The Cup
Book 4
Poignant, immersive, and passionate; above all, deliciously readable. –The Prairies Book Review
Fantastical, often a little eccentric, characters and a twisting/turning plot.
-- A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
In the fourth installment of the Madigan Chronicles the race for the Cup of Plenty is on. Will the Madigans be in time to warn its guardian? Forces collide, lessons must be learned, and hearts will be broken. All of it with shattering consequences.
The Cup is hidden in one of the remotest places in the world. In northern Greenland its guardian is confident she can weather the approaching dangers. But is she strong enough to withstand the clashing forces of the Madigans, their evil aunt, and the Queen of Fairy?
In this magical whirlwind, Luna and Freya—the Madigan sisters who can’t agree on anything—are confronted with their shortcomings. Forced to work together, they learn what it means to be family.
REVIEW
Simply entitled, The Cup, this is a cleverly plotted, magical adventure from the pen of Marieke Lexmond. As it happens, I recently enjoyed Book Three, The Wand, which was entered in the 2022 Wishing Shelf Awards. That was excellent! This is just as good with a wonderful mix of exciting settings (including Reykjavik – went there back in 2007; amazing place), fantastical, often a little eccentric, characters and a twisting/turning plot.
I must say, the author's strength is her ability to develop her characters using speech. She seems to understand how important it is not just to tell the reader how a character is feeling, but show it in what they do and say. In this fantasy saga, the characters are everything; the glue that holds the story together. It s worth reading just to get to know them!
All in all, this is a smashing magical adventure most readers will thoroughly enjoy. It gets a little muddled here and there, and there s a lot of jumping around, but it s skilfully plotted and packed full of suspense. I m happy to recommend this novel – all of the novels, in fact – to anybody who enjoys character-led fantasy.
It s addictive stuff!
-- A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk
“Oh, man. You witches have gotten to me.” That statement by Tom roundly sums up how I feel about The Madigan Chronicles and The Cup in particular. The water element out of the four powers needed to have some true time dedicated to it and author and tarot pro Marieke Lexmond came through for us. Readers who missed out on the other books and are not up to date could find it on the slightly difficult side to grasp what is happening. Lexmond drops breadcrumbs of backstory but there are a lot of places, many point- of-view characters, and about eleventy bajillion things that can be going on at any given time. Paintings that suck non-consenting participants into mass orgies are a thing and so are working shell phones. That's not a typo. It's a shell phone. The dynamics between parents and children, partners and spouses, and family, in general, are further fleshed out for the cast. I like the ribbing between Crone and Mother, elevated when one gets to tell the other she told them so. Coincidentally, I tell people that too when they come back and say they are new Marieke Lexmond fans...and the interspersed art by Nicole Ruijgrok is the icing.
--Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
I went into The Madigan Chronicles by Marieke Lexmond with this fourth installment, The Cup, and while it was not terribly difficult to understand what was unfolding I now wish I had started at the beginning. But here I am, still grateful for the spectacular armchair tour Lexmond provided of Greenland, a place I'd hardly given a moment's thought to before her novel. Lexmond's skill for breathing life into a place that actually exists in 'real life' feels as fresh as the world-building that continues as readers penetrate the lands of Fairy. I think what I enjoy most about the human setting is that it is contemporary. Witch magic in literature tends to veer away from the mod-cons that Lexmond readily employs like motor boats and text messages, and I have never fully understood why. Her writing is engrossing and the philosophy behind the ever-growing expansion of magic and what is experienced is super rich. “To be one and yet in a million pieces is something a human brain can't process.” Engaging, well-written, and wonderfully creative. Very highly recommended.
--Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
The Cup, The Madigan Chronicles #4 is a magical and mesmerising fantasy fiction novel by author Marieke Lexmond. Lexmond effortlessly weaves together a spellbinding tale of magic, destiny, and a battle between good and evil. With beautiful scenery, a rich mystical world, wonderful eccentric characters, and a cleverly crafted and gripping plot, this is a fantasy fiction novel not to be missed.
Readers new to the series might struggle to follow some of the backstory, and I recommend starting from the first book to fully enjoy this magical series.
The book (and series) will appeal to readers who enjoy character-led fantasy fiction adventure.
Star rating: 5 Stars
Review completed by Readers’ Choice Book Awards
The Madigan Chronicles is a family drama series spanning generations with fantastical overtones. The Cup is yet another enthralling installment about family power dynamics, betrayal, and the search for identity, love, and duty. Marieke Lexmond has built a sprawling world featuring witches, fairies, and demons with a keen eye for detail that makes it feel intricate and believable. The Madigan family is quite large, and I constantly found myself referring to the cast of characters to understand the relationship dynamics between the family members. This only made the reading experience all the more immersive. This is the second book I've read in the series so far, and I've thoroughly enjoyed both. This is a rich world for fantasy lovers to delve into.
--Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite
