I really enjoyed reading Daughter of the Forest. It was the first book that I read by Juliet Marillier and I really liked her writing style.
It is a reimagining of the Six Swans myth and it is very well done.
We follow Sorcha , a seventh child, as she tries to complete her quest and defeat the curse that was laid upon them.
The book is a little slow paced at the beginning but then it picks up. I loved the world building and the descriptions as well as the characters. Sorcha is a great female character.

I love stepping into a Marillier novel. It’s so familiar and comforting. I loved this story, and the characters. I found it to be such a lovely, classic sort of fantasy novel. Filled with magic, sadness, romance, and a lot of character growth. I was so absorbed by this and can’t wait to pick up the rest of the series. I highly recommend.

I originally read this book in high school and it still holds up even 10+ years later. I love retellings in general and this was no different. I am really eager to continue reading this series and revisiting these characters and this world.

A very good retelling of six of swans. It was very well written, and I enjoyed the characters. The pacing took me a bit to get into but once I was in to the meat of the story I really enjoyed.

This is the first instalment in the Daughter of the Forest series.

Sorcha is the seventh child and first girl of her family. Her mother died not long after her birth and her distraught father left both his children and his home soon after. Now he deigns to visit them fleetingly and only has stern words to deliver his little daughter when he does. Sorcha does not feel the loss of the typical childhood she could have had, however. Not when she grows up with the wild woods to play in and six brothers to protect and guide her. These seven siblings share a close bond but this will soon be put to the test as dark forces encroach upon their wild haven.

This isn't my usual type of fantasy story: it is more rooted in historical fact, there were no scenes of heavy action, blood shed was kept to a minimum, and it initially only featured the briefest smattering of fantastical occurrences. I did, however, really enjoy my time with it, despite it being a far quieter story than those I usually gravitate towards.

At its heart, this featured a very close character study of protagonist, Sorcha. The reader was invited to watch her grow from wild and happy girl, to lonely and distraught teenager, and finally to the brave and brilliant young woman the novel closed with. I did find some small sections a little lengthy but, overall, I enjoyed my journey through these pages, at her side.

I was entirely unprepared for just how emotional a read this would become, though. A horrific occurrence transformed Sorcha, as well as the tone of the book, and I thought the scene in question brutally rendered yet sensitively managed. This marked a turning point in both the novel's direction as well as my investment in the story. I longed for Sorcha's peace and happiness as much as I painfully ached for any tragedy that befell her.

The romance that featured during the latter portions of this book was entirely swoon-worthy! It was slow to blossom and had my heart aching, in quite a different way, when the duo failed to discern their buried emotions and act upon them. When all seemed lost, they did just that and I adored witnessing their love become realised and Sorcha's happy ever after finally granted.

In this faithful retelling of “The Wild Swans”, Juliet Marillier centers on Sorcha, who is the youngest daughter of a powerful Irish chieftain. She is well-loved and protected by her six brothers. She is a healer, and spends her days tending to the sick. However, her happy life takes an ultimate turn when her father marries the evil sorceress, Lady Oonagh. The power-hungry Lady Oonagh turns Sorcha's six brothers into swans because they are a threat to her and her ambitions. In order to save her brothers, Sorcha must make clothes from a needlelike plant, and she must also give up her voice. Sorcha also finds true love along the way.

Sorcha is introduced as a 12 year old in the novel. Steadily, she matures over the course of the novel. She is very determined,and courageous. She is also very self-sacrificing for she is willing to endure many pains and suffering for her brothers. Even in the face of immense suffering and pressure, Sorcha keeps the goal of regaining her brothers’ humanity as her foremost goal and never waivers. She has a love of Irish folklore and she tells herself stories to help comfort her.

Her brothers are very likable characters. Each of them are very unique and have talents of their own. They are very protective of their sister, and when they are turned to swans, they are forced to leave their sister alone and unprotected which breaks her brothers hearts and are anguished because they desire nothing but to protect their sister.

The love story in the book is very beautiful. Sorcha cannot speak, and her love interest has to understand her without words and to ultimately love her. Both of them learn to understand each other and to communicate with each other without speaking. Red, or Lord Hugh, who is Sorcha’s rescuer and protector is a strong, morally upstanding man. He is steadfast in his love for Sorcha, even in the face of severe criticism from several of his closest relatives.

Other characters also stood out. The villains, in particular Lady Oonagh and Lord Richard, are truly evil. Also, some of the lesser characters, such as Simon (Hugh’s Brother), Lady Ann (Hugh’s mother), Ben and John (also Sorcha’s protectors) and members of the clergy such as Father Brien and Father Dominic were all interesting and played important roles in the book.

