I read a lot during the HSC STUVAC period. Like, a lot. Basically when I wasn't studying/eating/sleeping/youtubing, I was reading. Some people watch TV shows, some people exercise; I read. So this is just a little heads up about the upcoming reviews I might be posting on this blog. I'm not chomping through books at a freakishly fast pace - merely going back to revisit ones from the last few weeks.
Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters #1) - by Juliet Marillier
If there ever was a poster child for the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover", this would be it.
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It's rather fugly isn't it? Don't worry - you can say it.
It is a sad but true fact of this world that most great books have fugly covers and those that suck balls have pretty ones. I can name a billion examples of this: Hush Hush, Fallen, etc. Those covers are epic - too bad the stories never lived up those standards.
Enough about the cover though - let's talk about the book. So you guys know that Brothers Grimm story with the six swans?
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By AndrewRyanArt on Deviantart
It's slightly obscure so I can understand if you haven't. For those who aren't familiar with it, the story goes something like this: A king has seven children, six of whom are boys. An evil stepmother comes along and turns them into swans ('cause that's just how they did things back in those days) and the remaining daughter is set a seemingly impossible task in order to break the curse and free her brothers.
Simple enough, and this book is basically a retelling of that story.... but on steroids.
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Everything was just so much more: the world, the characters, the storyline.... It would have to be for a full length novel such as this, of course. Sorcha, the main character is such a strong person. 90% of the stuff that happened to her made me want to chuck my kobo e-reader across the room and I never want to do that. When I think about it, I'm not entirely sure what aspect of this book drew me in and made me feel so strongly. Maybe it was the fairy tale part of it - the whole paganish, earthly, magical atmosphere. I am such a sucker for fairy tales, lol.
Genre? Um definitely epic fantasy and romance, although "romance" might not be the correct term for it. The love story makes up a significant portion but it's not the bodice ripper type if you know what I mean.
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This actually wasn't the first Juliet Marillier book that I've ever read. The first one was Wildwood Dancing waaaaaaaaay back in Year 6 and that one was young adult instead of adult. It was about the 12 dancing princesses I think... I don't really remember much about it, only that it took me more than one go to read but in the end, I loved it as well. Her writing style is really immersive and poignant and her world-building is epic so if you guys are looking for a bit of brain candy, you might want to find something else and get back to this later.
I rated it five stars on goodreads though. I rarely do that - The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and The Fever Series being some of the few series which have gotten that. I think it was because of the story's emotional impact. When I wasn't reading it, I thought about it. That's a sign of a good book isn't it?
