DREAMER'S POOL is book one in the new Blackthorn and Grim series by fantasy powerhouse Juliet Marillier. I have been a longtime Marillier fangirl, and this novel does not disappoint. It's a very character-driven work, and Marillier's writing is quietly incisive, and I was sucked quickly into the mystical world of ancient Ireland.
Magical healer Blackthorn was falsely imprisoned for bearing witness against a wicked ruler, Malthuin, who was raping young women in his kingdom. When Blackthorn outs him for his misdeeds, he has Blackthorn's family killed in retaliation. Slated for a covert execution before she could speak out against Malthuin at her one year hearing, Blackthorn is rescued by Conmael, a fae who offers her a hard bargain. She will be freed, if she agrees to defer her vengeance against Malthuin and travel to Winterfalls in Dalriada to live in a forest for seven years. There, she must help any who ask for her assistance. Yikes.
Blackthorn is accompanied by another prison escapee, Grim. Grim has appointed himself as Blackthorn's protector, both while they were incarcerated and then as they escape to freedom. Poor hulking Grim has his own demons, and strongly doubts his self worth. Grim is a very poignant character, and instantly drew my sympathy with his noble suffering. We do not learn all of Grim's secrets in this book, and I can't wait to learn more about his past in the coming novels.
Deeply scarred by her experiences, Blackthorn just wants to be left alone to brood on her misfortune. But her bargain with the fae means that she must assist Prince Oran of Dalriada when he seeks her wisdom. Oran becomes convinced that something is wrong with his formerly gentle affianced, Lady Flidais, who has traveled far from another kingdom to marry him. Her dear companion, her little dog Bramble, no longer tolerates her company. Oran finds the Lady Flidais bewilderingly cruel and uncaring, not at all like their intimate correspondence before she journeyed to his realm. Blackthorn and Grim must infiltrate life at Prince Oran's castle to discover the magical cause for this change. Lady Flidais made an excellent focus for my ire, I got so wrapped up in the story, and I yelled at the book in my hands a few times.
There are two intertwined mysteries, as well as the slowly revealed stories of Blackthorn and Grim. This is a slow, luxurious read, with lyrically beautiful prose and a sorrowful tale. There are three points of view, all told in the first person. Marillier's DREAMER'S POOL is a tall, deep draught of mystical Irish brew that will fill your mouth with its satisfying magical flavor and leave you thirsting for the next to come.
In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she’ll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help. Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady Flidais. He knows her only from a portrait and sweetly poetic correspondence that have convinced him Flidais is his destined true love. But Oran discovers letters can lie. For although his intended exactly resembles her portrait, her brutality upon arrival proves she is nothing like the sensitive woman of the letters. With the strategic marriage imminent, Oran sees no way out of his dilemma. Word has spread that Blackthorn possesses a remarkable gift for solving knotty problems, so the prince asks her for help. To save Oran from his treacherous nuptials, Blackthorn and Grim will need all their resources: courage, ingenuity, leaps of deduction, and more than a little magic.
No excerpt available.
© 2003-2026