This book has very few graphic parts that while painful to read, were handled very well and were vital to the plot of the book. This book may not be suitable for the youngest of readers, but for readers over sixteen it is fine. The author still caters this book to young adults and she does her best to make it tasteful. Without some of the more graphic parts, the love story that unfolds would not be quite as interesting for it helps shake Sorcha’s and Hugh’s relationship. It also shows the brothers' anguish and their inability to be there at all times to protect Sorcha.

Overall, this book is very powerful. It has an amazing message that love prevails and obstacles can be overcome. It's themes are loyalty, family, and friendship. The setting is well-developed and the characters are likable. Sorcha is a likable and strong heroine. She is a characters that readers can easily can relate to. Even though Sorcha has to deal with pain and suffering as she goes through her trials, in the end, she ultimately triumphs. Although, I recommend this book to anyone who interested in fantasy, fairy tale retellings, and strong heroines, I believe that this is one of the books that everyone should read for it is a good story with an encouraging message.

One of my favorite books, from one of my favorite authors! it's great to see this book get a cover refresh, to help introduce a new audience to the wonderfully-written Sevenwaters series. This one is based on the legend of the six swans, and the story is incredibly moving and, ultimately, beautiful.

Daughter of the Forest is one of the most exquisite fairy tales. Juliet Marillier outdoes herself with her brilliant prose, lush world-building, and exquisite characters. This book is a masterpiece.

"When Sorcha is kidnapped by the enemies of Sevenwaters and taken to a foreign land, she is torn between the desire to save her beloved brothers, and a love that comes only once. "

How did I miss this series before??? It has everything I want in a fantasy novel and I am looking forward to all the rest!

CW: rape

I can already tell this is going to be a difficult review to write. Usually, I find the hardest books to rate are the ones where I feel no particular way - three stars, okay, forgettable, etc. But with DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST, there were parts I loved and hated with equal fervor and to be honest, some of those things, I can't even put my finger on. Instead of feeling apathetic, I think DAUGHTER made me feel too much.

Obviously, there is SO MUCH to love about this book. The writing is stunning. The setting is beautiful, aching, and drenched in ancient, fairy-tale magic. I adore real-world fantasy stories, and Marillier does an amazing job of making Dark Age Britain at once familiar and fantastic. There's also such a wonderful sense of family; I really cared about Sorcha & her seven brothers, and I was desperate for them to be reunited again. Sometimes quest/task-based stories can feel predictable or stilted, but DAUGHTER is imbued with real tension. There is no shying away from darkness, and one of my favorite elements of the book was how Marillier allowed her characters to feel such intense grief/sadness/anger, even when, outwardly, things were going their way. It added an amazing complexity to the story & characters, and I think it's why I became so emotionally invested.

But, you ask? There must be a 'but.

This is the part where I flail uselessly. Is it elements of this book I disliked, or just echoes of tired tropes I've read in other fantasy novels? Is it me, or Marillier? For starters, I couldn't wrap my head around how young Sorcha was for the majority of the story. Even at twelve, she speaks more articulately than most adults. And as soon as she 'becomes a woman' at 13/14, she's immediately identified as an object of male desire. I get that this is the Dark Ages, so things are different, but if boys can become swans, why can't girls be girls without such intense sexualization? While I think Marillier handled the long-lasting trauma of Sorcha's rape well, I also hated the Fairy Queen's reaction, which essentially boils down to "oh, that's just what happens to women, might as well get over it." I hated how ever male character either wanted to bang her or protect her or kill her. She is never considered an equal, and we are CONSTANTLY bombarded with physical reminders of that. As much as I loved her brothers and Red, we're always shown how big & strong they are compared to tiny, delicate, fey Sorcha. Maybe because. She's a C H I L D. Who is treated like a woman. Who speaks like a woman. Who doesn't mentally seem to age between 12-16. I think I was particularly stung because I'm 22 (Red's age) and my own sister is 14 (Sorcha's age when she meets Red) and I just ... can't ... imagine ... that ... being ... a ... healthy relationship. 14yos are not like 22yos. Nowadays, that's considered pedophilia. I don't care if she has hips & a period & whatever apparently makes her a woman (it doesn't), but sweet devils, why couldn't she age from 16-20 or something???????? Why must we continue to perpetuate the oversexualization of young girls, & romanticize the idea of an older, stronger male protector? Also, last point - f**k Richard. Get your monologuing ass back to wherever it came from.

