Ahoy there mateys!  I tend to get focused on the new shiny treasure.  But part of what I love about readin’ is re-visitin’ old friends.  So I have a category where I take a second look at a previously enjoyed novel and give me crew second reflections, as it were, upon visitin’ it again . . . 

*** SPOILERS BELOW.  PROCEED AT YER OWN PERIL! *** 

I had found Kate Forsyth's Witches of Eileanan series at a used bookstore and bought the whole thing based on my recollections of loving her Rhiannon's Ride series back in the day.  I figured I would reread the books about Rhiannon before embarking on the Witches series.  Yikes!  I ended up thinking the first book in the trilogy was barely okay and that book two was a ONE star read.  This series walks the plank!  What in the world was younger me thinking? 

Let's go back to somewhere around 2006.  I know exactly what caused me to want to read this series:  

Aye, flying pony on the cover.  I can be extremely shallow at times.  To be fair, even though I prefer sea tales, I will still pick up pony books especially if they have talking ponies.  Now the pony in these series does not talk but flying will work just as well.  So that is why I chose this trilogy but liking it? 

Rhiannon is a half human/half satyricorn.  The satyricorns are women with something like rams horns that basically hunt, sleep, and eat.  They like to catch human males to breed with though they treat them like animals and slaves.  Theirs is a group with a pecking order based on ferocity.  Rhiannon's mother is the head of the satyricorn herd.  If Rhiannon's horns do not grow in she will be killed.  She "tames" the flying horse to escape. 

In reading book one, I could see some of the appeal.  Young me certainly liked the idea of satyricorns and Rhiannon not fitting in.  I also liked that when she joins humans, she judges them through her mother's culture and thinks a lot of customs and rules were ridiculous.  I could relate.  And, basically, at that age, I wanted a flying pony. 

However, much of the first book deals with Lewen (the love interest) and his teaching Rhiannon to be more human.  Lewen's main interest in her is "she's hot" and "I want to protect her" even though Rhiannon should want to stab him (I did) and could kill him easily.  The horse taming happened in basically one day by Rhiannon tying herself on the horse and not falling off.  Then the horse plays basically no role in the plot.  

Rhiannon is in trouble because she killed a king's messenger even though her background meant she couldn't have known about it being a hanging offence.  She travels in a caravan of magical youngsters who are insipid and caricatures.  There is an evil necromancer who steals kids and does death magic.  He has a poisoning sidekick.  Somehow only Rhiannon knows this.  The "Rhiannon is uncultured so can't possibly have morals or ever tell the truth" got old real fast and is the common theme of the series.  The adults in this book don't use their brains.  Seriously, and I mean SERIOUSLY, no one thinks rationally.  Rhiannon saves a child and helps fend off dangers and yet she is always considered a threat.  The blurb says "Rhiannon, the rider no one can catch."  She spends much of this book tied up, locked up, or chained.  But I couldn't help but like Rhiannon despite the ridiculous nature of the book. 

But book two!  Ugh.  No joke, Rhiannon spends about 300 pages of this novel locked up in prison.  That's right, the main character cries, gets depressed, and sits in jail.  Her magical flying horse could help her escape and fly away but no.  Lewen is ensorcelled under a love spell and NONE of the greatest magic users notice.  Rhiannon turns into a lovelorn idiot.  The supposedly intelligent adults never think.  Rhiannon gets the blame for everything EVEN THOUGH SHE IS IN JAIL. 

Other messes include an undead queen spirit floating around that all the magic users miss.  Another evil witch breaks free from the spell that keeps her from talking, performs in local pubs, and NO ONE notices.  The poisoner from book one leaves jail and poisons the head healer.  Does anyone notice?  The head female prison warden makes sexual advances towards female  prisoners, tortures them, and some die.  Everyone knows this except the magic folk who are supposed to keep the prison humane.  Then we spend a stupid amount of time on the royal part-fish girl who flirts and makes people jealous and talk about her upcoming wedding.  And drama with other royal family members.  I am tired just thinking about it.  

Rhiannon's trial is a joke.  I laughed (in pain) about how stupid it was.  Lewen saves her anyway by hanging on a bell.  The necromancer escapes prison and there is death and kidnappings and poisonings.  Rhiannon has been an absolutely horrible and boring character to read about in this book.  She has been treated like garbage for two books.  Yet she is the only one who can save the day?  Let the city burn and she should run fly away to another country.  I hated this book and only finished it out of pure stubbornness to see if I could remember what happens after the cliffhanger ending.  I remembered just enough to give up on this series.  Young Me was wrong and Old Me is disappointed. 

Do I read the Witches of Eileanan series?  Do I keep the copies of the Rhiannon's Ride trilogy that I have lugged with me all over the country from place to place?  I will never read these again.  But, the covers are just so pretty. 

Thoughts?  Arrrr!