rosesintherain97's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nilaffle's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first foray into fantasy. I'd never cared for it in the past, and I don't even remember why I allowed my friend to foist this title on me that summer. It was so engrossing that I couldn't even put it down, even to sleep. I pretty much stayed awake until it was done... and then I started to read it again. I suppose it helps that it's a retelling of one of my favorite fairytales, but the way it was told was so new to me at the time, and Juliet Marillier is such a masterful storyteller. It's a title that rests in the back of my head as everything that is Good and Perfect in the fantasy genre. I read the next two books and they weren't quite as good (really didn't care for the second book in fact, the characters I really liked mostly died and the rest were pretty annoying), but when friends as me for fantasy recommendations, Daughter of the Forest is always near the top of my list.
circlesofflame's review against another edition
4.0
This was a warm hug in book form. It was really long, but sumptuous. Its writing wasn't the most brilliant or lyrical and I felt like the end went off the boil as it obviously began the set up for the next book, but I had the most wonderful time reading it... and that's kinda the main point of reading, right?
With this book, I escaped into a world where folk tales are real, where people can be cursed and trials have to be completed for them to be freed. It doesn't sound particularly revolutionary, but the characters were so well fleshed out and distinct and the worldbuilding was so comforting, like reading a fairytale.
Yes, there was a slow burn romance between our 'plain Jane' protagonist, Sorcha, and the supposed enemy where everyone else is aware of the depth of her feelings besides Sorcha herself. Yes, she spent the majority of the novel feeling and acting like she is weak, often easily making her will smaller in the company of men. This novel is no way perfect and must be seen in the context of the fantasy books and tropes of the time it was written. Did I care that it had these issues? Not really, because I was just having a jolly good time. Read this if you would like to have a jolly good time with a book too.
With this book, I escaped into a world where folk tales are real, where people can be cursed and trials have to be completed for them to be freed. It doesn't sound particularly revolutionary, but the characters were so well fleshed out and distinct and the worldbuilding was so comforting, like reading a fairytale.
Yes, there was a slow burn romance between our 'plain Jane' protagonist, Sorcha, and the supposed enemy where everyone else is aware of the depth of her feelings besides Sorcha herself. Yes, she spent the majority of the novel feeling and acting like she is weak, often easily making her will smaller in the company of men. This novel is no way perfect and must be seen in the context of the fantasy books and tropes of the time it was written. Did I care that it had these issues? Not really, because I was just having a jolly good time. Read this if you would like to have a jolly good time with a book too.
celise_winter's review against another edition
5.0
As often happens, I feel rather inadequate when it comes to reviewing something so beautifully written and emotionally demanding.
This is a retelling of a celtic myth, The Six Swans. A mix of folklore and fantasy, historical fiction and romance, Daughter of the Forest is the first of a trilogy (of 6 books, it seems). This book isn't fantasy in the way of most- it isn't filled with invented kingdoms or massive battles. It follows Sorcha, seventh daughter and only child of Lord Collum, as she suffers to rid her six brothers of a curse bestowed on them by the Lady Oonagh. Set in old Ireland and Britain, the story spans several years.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves folklore, fairies, historical romances, and more than a healthy dose of misery (this is the first book I've really cried over in a long time). Really though, it's impossible to describe how much this book charmed and enchanted, while completely devastating me.
A new fantasy favourite.
This is a retelling of a celtic myth, The Six Swans. A mix of folklore and fantasy, historical fiction and romance, Daughter of the Forest is the first of a trilogy (of 6 books, it seems). This book isn't fantasy in the way of most- it isn't filled with invented kingdoms or massive battles. It follows Sorcha, seventh daughter and only child of Lord Collum, as she suffers to rid her six brothers of a curse bestowed on them by the Lady Oonagh. Set in old Ireland and Britain, the story spans several years.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves folklore, fairies, historical romances, and more than a healthy dose of misery (this is the first book I've really cried over in a long time). Really though, it's impossible to describe how much this book charmed and enchanted, while completely devastating me.
A new fantasy favourite.
missym's review against another edition
5.0
Although I have read this book quite a few years ago, I remember it well. It is a beautiful book with magical stories and vivid descriptions. Based on an original tale, this novel takes it to the next level.
I do warn you - the series is beautiful, but just like most myths and folk tales, it ends with sadness, even if it is a 'happily ever after'
I do warn you - the series is beautiful, but just like most myths and folk tales, it ends with sadness, even if it is a 'happily ever after'
manda_moo_cow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
The villain is pretty cartoonish and some of the peril/trauma Sorcha experiences seems contrived and like a lazy plot device. However, at the end I really cherished her relationship with her brothers and I was fully immersed in the setting and language of the book while reading.
firesong711's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
nadibooks93's review against another edition
4.0
I'm so glad that I finally picked Daughter of the Forest, one I've seen in passing and disregarded each time while searching for a good book. I'm glad that it would be my last book I've read in 2018 after many embarrassingly books I could not bring myself to continue.
