In the Bitterbynde books the world of Erith is a dangerous place full of wights, both Seelie and Unseelie, and the Faeran themselves are barely a memory. The title character of the Ill-Made Mute has no memory, no voice, and a face that is horribly scarred from paradox ivy poisoning. At night the servants share stories of Seelie and Unseelie wights, how to escape them, and most often about people who died. Although Erith is a fantasy world the author pulled these stories from real tales, mostly from the British Isles. These stories become very important as the Mute journeys in search of a name, her memory, and something to remove the scars left by the poison. Naturally this all turns into a greater quest that will determine the fate of both faeries and humans. The series really stands out due to a poetic writing style that blends well with the tales of Eldritch lore.

Too much happens to describe it all. Like the Lord of the Rings, the Bitterbynde trilogy is about a journey across a fantasy landscape. As Imrhien, the Mute does a lot of walking. As Rohain, in The Lady of the Sorrows, she doesn't travel quite as much but then in The Battle of Evernight she's back to walking from one side of the world to the other as Tahquil. Each name change represents a change in the character. Imrhien simply seeks to be normal and accepted by others. As the beautiful Rohain she hopes for romance and protection from the mysterious enemies that followed her across the world. And finally, as Tahquil she knows who she is, what she has to do, and who is trying to stop her. (The three names mean butterfly, beautiful, and warrior.) The whole trilogy comes down to what happens when a mortal becomes involved in matters of faerie.

The writing is a bit different than most, and probably isn't to everyone's taste. I think Tolkein is a good comparison to the writing style. Especially since he also used a lot of folklore for his background. This is one of the few things I've listened to as an audiobook although I don't know if it's the same recording that's on Audible, which is narrated by Kris Faulkner. Luckily all three books are read by the same person and although they aren't a quick read I do think they're worth it. Some people have complained about the ending because the author purposely left a little ambiguity in (I had no problem getting it), so she clarifies it for the feeble minded in an Afterword that's in all but the original hardback edition.