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Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)
by Juliet Marillier (Goodreads Author)
by Juliet Marillier (Goodreads Author)
AH's review
bookshelves: chubby-chunkster, druid, fae, fantasy, favorites, first-in-series, historical, romance, zzread-feb2011, babr-reviews
Jan 12, 12
bookshelves: chubby-chunkster, druid, fae, fantasy, favorites, first-in-series, historical, romance, zzread-feb2011, babr-reviews
Read from January 31 to February 04, 2011
What a breathtakingly beautiful book!
It’s hard to describe Daughter of the Forest. It is a fantasy, a historical, and a romance. It reads like a fable or a fairy tale. It has all the elements of a fairy tale – the evil stepmother, a fairy godmother (sort of), an enchantment, an impossible task to accomplish, a prince charming, and a happily ever after.
This has to be my all time favorite book now. I was captivated by the story, mesmerized by the voice of Sorcha, our heroine. I did not put this book down for days. I probably used up an entire box of Kleenex reading this and my kids looked at me quite strangely.
Sorcha is a very special young lady. She is the seventh child of a seventh son. Her mother died in childbirth. Her six older brothers care for her and they all share a special bond. Sorcha can communicate telepathically with two of her brothers. She is also well trained in healing. So much happens to Sorcha in this novel, but one thing remains in my mind – she is totally devoted to her brothers. Such love brings her much angst and suffering, yet she endures.
For most of the story, Sorcha endures an impossible task to free her brothers from an enchantment. Sorcha is not allowed to speak until the task has been completed. At one point she must leave her lands and is found by a Briton, Red. Red rescues Sorcha from nearly drowning and brings her back to his home.
I loved Sorcha’s character. So strong, so determined, and way too young to go through such an impossible task on her own. Imagine not speaking for three years, not being able to explain what you are doing, and this is Sorcha’s life. Despite her burden, Sorcha was also able to see the beauty in the world around her.
Red or Lord Hugh was a wonderful character as well. He was so patient and kind to Sorcha. Sorcha’s brothers are also very interesting characters. Conor and Finbar were my favorites.
A fairy tale would not be complete without the evil villains. In this book, there is the scary Lady Oonagh who reminded me of a Disney evil Stepmother. Absolutely scary. The power hungry creepy Uncle Richard made for a very nasty villainous character.
I think what makes this book so special is that the author is so gifted in her writing style. She gives a girl who is mute for most of the book a voice. We feel this girl’s love, devotion, and desperation. We feel all of this girl’s emotion. I also loved how the author included the Fair Folk in her story. They are never really in the main part of the book, they just happen to always be in the background. You are never really sure if they are responsible for a spell or not.
I highly recommend this book. Be prepared with a lot of Kleenex. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Review posted on Badass Book Reviews
It’s hard to describe Daughter of the Forest. It is a fantasy, a historical, and a romance. It reads like a fable or a fairy tale. It has all the elements of a fairy tale – the evil stepmother, a fairy godmother (sort of), an enchantment, an impossible task to accomplish, a prince charming, and a happily ever after.
This has to be my all time favorite book now. I was captivated by the story, mesmerized by the voice of Sorcha, our heroine. I did not put this book down for days. I probably used up an entire box of Kleenex reading this and my kids looked at me quite strangely.
Sorcha is a very special young lady. She is the seventh child of a seventh son. Her mother died in childbirth. Her six older brothers care for her and they all share a special bond. Sorcha can communicate telepathically with two of her brothers. She is also well trained in healing. So much happens to Sorcha in this novel, but one thing remains in my mind – she is totally devoted to her brothers. Such love brings her much angst and suffering, yet she endures.
For most of the story, Sorcha endures an impossible task to free her brothers from an enchantment. Sorcha is not allowed to speak until the task has been completed. At one point she must leave her lands and is found by a Briton, Red. Red rescues Sorcha from nearly drowning and brings her back to his home.
I loved Sorcha’s character. So strong, so determined, and way too young to go through such an impossible task on her own. Imagine not speaking for three years, not being able to explain what you are doing, and this is Sorcha’s life. Despite her burden, Sorcha was also able to see the beauty in the world around her.
Red or Lord Hugh was a wonderful character as well. He was so patient and kind to Sorcha. Sorcha’s brothers are also very interesting characters. Conor and Finbar were my favorites.
