The writing is simply gorgeous and evocative. It’s just a magical explosion of gripping story told almost like an adult fairytale. To be honest I don’t really want to go into the plot. The two will find themselves travelling to the land of Dalriada where their services will soon become in great demand. Followed closely by a giant of a man, and former prisoner called Grim. If the terms are breached, a year will be added for every time the pact is broken.Īnd so Blackthorn escapes into the night. The terms between Conmael and Blackthorn will remain intact for seven years. And so a pact is made, of course, a pact with a member of the fae is not to be taken lightly. In return he will save her life and see to her escape. At the same time, she receives a visitor, Conmael, a member of the fae who has an unusual proposition in which Blackthorn will give up her desire for revenge, will live a life of good far away from this place and provide help to all those who ask. The story gets off to an immediate start as Blackthorn finds out that she is to be murdered rather than given the opportunity to air her tale. She has been incarcerated in a miserable, filthy prison for too long, the only thing sustaining her the dreams she has of bringing down revenge on the head of the man who destroyed her life. Blackthorn, as she will become known, is a wise woman and healer. In a nutshell (a little acorn maybe) the story is about a woman, wrongfully imprisoned who accepts help from the most unexpected source. It was great, it was enchanting, it put a spell on me which I couldn’t break until I’d completely finished reading – literally in virtually one day! That should probably give a slight hint as to my feelings for this story. I’m not going to beg – okay, I will, please, please, please read this book. Look, far be it from me to tell you to read a book – but just read this book, pretty please.

Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier