Customer Reviews

Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Brierley Mcfell is a witch, descended from the all-but extinct shari'a and still living under the absolute prohibition of all witches. Yet, her healing gift is a calling that Brierley cannot deny no matter how much danger it puts her in. When the pregnant wife of the local Earl, Melfallan Courtray lies dying in an assassination attempt, Brierley brings her powers to bear, healing the woman and exposing her fatal secret to the world.

Melfallan would just as soon reward Brierley as punish her, but he is only an Earl and the Duke has other plans--plans that include using protecting a witch to overthrow Melfallan and replacing him with someone more compliant. It would suit the Duke just fine if Brierley confesses, then conveniently vanishes, leaving Melfallan completely exposed and without the venu of a trial to attempt to bring down the Duke. Somehow Melfallan has to protect herself and also the unique successor she finds in the Duke's capital--a shari'a witch almost overwhelmed by her secret.

Author Diana Marcellas's world-building skills are everywhere evident in MOTHER OCEAN, DAUGHTER SEA. The genocidal history of the peoples who populate her world, the powers of the witches, and the strange technical/magical beings who supplement the purely magical powers of the witches, make for interesting reading and set the stage for more books in this series. At times, Marcellas's narrative becomes lost in retrospectives about the history of her land.

Perhaps it is this reviewer's flaw rather than that of the novel, but I found the romantic development between the Brierley and the married Melfallan to be disturbing, especially as neither seemed much concerned about the impact that their relationship would have on Melfallan's wife. I would also have enjoyed the book more if Brierley had succeeded more through her own actions rather than through luck or through the efforts of others.

This is a great book with an interesting story and a wonderful romance. However the series ends after the 3rd book and the concluding 4th title may never be pulblished.

definitely a new twist on the idea of all powerful witches and wizards; the plot is well done and the ideas are fresh. i would recommend it to anyone who reads fantasy, especially those interested in strong women protagonists. i absolutely loved this book and i can't wait for the second one to come out!

Witchcraft has been outlawed for generations in this feudal land, but what happens when a witch reveals herself in theprocess of healing a noble? This book examines issues of prejudice on both sides of an ancient conflict, as the characters try to understand the good and evil in themselves. I look forward to seeing how the characters develop in the remaining books of the trilogy.

A fabulous fantasy that understand that life is not always a matter of good guys and bad guys but of the merging and conflict of individual lives. The best story teller to come along since Ursula Le Guin.

If you like fantasy with on the edge of your seat plots then you'll love Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea. I chanced upon this gem in a used book store and immediatly fell in love with it. It's and intriguing tale of a young girl with the power to heal and must keep it secret from all less she suffer the penalty of death by being discovered as a sharia witch. When she makes the discion to heal a young earls wife right in front of him she finds herself on a fantastical adventure of surviving a menacing duke and discovering herself and her ancestors of long ago. Mother Ocea, daughter Sea is a a book you wont be able to put down. I would know...i've read it twice thru all ready!

I ran across this book in my local book store and picked it up out of curiosity. It's emotionally written with wonderful descriptions and character buildings. Brierley is obviously a curious intelligent healer and the author does a wonderful job of making her a complicated and deeper character. The author does mander some into the history of her lands but over all the book is wonderfully written and I definitely can't wait for the next book to come out.

The thing is this book was awfully boring. It's about a witch who heals people; when she's not healing people she's thinking about being a witch and healing people. Seriously, that's it. That's all there is to it. The fact that she's a witch that can heal is supposed to be like, some huge secret, as she faces getting burned at the stake, but apparently the instant something's in need of healing she forgets that--I swear, she'll heal anything in sight!

The so-called "romance" between this chick and this married a-hole nobleman seemed pretty nonexistent and not really worth mentioning. To be fair it wasn't like it was horribly written or anything--it's just, I think I'd actually rather read those stupid Witches of Eileanan books.... I mean, I only paid 50 cents for this, yet I still felt cheated.

I have to admit it was a good read and I have little to complain about except this: the too frequent characterization. Similar to Elizabeth Haydon's Rhapsody series, this book (and its successor) has a large portion of its pages being just characterization. Characters drive a story yes, but it becomes tedious and really slows the story down. But if you like that kind of thing then I really can recommend no better.

On the planet Yarvanett, Brierly Mefell is fully aware of the heritage of her people the Shari'a. The Allemanii massacred most of the Shari'a fearing the powers of the witches. Any individual who shows the gift of witchcraft is put too death. The few survivors were scattered. Brierly lives in a cave because she has the outlawed feared power.

In spite of knowing the danger of discovery, Brierly provides healing services to the very people who committed genocide against her race and would kill her if they knew. However, a calling forces Brierly to surface in order to save the life of an Allemanii noblewoman. Brierly knows she can no longer hide amidst her enemies. Ready to escape Brierly hesitates because she has found another Shari'a witch. Brierly believes she needs to protect this sister at even the cost of her own life.

MOTHER OCEAN, DAUGHTER SEA is an exciting opening fantasy that readers will find delightful because the key players seem real. The story line is loaded with the fears of the Allemanii towards the mostly dead witches of Shari'a and that haunts most actions. The key to that tale is that palatable phobia and that Brierly and her powers feel genuine. Diana Marcellas has opened up with a strong novel that will mesmerize the audience who will want the next two books released immediately.

Harriet Klausner