Called "Australia's high priestess of fantasy writing" by Carol George in the Australian Women's Weekly, Juliet Marillier is the author of folkloric fantasies that mine a Celtic vein. Despite this, Marillier might argue against the appellation "fantasy writer." As she told Michelle Cazzulino in Surry Hills, Australia's Daily Telegraph, her books are not typical fantasy adventures that take place an imaginary secondary world. Speaking of her 2002 title, Wolfskin, Marillier pointed out that it "is 90 per cent historical novel and about 10 per cent fantasy. It's really an historical novel, provided the reader can cope with a small amount of magic that's based on the beliefs of the people of the period." Marillier further commented, "I guess really my brooks bridge the gap between fantasy and history."

In an interview with Authors and Artists for Young Adults (AAYA), Marillier further described her work as "an unusual blend of history, romance...