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The Witches of Eileanan #6
The Fathomless Caves
In Eileanan, victory has finally been won, and those of faery kind--from the mighty dragons to the mysterious nyx--have sworn their friendship and aid. Only the sea-dwelling Fairgean have refused to sign the Pact of Peace. Driven by ancient hatreds, they have devoted themselves to destroying all who dwell upon the land.
Troubled by the darkness that may lie ahead, Lachlan agrees to release his beloved Iseult from the sacred oath that binds them together. It will then be for Iseult to decide whether she will remain in the mountains to resume life with her own kin, or return to the man who let her go.
To help bring peace to Eileanan, Iseult's flame-haired twin, Isabeau, must also face her most difficult challenge yet. But before she can prove herself worthy of both the scar of the Soul-Sage and the ring of the sorceress, she must first find a way to heal her own wounded spirit.
Troubled by the darkness that may lie ahead, Lachlan agrees to release his beloved Iseult from the sacred oath that binds them together. It will then be for Iseult to decide whether she will remain in the mountains to resume life with her own kin, or return to the man who let her go.
To help bring peace to Eileanan, Iseult's flame-haired twin, Isabeau, must also face her most difficult challenge yet. But before she can prove herself worthy of both the scar of the Soul-Sage and the ring of the sorceress, she must first find a way to heal her own wounded spirit.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
34 people are currently reading
1279 people want to read
About the author
Kate Forsyth
86 books2,576 followersKate Forsyth wrote her first novel at the age of seven, and is now the internationally bestselling author of 40 books for both adults and children.
Her books for adults include 'Beauty in Thorns', the true love story behind a famous painting of 'Sleeping Beauty'; 'The Beast's Garden', a retelling of the Grimm version of 'Beauty & the Beast', set in the German underground resistance to Hitler in WWII; 'The Wild Girl', the love story of Wilhelm Grimm and Dortchen Wild, the young woman who told him many of the world's most famous fairy tales; 'Bitter Greens', a retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale; and the bestselling fantasy series 'Witches of Eileanan' Her books for children include 'The Impossible Quest', 'The Gypsy Crown', 'The Puzzle Ring', and 'The Starkin Crown'
Kate has a doctorate in fairytale studies, a Masters of Creative Writing, a Bachelor of Arts in Literature, and is an accredited master storyteller.
Her books for adults include 'Beauty in Thorns', the true love story behind a famous painting of 'Sleeping Beauty'; 'The Beast's Garden', a retelling of the Grimm version of 'Beauty & the Beast', set in the German underground resistance to Hitler in WWII; 'The Wild Girl', the love story of Wilhelm Grimm and Dortchen Wild, the young woman who told him many of the world's most famous fairy tales; 'Bitter Greens', a retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale; and the bestselling fantasy series 'Witches of Eileanan' Her books for children include 'The Impossible Quest', 'The Gypsy Crown', 'The Puzzle Ring', and 'The Starkin Crown'
Kate has a doctorate in fairytale studies, a Masters of Creative Writing, a Bachelor of Arts in Literature, and is an accredited master storyteller.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
June 7, 2014
This is book number six and the last book in an excellent series. I have enjoyed all six books very much and this final one did a great job of wrapping up all the story lines and finishing on a high note. Kate Forsyth is very good at drawing characters and I have become quite attached to some of them over time! It was good to see happy endings for many of them although there was realism too and a few did not make it through the final conflict. It is not often such a long series can remain solidly good all the way through but I think this one does.
December 7, 2013
INSANELY good. I gave the other books in this series 5 stars but I feel this one deserves even more. I was not disappointed at all by this finale. The intensity of Isabeau's emotional journey, and the battle scene! I sat down in the evening to read a bit more of the book, and ended up reading the whole of the second half that night with my hair on end because I just couldn't put it down. Oh, and this book gave me an even bigger crush on Dide than I had before.
