Rating: 
Summary: Breathtaking Book
Review: Kia Ora Juliet, the book is absolutely superb, full of mysticsm, magic and has touched every aspect of human emotion. This book has captured every essence of human strength. It has put me back to my childhood nostaglia of reminiscence fairytales and has remarkably drawn me to another dimension of fanstasy....!!! A great book to hard to put down....
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This is one of my favorite books! The writing was so wonderful I often felt that the story drew me in! Sorcha is so life like, I felt like I knew her! I gave this book 5 stars because I feel it is a must-read. What really affected me about this book however, was that when I put it down, it always took me a few moments the relize that I didn't have to stay silent as Sorcha did. That is a mark of wonderful writing.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully written novel based on the "swan" story
Review: I felt that Ms. Marillier did an outstanding job on this novel. It is one of those books that leaves you wishing for more. I am eagerly anticipating her next novel. The book was not quite a 5, nor was it a 4... So I went for the higher one instead. :) I havent read a book that I have enjoyed this much in a long time. If you enjoy Anne McCaffrey's book or Terry Brooks' novels then you will almost certainly enjoy this one.It has a strong female lead and you can feel her heartache as she endures what she must to free her brothers from the curse laid upon them. I liked the fact that the writer gave a telling of how things were before the vile villianess entered into the story.... I really cant say much because I fear giving away certain other points. However, this is definately a must-read.
Rating: 
Summary: I didn't enjoy this book
Review: It was a simplistic romance novel and I don't think I've read of a more passive main character.
Rating:
Summary: Don't people just read for enjoyment any more?
Review: I have been reading the reviews for Ms. Marillier's book and I am astounded by the number of people who have made criticisms about the lack of historicity and adherence to mythology. The author doesn't claim to be writing an historical work or recounting the narrative of a familiar myth; Ms. Marillier is writing a new story in which she borrows elements of history and myth in order to give her readers something new and exciting. And I think she has delivered this, with great success. I began the book with great expectations which were fulfilled and satisfied and surpassed in every way. (Actually, I lie. I was extremely disappointed when reaching the end, sometime around 5am in the morning, to discover that Lady Oonagh did not get her just desserts. I wrote to Ms. Marillier immediately and she informed me I would have to wait until the third instalment for that particular satisfaction.) I would like to congratulate Ms. Marillier on an entertaining, enthralling, imaginative and captivating novel. I am eagerly anticipating the 2nd instalment, which to my joy, I discovered is only a few weeks away now. Its been a long and agonising wait.
Rating: 
Summary: This one is for the ladies
Review: Well, some ladies, anyhow (my wife put it down mid-book, muttering things like "bodice-ripper", "psychobabble" and "martyr"). I was able to finish it, although I did skim through much of the harlequin romance sections to find out what was going to happen. Even though the cover art looks like M.Z. Bradley, I wouldn't recommend approaching this book thinking that it will be as good as Mists of Avalon. Hardly, this one lacks the depth, breadth and quality story-telling. But still it's an appealing story in parts. I'm guessing that this one might appeal to women more because there is a great emphasis on love for the amply-endowed and ever-sensitive Lord Hughe, aka "Red". Not that guys can't enjoy romance elements in a novel, too, but geez, this part of the book, and it's a major part, goes on and on about his qualities that sound suspiciously modern, such as his empathic listening skills and gentleness. He also has groundless love for the main character. As far as I could tell he loves her because she accepts years of daily pain and suffering, hmmm, that makes sense. Right. Another oddly modern part of the book is the main character's trauma experience. This is what my wife termed "psychobabble". Lots of talk about "recovery" and "trust" that are vital concepts for trauma experiences today but seemed grossly at odds with the medieval setting. These sections are some of the worst in the book, the character basically suddenly thinks "Hmmm, my brothers and Red are very nice...and they're men..... maybe I CAN trust men!". Simple as that! Sure. I also have some trouble with the character being described as "strong" in the book. I wouldn't want my daughters growing to think that strength is all about self-sacrifice and martyrdom, which is the only evidence of strength I saw in the character. Lots of other more adaptive ways to be strong but that's as much as we see of this character. Shallow character development you could call it. From what happens to her, seems like she doesn't think ahead, and her two plans seem to be to rely on fate or others (usually brawny men) to save her skin. Look at the cover illustration, she's not praying, that's her waiting for either doom or her well-endowed savior. Hard to admire or empathize with such a dim bulb.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Fantasy!!!
Review: I work in a library. A co-worker inter-library loaned this book and when she finished, highly recommended it to me. We are both _serious_ fantasy buffs. (I finished the new Harry Potter in 3 days.) Now that our credibility has been established, let me HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Marion Zimmer Bradley's work. The characters were well developed, the story intriguing and involving, the plot utterly flawless. I was so involved that, like many readers, I felt I had to share Sorcha's silence. I fell in love with Red alongside her. I felt her lonliness, her isolation, and her longing for a normal life. At any rate, try it and buy it, if you aren't too critical and involved in higher literature
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent book
Review: A wonderful tale. Sorcha is the youngest of seven children (the six others are all boys). Her father is a widower, as Sorcha's mother died shortly after giving childbirth, and his heart was hardened to most of life. Raised by her brothers in a sheltered and enchanted forest, she is happy. Two events change her life forever for this twelve year old girl. First she becomes involved in a plot with one of her brothers to free a Briton prisioner held by her father. Later in the middle of a campaign, her father returns home with a women he plans to marry. But this is woman no mere woman. What follows is a wonderful story of heartbreak and love, pain and loss, a seemingly impossible quest, all mixxed in with a touch of Celtic magic. For the girl grows into a young woman and must save her brothers from a cruel fate.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent light read
Review: By reading the other reviews I have to say I am a little disappointed. Since when does a story have to be so perfect? Okay yeah sure it may not have been historically accurate but who cares! It has so many other elements to work for it. I read this book on a long train journey and it totally took my mind off things. It is a book where you can just let go. I felt I could relate to Sorcha and was touched by her brave spirit. The myth of the Seven Swans was brought to life in this book. I recommend this book to anyone and can't wait until the second one is out.(which is September in Australia) Great work Juliet!
Rating:
Summary: Unreadable and historically inaccurate
Review: Call it a pet peeve if you will, but I prefer my historical fiction to be more or less historically accurate. Daughter of the Forest presents a medieval Ireland in which "Britons", by which the author seems to mean Saxons, are invading concurrently with the Northmen. This is not accurate; nor is the vague, fantasy-cliche portrayal of early Irish society. Even readers for whom historical verisimilitude is not an issue will probably be bored by the plodding, mundane writing style and slow plot of this book. I recommend giving this misty, New-Agey goop a miss.
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