MAGDALEN RISING

Author: Elizabeth Cunningham ISBN: 0976684322 4/2007 FICTION Publisher: MONK FISH
Time Period: Biblical

In this Celtic wonder tale, young Maeve and Jesus, brimming with youthful charm and arrogance, find each other and fall in love, forging a bond that is stronger than death. Born to eight warrior-witches on a magical isle, Maeve heads for druid college with high hopes of meeting the Mysterious Other she has glimpsed only in visions and dream. From the start, Maeve and Esus, as the druids call him, are sparring partners, by turns delighting and outraging each other with their opposing views on just about everything. Their pleasure is overshadowed by a brilliant but unbalanced druid who knows a perilous secret about Maeve’s past. He also becomes obsessed with Esus as a perfect victim for the most sacred druid rite. In a daring scheme, Maeve risks everything to save the life of the one she loves.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

First off, I would be totally remiss if I didn't mention for all of you who have read DAUGHTER OF THE SHINING ISLE by Elizabeth Cunningham, that MAGDALEN RISING is the retitled version of that book. Whether or not it has been reworked, I cannot say. However, for those of you who haven't read that first book but fell in love with Maeve in 2006's THE PASSION OF MARY MAGDALEN, this book is a must read and fills in the blanks about Maeve's growth from child into womanhood, as well as her first meetings with Jesus at the Druid College on the Isle of Mona.

While richly steeped in Celtic mythology and Druid lore—all, once again, skillfully interwoven into a sort of modern day, in-your-face storytelling style sprinkled with humor and wit—this prequel just doesn't pack the same punch as THE PASSION OF MARY MAGDALEN did. Oh, my beloved Maeve is still just as jazzy, sassy and rebellious as ever, but Jesus character seemed a bit underdeveloped. Jesus is her other half, her foster brother, her beloved "Esus", her destiny, and it was more of him that I wanted to meet and get to know. Unfortunately, what there was of him in MAGDALEN RISING just wasn't enough to satisify me.

Irregardless, I loved the time I spent listening once again to the sparring, the logical debates (i.e. between Jesus and the Jews, although twisted it seemed, at times), and the mythical stories that made up Maeve's early years of life. Though not for the faint-of-heart, Maeve's Chronicles features one of the most brazen, brave and now beloved heroines I've ever had the pleasure to meet, told by one of the most creative writers I've ever had the pleasure of reading. A master storyteller and beyond, Elizabeth Cunningham's Maeve Chronicles is a series highly recommended, especially if you crave something a little bit different in your reading and are brave enough to reach for it. BRIGHT, DARK MADONNA, the third book in the chronicles, is scheduled to be released in 2008, and I, for one, can hardly wait.

Nancy Davis