From Publishers Weekly
Full of rich prose (as well as R-rated dialogue), this sequel to the critically acclaimed
The Summer Country (2002) confirms that Hetley has created that rarest of gems: a Celtic fantasy worth reading. There's nothing fluffy about this fairy tale—which is appropriate, since the original Celtic legends it's based on were just as bloody and cynical. Hetley skillfully weaves in threads of exposition in a plot that at first focuses on the recovery of the witch-sisters Jo and Maureen from their battles against the Old Ones. Jo leaves the land of the Summer Country and returns to the world of men, where she confronts her abusive father, while her lover, David, attempts to put their experiences to music, pay the bills and fend off curious police. Maureen's partner, Brian (aka Arthur Pendragon), tries to pull her out of bitter alcoholism as he explores the castle they conquered and she befriends the local forest. After a storm of double-crosses and revelations clears away, the sunny conclusion full of love-conquers-all sentimentality is somewhat cloying, but the happy ending doesn't come free: these good guys put up a tough fight and deserve to win. Fans of "realistic fantasy" authors like Charles de Lint and George R.R. Martin will particularly enjoy sinking their teeth into this gritty and entertaining story.
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The gritty young heroines of Hetley's
The Summer Country (2002) are back. Street-savvy sisters Maureen and Jo Pierce share an unusual heritage, for the Old Blood, which confers magical and healing powers, courses in them. Maureen has claimed her birthright of magical power and struggles to let herself be loved by her knight in shining armor, Brian Albion. Jo remains in the human world, battling her own demons and trying to accept her compelling desire-- and capability--to heal and protect the world's weak and vulnerable creatures. Moreover, things have taken a nasty turn, for the dark witch Fiona, whom the sisters thought they had destroyed, is back, with the powerful dragon she has tricked into helping her, to exact revenge. The heat is on; can the sisters defeat their inner dragons in time to focus on the real dragon and the witch behind it before it is too late? Hetley's seamless blending of "real" and mythical realities is pure magic, every bit as enchanting here as in
The Summer Country.
Paula LuedtkeCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
