Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

This week I’m reading the latest book by one of my favourite authors, Juliet Marillier.

Shadowfell  is a story about Neryn, a 15 year old girl who has special gifts that the evil king wants to harness for his own benefits.  Neryn is trying to reach Shadowfell, a sanctuary for rebels and people with canny gifts. However, to get there, she must travel far across the land with the help of Flint, a mysterious stranger

This book, like Juliet’s other books does not disappoint. Her characters are beautifully rounded and easily likeable, in particular Neryn. It’s hard finding heroines who are strong but haven’t completely lost their femininity in YA books, but Neryn is a perfect combination of both.

Juliet has kindly agreed to answer a few questions about her book.


I know your first YA book, Wildwood Dancing was inspired by the 12 dancing princesses. What was the inspiration for this novel?

Not a fairy tale this time! The concept of rebels fighting a very uneven battle against a tyrannical ruler probably came from the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ that was happening in various countries around the time I started writing Shadowfell, so it very definitely comes from real life events, though the setting is imaginary history. The Scottish aspect of the setting comes from my upbringing in Dunedin, the ‘Edinburgh of the South’, which means I love all things Scots, and can write the dialect without even thinking about it. Who would have thought that would come in useful?

When you’re writing a series, how much of the storyline do you know in advance?

All of the first book (but with lots of flexibility because the story changes quite a bit while I’m writing) and the general outline of each other book in the series, so I know in advance both the ‘one book story’ and the overarching ‘three book story.’ Mind you, the longest series I’ve written is three books.

How hard is it to find the balance between strong and feminine when you’re writing heroines? And in your opinion, what makes a good female lead?

Every writer does this differently. I’m aware of what is plausible for whatever period and culture my story is set in – or in the case of Shadowfell, the implied period – and I try to make the heroine’s attitudes and choices reasonably true to that, though my young women do have a tendency to be more proactive and outspoken than the average female of their time! I think we’ve had a backlash against the sweet and passive heroines of some early fantasy, and there’s been a flood of kick-ass, physically fearless female protagonists in recent years. Shadowfell is the first series in which I’ve introduced one of those action woman characters, though she is not the heroine. I found Tali interesting to create and she gets a much bigger role in the sequel, Raven Flight. I do like also to show how a woman can be strong and feminine at the same time. As a reader, I like a female lead I can identify with or at least empathise with. I like a character who isn’t too perfect, so she has room to grow within the story. One of my all-time favourites is Jo March from Little Women.

What tricks do you use to visualize where and what you’re writing about? For example, do you listen to a particular type of music when you’re writing?

Music is a big inspiration though I don’t listen while I’m actually writing – I find it distracting especially if it’s something with lyrics. When I listen to certain favourite groups, eg Scottish folk/rock band Runrig, I can instantly see the landscapes I need for the Shadowfell series. I’ve travelled quite extensively in the Scottish highlands and I have lots of photos, so looking at those is another useful reminder.

***

A big thanks to Juliet for taking the time to do this interview. Shadowfell is available at amazon.

Feisty chick-o-meter: 9/10

Age rating: 13 or 14+

Rating: 10/10

Stand alone or series: Series (Yay!)