Juliet Marillier’s first entry in the ‘Heartwood Duology’ follows Stasya, who lives with her shapeshifting dog Flip in a land inspired by the Baltic Region. Suddenly, soldiers storm their village and start forcing the people to cut down the sacred Heartwood Forest. They kill or imprison anyone who resists and take Stasya to the Dragon’s Keep fortress to meet the Ruler, Elisabeta. The story switches between different viewpoints with my favourite narrative voice being Elisabeta’s advisor, Aleksis, who’s trying to subtly moderate the Ruler’s harsh treatment of Stasya and the Heartwood.
Marillier’s storytelling ability shines in this novel; especially through the power of stories. Stasya is a famed wordsmith in the village, and the narrative takes time to show her distracting a friend in pain, inspiring hope among her travelling party, or making her grief heard through a story. In fact, my favourite aspect of the text was the way Stasya refuses to give Elisabeta’s version of a straight answer – she tells tales to get her point across and it’s Elisabeta’s own fault for choosing not to listen.
The destruction of Heartwood and the hunt for amber is an excellent environmental parable for climate change, authoritarianism, and the power to tear communities apart. The author’s respect for the natural world shines through on every page. I found the second half of The Amber Owl a bit meandering compared to the conflict-packed first half. But I still absolutely loved this hope-filled story of resilience, and I can’t wait for the second book coming out this month.
Reviewed by Rachel Denham-White
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet is the author of twenty historical fantasy novels for adults and young adults, as well as a book of short fiction. Juliet’s novels and short stories have won many awards.
Juliet lives in a 110-year-old cottage in a riverside suburb of Perth, Western Australia. When not writing, she is active in animal rescue and has her own small pack of needy dogs. She also has four adult children and seven grandchildren. Juliet is a member of the druid order OBOD (the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.)
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