Friday, November 14, 2008

Disappointing Sequel

I just finished Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier, a kind-of sequel to Wildwood Dancing. Whereas I quite enjoyed Wildwood with its creative take on two classic fairy tales and exciting conclusion, I think Cybele is slow, random, and disjointed. It is a character and fantasy plot device potpourri--not in a good way--and I found the romantic scenes cringeworthy. One of the concepts of the book that is especially pointless and irritating is protagonist Paula's confidence that the magical denizens of The Other Kingdom are setting all the characters on a quest "for the greater good" and "to learn a lesson." Somehow it was easier to overlook this tiresome message in Wildwood. Cybele was diverting enough to complete, and that's about all I have to say about it.

1 comment:

Jackamo said...

Once in a very blue moon, Watoosa and I disagree. While I didn't find Cybele's Secret on par with Wildwood Dancing, I still found it to be an enjoyable read. It was quick paced, and had enough excitement to keep me interested until the end. Wildwood Dancing and Daughter of the Forest are much better efforts on the author's part though. They both play to Marillier's strenght of retelling favorite fairytales.