Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1) in Into the Forest

Apr 14, 2012 Lauren rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, best-books-ever

(also published at http://storybound.blogspot.com/2012/0...)

Where do I even begin with this review? I love a lot of books. I generally like most things I read, and I generally give good ratings to books. But this book, I love. I adore. It’s amazing. It’s a favorite and it introduced me to an author who is now one of my favorite authors. Juliet Marillier is a phenomenal storyteller. As a result of my love of this book, I have bought every single book she has written. While I haven’t read them al (also published at http://storybound.blogspot.com/2012/0...)

Where do I even begin with this review? I love a lot of books. I generally like most things I read, and I generally give good ratings to books. But this book, I love. I adore. It’s amazing. It’s a favorite and it introduced me to an author who is now one of my favorite authors. Juliet Marillier is a phenomenal storyteller. As a result of my love of this book, I have bought every single book she has written. While I haven’t read them all (working on it!), I have loved every single one. And it all started with this book, Daughter of the Forest.
This book tells the story of Sorcha, the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. The story takes place in 9th century Ireland & Britain and weaves together history, magic, and Irish legends and beliefs. Protected and adored by her older brothers, Sorcha’s childhood, although motherless, is pleasant. But all that changes when her dad is bewitched and marries an evil enchantress who places a terrible spell upon her brothers. Sorcha manages to escape and she meets the Lady of the Forest, queen of the Fair Folk. In order to lift the spell that has cursed her brothers, Sorcha is given a task and told that until that task is completed, she must remain silent. Absolutely no sound may escape her lips. Strong and determined, Sorcha agrees to the quest. This quest takes her where she could never have dreamed of going, introduces her to a whole new people, and places her in many strange, uncomfortable, and often dangerous situations. And through it all, she never speaks. For to do so is to condemn her brothers to live forever cursed.
I know I have said it already, but this book is amazing. It’s long, but I flew through it, completely absorbed by Sorcha’s plight, rooting for her every step of the way. Sorcha goes through so much in her quest to free her brothers and your heart will absolutely break for her at times. Juliet Marillier’s writing completely pulled me in and immersed me into a fantastic setting. Highly recommended for all fantasy lovers. ...more

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Apr 11, 2012 SBC rated it really liked it

Shelves: g-adult-fantasy, metamorphosis, set-eu-ireland, retell-six-swans, m-mute, a-vbeb

I really enjoyed this retelling of "The Six Swans". The writer has a lovely style with evocative descriptions of the setting and I particularly enjoyed the scenes of the protagonist's childhood and the close relationship between herself and her six brothers. There are some great characters in this novel, starting with the protagonist, Sorcha, who tells the story in the first person and whose voice very appealing. The tension between the Irish and Britons was interesting to explore, and I liked t ...more

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Jul 07, 2014 Rachel rated it really liked it

Shelves: based-on-fairy-tales-myths-etc, fantasy

I heard that if I loved Wildwood Dancing (also by Marillier) I would love this one. that set some pretty unrealistic expectations. One is a YA novel and the other is adult fantasy. I didn't mind the adult topics, nor the story, but I was a little disappointed. The novel started of so slowly. It took me until I was around 100 pages in to really get into it. I just felt it dragged.

After that I couldn't put it down. I might continue with the others in the sevenwaters series, but I'm more intrigued ...more

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