Customer Reviews

Cybele's Secret

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved "Wildwood Dancing", so I was thrilled when I saw that Juliet Marillier was writing a sequel (or companion) to it. The main character this time is Paula. We don't see too much of the other sisters (Jena, Iulia, or Stela), as Paula leaves them behind to travel with their merchant father to Istanbul as his assistant.

Paula and her father, Teodor, are hoping to purchase a legendary artifact related to the ancient cult of Cybele. The artifact has an air of The Holy Grail to it: nobody is exactly sure what it is, but everybody wants it. They aren't the only merchants in the running, however, and some are not above violence and murder.

Paula, ever the scholar, tries to learn more about Cybele and the mysterious artifact. In Istanbul, where women are hardly allowed out in public, to say nothing of their educations, Paula finds an intellectual sanctuary in the home of Irene of Volos, an influential as well as a respected woman of intellect. It is in Irene's library that Paula receives clues to discovering Cybele's Secret, and the quest she needs to embark upon in order to succeed in her search. Paula finds herself back in the Other Kingdom, where she thought never to return, in a quest filled with eerie dangers and hairbreadth escapes.

As a whole, I really enjoyed "Cybele's Secret". The characters are well-developed, and Paula particularly, is marvelously written. I liked the fact that she wasn't perfect, and didn't try to convince the reader otherwise.

BUT, there is an extremely fine line between brilliant and ridiculous, and Juliet Marillier definitely wavered along it in some parts of this book. Towards the end, things started feeling a little rushed and haphazard. I felt that "Cybele's Secret" lacked some of the quality of Juliet Marillier's previous works (all of which I have read and loved). There are some important parts that lack a good explanation. The plot was also a trifle predictable.

Despite the various "buts", I have no regrets in purchasing "Cybele's Secret". Juliet Marillier has a knack for characterization and relationships: familial and romantic. And who can help but fall in love with the gorgeous Kinuko Y. Craft cover? "Cybele's Secret" gets a hearty recommendation from me. There is originality and better-than-your-average-fantasy-novel here.

CYBELE'S SECRET is the sequel to Wildwood Dancing--Juliet Marillier's first young adult novel. I have been a huge Marillier fan ever since picking up her first novel, Daughter of the Forest (The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Book 1), to take with me on a trip to Italy. The wonderful thing about Marillier is that her sequels are always as good as, if not better than, her first books. So even though I liked Wildwood Dancing well enough (it didn't wow me), I was really looking forward to CYBELE'S SECRET to see where she took her characters and what peril they got themselves into.

The story follows Paula, the next to youngest of the five Brasov girls, and the one most noted for her scholarly bent and lack of interest in pretty much all things mundane. Fluent in both Greek and Latin, Paula accompanies her merchant father on a trip to Istanbul to serve as his assistant in his attempt to acquire a most unusual, legendary artifact known as Cybele's Gift. The artifact is a remnant of a long dead pagan cult and is said to bestow upon its owner fortune and blessings untold. Once in Istanbul, Paula's father finds he is just one of several merchants set on purchasing Cybele's Gift. Shadowed closely by her Bulgar bodyguard Stoyan, Paula puts her wits to work ferreting out the history behind the artifact and just why potential buyers keep turning up dead or fleeing town without explanation. Oh, and there's also a dashing pirate and adventure on the high seas.

I enjoyed this sequel quite a bit more than its predecessor. That may have been because I related more to Paula and her struggle to stretch beyond the comfortable boundaries of her introverted nature. I also loved the setting in Istanbul. Marillier's research and immersion in her chosen locale is always evident in her stories and it particularly shone in this one. The twisty markets, the call to prayer, the artfully layered clothing swept me up along with Paula, Duarte, and Stoyan. Though some outcomes were fairly predictable, I always appreciate the loyalty Marillier's characters show one another. Even in the face of extreme doubt and fear. The good, the bad, the gray in between characters are each depicted with their individual virtues and vices and forced to move outside their accustomed circles. No one is perfect and everyone has their less-than-admirable moments as well as their moments when they prove themselves more than they seem. In short, they are all so human. And that's what brings me back to her books over and over again.

I just finished reading this amazing book and I have chills on my arms, it is so good. Run and buy this book for you are a woman of any age- Mom or daughter you will love it.

The cast of characters- Paula, Duarte and Stoyan are amazing. I had not previously read Wildwood Dancing, but I had no trouble getting immersed in this story.