March 22, 2015
I loved this series. After Dragonclaw (without a doubt the best one in terms of achieving breadth and depth) the books present themselves in a sort of shopping list, where a challenge or two is crossed off the list in each book, until we reach the resolution at the end of book 6. They lose the depth and take on a more young adult quality in their ease of reading.
But none of that mattered to me. Sure I could easily finish a book a day if I felt so inclined, but I fell hard for the characters and the world. And I eventually got over the fear of losing beloved characters that writers such as GRRM instilled in me. It's a Happily Ever After series that doesn't punch you in the gut out of nowhere. If unexpected deaths of supporting characters provides a morbid sort of pleasure for you, you probably will find this series boring. And yes, it becomes predictable once you realise Forsyth isn't out to kill off beloved protagonists and minor characters, and that she's intent on tying up all the loose ends into something resembling sunshine and rainbows.
I couldn't give it anything less than 4 stars though, because I don't think these are bad things when the writing isn't bad, the cast of characters are endearing, and the entire world is so lovingly crafted. Since this was only my first read through, I can't say there are no plot holes but it looks as though there weren't any glaringly obvious ones, because I can't recall any now.
The only criticism I can think to give right now is I wish that Isabeau had unleashed more badassery. Don't get me wrong, changing into a dragon and burning her enemies is pretty bloody badass, but it was slightly anticlimactic. For such a powerful sorceress, it would have been nice to see her dropping more magic on people's asses. A true pacifist, our 'Beau.
Anyway. Will definitely read again. Probably starting next week.
But none of that mattered to me. Sure I could easily finish a book a day if I felt so inclined, but I fell hard for the characters and the world. And I eventually got over the fear of losing beloved characters that writers such as GRRM instilled in me. It's a Happily Ever After series that doesn't punch you in the gut out of nowhere. If unexpected deaths of supporting characters provides a morbid sort of pleasure for you, you probably will find this series boring. And yes, it becomes predictable once you realise Forsyth isn't out to kill off beloved protagonists and minor characters, and that she's intent on tying up all the loose ends into something resembling sunshine and rainbows.
I couldn't give it anything less than 4 stars though, because I don't think these are bad things when the writing isn't bad, the cast of characters are endearing, and the entire world is so lovingly crafted. Since this was only my first read through, I can't say there are no plot holes but it looks as though there weren't any glaringly obvious ones, because I can't recall any now.
The only criticism I can think to give right now is I wish that Isabeau had unleashed more badassery. Don't get me wrong, changing into a dragon and burning her enemies is pretty bloody badass, but it was slightly anticlimactic. For such a powerful sorceress, it would have been nice to see her dropping more magic on people's asses. A true pacifist, our 'Beau.
Anyway. Will definitely read again. Probably starting next week.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2016
I read this book quite awhile back since then I have been reading works from Brandon Sanderson, Joe Abercrombie, Sara Douglass and many more.. This is still my favorite series of books ever !
Such a beautiful story.
Such a beautiful story.
February 13, 2021
I purchased the first book in the series to read during an audible sale. However, from the first chapter of the first book, I could not put them down. I enjoyed this series and the characters so much!
This final book is great ending to an enchanting tale. This series has so many layers to it that it can be returned to again and again. It will be added to my top favs. I highly recommend it and audio version is excellent.
This final book is great ending to an enchanting tale. This series has so many layers to it that it can be returned to again and again. It will be added to my top favs. I highly recommend it and audio version is excellent.
October 21, 2008
The entire cast comes together in this stunning conclusion. Some of our old friends play bigger parts then others but all of the loose ends are tied up. Love is tested, loyalty challenged, and sacrifices are made. This book provides us with a very satisfying, and in some ways, bittersweet ending to a vibrant and engrossing series. I was sad to close the book; I enjoyed every minute of this story and adored the characters.
