The Druid is a 2022 fantasy novel by Jeff Wheeler. It was published by 47North and was released in May of 2022. The novel is the first entry in The Dawning of Muirwood.
Eilean was born a "wretched"—a lowly foundling raised by the Aldermaston of Tintern Abbey. Then she's chosen to assist in establishing the new abbey of Muirwood, now the site of a castle in the swampy Bearden Muir. Eilean's role is as night servant to the druid Mordaunt, the king's exiled advisor—and prisoner. He's clever, dangerous, and invaluable to the Aldermaston. Mordaunt's priceless secret: the hiding place of an ancient tome that reveals the existence of other worlds and the magic between them. Mordaunt knows how potent its words are and how dangerous they could be in the wrong hands. But can Eilean win him over? All she must do is gain Mordaunt's confidence and trust and persuade the apostate to divulge his secret to her. But as she learns more from Mordaunt, Eilean's loyalties begin to fray. And the risks are greater than she imagined. Despite betrayals, deceptions, and the deadly motivations of others, a girl from the flax fields is about to rise above her station. By exploring the potential of the power of an ancient spoken magic, Eilean is coming into her own.
Eilean was a character that I enjoyed as a protagonist. While she begins the story being very naive, her growth as a character over the course of the story is fascinating. The reader gets to watch as she begins to question what she has been told her whole life and learns that not everyone she trusts is really worth trusting. Above all, her arc is about a teenager coming into adulthood and facing the harsh truths that come with that. I appreciated that she was a character that might've lacked authority, but had agency. She knew what she wanted, she knew what she needed to do, and didn't allow others to change her mind. There was a strength to her character that is present from the beginning, but becomes more apparent as the story develops.
The plot of the novel is a slow and steady progression of events. This isn't the kind of story with excitement, action and danger on every page. While there are a few action scenes, the novel is more about Eilean's growth as a character and slowly realizing truths about the world she lives in. The slow and steady nature of the story makes those action scenes much more impactful and makes the twists and turns more interesting. Because the story has less action, revelations feel more dramatic, because it was harder to see those moments coming. It left me with a lot of questions, making me want to read the next entry in the series. The plot of this novel sets things up very well, and very concretely, for the next book in the series, one that is probably going to be more dramatic and more intense. While the plot wasn't exciting, per se, it made for a relaxed read without feeling like the story was going nowhere.
I'm not sure how I felt about the writing. The author's prose didn't really stand out to me as especially memorable. At the same time, I didn't think the writing was bad. I was able to follow what was happening and the descriptions helped me feel immersed in the story. The prose served the story very well, but didn't enhance the story to a new level. Since this book has a slow and steady pace, I thought the pacing worked well. There were some points where I struggled with the way certain information was relayed, but it felt like an intentional choice, not a mistake.
I really like stories about druids, so the magic system in this novel was a highlight for me. The author chose a soft magic system, which allowed for the magic to be used very fluidly, and for its use to come up in unexpected ways. At some points, it allowed problems to be solved a little too easily, but it wasn't a cure-all for every obstacle. I found it interesting that both the druids and the mastons drew their powers from the same source, in different ways. It made the conflict between the groups more interesting, and added more depth to the clashes between them. I hope the Medium, the source of the magic, is explored further in future entries in the series, as its an interesting element to the world.
I thought the world-building in this novel was good, but not great. The author has written another series, which I have not read, that takes place in this same world. I don't know if some of the world-building I was looking for in The Druid can be found in his earlier series. I felt that aspects of the world were built out really well in this story, such as the religious elements, but other elements were not well-developed. As a reader unfamiliar with the author's work, prior to this novel, it felt a bit frustrating not to be completely sure of how the world worked.
The Druid is a book that I enjoyed, but didn't love. The main character has a fantastic arc and the story sets the stage for a very interesting series to come. The magic system was intriguing to read about. The plot is slow and not much truly happens for most of the story, making it not a very exciting read. The world-building and writing were fine, but neither stood out to me. I think this is a book that some readers will really love, but it wasn't a complete "hit" for me. I plan on reading the next novel, to see where the story goes from here.
Rating: 3.75 Stars
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