Daughter of the Forest: Fantastically Magical (30 Before 30)

Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1) by Juliet Marillier
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 411
Goodreads

Daughter of the Forest, the first book in Juliet Marillier's award-winning Sevenwaters Trilogy.

Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives, they are determined that she know only contentment.

But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift--by staying silent. If she speaks before she completes the quest set to her by the Fair Folk and their queen, the Lady of the Forest, she will lose her brothers forever.

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. Sorcha despairs at ever being able to complete her task, but the magic of the Fair Folk knows no boundaries, and love is the strongest magic of them all...

Book 2 in the 30 Books Before 30 challenge I am doing with Milana from A Couple Reads.

I am so glad that the second book in our challenge was not such a damn bore as the first one. What a stark difference between the two: one is a one-star rating while I’m giving this one FOUR STARS! Well, let’s get into the review!

Before we start, there is a content warning I want to share: View Spoiler »There is a fairly graphic scene of rape. It is a turning point for the character and the trauma is referenced several times. There is also animal abuse twice, not described in detail, but it is there. « Hide Spoiler

WHAT I LOVED

• Sorcha, Sorcha, Sorcha. I loved her character. You follow her through several years of her life and when you take that length of time into consideration – her character is just damn strong! She’s determined, loyal, and, seriously, when you think “strong female character“, think Sorcha. She may not be fighting off bad guys with badass swordsmanship, but her tenacity is something to be admired.
• The romance is a slooowww burn. Again, we follow Sorcha throughout several years of her life. So this romance doesn’t just jump out of nowhere.
• The whimsical, lore-filled setting. I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building. There were folktales, connections to the forest, faerie, and other magical aspects to the world that I think were wonderfully written.

“Meanwhile, the great ash would rest where she lay, and mosses would creep over her trunk, and tiny creatures make their homes her dim hollows. Even in death, she was a link in the great chain of the forest’s being.”

WHAT I WASN’T SO IN LOVE WITH

• The pacing at times was a little slow for me. Just sometimes, though. There were some points in the book where I couldn’t put it down, so many things were happening – there were other points where it just felt like it was dragging. This one could have definitely been shorter and benefited from some scene clipping (it harped on a few things here and there).
• Ok, this whole story is happening because Sorcha wants to save her brothers, right? Well, I didn’t feel super attached to any of them. The one I felt the author was pushing us to feel for was one that I just could. not. stand. He was too angsty. Also, there’s something that happens to his character that I thought was super ridiculous while Milana thought it was a very emotional & impactful event for his character. So, we had a bit of a debate on this thing but we’re going to agree to disagree here 😆

“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.”

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Sure, it could have picked up the pace a few times and maybe included just a bit more with the brothers – especially at the end – but I thought it was such a great read. It has a little bit of everything – great characters, great romance, magical elements, strong-willed female characters, and mystery! I can’t wait to read the next book!

Q&A WITH MILANA

As usual, Milana and I asked each other 2 questions. Here are the questions I asked her with her answers! If you want to see my answers to her different questions, check out her review!

Q (me): What did you think of the pacing? Do you think it was okay or did it drag at times for you as it did for me?
A (Milana): I found the pacing worked really well for me I was so immersed and just gliding through the book. I kept thinking about it when I put it down.

Q(me): What did you think of the romance? Is it what you expected? Was it believable?
A (Milana): The romance was perfect for me! I love a good slow burn and that was expertly built. It was exactly what I wanted and was very believable for me. I wasn’t sure about that slight triangle at one point but after she explained why and how I definitely was on board for all the romance this book had!

“Juliet Marillier’s version of this tale is tragic and beautiful at the same time. 5 brilliant stars to Daughter of the Forest.” – From Milana’s review!

Rating Report
Plot
Characters
Writing
Romance
Overall:	4 / 5