One of the things that I truly admired about this series is how Kate Forsyth shows that villains are not always just evil, but may have legitimate reasons for what they do. The lengths they are willing to take to address the wrongs they have suffered may be extreme but by explaining their motives, you gain a bit of sympathy for the "bad" guys. She also did not make the war unrealistic. Good people die, others are saved, and in the end everybody loses - and wins - in one way or another. The result however is a world I would love to live in, a world based on tolerance, love and understanding. (OK, so I am a hopeless romantic, I admit it!)
My Review Here:
Dragons, Heroes and Wizards
One of the things that I truly admired about this series is how Kate Forsyth shows that villains are not always just evil, but may have legitimate reasons for what they do. The lengths they are willing to take to address the wrongs they have suffered may be extreme but by explaining their motives, you gain a bit of sympathy for the "bad" guys. She also did not make the war unrealistic. Good people die, others are saved, and in the end everybody loses - and wins - in one way or another. The result however is a world I would love to live in, a world based on tolerance, love and understanding. (OK, so I am a hopeless romantic, I admit it!)
My Review Here:
Dragons, Heroes and Wizards
June 10, 2014
I am a little conflicted by this book. I found it difficult to put down, and the author used tension all throughout the build-up of the story brilliantly, but I found the climatic battle of well, the series, to be disjointed and hard to follow. The resolution then took too long to wrap up, and I would have preferred slightly different choices have been made. A more concrete, and final ending would have been nice, but what was there was good enough. I'm glad I read the series, but I think it will be a while before I want to read something written in Scottish brogue.
May 19, 2024
I've really enjoyed this series. While I gave the other books 5 stars, this one is a 3.5 for me. I found that the writing in the last three books took more of a YA turn. The plot became a bit more predictable, and the writing itself became quick and easy to read - I could've banged this book out in a day, no problem. But I didn't, because it didn't suck me in quite as much.
That being said, I love the world building and the characters, so I still enjoyed it.
There are some things I wish the author had done differently. We never got to see Lilanthe and Niall again. Why were they forgotten? Killing Lachlan just to bring him back by sacrificing Tomas was *so* lame. The characters of some relevance who died in the final battle weren't given good deaths - they were just mentioned in passing. Meghan's upcoming death was spoken of so many times, that I felt pretty indifferent when the time came - which is not how I wanted to feel about such an important character, but when you tell me throughout two and a half books that its coming (and when), its a bit underwhelming. The ending was a little *too* perfect, in my opinion.
But was I ever happy to finally see Dide and Isabeau end up together. Took way too long.
All in all, the whole series was a good read, but the first three were more "advanced" YA leaning towards proper adult fantasy, while the last three were definitely fully YA novels. I nonetheless enjoyed them, but I'm not sure how much value I'll get out of re-reading them.
That being said, I love the world building and the characters, so I still enjoyed it.
There are some things I wish the author had done differently. We never got to see Lilanthe and Niall again. Why were they forgotten? Killing Lachlan just to bring him back by sacrificing Tomas was *so* lame. The characters of some relevance who died in the final battle weren't given good deaths - they were just mentioned in passing. Meghan's upcoming death was spoken of so many times, that I felt pretty indifferent when the time came - which is not how I wanted to feel about such an important character, but when you tell me throughout two and a half books that its coming (and when), its a bit underwhelming. The ending was a little *too* perfect, in my opinion.
But was I ever happy to finally see Dide and Isabeau end up together. Took way too long.
All in all, the whole series was a good read, but the first three were more "advanced" YA leaning towards proper adult fantasy, while the last three were definitely fully YA novels. I nonetheless enjoyed them, but I'm not sure how much value I'll get out of re-reading them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2025
it’s so hard to say goodbye to such a meaningful book series - Forsyth wrapped up nearly every loose end which isn’t easy to do for a 6 part epic. there was plenty of violence and consequence but still resolved with love, which isn’t easy for an author to do - I feel like books with war tend to lean too much on an ending saved by love, but I appreciate how the ancient war between humans and fairgean was resolved, with hints of its resolutions woven throughout the entire story. we are meant to have the fairgean and somewhat want to destroy them all, as so many of the characters who have suffered greatly from them want to. but even those who have experienced great pain from them recognize that genociding an entire people is wrong no matter what and although still war is necessary, are tactical in how they fight. Lachlan’s control of the Lodestar gave me absolute chills. & I was very pleased about Isabeu and Dide. Will never forget this series and excited to one day reread it & map out all the complex family/clan ties!
