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ksparo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
amymarchlawrence's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
tina1001's review against another edition
I didn't like the writing that much, it dragged on, may read it in the future, I heard about something bad that happens and I am just not in the headspace to read about it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
jose_phine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
4.25
i would give it 5 stars if the reasons why Red kept Sorcha in his house were explored further. if i were Red’s mother, i would also question my son’s decision, especially since the girl was still a teenager (he was an adult) and kept hurting herself by sewing clothes with thorny threads. i would think the girl was mad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
lunatyck's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Rape
soapjoy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, and Murder
rhi_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Torture
Minor: Confinement, Incest, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, and Pregnancy
srishtis's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
THIS is modern folklore! Daughter of the Forest is the retelling of a classic fairy tale (The Six Swans) woven into a beautiful narrative centered on love and resilience in the face of adversity. The author has such a brilliant command of language—incredibly poetic, emotional, and descriptive writing that draws the reader in. As a result, I felt such a personal connection with Sorcha throughout the novel, as if I were living through these events. I took off 0.25 stars only because, as others have pointed out, Sorcha didn’t have much agency over her story, as is often the case with main characters in classic fairy tales. Given this is a modern retelling, however, Sorcha could have been faced with more decisions, rather than events just happening to her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
bookaquarius's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I made it through Daughter of the Forest and I really enjoyed it! We follow the protagonist from childhood into adulthood as she goes on a long, arduous journey to save her 6 brothers from a terrible curse. The beginning starts off rather slowly as we learn about Sorcha and her brothers’ lives at Sevenwaters, the land owned and stewarded by her family. There’s a prolonged war with neighboring Britons, and a legacy of violence between the two people. As dark and emotional as it was (and it really really was), it also definitely had a lot of spring/summery cottage vibes because of the magical forest filled with mystery and various forest folk. The protagonist also has a talent for gardening so it was a beautiful landscape to imagine.
As for the story, Ms. Marillier does not pull punches. The protagonist gets dragged through it! Like, she did not catch a single break up until the end and even in that moment she was still struggling. I found myself really invested in her story as I was reading but at times I needed long breaks because it became harder to pick up when I knew our girl would be getting knocked down unbelievably harder each day 😭. It read like a dark epic fairytale and was ultimately a rewarding read. The romance even read a bit like a fairy/folk tale in the sense that it’s the reward for the journey, not necessarily what you see the whole way through. I liked how it was handled and that it was a relationship that allowed Sorcha to stay true to herself.
As for one of the content warnings, I disagree with statements I’ve seen that the assault was not graphic or in any way not fully on page. Everyone is different, and for me it was a highly detailed and graphic scene. It’s the first half of Ch 6.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Vomit and War
sar_tej's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Exquisite. Ethereal. Folklore retelling at its best. If I could give this book 6 stars, I would.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, and War