Book Review: Waterspell Book 3 by Deborah J Lightfoot

The second book of Deborah J Lightfoot’s Waterspell Series left me enthralled by its dramatic climax and eager to read more. Nor was I to be disappointed by the third instalment, The Wisewoman. Lightfoot creates a fascinating world in this series, a world that continues to unfold and to be revealed with new detail and interest as the story develops. Likewise, the scope of Carin’s exploration expands to include strange new worlds and dimensions as she continues to grow in power and confidence. Her developing relationship with Verek is one that I followed with great interest, conditioned, as it is, by the very different circumstances that they face in this instalment. We learn much more about Carin’s past and we are introduced to an entirely new character, the wisewoman of the title, whose presence brings an entirely new dimension to the story. Lightfoot has a sure touch with regard to characterisation. Each of her characters has their own authentic and convincing voice, patterns of speech and motivations that contribute to the weaving of a most engrossing and absorbing tale. Narrative, description and speech are exceptionally well-balanced in Lightfoot’s work. It is clear that her writing style and her confidence in her craft continue to grow during the course of this series, resulting in a most compelling drama.

As with previous books in the series, reading The Wisewoman left me very keen to read on. I am now looking forward to seeing how Lightfoot draws together the strands of her story in The Witch, the final book in this series.