Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Daughter of the Forest is an absorbing, heart-breaking story. It's a retelling of the classic fairytale of the Wild Swans, and it doesn't gloss over the darker implications. Wallowing in the misery of them is more like it.
In Ireland in the time of the Druids, Sorcha is a healer and a true child of the forest. Each of her six brothers is distinctly drawn, and the bonds of love and loyalty between them are firmly established - tangible, almost. As everything falls apart, their closeness makes the rest of the tale both vivid and believable.
The writing is beautiful, especially during the time of childhood innocence. But ultimately this is a dark tale full of pain and anguish, and loss. I'm not sure I've ever read a sadder happy ending. It stays true to the horror of what happens to the seven siblings, recognizing that too much is broken by the evil enchantment for a magical, tidy fix-up at the end to be at all realistic. Thankfully there is a bit of happiness to the ending, although it is bittersweet.
I normally don't enjoy books that are so sad and depressing, but it's hard not to appreciate how well done this retelling is, and hard not to be curious about how the dangling threads will continue in the next book.
Content: includes rape, threats of rape, and non-graphic sex.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment