Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier

Knopf Books for Young Readers (September 9, 2008) 448 pages

Description from Amazon:

For Paula, accompanying her merchant father on a trading voyage to Istanbul is a dream come true. They have come to this city of trade on a special mission to purchase a most rare artifact—a gift from the ancient goddess, Cybele, to her followers. It’s the only remnant of a lost, pagan cult.

But no sooner have they arrived when it becomes clear they may be playing at a dangerous game. A colleague and friend of Paula’s father is found murdered. There are rumors of Cybele’s cult reviving within the very walls of Istanbul. And most telling of all, signs have begun to appear to Paula, urging her to unlock Cybele’s secret.

Meanwhile, Paula doesn’t know who she can trust in Istanbul, and finds herself drawn to two very different men. As time begins to run out, Paula realizes they may all be tied up in the destiny of Cybele’s Gift, and she must solve the puzzle before unknown but deadly enemies catch up to her. . . .

My Review:

This was my first time to read Cybele's Secret, although it had been waiting for me to pick it up entirely too long. It's the companion book to Wildwood Dancing. They were VERY different, in my opinion. While Wildwood Dancing was classic fairy tale, Cybele's Secret is very adventurous. It's maybe a little like a female Indiana Jones with a tiny bit of fairy tale world added in. There's a great deal more romance than Wildwood Dancing, since most of the story somewhat revolves around a love triangle. It's also a little on the darker side, and maybe a little more mature in content. It's still perfectly clean, though, so there's really no worries in that area.

Cybele's Secret is about Paula, the 4th sister from Wildwood. You do get to see a touch of the other sisters, but not much at all. If you're only reading this book to catch up with everyone, you will probably be disappointed. I can't say I liked it as much as Wildwood, but I DO like it. It was just different than I expected. There's a slight mystery surrounding the story, so it definitely kept me turning the pages.

In my review of Wildwood Dancing, I mentioned there was some Jane Austen in the story. It was pretty obvious throughout that story. In Cybele's Secret, I laughed the moment I realized that Juliet had managed to sneak in another Jane Austen story. I thought it added a cute touch!

I really do hope there's another book. It's very easily left to have another one written, but I don't know if that will happen. I was actually left with even less closer than at the end of Wildwood. I'm very glad I finally read it, though!

**I forgot to mention this on my Wildwood Dancing review, but in both books, while there isn't any profanity, God's name is used in vain several times. I don't remember the exact way it was used, but something like Thank G**, or Oh, My G**. I thought I'd mention that, just in case it would keep any of you from wanting to read it.