September 12, 2023
So completes the epic journey of the Witches of Eileanan. It was a nice wrap-up.
I have to admit that I could never quite get into this series. I think I would’ve loved it when I was younger. In fact, this epic fantasy felt very YA from start to finish. This isn’t always a bad thing, but I didn’t find anything here that I hadn’t encountered before. There weren't many surprises.
The characters were enjoyable enough, and I appreciated the fact that the author didn’t feel it necessary to kill off too many beloved characters. This series did manage to grow on me enough through its course for me to be happy about that.
This was an okay series and I can understand why some readers love it so much. I get it.
I have to admit that I could never quite get into this series. I think I would’ve loved it when I was younger. In fact, this epic fantasy felt very YA from start to finish. This isn’t always a bad thing, but I didn’t find anything here that I hadn’t encountered before. There weren't many surprises.
The characters were enjoyable enough, and I appreciated the fact that the author didn’t feel it necessary to kill off too many beloved characters. This series did manage to grow on me enough through its course for me to be happy about that.
This was an okay series and I can understand why some readers love it so much. I get it.
January 14, 2024
I loved this book as much as the other 5. The world-building was incredible and I could truly enjoy all of the characters. This book focuses mainly on Isabeau and everything she had to go through to be a powerful sorceress. I loved everything she went through and the feeling that went along with it. Oh and did I mention that there are dragons? And that Isabeau can change forms. Pretty cool!
I listened to this on Audible. The narrator Elle Newlands did a fantastic job. If you haven't listened to any of her narrations I highly recommend it. I love this entire series and highly recommend it. It's not an overnight read but well worth it.
P.S. If you love a love story, war-torn, epic fantasy series I highly recommend this one. Oh and don't forget there are dragons!
I listened to this on Audible. The narrator Elle Newlands did a fantastic job. If you haven't listened to any of her narrations I highly recommend it. I love this entire series and highly recommend it. It's not an overnight read but well worth it.
P.S. If you love a love story, war-torn, epic fantasy series I highly recommend this one. Oh and don't forget there are dragons!
July 15, 2017
Even though I know how this book would end I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Seeing Beau and Dide finally come together after so long melted my heart.
I really wish I had read these books before RR. I was much more invested in this series than I was in its sequel. I adored all the characters and the story and world that has been created.
I was disappointed that we didn't hear more about Lilanthe and Niall, knowing that their eldest would have been born by now. I would have liked to have seen Isabeau's reaction to it.
However, overall I've really enjoyed reading this series and I'm glad I have finally been able to do it.
I really wish I had read these books before RR. I was much more invested in this series than I was in its sequel. I adored all the characters and the story and world that has been created.
I was disappointed that we didn't hear more about Lilanthe and Niall, knowing that their eldest would have been born by now. I would have liked to have seen Isabeau's reaction to it.
However, overall I've really enjoyed reading this series and I'm glad I have finally been able to do it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2018
The 6th book in the series does a great job of tying up all the loose ends to finish on a high.
While I enjoyed the build up and suspense in setting the scene for the long awaited final war - I found the battle scenes hard to follow and the entire story towards the end a bit disjointed. For me, the book should've ended at the start of the peace talks with the Fairgean, the endless story tie ups in the last few pages felt to much like the ending of Lord of the Rings - the story is long since over but little details told.
Overall a great fantasy series.
While I enjoyed the build up and suspense in setting the scene for the long awaited final war - I found the battle scenes hard to follow and the entire story towards the end a bit disjointed. For me, the book should've ended at the start of the peace talks with the Fairgean, the endless story tie ups in the last few pages felt to much like the ending of Lord of the Rings - the story is long since over but little details told.
Overall a great fantasy series.
February 1, 2023
Ah, so the ending has come, after a couple of years of reading and enjoying these books. The language is atrocious, characters many - some of them overpowered, tropes abound, and it really is one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. It has magic, wonder, strife, high stakes, real consequences, and I dig all the hard work characters put into solving their problems. Except when the viola of ~looove~ solves all, of course... Did I mention these books are sometimes also very camp?
The cover is so misleading it makes it even more endearing, somehow.
The cover is so misleading it makes it even more endearing, somehow.
February 4, 2023
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2023/0...
A mostly satisfactory ending to this series. As expected, there was a lot of war, and also a lot of (straight) romance. Some cool moments, but it felt kind of predictable. Or maybe it’s just that where it was going was inevitable after five books of buildup. B+.
A mostly satisfactory ending to this series. As expected, there was a lot of war, and also a lot of (straight) romance. Some cool moments, but it felt kind of predictable. Or maybe it’s just that where it was going was inevitable after five books of buildup. B+.
January 11, 2024
This book was pretty genius in that it incorporated so many characters, both major and minor, into the ultimate climax of the series. All loose ends were satisfactorily tied up, even if some were incredibly tragic. I've been listening to these books one after another for a few weeks... and now I'm a little bereft to leave the enchanting world of Eileanan.
June 4, 2020
Fantastic read!
I found this book so compelling! So hard to put down, I would recommend This series to anyone who love witches and dragons! The only thing I didn’t like was the end! no more book to read!
Kate Forsyth you are a wonderful writer!
I found this book so compelling! So hard to put down, I would recommend This series to anyone who love witches and dragons! The only thing I didn’t like was the end! no more book to read!
Kate Forsyth you are a wonderful writer!
March 17, 2021
My heart always aches at the end of a series, but this ending was beautifully crafted to mend my heart after breaking it?? Nothing was left unresolved, and all of the minor characters also had a "send off" of sorts. Loved the journey this series took me on for a few months!
May 18, 2022
The final book of the series is amazing. While reading the other volumes I kept wondering how the author was going to wrap up all the loose ends of the story but she did an amazing job at it and made it plausible.
August 14, 2022
I really like the fluidity between this book and book 5. Series ended fantastically, everything was… as it should be. I’m surprised there has been no mention of Lilanthe and her story since book 3 though! I thought we might get some more of her before the end.
March 1, 2024
Wow, was this a finale! You had all the main characters. I was a little worried through the book for some characters, had to say goodbye to some that I had hoped would make it. But in the end I can't complain. We'll see how the sequel series is.
4.5/5
4.5/5
November 13, 2018
loved this series.
June 10, 2020
This was the last and final book to the series. I feel like everything wrapped up well. I will definitely re read these in the future.
July 30, 2020
I audio read this series and really enjoyed it. It was a special treat to hear the singing.
August 17, 2020
Kate Forsyth made me laugh and cry with this book, a beautiful and amazing story. I will never forget Eileanan. May Eá shine her bright face upon us.
August 27, 2020
Dare I say 7 or even 8 stars? Fascinating series which I have loved and I wish hard copies were on my bookshelf
April 6, 2021
Beautiful end to the series, I'm really sad though don't get me wrong. This is for sure my favourite fantasy series and I can't wait to recommend it to everyone I know!
April 19, 2021
I was sad when I finished this last book. I listened to the audio version and the narrator’s accent (Scottish?) really brought the books alive.
June 20, 2021
An epic conclusion for an epic series!! Kate Forsyth is a master spinner of words and magic.
June 24, 2021
Full fyrirsjáanleg. Uglumálið er kjánalegt. Skoski vínkillinn eiginlega óþarfur. Og ekki láta þrjár af mikilvægustu persónunum heita svona líkum nöfnum.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews