Rating: 
Summary: Get Pulled In
Review: Unbelievably well written novel. The beginning may have been a little weak, but in the end it was an excellent read. At first, Sorcha seems to perfect to be real, but as the story progresses, you see character flaws and her tortured soul. Of course, she's still much more perfect than normal people, but for the story, it works. Well resolved, perhaps, yet again, the ending was a tad bit better than it would have ended in real life, but there is still conflict in the end, that I won't spoil. Certain hints and foreshadowing made me want to grab up the next book and plow through it. This book walks the boundary between historical fiction and fantasy, being both and mixing the genres. It took me some time to realize that Sevenwaters was in Ireland, but it made sense. The Celtic myths and lore entwined into this novel were quite relevant to the plot, making Sevenwaters seem not only a fantastical land, but a real place that once existed. The fairy tale tangled into this world is well known-the one about the brothers turned to swans and the sister who must rescue them. "Daughter of the Forest" wonderfully retells this tale though, with a unique spin while expanding the wonderful world that the fairy tale only gave you a glimpse of. You find yourself manipulated, by Juliet Marillier, into caring very much for these lovable, but still at least somewhat realistic characters and how their fate plays out.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo
Review: Congratulations, Juliet. For anyone out there who is interested in Celtic folklore, strong female characters or fabulous love stories, this is a wonderful novel to put on your "to read" list. Marillier has created Sorcha, a heroine who is strong, determined and steadfast. She suffers a great deal throughout this novel, and reading of her trials and disappointments is not for the weak of heart. I found myself crying often throughout the book, in outrage, sadness and in joy. The novel lacks some polish in its language at points, and there is little suspense, but its strengh is in the reader's strong identification with Sorcha throughout. She is condemned to silence throughout most of the book and the power of her story is such that the reader feels the need to be silent also, so as to help carry her burden. I can't wait until the next book in this series is published.
Rating:
Summary: Daughter of the Forest
Review: Wow! I loved this book. I was really into it and any fantasy lovers will love this book too. Sorcha's story is full of magic and love. This book is really good and I reccommend it for any one who is up for a bit of magic, love, and adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking, magical, and romantic
Review: Just finished Daughter of the Forest last night, and it was one of the best books I've read in a long time. Marillier is such a polished and accomplished writer, it's hard to believe this is her first book! I had always loved the fairy tale about the girl who saves her enchanted brothers, and this retelling of it is simply masterful. I dare you to read the reunion scene between Sorcha and Hugh and not be moved! Daughter of the Forest is a wonderful story, beautifully written. The sense of evil is palpable, the trials the heroine must go through are both harrowing and heartbreaking, and the conclusion leaves you wanting to read more about Sorcha, her brother, her wonderful husband Hugh, and their magical home of Sevenwaters. For anyone who likes fantasy, Irish myth, fairy tales, and romance, this book has them all.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Crafted! A woven masterpiece!
Review: As a 16 year old avid reader, I happened to have picked up this book after reading the wonderful Green Rider (as I was searching for books more like it). So, I bought this book and was absolutely captivated by the tale of young lovely girl named Sorcha and her 6 brothers that love and protect her. Then the plot twist somewhat and Sorcha becomes the herione that I was looking for. Her "evil" step-mother bestows a curse on her brothers and it is up to Sorcha alone to free her brothers from this (she can't free them unless she is totally silent). Meanwhile, she becomes captured by her family's enemy and during this time not only does she need to free herself but her own brothers as well. This is when a man named Red, a sworn enemy of her family starts to build a relationship of a sort with Sorcha. In the end, Sorcha faces her own battles and does it all in the name of love. I found this story to be one of the best well written herione stories of all time and with it's compassion, adventure, heroism, magic, family loyalty, and romance, it has definately won a permanent place on my bookshelf as one of my top favorites. Read it and become facinated by Sorcha's captivating tale!
Rating: 
Summary: Grimm tale + Celtic flavor = beautiful creation
Review: This was a beautifully written retelling (which a Celtic twist) of the Grimm fairytale in which a girl, through a labor of love, tries to free her six brothers who have been transformed into swans by an evil enchantress. The overall tone is sweeping and romantic, but the romance is subtle and never too much to bear. I found it especially interesting how the author portrays Sorcha, the protagonist, as not wanting to speak for the greater part of the book. Sorcha's body language and occasional mind-speak must have been difficult to to portray in words, but the author does not oversimplify Sorcha or have her relay (successfully) complicated ideas using only hand motions. The fact that I cared about what happened to Sorcha and her brothers, each being unique and well developed characters, says a lot for the author's accomplishment here, in my opinion. However, I found the Briton named Red too much of a stereotypical "flat" love interest, and his abrupt personality change near the end was not particularly believable. Dispite its few flaws, I do plan on reading the rest of Marillier's trilogy--the blend of Celtic fantasy and history has me intruiged!
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy Romance
Review: Sorcha is the only daughter of an Irish Lord that has 6 sons. The story is set some time in the Middle Ages (not sure exactly when) when Christianity is overtaking the old ways of the Druids. The first 150 pages acquaint us with the children of the family and their personalities and talents. Sorcha is only 13, but is a gifted healer nonetheless. When their widowed father takes a new wife it changes their lives. A spell is put on the family and Sorcha must complete an impossible task in order to break the spell. She lives alone in the forest for awhile working to accomplish her goal, but when she is forced to leave, Sorcha is rescued/kidnapped and taken to a country that her people are at war with. Sorcha's loyalty, dedication and determination are admirable. She spends a long time in silence (part of the spell is that she can't speak) in a foreign country where she is disliked. She cannot explain why she spends her days as she does and this makes her appear crazy. While there, she falls in love with Hugh, the Lord of the Manor. His family, friends and tenants can't understand why he brought her home in the first place and his interest in her baffles them. Their explanation is that she put a spell on him. Add Hugh's evil uncle and missing brother to the mix and there are sufficient obstacles to her breaking the curse and fulfilling her relationship. The ending is happy and predictable, but the way the story unfolds is very well done. There is some telepathy, forest fairies and of course there is the spell itself, but they all fit neatly into the story and there is no unexpected magic. Warning to readers that there is a brief scene of sexual violence. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The hundreds of pages flew by. It was a well told fantasy romance that I believe will appeal much more to women as it is really a love story and there are no bloody battles.
Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Fairy Tale For Our Time - Excellent!
Review: Since my childhood, I have always loved a good fairy tale and this Celtic-themed fantasy is a real winner - for both teens and adults alike. Juliet Marillier's "Daughter of the Forest" is loosely based on versions of Hans Christian Andersen's, (and the Brothers' Grimm), tale of six brothers who are placed under an evil spell and transformed into wild birds, and their sister who, under great hardship, must save them.
Lovely Sorcha should have been born the seventh son of a seventh son. But she was born a daughter, with six older brothers. Sorcha's mother died at her birth, leaving behind words of love for all her children. Lord Colum of Sevenwaters, the children's father, lost much of his joyous spirit with his wife's death and changed drastically in the ensuing years. He focused his energies on war rather than family and kept his emotions in tight rein. Colum spent much of his time patrolling his extensive landholdings to protect his forest properties and Ireland's borders from outsiders - the Britons, Picts and Vikings. He also spent time planning for war against the British, his primary enemy. The British had stolen three sacred Isles, holy to the Old Religion and central to its practice. At any and all cost, the islands must be won back. Colum's oldest sons, Liam, Diarmid, Cormack and Padriac were trained in arms and fighting and accompanied their father on his missions and strategy sessions. Conor, Cormack's twin was plainly not destined to be a warrior. He was a scholar, interested in Druid teachings, and took on the duties of the house steward. Finbar, to his father's despair, was not a fighter either - he was a man of peace. And young Sorcha, who her sire paid little attention to, was allowed to run wild, but was tutored in reading, writing, Gaelic and the British language by a Catholic priest, Father Brian, who lived nearby. Like her mother before her, Sorcha had The Sight and was an excellent healer. The good father furthered her education in the healing arts also.
Into this relatively peaceful setting came two strangers who were to significantly alter everyone's lives. Simon of Harrowfield, a young Briton of a noble house, was captured on Colum's land. He was called a spy and brutally tortured. In the dead of night Sorcha and Finbar took him to Father Brian's in hopes of healing him and getting him back to his own people. Connor gave them his blessing. All three youths risked their father's wrath and perhaps, even death, if they would be discovered. Then Colum returned from a trip with Lady Oonagh, his new bride-to-be - the second stranger. All the children sensed something terribly evil in her, especially Conor, Finbar and Sorcha. In order to gain total power over Colum and reduce his children's power, she seduced one son and began to make trouble for the others. Her vicious acts came to a head one day when she found the seven siblings all together and bewitched the boys. She turned them into wild swans, who would be able to return to their human forms only twice a year for a twenty-four hour period. Sorcha was left alone and bereft. The ancient Lady of the Forest came to her and explained how she could break the spell which bound her brothers. She told how difficult the task would be and how much strength she would need in order to complete her work. Sorcha eagerly accepted the job and left home, where she remained in danger from her stepmother, to begin her work and unravel the terrible spell.
This is a beautiful tale of familial devotion, self-sacrifice, steadfastness, adventure, travel - and yes, of love and romance - with a hero who is worthy of the exceptional young woman Sorcha is. Although the plot and subplots are very strong this novel is definitely character driven. And Ms. Marillier develops her cast of characters and gives them great depth. Much of what happens to Sorcha and her brothers is beyond their control but they recognize the root of their problems and wisely set about doing what they can to resolve them. The intelligent choices they make shape the narrative. As with all fairy tales, there is magic at work here, just the right amount to awe but not to disturb reality too much or take away from the characters' independence and ability to choose.
"Daughter of the Forest" is the first part of a trilogy but stands very well on its own and is an excellent novel and a delightful read. Highly recommended!
JANA
Rating:
Summary: Astonishingly Good
Review: You would never know this was Marillier's first book. Excellently paced, well-crafted, and evocative this is a book to read and treasure. Intended to be a retelling of a Grimm fairy tale in which a girl must save her six brothers who have been turned into swan, Daughter of the Forest never strays into silliness or pathos (although it does come close to the latter at a few points). One might expect an estrogen-powered book ala Bradley's Avalon given the title and cover; instead one gets a fantasy tale that can be enjoyed by either gender.
Rating:
Summary: Supernatural Medieval Celtic Novel - Great setting
Review: Sorcha, seventh child of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters, knows the days are numbered for her family's happiness when her father brings home a new bride. Soon her father, six brothers, and she are ensorcelled by her new stepmother.
I didn't know what to expect when I started this novel, but it was a really good read. But you'll want to keep out the Kleenex box for this one. The story is unusually sad and wistful as Sorcha goes through all sorts of deprivations as she is separated from her family and works to break her stepmother's spell.
The atmosphere of the Erin/Ireland, descriptions of the forest, druids, & nature worship by Sorcha's family was an absorbing backdrop. Ever since Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series I've enjoyed reading about medieval medicine and herbology, which this heroine practices. And like Gabaldon's novels, this is an extensive story coming in at 560 pages.
I admire authors when they aren't afraid to damage the main characters & this is no different. There are some well-done plot twists. Although, from time to time one can tell Ms. Marillier is a new novelist, Daughter of the Forest is a memorable and accomplished first effort. I would rate it 4 & 1/2 stars.
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