Review: Great adventure in Ireland
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 6, 2012
In modern Ireland, Cormac is a druid. He investigates and solves paranormal problems, fulfilling a role that is still respected in his community. His last important relationship with the mysterious Michael ended abruptly, leaving a void in his life that he's never been able to fill.Sean is of mixed Irish and Cuban heritage. His grandfather gave him a hexed stone during a family reunion. From that moment on Sean has been dreaming (and living) the horrendous death of a young a man. He lives on drugs to be able to quench the effects of the dreams, and they're getting worse. His only hope seems to fly to Ireland and meet Cormac Kelly.The first meeting doesn't go well. At the beginning Cormac believes that Sean is one of those Americans looking for a mythical but shallow taste for Ireland. When Sean shows Cormac the stone, the man accuses him of a sort of theft and offends him. Sean storms out of Cormac's house and walks to a mound, following a battered travel guide, looking for some answer. When he uses the stone to look at the mound, he enters a different dimension, where an ancient sidhe king tries to seduce him. Cormac saves him, finally recognizing that Sean has a real problem and willing to help him. The two men begin a sort of journey which brings them back and forth in time and space in order to unravel the mystery of Sean's stone and the man of Sean's dreams.I think this is the first 20% of the book. I'm not telling more about the plot because you really have to discover all the twists by yourself.This was for me a very satisfying read. I really like Ireland, so I was enthralled by the setting. Sean is travelling there for the first time and I could really relate to him when he observed how green Ireland was, when he felt the pull of magic in the places he visited. I know it sounds a bit clichéd, but to newcomers with a disposition to being swept away, Ireland will conquer you. I liked very much Cormac's public figure, his family heritage, the concept that the walls between our world and the other world are sometimes incredibly thin, that layers upon layers of civilization can't erase the basic and original strength of a place.There's a lot of plot in this book. I couldn't help thinking that this could be a great TV series, because - especially from the first third of the book on - every chapter ended with a sort of cliffhanger that made it difficult to put the book down, so I renounced (happily) a few hours of sleep to read forward, because I didn't want to leave the guys in a lurch.And this brings me to the characters, that I loved. I think there are two kinds of generosity. Some people are generous because they're ready to risk their lives for something they believe is just, to spare the life of innocent, even if it's something that could turn against them, that could ruin their chance to happiness. Sean is like this. Fragile, alone, but brave. He doesn't have deep roots to keep him grounded: a difficult relationship with his Irish father; the mourning for his Cuban mother, who died when he was only ten; the successful struggle against heroin addiction, which left him with a lot of unresolved issues. He is suspended between two worlds because of his mixed heritage and because these dreams are making him tread between our world and that of magic. Cormac, on the other hand, is generous because he puts his life in danger in the line of duty, so to speak, but he's particularly generous, in my opinion, when he takes a step back from Sean, to let him make up his mind, to express what he truly needs and feels, with the risk of letting Sean slip away from him.The relationship between the two men is also complicated because it's the first time Sean is really attracted to a man. Both Cormac and Sean doubt they are right for each other, but as the story goes on, as they face danger, violence and death, they slowly realize the other man is the one they can surrender all their trouble to. They keep coming back for each other time and again, and every time they get closer, they trust their life into the hands of the other man. They always find each other, they're each other's anchor and beacon. It was emotional and heartbreaking and it was wonderfully portrayed in their intimacy. So: great romance on top of everything else.The secondary characters were also interesting, especially Aoibheann, the young woman who travels between worlds with Cormac and Sean and is instrumental in their journey; the king Finnbheara, with his fickle temperament; Cormac's family, all carrying a bit of magic with them.My only remark: I wish the authors had used the British spelling.If you like plots with twists and turns, a sizzling romance which defeats all adversity, Ireland in all forms (place, mythology, guys), this is the book for you.P.S. The beginning is pretty violent. Don't let this scare you. The authors don't shy away from the harsh reality of certain times.Galley received via Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher.