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Solstice At Stonewylde (2011)

by Kit Berry(Favorite Author)

4.23 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Gollancz

series

Stonewylde

review 1: How can any book get better than the last!? But this one did! So after poisoning Yul, more starvation and burning him with a lit cigarette, Magus decides hey why not just kill the kid. I mean a 15year old is the greatest threat there is to a man in his what...30's!Okay so I am getting ahead of myself a bit. Besides this story being really emotional, with a lot more lows than highs, I was also very frustrated. So as it turns out there is a reason for the hatred that Magus feels toward a boy that has done nothing wrong, accept be a growing child, and why he feels that Yul just looking at him is defiance it self. Yul is Magus' son (I kinda had an idea that this might be the case), and at Yul's birth it was prophosized that Yul would bring about the downfall of his father. So ... moreMagus thought that if he could deny his parentage he would possibly be able to prevent the "curse" from happening (dumbest thing i ever heard of course it wouldn't stop it). To protect Yul from Magus' retribution, the minute the prophecy is spoken, mother Heggy places a binding curse on Magus, that should he kill the child either by his own hand or by promoting his death in anyway he will also die. This is the only reason Yul is still alive but this spell of protection only last until Yul's 16th birthday, when he will become a man and must face his father.This explains why while Yul's stepfather beat him badly Magus never intervened because he was hoping that it would result in his death then he would be rid of him. When even the poisoning doesn't work. On the night of Samhien, where the angel of death is supposed to make his rounds during the festival, they drug Yul so that he cannot move and appears as if he is on the verge of death, Magus leaves him out in the cold with the others that are near death so that he will basically freeze to death. Only by Sylvie's help by alerting his mother and sister that earlier in the day Magus told her Yul was fine and would be taking part in the ceremony that night (because he knows Sylvie has no idea what the ceremony is about and he know that she will stop asking for Yul)that his mother become aware of where her son his. To be able to keep Yul from being saved, Magus as to admit to his parentage as only a family member can agree to have a dying relative participate in the death ritual. Once again Mother Heggy ensures Yul's survival, even though he is drugged even more to prevent him from moving, through force of will Yul is able to save himself. Magus's plan back fires and as a result the Villagers begin to turn against him and support Yul.The following full moon Yul is able to prevent Magus from steeling Sylvie's magick and live force (because not only is he draining her power but her life as well),even though Sylvie has once again been hypnotized, unfortunately he has to use force to restrain her and end up hurting her. Magus goes completely of his rocker, emotionally abusing Miranda, and he forces not only the villager girls to stand on the snake stone but the Hallfolk girls as well. Three plus points come out of this. 1) The villagers turn against him even more2)Miranda finally opens her eyes and sees him for what he is3)Some of the Hallfolk also begin to turn against him Also he inadvertently causes the evil Jackdaw's death. (YIppeeee! and another one bites the dust. Literally)Up to this point, Magus had not only turned Sylvie's mother against her by playing on her need to be loved and her love for him (how can a mother choose a man over her own child!?)But her teachers as well, by using his charisma and playing and the respect they have for him. Even the Doctor who had sent Sylvie to Stonewylde is turned against her, he uses her desire for him and sex to convince her that Sylvie is simply putting on for attention seeking reasons.By this time I was so thoroughly disgusted with everyone I wanted to find a magical way of transporting myself into the book just so that I could punch these people. I mean how is it no one could see through his conniving ways!Give Magus his due through, not only is he not a man to give up but he also finds new ways of being totally, sickeningly sneaky!!When he doesn't get Sylvie's moon magick he plays up weakness and illness. And frustratingly enough, Sylvie is suckered in by his niceness and the fact that he begins to spoil her with cloths and jewelry and turns into the girls she does not like. But what she doesn't realise that while he is pampering her, he is also drugging her and underfeeding her so that she stays weak.She even stops thinking about Yul the more she is spoilt and gets what she wants. Another plus from this is, quite a number of people that were fooled by him begin to see that Sylvie was never lying and that Magus is the perfect manipulator. Even the girls that once tortured Sylvie because of Magus no longer do so and begin to pity her for Magus' interest.And when Magus once again begins to reveal his dark side to Sylvie and she is no longer under is "spell" she begins to realise that Magus does not see her has a child but as an object to be possessed.What had me jumping up and down was when Magus to keep Sylvie and Yul apart pretends that Sylvie is his daughter as well. Down playing the fact that Miranda was raped in the process. But is brother Clip and Miranda shoot him down. Miranda insists that she was forced, which not only destroys Magus' reputation as the Casanova who has women falling over themselves but also the fact that Miranda was only 15 which goes against everything that Magus says he believes in. And Clip destroys his story by admitting that he did force Miranda but didn't realise what he was doing until he saw her crying. Neither did he realise that it was her until he saw Magus make her cry. So as it turns out not only is she Clips daughter but also the heir to Stonewylde!After Magus' plan B is shot down, he decides that he'll have Sylvie as a woman. which completely grossed me out! He is in is 30's (I think) and she's a child of 15!!I loved the way these books where set out, because although you know that good just has to win out in the end. Berry puts her characters through all the hardships you can imagine. It helps to remind you that they aren't adults but children and that they her in the process of growing up. But they also learn things that most adults never do. Beautifully written! and Finally I get my wish of Die Mugus DIE!!!
review 2: With "Solstice", book three in the Stonewylde series author Kit Berry continues to go from strength to strength. This is a much darker book than the previous two. Both the main characters, Yul and Sylvie, start the book in a dark place and as the tensions build toward the prophesied endgame at the Winter Solstice things do not get better for them. The character of Magus is a scarily bad man, sometimes "villains" in literature can be a bit too cardboard and pantomime like but he is believable in his nastiness. The book was gripping and well written - this really does deserve to be the Next Big Thing. One final thing - there was one scene, towards the very end of this book (can't go into details, sorry - spoilers!) that was possibly the most beautifully written and moving piece of work it has ever been my good fortune to read. Looking forward to book 4 in August to see where Ms. Berry takes the series. less

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