The Cursed Towers

by Kate Forsyth

Reviewed by Ruby

Iseult and Lachlan have become the rulers of the land of Eileanan, only now there is a full out rebellion against them. The remaining Red Coats and some lairds (lords) have flocked to the banner of the Grand-Seeker Renshaw. Also the Bright Soldiers are still marching onwards, dividing their focus and armies. 

Isabeau is not feeling very comfortable at the palace. She is still treated like a servant by many of the people; she is the nursemaid of Maya's daughter; and Lachlan is still mad at her for ...rescuing him? Anyway after Lachlan wants to kill Lesair, Isabeau takes her horse and Maya'a baby and runs away, ending up at the Cursed Towers, where she does as Iseult did. She spends half the years caring for her comatose mother and the other half learning about her father's people.

Maya is also running around being annoying. She has lost much of her magic, but not all of it, and she manages to get her hands on one of Lauchlan's feathers and is going to use it to curse him.

Lilanthe has been sent to gather the forest sprites and the get them to help Lachlan's cause.

I think that's all that happens. In truth I was skimming a lot of this book. Not as much as The Pool of the Two Moons, because this book was slightly better, but still no where near as good as the first one. There's something about the style of writting that I can't like, which is weird because I didn't mind it in the first one. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that even at the end of the third book I still have no idea who some characters are or where some places are in relation to other places.

What really bothered me in this book were the rural villagers. And it kind of goes back through all the books. Okay, so 16 years ago -well more now because at the end of this book I think something like four or five years have passed since the start of the first one. Anyway, 16 years ago there was a ban on witchcraft. I can understand how the large cities turn their back on magic, but the small rural town and villages should be where magic still has a place. It's hard for the Red Coat of Truth to be everywhere, so in the rural area is where they can slip through the cracks. Because it's always in the rural areas where the old ways are being held on to. But in this series it's the opposite. The lairds want the magic back and it's the rural villagers that are scared of it. It's only been 16 years. That's not even a generation and yet they hate all magical creatures. I would have bought it if there had been a separation between the witches and the local people, but there are people everywhere being born with magic, it doesn't make sense for them to turn their backs on them.

Grade: C