The Witches of Eileanan

By: Kate Forsyth

Narrated by: Elle Newlands

‘Twas a time when dragons left their lair and evil shadowed the land....

On the Day of Reckoning, the witches of Eileanan were outlawed - and violations of the new order were punishable by death. Eileanan’s Great Towers, once meccas of magic and learning, were left in ruins. And now, the entire land trembles in fear.

Yet deep in the mountains, in the shadow of Dragonclaw, a young girl is being tutored in the old ways. Ignorant of her past, uncertain of her future, the foundling Isabeau will soon be forced down a dangerous path of prophecy, conspiracy, and magic. It is a world where dragons possess the key to ancient mysteries, where a lost prince will discover a strange and wondrous destiny, and where the ultimate battle between good and evil will be waged.

A new Day of Reckoning is at hand....

©1998, 2019 Kate Forsyth (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

Enchanting Story

Loved the Story and the narrator did an excellent job of bringing the varied characters to individual life. looking forward to the next in series.

I don’t care enough about what happens next to even look for the next book.

I rarely write a review, and when I do, it’s usually because I loved the book so much that I want others to know about it. I hesitate to write bad reviews because I have a great deal of respect for writers and all they put in to producing a book. Unfortunately, this one left me so completely disappointed that I feel the need to warn others.

I usually love this kind of story, and the outline is interesting enough that it ought to have captured my attention. I don’t know if it was the way it was read (the accents were lovely, but there wasn’t any emotion) or the way it was written, but it completely failed to draw me in. It felt drawn out and one dimensional.

The characters had all the ingredients necessary for complexity, but they remained in recipe form, waiting for some proper mixing, whipping, folding, and baking. They just didn’t come to life.

For example, there is a scene where a main character is captured and tortured. There are descriptions of cruelty and sadism, and there were guards who talked roughly. There was even an attempt at escape. But it seemed perfunctory. It felt completely out of place and it was gross, but not engaging. It was like watching cartoons as an adult. The villains have all the personality of Skelator or Dr Claw, and the heroes were as engaging as She-Ra and Inspector Gadget.

It was like reading a first draft. Like someone wrote a beautiful outline, and then started fleshing out the story with several details, but all the details were what one might expect to have in each setting. The author and narrator didn’t think deeply enough into each scene to make them real. Details abound, but they are flat.

It’s so disappointing because the bones for a truly enthralling story are all there. The imagination is wonderful! It just doesn’t come to life.

amazing

loved it can't wait for the next one I really love the world and the characters

Wonderful!

The reviews are correct. This is a great listen. The story is beautiful, tangled, intriguing. The reader's voice brings it to life. I've already purchased book 2 and will start listening today. I highly recommend!

Absorbing, entertaining, original

I loved that this genre was set in a different culture - the narrator did an excellent job with the voices and accents. I also appreciated that the war and human nature was not sanitised. It literally is a world inhabited by dragons and dryads, but also people. The fact that Forsyth did not erase rape, torture and casual cruelty from her work is to be acknowledged and commended.