Action, adventure, fantasy and most of all a wonderful romance, this book has it all. Paula grows and mature through the course of the story and she has to choose between two very different men. The dashing, erudite and handsome pirate, and the scarred, illiterate farmboy/bodyguard.

OMG, this book defines romance- the growing together of two people through love and trust and of course physical attraction. Straight romance novels focus so much on the physical aspect that true love gets lost by the wayside. This book was so romantic and tender, and set in a wonderfully exotic location of Istanbul.

Please buy it, I promise you won't regret it, even if you are way beyond the YA age group, as I am! I hope we get more books set in this world by this wonderful author.

I liked Cybele's Secret more than Wildwood Dancing; the latter was enjoyable but not earth-shaking like Juliet Marillier can be. This one definitely falls into the earth-shaking category for me--one of those kinds of books during which you're torn between skimming because you can't wait to see what happens, and stopping to savor every beautifully written phrase.

I think one of the differences for me between the two books is that this one has a much stronger romantic element to it, and the love interest is SO SEXY!!! The heroine here, Paula, is just as likable as Jena was in Wildwood Dancing, but if I recall correctly Jena's love interest was a frog for most of the book. In Cybele's Secret, there's two highly attractive men and one of them is Stoyan, who is so manly and chivalrous that I was totally in love with him one-third of the way through the novel.

Juliet Marillier is one of the best authors I've ever read for combining really good writing--lyrical, beautiful, never trite--with AMAZING story. Because Cybele's Secret is written for a young adult audience and not an adult one like most of her others, it doesn't have as complex a storyline and the characters have less time to agonize before reaching their maturity...which leaves a little less scope to create her usual magic, in my opinion. But Cybele's Secret is such a gem--it managed to create all the emotions and identification that her longer works have done for me, all in a compact 400+ pages.

Hoping very much for a third book in the series...although I'll be satisfied with whatever Marillier comes up with next, so long as it's soon!

Six years have gone by since Paula and sisters Jena, Julia and Stela visited the Other Kingdom and said goodbye to their eldest sibling Tatiana, who chose to stay behind with her sweetheart Sorrow. Although the family of Piscul Dracului has gone through many changes, each of the sisters still hopes to be reunited with their beloved Tati and experience the wondrous realm once again someday.

When Paula joins her father on a voyage from Transylvania to Istanbul, Turkey, the 17-year-old scholar wants to experience a memorable adventure. However, work must come first, as Paula is her father's assistant during an important trading expedition.

The father-daughter duo is anxious to find out more about a highly sought-after artifact. Paula's father, Theodor, would like to buy a mysterious relic for an elderly scholar. Called Cybele's Gift, it is said to contain the wisdom of an ancient pagan earth goddess. According to legend, the relic will bring good fortune to those worthy of keeping it.

Paula and Theodor have barely arrived in Istanbul when they learn that a trading colleague has been murdered. To make matters more complicated, Paula begins seeing visions of a woman who may be Tati. As her father conducts trade meetings and waits for the secret deal, Paula seeks more information about Cybele's Gift.

Prior to their arrival, Paula had agreed with her father that since she is a young woman acting as a trader's assistant, she must have a bodyguard while staying in the Islamic-ruled city. While interviewing candidates, Paula meets Stoyan, who, ironically, was the bodyguard of the murdered trader. Despite his intimidating appearance and their initial misgivings, the father and daughter agree to hire the solemn Bulgarian. Unfortunately for the young assistant, getting the chance to explore the ancient city proves to be more difficult, especially when she catches the eye of a charismatic Portuguese trader named Duarte de Costa Aguiar --- rumored to be involved in piracy.

Meanwhile, Paula meets a beautiful Greek woman named Irene de Volos. A merchant's wife, Irene's home includes a library that is a haven for female scholars. As rumors swirl and danger brews, Paula uncovers startling clues that lead her on an unbelievable quest of discovery involving a dark history, love and secrets of the Other Kingdom.

Told through the perspective of Paula (the bookish sister), CYBELE'S SECRET is the highly anticipated companion to WILDWOOD DANCING. Thrilling and emotional, this romantic adventure will leave readers hoping for more stories featuring the family of Piscul Dracului.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle

I liked reading this book. I am an adult reader rather than a young adult reader, but it works for adults as well. I would describe this novel as fantasy-romance-adventure set in a historical backdrop.

