Daughter of the Forest Audiobook By Juliet Marillier cover art

Daughter of the Forest

Sevenwaters, Book 1

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Daughter of the Forest

By: Juliet Marillier
Narrated by: Terry Donnelly
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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 and 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 that she will never able to complete her task, but the magic of the Fair Folk knows no boundaries, and love is the strongest magic of them all....

©2000 Juliet Marillier (P)2013 Audible, Inc. Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Historical Magic Heartfelt Witches & Wizards

Editorial reviews

Editors Select, July 2013 - I loved two things as a teen: fairytales and history. After watching me give up on The Once and Future King for the umpteenth time, my first girlfriend gave me a little package of books. Daughter of the Forest was on the top, probably due to its size, but I like to think she hoped I’d read it first. I devoured it in one sitting. But let’s be clear: Daughter of the Forest is a coming-of-age story, but it is not YA. Set in medieval Ireland, this is the story of Sorcha, youngest child of Sevenwaters, an ancient fortress stewarded by a noble family tasked with overseeing the spiritually-important lands. When her father’s new wife turns her six brothers into swans and forces Sorcha to go on the run, she is set to a curse-breaking task by the Fair Folk inhabiting the dark and dangerous woods – weave six shirts of starwort, and speak no words while you are working, or your brothers will be swans forever. Sorcha’s magically-enforced silence lands her in serious trouble when she’s captured by a rival clan, and she is forced to try and complete her task in a stranger’s land. While ultimately a tale of what we’ll do for our families, Daughter of the Forest is great fantasy for the fairer set, those who are historically minded, or those who want a break from the heaviness of Game of Thrones. I’m thrilled to finally see it in audio. —Erin, Audible Editor

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I almost stopped listening after the first couple hours. The narrator is way too gusty and melodramatic, and pacing overall is slow. Then I checked the reviews and saw a few people recommending 1.25x and 1.5x speed. Unfortunately 1.5x was too garbled for me to understand (I think it was the rougher accents that got clipped), but 1.25x brought it up to a normal speaking pace, which was bearable.

To add to that advice, you should be liberal with the 30 second skip button. When the main character starts dreaming of her home or her family, she can go on and on and on and on, and we've heard it all before. Skip skip skip.

My rating is actually more like a 3.5 given my manual intervention, but I have to be honest - I got hooked somewhere in the middle, so I'm rounding up to a 4. Just don't be afraid to skip ahead a minute or two (especially during the antagonist's diatribes)!

Glad I didn't give up on this book

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If you could sum up Daughter of the Forest in three words, what would they be?

Sacrifice Love Loss

What was one of the most memorable moments of Daughter of the Forest?

Meeting Hugh! Just when you think that all is lost for the heroine, he is a beacon of hope.

Which character – as performed by Terry Donnelly – was your favorite?

Sorcha as a child.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were definitely parts that made me cry, it shows the fierce determination and sacrifice of a girl for her family which is entirely beautiful. It makes you wonder and hope that you would have the same strength too.

This book will take you on a fantastic journey

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*NOT an easy quick read. (but WONDERFULLY powerful!)

This book had a beautiful depth and intricate plotlines. mystery, danger, heartache, and selfless love!

I truly enjoyed this book! while still clean, there were some mature situations, though I felt, were tactfully written.

I can't WAIT to listen to the next one!

SUUUCH a good book!

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This is a wonderfully gripping book. I'm so glad I bought it. I highly recommend it and I'm a tough critic. the narrator makes this book come to life. I set it at 1.25 speed and it was absolutely perfect.

Absolutely Wonderful

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I’ve listened to audiobooks 45+ hours (Stormlight Archive, etc) that felt half as long as this. The narrator takes unnecessarily long pauses between sentences and at commas.
I sped the audio up to 1.5x and 1.75x and the narration finally sounded fine.

That aside, the story is heartbreaking and robust. Strongly recommend.

Great, emotional story; horrible narration

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This book is amazing! Try not to read too many reviews because they give some of it away. I did speed up the narrator to 1.75 speed because it is rather slow. Did not take away from the story at all. Her voices are incredible.

Could not stop listening

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I absolutely love this first book in the trilogy! Juliet Marillier is best storyteller I’ve ever read/heard. Only thing is that her stories are so rich and characters so multifaceted that I hate when the book ends. However, I must also give the voice actors an equal measure of credit for bringing the characters to life with their immense gifts. Thank you all for what you do!

Fabulous Storyteller!!

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I’m only 2 hours in and felt the need to pause and come report my findings due to all the criticism.
The narrator is a perfect delivery for someone recalling memories. The tone is soothing, everything is clear and easy to understand, and she has a dreamy accent.
Not sure how stellar the story is going to become but I hardly care because I love how it’s being told.

If you hate music like Sade then you will hate the narration

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When I review a book it's usually short. I don't believe in rambling on for paragraph after paragraph.
This book is written in a way that is unique. The narrator is superb from start to finish. The book is well thought out and written.
The book is worth every penny or credit it costs. It is one of the best audio books for the theatre of the mind and I highly recommend it and the series.

Wonderful book.

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I really enjoyed this. Rich descriptions, well defined characters, twists and turns. Hanky rating: 4! lol.

Wonderful story well told!

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