Review: A Song of Flight

A Song of Flight by Juliet Marillier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very satisfying conclusion!

WARNING: This review will contain spoilers for the previous two books in the series.

Here we go: A prince has gone missing after an attack from strange masked men and the dreaded Crow Folk, and the Swan Island warriors are tasked to investigate. Liobhan's brother, Galen, is involved, so for her it's personal. However her new relationship with Dau means they're being forced to split up for this one. Meanwhile Brocc, in the Otherworld, seeks a truce with the brutal Crow Folk that not everyone thinks is a good idea.

Honestly, this is such a PG series. It's all music and singing and dancing and frolicking about with people and beings that are just misunderstood. But in spite of all that, the lore really fascinates me. I love the Otherworld with all its strange, adorable creatures. I love the deadly, mysterious Crow Folk. I love the portals and forests and strange legends. There is so much detail and yes, it does slow down the story a tad, but it never feels like you're getting bogged down in it. I am all about action but I still never found it dull - there is just so much richness to the story.

I like that the kids are split up. Not that they're really kids - this is definitely an adult fantasy, with adult themes as opposed to YA insta-love with its magical sparks and stroking each other randomly. This shows the depths of true love quite well in the separation of Dau and Liobhan. Their feelings are profound, but they have jobs to do that come first. I really appreciated that. It was nice to see them playing to their own strengths without needing to depend on one another. Then of course we have Brocc, who is the most wholesome character I've encountered in a long time. Not a single bad bone in this guy's body - even when things are going really terribly for him. It was nice to see him challenged a bit.

The story has a lot of ground to cover but it does this well without seeming too long a tale. The variety of viewpoints helps keep things interesting, and with the constantly changing surroundings there's always something new to experience. The benefit of the author's love for detail is that you get a clear mental picture of these beautiful, magical lands with their dense forests, sparkling lakes and rocky terrain. I'd love to go exploring in a place like this!

This is the last book of the trilogy and it brings everything together really nicely. It wraps everything up neatly, but it still leaves a door to this world open.

All in all, this trilogy ended up winning my heart. This is a brilliant final instalment, and readers should be just as satisfied as I was with the way it all concludes.

With thanks to Macmillan for a copy

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