It reminded me of why we, as a child and even as an adult, love fairy tales. For me, fairy tales are stories full of life lessons and also full of hope. In this story, we get to enjoy fairy tale stories told by the heroine and some by others, and I love how they fitted right into this story. Some were told to lift one's spirit and some were told to send a underlying message. What I found surprising about this story is that even though it's a fairy tale, it's quite gritty hence making it more realistic and the heroine said as much towards the end:
The heroine goes through grief and pain, through many trials, through betrayal and loss. Such was the warning of the Lady of the Forest, of the Fair Folk, before the start of her journey to save her brothers and lift the evil spell set upon them. For almost three years, she was told not to utter a single word so that she could break the evil spell. I wanted to scream for her, I wanted to talk in her stead, I just wanted to be there for her. The heroine, at the beginning of the story, even at almost thirteen, she was wise beyond her years. But she prevailed in the end because she was strong, so strong, you cannot not like her. Towards the end, at the age of sixteen, she showed how she had matured even though in my eyes, she had always been mature:
And Red, the hero, in his quiet ways, showed that he was the right man for the heroine, Sorcha. To win her back, he had to resort to telling a story and for a reserved man of few words, this was a hard challenge:
When Sorcha came to know that all that happened so far was a cruel chess game that the Fair Folk liked to play and that they were just pawns, I came to consider the Fair Folk as God. A fact the author may and may not have tried to insinuate. I'd like to think that God exist, whoever he may be. Either, he's not perfect or he's cruel. I'd like to think that he's not perfect. However, her brother, Conor told her:
What he said made me pause and think. It's really all about perspective, one I find hard to master. I wish I could find the right words to tell you how wonderful this book is but I hope that what I said was enough.
It reminded me of why we, as a child and even as an adult, love fairy tales. For me, fairy tales are stories full of life lessons and also full of hope. In this story, we get to enjoy fairy tale stories told by the heroine and some by others, and I love how they fitted right into this story. Some were told to lift one's spirit and some were told to send a underlying message. What I found surprising about this story is that even though it's a fairy tale, it's quite gritty hence making it more realistic and the heroine said as much towards the end:
Spoiler
Real life is not quite as it is in stories. In the old tales, bad things happen, and when the tale has unfolded and come to its triumphant conclusion, it is as if the bad things had never been. Life is not as simple as that, not quite.The heroine goes through grief and pain, through many trials, through betrayal and loss. Such was the warning of the Lady of the Forest, of the Fair Folk, before the start of her journey to save her brothers and lift the evil spell set upon them. For almost three years, she was told not to utter a single word so that she could break the evil spell. I wanted to scream for her, I wanted to talk in her stead, I just wanted to be there for her. The heroine, at the beginning of the story, even at almost thirteen, she was wise beyond her years. But she prevailed in the end because she was strong, so strong, you cannot not like her. Towards the end, at the age of sixteen, she showed how she had matured even though in my eyes, she had always been mature:
Spoiler
I slipped around the side to my old garden, which Oonagh in her spite had destroyed. I had thought my heart broken, then. How little I had known of sorrow.And Red, the hero, in his quiet ways, showed that he was the right man for the heroine, Sorcha. To win her back, he had to resort to telling a story and for a reserved man of few words, this was a hard challenge:
Spoiler
"In his house, she grew and changed, but was still, unmistakably, herself. Strong, sweet, and true. Without speech, she spoke to him as no other could, straight to the heart, with her graceful, disfigured hands and her wide green eyes. Though he was often lost for words, she understood him as no other had ever done. He watched her weep over her hands, which were swollen and hardened from her work, and heard others call them ugly. He saw what others could not see, saw the power, the gentleness, and the beauty of those hands, and he lay awake at night and longed for the touch of them on his body. But she had been hurt, and terrified, and she shrank from him. He could not tell her the words of his heart. He dared not risk frightening her away, for if he lost her, he lost everything. Every day, it became clearer to him, going about the business of his house and his estate. Without her, he would have no life."When Sorcha came to know that all that happened so far was a cruel chess game that the Fair Folk liked to play and that they were just pawns, I came to consider the Fair Folk as God. A fact the author may and may not have tried to insinuate. I'd like to think that God exist, whoever he may be. Either, he's not perfect or he's cruel. I'd like to think that he's not perfect. However, her brother, Conor told her:
Spoiler
But there is one thing you must remember, if you forget all else. There is no good or evil, save in the way you see the world. There is no dark or light, save in your own vision. All changes in the blink of an eyelid; yet all remains the same.What he said made me pause and think. It's really all about perspective, one I find hard to master. I wish I could find the right words to tell you how wonderful this book is but I hope that what I said was enough.
auntblh's review against another edition
2.0
I got about halfway through and decided I didn't really care.