and gripped by the story. I haven't lost this much sleep for a book in awhile. Ana's in a tough and potentially deadly situation and as you can imagine I was very sympathetic to her plight. There was no way she could marry the replusive Alpin. There's also no way she could betray Bridei, who has become both her king and her friend, and the whole of Fortriu by failing to secure the treaty. With Faolan, her only hope, just as trapped physically and torn emotionally, I was very on edge and seriously worried for them and their small window of opportunity for escape. Add this emotional vulnerability to the unpredictable love triangle and my absorption in their story was complete. All I can say is hats off to Marillier. She risked alienating readers with both a love triangle and a thwarted happily-ever-after for some of the characters most dear to us but it paid off. She took a delicate situation and handled it with the extreme care required, so after the killer suspense of who will die and who will live to see their love requited or their heart broken I still wouldn't have wanted anything to happen differently or changed a thing about the ending. I have high hopes for the next book, The Well of Shades.

[KelceyTheLibrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to start out by saying that it is really hard for me to not like a Marillier book and while I did like this one, I had some problems with it. For some reason, this book took much longer than any other to get to the point. I put this book down a couple times for days at a time and didn't read because I wasn't looking forward to more slogging through the forest or more of Ana awkwardly hanging around waiting to get married to a complete jerk. Once we get to the last 200 pages of the book, I sped through it and couldn't stop reading but what a long journey to get there! As per usual, Marillier built a great main character in Ana, but she built an even better character in phenomenal Faolan who is so dark and complex. Forget everyone else, I always wanted to know what he was doing, where he was going or what he was thinking/planning. By the end of the book, he needed a hug… and some cuddles. Deord (the guard) was also an interesting addition to the mix especially his dark connection to Faolan and how it helps set up book 3. And while I was happy to see Ana not marry Alpin, the whole relationship between her and Drustan seemed very hurried and not as well developed as it could/should have been for the kind of connection they claim to have. I also missed the traditional more Otherworldly elements that usually appear in Marillier's books. I don't think that Drustan's abilities were quite enough to fulfill the need for magic in these books. While I am happy that Faolan has his own book and I will read it eventually, right now, I need to try something else and come back to this refreshed.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW what an adventure! King Bridei embarks on a campaign to rid Fortriu of the Christian Gael's. This is a major undertaking involving all the chieftains of Fortriu. One of his ploys for success is to get the chieftain of Briar Wood (Alpin) and his huge fighting force to stand against the Gael's. To do this he offers marraige to his ward (hostage), Ana. The journey to Briar Wood is a major focus of the book. Ana and Faolan (King's assassin) set off with a guard in hopes of a treaty which would basically prevent Alpin from entering the war on either side. Alpin is a savage and an abusive ruler. Ana and Faolan (who have become great friends over the months of treacherous travel) enter a dangerous court and must play the game very carefully.

Ana stumbles upon Alpin's brother, Drustan, who has been Alpin's prisoner for seven years, under mysterious circumstances. After getting to know Drustan, Ana cannot help but try to find out the truth about his imprisonment. This puts Alpin on alert and suddenly Ana and Faolan, not to mention Drustan, are fighting for their lives and freedom.

A superbly written sage of love, friendship, betrayal and war. A slow read due to the many characters, plots and minute details. Absolutely wonderful.

[Filipa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que história tão linda, tão Marillieresca! Estou absolutamente entusiasmada para ler o terceiro livro que acho que vai ser o meu favorito, tenho cá um feeling...

[Dreams_of_Electric_sheep · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

[Luna Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Longtime readers of Marillier's Sevenwaters series may be surprised by Blade of Fortriu's (BoF) focus. Like it's prequel, The Dark Mirror, BoF navigates the political landscape of Pictish history while entertaining a seemingly doomed romantic relationship. Marillier takes a small step back from the pagan influence of her other narratives to explore the affairs of men: war, diplomacy, primal desires.

Marillier's approach to animals in his novel is noteworthy. While she describes unsavory, destructive characters as viscous, unmerciful beasts, she also upholds ACTUAL animals as purveyors of wisdom, insight, and restraint. This attitude is reflected in parts that relate bird and boar to otherworldly beings (such as the Fair Folk) and the very nature of Drusten. This tension in BoF has leads us to consider the very fine line between ethereal and feral, a strange mixture likewise featured with Bridei at the end of novel. Much can be said about man's nature and his beliefs, the war of which can be found literally in the novel and figurately in the many druid figures of The Bridei Chronicles.

New readers need not know about The Dark Mirrors events, as BoF provides all necessary background. Recommend to anyone looking for a long read with magic, politics, history, and romance.