A fairy tale would not be complete without the evil villains. In this book, there is the scary Lady Oonagh who reminded me of a Disney evil Stepmother. Absolutely scary. The power hungry creepy Uncle Richard made for a very nasty villainous character.
I think what makes this book so special is that the author is so gifted in her writing style. She gives a girl who is mute for most of the book a voice. We feel this girl’s love, devotion, and desperation. We feel all of this girl’s emotion. I also loved how the author included the Fair Folk in her story. They are never really in the main part of the book, they just happen to always be in the background. You are never really sure if they are responsible for a spell or not.
I highly recommend this book. Be prepared with a lot of Kleenex. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Review posted on Badass Book Reviews
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Reading Progress
| 01/31/2011 | page 21 |
|
4.0% | "What a pleasant read." 16 comments |
| 02/01/2011 | page 49 |
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9.0% | "This is such a beautiful story. I love how the historical works with the fantasy." 2 comments |
| 02/02/2011 | page 60 |
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11.0% | ""Sitting under the rowans, listening to the small sounds of bird and insect about their daily business, I wept for my father, and for my brothers, and for myself."" 13 comments |
| 02/02/2011 | page 131 |
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24.0% | "I keep picturing Snow White's stepmom as the Lady Oonagh. Nasty lady..." |
| 02/02/2011 | page 179 |
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33.0% | "Lady Oonagh is nastier than Snow White's stepmom. Poor Sorcha! I can't seem to put this book down and I am not even noticing how much time I have spent reading." 16 comments |
| 02/03/2011 | page 213 |
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39.0% | ""Weep, dear one. Our love wraps you like a blanket. Our strength is yours, and yours keeps our hope alive." --It feels like each update I am saying Poor Sorcha! I need to get some Kleenex." 5 comments |
| 02/04/2011 | page 376 |
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69.0% | "Pass the tissues, I am crying again. I can't put this book down." |
| 02/04/2011 | page 385 |
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71.0% | ""I sat on the sand and held the first one, then another in my hand, marveling at these tiny convoluted homes that had each sheltered some small creature of the sea. For I was the daughter of the forest, and for all my growing years had not ventured far from its enveloping arms, had not imagined the wonder, the strangeness of the ocean and its secret life." (cont'd in the comments)..." 12 comments |
| 02/04/2011 | page 528 |
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97.0% | ""..for I see you before me every moment. I see you in the light on the water, in the swaying of the young trees in the spring wind. I see you in the shadows of the great oaks. I hear your voice in the cry of the owl at night. You are the blood in my veins, and the beating of my heart. You are my first waking thought, and my last sigh before sleeping. You are bone of my bone, and breath of my breath." *sigh*" 5 comments |
| 02/04/2011 | page 544 |
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100.0% | "This is one of the best books I've read - Juliet Marillier, you know how to tell a great story." |
Comments (showing 1-50 of 66) (66 new)
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Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms)
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rated it 5 stars
Feb 01, 2011 04:06pm
LOVE this book and every other book she has written. Some a little more than others, but every one of them is so well told - great storyteller. The second book in this series is my favorite.
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Good to know that. I really am enjoying this book and I will most likely continue the series. I'm wondering what took me so long to read this book. She is an amazing storyteller.
It really is a great story. I usually don't like the straight fantasy books - I hate the place names and the people all seem to have weird names. This book doesn't feel like that. It is a great story and time passes so fast when I am reading it.
new_user wrote: "Yay! 5 stars! I agree, AH, I would say this is a fantasy for romance lovers. :)"
And fairy tale lovers, too. Just breathtakingly beautiful.
And historical fiction along with everything else you all have mentioned. I love that it is the time and place (4th or 5th century) where the legend and lore of the faery and the otherworld really was part of people's beliefs. It is fiction to us but to them the fey existed - and maybe they did.....
I loved that about this book. The fae were always there in the background.I really was blown away by this book. I couldn't put it down. I used a lot of Kleenex. I was sad that it ended.
I haven't met one of her heroes that is not amazing! Red, Bran, Faolan, Bridei, Eyvind (I even wanted to love the villain, Somerled, in that one (Wolfmask), Cathal, Keeper, - and I am amazed that I remembered that many as I usually forget names when I put the book down. I just pulled the names out of my head. LOL
Terry, is the next book going to make me cry as much as this one did? I need to take stock in the Kleenex tissue company. I was a mess yesterday afternoon.
