The Ill-Made Mute by Cecilia Dart-Thornton -- Book Review

The Ill-Made Mute is book one in a three-part series called The Bitterbynde. There is little that can be said about the book without spoiling some of the surprises that make its reading so delightful. It is a fantasy, and takes place on a world called Erith. Erith is a world with a social class system that is reminiscent of feudal Earth. It is also a world where humans dwell in not-so-peaceful coexistence with the seelie and unseelie folk of the forest and alterna-realms.

Cecilia Dart-Thornton has researched Scottish folktales, and uses the legends therein as the source for the magical creatures that inhabit Erith. Songs and tales are intrinsic to the narrative and woven smoothly into the story.

The book's protagonist is skillfully drawn as are even the incidental characters. The story, upon examination, is neither particularly original nor particularly clever, but the way it is told is entirely captivating.

The two remaining books in the series are:

The Lady of Sorrows

&

The Battle of Evernight

Cecilia Dart-Thornton has a web page, where you can find out more about her books:

http://www.ceciliadartthornton.com/homepage.html