So what am I supposed to do? This story stole my heart entirely, yet it also made me furious. I want to give it 1 star and 5 stars at the same time. But I can't do that, so I have to settle on a watery 3.5/5 and round it up to 4, because damn, Marillier can tell a story. This recommendation does come with strong content warnings for graphic rape/rape of a child and animal/dog death. All I can say is read it - because one way or another, I can guarantee DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST will leave a strong impression.

A wonderful fairy-tale retelling of the Six Swans, with gorgeous writing! I love when people put their own twist on a fairy tale, it makes it feel fresh and engaging! The writing is lyrical and the setting was so vivid that it hurt to leave. I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great retelling of a classic fairytale. I probably wouldn't read it again just because of how slow the pacing is. I saw plenty of raving reviews saying this was their absolute favorite book ever. I would not go as far as to say that, but it is a beautifully written story indeed.

This is a loooong book. The chapters are incredibly long and the pacing is very slow. There are some parts that take pages and pages to get through and don't really explain much (particularly in the beginning) and then there are parts that need much more explanation, but gets maybe 2 sentences. If you can get through some of the slower, overly descriptive parts of the book, you should be fine. The book is overly simple and overly complex at the same time. Marillier is very thorough and expansive with her detailing of the setting. Everything is described in an almost drawn out way and so it seems like there is a lot to keep track of. However, the premise itself is very simple and it almost seems like everything is just meant to taken at face value. The major plot points and components that make up the story (magic, fairies, etc.) aren't elaborated on much. Really this is a focus not necessarily on world building, but on present scene building that is coupled with elegant prose.

Marillier has a knack for writing characters with distinction and staying power. I loved that she clearly gave each brother characteristic individualization. They each had a life of their own so to speak. And even supporting characters like Ben , John, and Simon were standout. They burrowed their place in your heart in their own special way. And the relationships Sorcha builds and has with each and every character is so special and heartfelt.

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John's death was absolutely heartbreaking and I definitely teared up reading that scene. Also, I initially loved Simon and his headstrong moodiness. Then, we spent time with Red and I came to love him and his patience and understanding. However, when Simon is bought back and it is clear that he loved Sorcha...Ugh. I couldn't handle it. All of a sudden, I wanted her to be with Simon even though that obviously was never going to be the case considering everything. I honestly wish Marillier didn't write that part in. It would be easier if he didn't love her and that he hadn't been waiting for her and fighting to survive all those years just to see her again. This plot point is so heartbreaking and special to me and Marillier spent a rudely short amount of time on it. She just has Simon confess, Sorcha is like "oh, welp..." and thats it. If you're going to throw something like that in, do it correctly or don't do it at all. Aside from this, I'm more or less okay with how everything else went down.

I couldn't put this book down... Which is saying a lot because this book is lengthy!


But, I'm absolutely floored with Sorcha and how amazing she is. She was strong, courageous and willing to do whatever it took to help her brothers... And she went through so much trauma.


Along the way, Sorcha meets up with three incredible assets to the story-- Red, Ben, and John. From that point in the story I felt like maybe Sorcha would make it. Maybe she could survive everything that she'd gone through.


This story is a reimagining of "The Six Swans". It's brutal, it's heartbreaking, and it shows the absolute best and worst that humanity has to offer. I'm only hoping the rest in the series are as great.

This review will be available at the link provided on 5/5/20.

Sorcha, the main character of this book, really is a lovely young girl. She unfortunately, has a neglectful, dominating father and a literal witch of a stepmother. But the love of her six brothers sustains her. Her love for them is also what compels her to enter into a magical pact to save their lives, a pact that will cause her incredible suffering and hardship. She is a courageous, wonderful character.

Ms. Marillier, always does such a terrific job bringing female characters to life. Her writing is beautiful and evocative of Irish folktales and faerie stories. However, she doesn’t gloss over how difficult it would be to actually live through one of those stories. Her characters realistically deal with PTSD, guilt, and intense fear. She also portrays the relentless misogyny of the times, where even the men who love Sorcha most are nevertheless willing to smother and keep her from making her own choices in life. This leads to a juxtaposition between the magical, ethereal quality of a faerie story with characters and story lines you can really identify with and come to love and admire.

I just last year discovered Ms. Marillier and I’m so happy to see that Tor is releasing her books again. This book in particular was first published in 1999 and I hope that through this release many more people, like myself, will get to find out what a fantastic author she is. I would also highly recommend her Blackthorn & Grim series of books which are probably my favorites.

Getting back to this series though, I couldn’t put this book down and had to get the second volume right away. I am hoping to start the third soon, once I can get my TBR in order. I love this author and hope you will pick up this book. It is terrific.