I don't think any of them are as tragic as Daughter of the Forest - and maybe tragic is not the right word but I should say you don't have to suffer with the heroine like in that one. Not that they have an easy time of it, but not like that. I am so anxious to see what you think of Son of the Shadows. Many of the same characters are in all of these books and I love that. I LOVE Finbar.
I also love Finbar. The rest of her books really wrench you too (especially the Light Isles Saga), but I think Sorcha had the worst time of it. ;_;
Yay! Love this series. And I think #2 is also my fave. I still need to read her Bridei & Light Isles books--they're on my 2011 TBR.
#2 is also my fave of the series. Glad you're reading them, Laura. Marillier is one of my favorite authors, ever. =D
It almost hurts me to say this, but I think I like the Bridei Chronicles even better than Sevenwaters series. And that is saying a LOT. I don't know if she based them at all on the Arthur legend (they are very very different but there is a theme there), and I love just about anything pertaining to that. Plus as in so many of her books, a secondary character becomes a main part of the second and third books - and I love him - Faolan.
WOW!! That sounds fabulous!!!!! Awesome review!! I'm totally going to read this soon (once I get my pile down). Loves it!
The Bridei Chronicles starts with The Dark Mirror, then Blade of Fortriu, and last The Well of Shades. I hope not "last" as I so want another book but if not, as with all of her books there is a satisfactory ending.
I think Bridei Chronicles are my faves too. They are based on an actual king, not Arthur though.I am really glad this author is getting more exposure. She is really talented. <3
Oh, right, definitely not Arthur. Just the general theme of a boy secretly trained to be a king without his knowledge and that is the only "Arthur" similarity. From there on, totally different.
If we lived closer I would loan them to you! I the hardbacks and paperbacks. But I don't live close to anyone....
Great review AH! I loved this book myself and couldn't get it out of my mind for days:) The second one's very good too.I hadn't even heard of the Bridei books. I'll have to check them out.
Thanks, Fani. I checked out the author's pages and they now list the series and there were a lot I hadn't heard of. So much for chipping away at Mt. TBR. I keep adding books.
I always have a pile here - Amazon loves me. No library here and 30 miles to a fairly small book store. However when I "discovered" Marillier I bought every one of her books, made a special pile and didn't touch anything else until I was done. Crazy but it was a very fun time.
As much as I love it, I think Daughter is the hardest one to read. So much suffering for those she loves. No one has a real easy time in these books, but nothing like that. How easy a time did people have in the 4th and 5th centuries? The love these characters find and the families they have make it all the more beautiful.
Great review, AH. This is one of my absolutely favourite books ever. I loved the next one, too (Bran...*sigh*). She's an amazing author.
Nice review, AH. I'm kind of nervous about reading this actually. I like the idea of fairytales and books that play on fairytales, but I don't like the execution of actual fairytales. They never hold my interest and I find their style grating.
Thanks, BarkLessWagMore and Catherine. I was also nervous about reading such a long book, but it doesn't feel long. It is an amazing story. I hope you get the chance to read it one day.
Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) wrote: "Catherine, these books are very very loosely based on fairytales - if that makes sense."I know what you mean. It's the actual style of writing and characterization that I'm actually worried about. I still plan to try it out, I'm just nervous about how I'll like it.
Catherine, I've read a bunch of retellings and I know what you're saying--some turn out ok, but to me, most just feel like the author took someone else's idea and put a "new" spin on it. Too bad 20 other authors also put their "new" spin on the same tale.But honestly, I wouldn't group this book into the "retelling" category--it's just very loosely based on a lesser known fairy tale, but it's not only the fairy tale. It's like she used the fairy tale as a seed, and branched off on her own.
LOL. Seed...branched off. ;)
Yeah, it's not written like one at all. You can't even tell unless you're told/aware of the fairy tale that they have anything to do with each other. She completely writes her own story/world/characters, etc. It's just a seed, like Laura said. LOL.
I didn't even know it was written about an old fairy tale until I looked at the summary. I had just heard Terry talk about how wonderful it was, and it fit a challenge so I jumped right in.
