A well written powerful story, the first of the Sevenwaters series. Juliet Marillier finds inspiration for this story from a Grimm brothers fairytale 'the six swans'. The elements from this tale are cleverly woven throughout 'Daughter of the forest. The young evil stepmother, a sorceress of much power. The children, six brothers and one sister. The girl, Sorcha endures many hardships, and must draw on inner reserves of courage and strength to reach her goal. ( )

One of my all time favourite books, beautiful reworking of the Six Swans into a story of drama, sacrifice and love. Sorcha must undertake a tortuous task to free her brothers from a spell cast upon them by the sorceress Lady Oonagh. ( )

Sorcha is one of the strongest female characters I have read in fantasy, a thoroughly entertaining read. ( )

A retelling of the six swans fairy tale. Very well done. I cared about Sorcha so much I had trouble keeping on reading when I knew from my memory of the fairy tale something bad was coming.I'm glad she removed the bit about her having children that were killed. Sorry the brothers dwindled and went away or died - what happened to "Do not underestimate any of your brothers?" But I have some hope Finbar will return, in the sequels. ( )

Growing up wild in the forests of Ireland, Sorcha has a relatively happy childhood with her six older brothers, despite the fact that her mother died when she was born. But when her father marries again, she and her brothers quickly realize that there is something wrong with their new stepmother. Lady Oonagh may be beautiful, but she is also cruel – so cruel that she uses her dark magic to put a curse on Sorcha’s brothers, turning them all into swans. Sorcha must find a way to escape Oonagh and break the curse, but her path soon takes her in a strange direction: she encounters a group of Britons whose leader, Red, takes her back with him to England. Sorcha is grieved at leaving her beloved brothers and homeland, but she is also intrigued by the completely different way of life she now observes. As Sorcha struggles to break the curse, she must eventually choose between the old life she loves and the new life she desperately desires.

This book was completely absorbing; I spent all of yesterday devouring it. Fans of fantasy, fairy tales, and love stories will really enjoy this book. The plot is engrossing, especially the many obstacles Sorcha must face before she can break the curse and determine her true path in life. The romance is also very good, both strong and tender. The villains are a bit too villainous, which was surprising considering how great the characterization is in other areas…Sorcha has six brothers, and they each have a distinct personality! I also liked the way magic is described: none of the characters make a big deal of it, because it’s just there as a normal part of their lives. In short, this novel is very interesting and unique – in my opinion, definitely worth owning!