Song for this book: The Morning Fog – Kate Bush

A huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to revisit one of my favorite books of all time.

Do you love fairy-tale re-tellings with a twist of darkness? If you do, then this book is for you. The Wild Swans is one of my favorite fairytales, and Marillier's imaginative, evocative retelling will have you fiendishly devouring every page.

The kingdom of Sevenwaters is a bastion against the encroaching wilderness and the threat of Viking invasion. It is steeped in magic that emanates from the land around it. It is the safety net for a ragtag band of siblings. Sorcha is the only daughter of Sevenwaters, and her 6 brothers protect her from the dangers that surround them and from the despair of their father's neglect.

Sorcha's world is shattered when their father comes home with a new wife. Their new stepmother walks in nightmares, and wields their power to bewitch and bind her new family. Their father becomes nothing more than her minion, and Sorcha and her brothers must fend for themselves.

Their new life becomes too much to bear when their new stepmother enchants Sorcha's brothers. Sorcha is forced to make an impossible bargain with the Fair Folk in order to rescue them, and struggles to make her family whole again as she is cast from her home.

This was a mixed bag of a book for me, with some incredibly lyrical prose and gorgeous imagery, but with a very pedestrian and repetitive plot. It tells the story of Sorcha, the daughter of an Irish lord, and her six brothers. When their father re-marries a mysterious woman, events are put into motion which will find Sorcha voiceless amongst her enemies.

The Positives: The atmosphere created by Marillier is incredibly well done. It feels like being transported into Celtic Britain and Ireland, full of forest spirits and fair folk. I thought that some of the prose was really beautiful and I enjoyed the fairy tale quality to the plot, with the endless task and the inability to speak.

The Negatives: I felt like the book was far too long and that it was relentlessly depressing at times. There were lots of episodes of really repetitive action that could definitely have been cut down in my opinion. I also felt like Sorcha was given very little agency, which I appreciate is time period appropriate, but it did still grate. I also thought that the villain was very pantomime and given to monologues.

Overall, I don't think I will continue with the series, but I would recommend it to those who like their fantasy with a heavy dose of historical fiction or a touch of fantasy in their historical fiction.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was thrilled to see this book pop up on NetGalley. It's been one of my favorite reads (and the book that introduced me to one of my favorite authors) for many, many years. I couldn't think of a series that is more due for a re-release than the original Sevenwaters trilogy. Plus, this was the perfect excuse to re-read this book and finally feature a full review for the story on this blog!

Sorcha's life is full of family and love. With six older brothers who adore her and seek to protect her from everything, her life seems to be on a straight, bright path. Until her family falls under the shadow of her father's new wife, a powerful sorceress who puts her brothers under a terrible spell, dooming them to the short life of swans. Now Sorcha must become the protector, undertaking a near-impossible task, forced to weave shirts out a painful plant and not allowed to make any noise until task is finished and spell lifted. Life is not made easier when she finds herself caught up by the enemy English and now living in a foreign land among those who distrust and fear her. But Sorcha persists in the face of it all, even has her task seems more and more doomed.

I love fairytale retellings, and this book really introduced me to them and set the bar for what they can be. The "Seven Swans" fairytale is a lesser known tale, and while there have been several other ones that I've found since reading this, none have even come close to fully realizing the full potential of the story. Marillier doesn't simply stick to the basic outline; she creates an entire world, magic system, and fully-fleshed cast of characters, many of whom don't feature in anything other than name in the original tale and some not at all. But beneath this all, the heart of the story is consistent (though some details differ). All the major plot points are hit, but the book is over 500 pages long, so you know it is rich in detail and not in a rush to get through its story.

Too often fairytale retellings fail to really establish themselves as anything unique from the original stories. Main characters are often lacking in any real personality (fairytales themselves often give them basically none, so there's not much to go off for the author adapting it). And often the story doesn't expand much further out than the original tale. Not so, here. Sorcha is the cornerstone around which this entire story hinges. And, given the she spends two thirds of the book not able to speak out loud, it's important that her character feel real and compelling. We spend the entire book in her head and experience some fairly traumatic things alongside her. But, importantly, you'll notice that I said "two thirds." That's because, smartly, Marillier adds a bunch of extra story to the beginning of this book. This not only gives Sorcha ample opportunity to be set up as a compelling character, but it adds stakes to her quest. We've met her brothers. We know their individual strengths and weaknesses, and, importantly, their close attachment to their sister. This makes their loss feel real and helps the reader feel fully committed to the terrible task set out before our leading lady.

The book also deals with some pretty serious and tough topics. There's a very graphic, traumatic scene that occurs fairly early in the story. The author doesn't hold back on the details of this attack, but what justifies this, I think, is the great work she does to explore how this affects Sorcha going forward. It's not swept away or easily solved. Instead, we see how this experience shapes all of Sorcha's choices and reactions going forward. And, ultimately, we see how she slowly goes through the experience of healing from it. This book is probably the best example I can point to for how a tough topic like this can and should be handled. Not only does our heroine go through the entire process, the book lays down some needed examples of how those around her help and wait as she deals with this.

Marillier's writing is also exceptional. Atmospheric, lyrical, and emotional, she makes you feel the same strong connection to the forests and lakes of Sorcha's wild home. Small moments land with unexpected emotion, and the action is tense and high stakes while not straying far from the intimate perspective we have through Sorcha's eyes with everything that is going on around her. Throughout all of Marillier's books, her writing is always consistent, but it's a joy to go back to this first book that I read of hers and see why it stood out so much in the first place.

Marillier started a new trilogy this last fall, and I'm eagerly awaiting getting my hands on the second boo, due out this September. If you're waiting as well, take this chance to explore her backlog with this beautiful renewed edition. I love the cover art for this and the other two books in the trilogy. If you haven't read any of Marillier's work before, boy, are you in for a treat! Get started with this one, and away you go!

Rating 10: Everything that a fairytale retelling should be and then some!

(Link will go live May 20)

It was an excellent read: dark, enthralling and well written.
I loved this retelling of an ancient Irish saga, I think it's well written and the author is a talented storyteller.
I think there's a lot of character development and an interesting world building.
I think it's also realistic in describing an age when the values were very different and I don't expect anything set in that age to reflect our sensitivity.
I want to read the rest of the series and I really loved this first instalment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for this ARC of Juliet Marillier's Daughter of the Forest.

Trigger warning: rape, animal torture/death

Daughter of the Forest was originally published in 1999. I hadn't heard of it at the time but in recent years, a good friend has recommended it to me as one of her favorites. It has since lingered on my tbr list so when I saw it come up on NetGalley for the cover re-release, I knew it was time to finally read it.

It is a retelling of the six swans fairy tale. It's set in Erin (aka Ireland) and follows Sorcha, the seventh child of a lord, and her six brothers. The Lady Oonagah comes and bewitches their father and changes her six brothers into swans. This starts Sorcha on a path to bring back her brothers where she must painstakingly gather thorns and reweave them into shirts. While the main plot follows fairly closely to the original seven swan myth, I thought they did a wonderful job characterizing Simon and Red and other supporting cast like Ben and John and Donal.

I found the beginning a little slow though that was partially my anxiety about when the rape scene was (it's in ch6 btw and it's denoted out with *** if you want to skip it). In general, I thought the prose was lush and beautiful. I liked the story once I got into it. However, my two big hangups were (1) the story starts when Sorcha is 12 and ends when she's 16, this makes the rape even worse and even the romance a little squeamish to me even though it's not totally atypical of that time period. (2) I understand this is part of a trilogy (which then spun out to 6 books I believe?), but I found the ending to be a bit anti-climactic. I was left wondering what happened to several other major characters.

Overall I liked it but had a few major hangups. This is 3.5/5 rounded up to 4 for me.

was provided with a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Care warning: Sexual assault, torture, animal abuse, self-harm, violence

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier was originally published in 1999. This year, the series is receiving a new set of covers for the trade paperbacks. This novel is the first in the Sevenwaters series. I would characterize this as an adult novel as there are some dark themes, but, as always, use your own discretion.

The novel follows Sorcha, the seventh child of the seventh son of Sevenwaters. She lives in a world of magic and ritual where history and place and inextricably linked to her own understanding of herself. Growing up, she is surrounded by six brothers, each with their own unique set of talents. When her father remarries, the children's step mother curses the brothers and turns them all to swans. It is up to Sorcha to break the curse, all without uttering a single word. However, when she falls in love, it may pose the largest challenge to completing her task.

Daughters of Forest is a slow story that richly weaves in Irish folklore and history with a backdrop of magic. The writing is lush and evocative, bringing to life the magic of the world as well as its complex and, often, senseless violence. I will probably write a spoiler follow up in regards to the way women in the novel are portrayed and how they relate to their male counterparts. At its heart, this is a re-telling of the "Six Swans" folktale. It's a slow and comfy read that will allow the reader to immerse themselves in the story. Best of all, Juliet Marillier has a large archive of stories to peruse after this one.

I think fans of Naomi Novik's recent Spinning Silver and Uprooted will enjoy this as there are very similar narrative styles at play between the novels.

Four out of five stars.