Paula, the lead character behaves like a young lady of her age, albeit very well educated and from a trading family where the women of the house worked in the family business. A good many stories of this genre concentrate on ladies from very wealthy households, setting this one apart. The heroine works and has business aspirations.

It was predictable and yet un-predictable in terms of the romance aspect of the story. The fantasy was original and the adventure part of it was good. The story moves. It is not action packed but it really moves, like an intellectual thriller. Paula could be described as nerdy, she's certainly very academic, but this is something I liked about the character. Why shouldn't smart, semi-nerdy girls have romantic adventures in exotic far-away places?

The cover art on this book is exquisitely beautiful and really suits the story. It is also an extremely good reflection of the contents of the book. I would read a chapter and then match the figure on the cover to what I just read.

Cybele's Secret can be read as a stand-alone book. It is not a sequel to Wildwood Dancing. There are a few passages in the book that give you the background to the events in Wildwood Dancing and how it ties in with the story in Cybele's Secret, but you do not need to read the earlier book to gain an understanding of the characters or plot of Cybele's Secret. This is a new story, but with some of the same characters in it.

The one small negative I would comment on would be the contrived romance scene when Paula was on the "name of ship" in rough seas.

The villain of the story was also kind of obvious. This did not detract from the story for me but some readers might have a lot to say about this.

I was not impressed with Cybele's Secret. I couldn't actually read it through cover to cover (it was that uninspiring) so I read most of it, then skipped to the last two chapters. Honestly, for what it's worth, I LOVE Juliet Marillier. However, this book does not in any way give a clear indication of the true depth and richness of her talents as an author. I didn't like the way Paula turned out, even though I liked her character well enough in Wildwood Dancing- which was FANTASTIC by the way. It was my first introduction to this author, and it was the reason I started to read her other work in the first place. Thus, I was doubly disappointed by this particular story. The characters are glaringly obvious in all their actions, the plot is strange and convoluted, with a distinct departure in style from her previous works. The only parts of the story that I enjoyed were the parts that referenced Wildwood Dancing- with one exception. It might be a bit of a "SPOILER" so be warned: I did not like Tati's involvement in the story. That said, I enjoyed seeing the other sisters married and growing up, and would have loved a little more detail on their lives after the events of the first book.

I suppose Cybele's Secret fell short because it was just so cut and dry- a bit like the Harry Potter Epilogue. Everything seemed to just be exactly as one might expect having read the previous book. And Paula is unfortunately snotty, obnoxious at times, and wholly annoying as a character throughout. If I hear one more word about a "woman's intelligence" or "what women should/shouldn't do" I really will scream.

4.5 stars

This was my first time to read Cybele's Secret, although it had been waiting for me to pick it up entirely too long. It's the companion book to Wildwood Dancing. They were VERY different, in my opinion. While Wildwood Dancing was classic fairy tale, Cybele's Secret is very adventurous. It's maybe a little like a female Indiana Jones with a tiny bit of fairy tale world added in. There's a great deal more romance than Wildwood Dancing, since most of the story somewhat revolves around a love triangle. It's also a little on the darker side, and maybe a little more mature in content. It's still perfectly clean, though, so there's really no worries in that area.

Cybele's Secret is about Paula, the 4th sister from Wildwood. You do get to see a touch of the other sisters, but not much at all. If you're only reading this book to catch up with everyone, you will probably be disappointed. I can't say I liked it as much as Wildwood, but I DO like it. It was just different than I expected. There's a slight mystery surrounding the story, so it definitely kept me turning the pages.

In my review of Wildwood Dancing, I mentioned there was some Jane Austen in the story. It was pretty obvious throughout that story. In Cybele's Secret, I laughed the moment I realized that Juliet had managed to sneak in another Jane Austen story. I thought it added a cute touch!

I really do hope there's another book. It's very easily left to have another one written, but I don't know if that will happen. I was actually left with even less closer than at the end of Wildwood. I'm very glad I finally read it, though!

I won't go into all the detail since so many other reviews do it so well. I loved this book. I enjoyed Wildwood, but Cybele's Secret really grabbed me. It is set in history more and we get to learn a little about Istanbul. I was able to relate to the characters better and the tension between the characters moved it along.

It was a slow start for me, around chapter 4 I was hooked and couldn't put it down. So if you are stumbling a little, keep at it and you will be rewarded with a decent story.

Loved this story. It has a mystery, mysticism, adventure and romance. I've listened to it on audio twice, I liked it that much. A fun and engaging "listen" and read.