Preview
  • Daughter of the Forest

  • Sevenwaters, Book 1
  • By: Juliet Marillier
  • Narrated by: Terry Donnelly
  • Length: 26 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (2,285 ratings)

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Daughter of the Forest

By: Juliet Marillier
Narrated by: Terry Donnelly
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Publisher's summary

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.
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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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What listeners say about Daughter of the Forest

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i am addicted!

wasn't sure if i was going to be able to get into this book...only because of the cadence of the narrator. there was a long pause between thoughts, or sentences that was quite distracting through almost all of the first part. but it seems by the second part she gained her stride and the story started flowing well as it should.
now, i am sooo glad i persevered, because i LOVED this story !!! the narrators voice has such depth, and emotion that it brought the story to life. i am now ready for the second book, and excited to get more of this story under way.

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6 people found this helpful

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Wow

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

These books are so beautiful! I was teary eyed for most of this book.

What other book might you compare Daughter of the Forest to and why?

I have no other books I know to compare this to.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I love this story

I've read and dread this story myself many times. I'm happy to see it here and with a great reader. I only wish she had been the reader of the next two as well.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A classic!

I am so glad I finally started this series. I will be downloading the second book soon.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Longsuffering

Three stars for an imaginative retelling of a traditional tale, but the lack of historical depth/details and the mournful (sometimes even gloating) dwelling on every character's repetitive, seemingly endless suffering--especially that of yet another first-person narrator--made the 26+ hours of this audiobook somewhat of a penance. By the time I discovered that 30 minutes of the sequel (no!) were included as a teaser at the end of Daughter of the Forest, I just did not care.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

a bit dower

well written and with a reverence for nature but with a masochistic love of suffering.

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Amazing Story

This is an amazing story about perseverance and determination. I love how the setting is in the ancient UK with the folklore of Ireland and Britain mixed in to this spell binding story.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

An enjoyable ride

The characters are numerous, and fairly well introduced and developed. The path of the story shifts from the unknown to the obvious and back again.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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loved it!

listened on audible and loved it. It may have been too slow of a start if I had read it, but the end was powerful and moving, and would be worth the read.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Storytelling at its best

This novel is all about love, selflessness, loyalty and perseverance amidst adversity.This is by far one of the best fairy-tale retellings that I have read and listened to.

Sorcha makes difficult decisions, and you feel a bond with her. Not one character is flat, and you feel as if you know them personally. And as the listener you start to see the bigger picture that Marillier is painting. Not one character means more than another, because somehow they are all intertwined.

Daughter of the Forest was simply magical. There is something about the way Juliet Marillier tells a story. It feels like you are sitting at a campfire and she is addressing only you, just weaving her tale. Her writing is an art form. You think you know what a good book is, and then you actually hear one and...wow.

Terry Donnelly does an excellent job with the narration and just helps bring the story to life. #AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

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