Aontacht - Volume 7 Issue 3

a vision that sends her to a secret Druidlearning center hidden in plain sight underthe guise of an ordinary village. Here shelearns to become a part of a ritualcommunity as well as completing hertraining as a healer. She also learns thetruth about her parents and their tragic lovestory.In a final dramatic confrontation betweenthe old and new religions Aislinn is reunitedwith her lover, imprisoned by the vindictiveChristaidi leadership of her former homeand ultimately saved by her new Druidcommunity. Using their ancient knowledgeof planetary movements, claiming it asdivine intervention, the leader of theDruidic community takes advantage of afortuitous solar eclipse and the Christaidiare temporarily cowed allowing Aislinnand her companions to escape withoutanyone on either side coming to harm.Although though this novel is identifiedas the third of a trilogy it easily stands onits own. The characters are lively andvibrant despite being uncomplicated andone dimensional. Sprinkled throughoutthe pages are bits of herbal lore and Celticritual prayers. I found certain elements ofthe book very hard to accept, such assending a newly married fourteen year oldgirl off to a new and strange home withoutany kind of retinue, not even a singlepersonal companion. The trope of herbeing a redhead and sending her to the FireTemple as well as making her a rebelliousspirit seemed a trifle overdone, especiallyAontacht • 40