In litera-chah, heroes are supposed to have depth of character, complex psychology, and tragic flaws.

It shows how she doesn’t feel comfortable with human contact, or always assumes the worst when it comes to meeting men.And seeing the world through Sorcha’s eyes, the strength of these women were highlighted all the more, Sorcha’s inner monologue presenting how her own opinions adapt based on their actions. She loves her brothers dearly and has a special bond with the Fair Folk, as well as the ability to hear their voices and communicate with the Lady of the Forest and the Bright One. Because they’re short stories you’re told the whole thing within a few pages and not only do the ideas not really have a chance to take root other than in a very fanciful way or perhaps that they’re a story with a message, you never quite understand the severity of what has actually happened during the tale, not to mention the language used in fairytales helps to spin the story in a sort of charming way. I never really warmed to most of Sorcha’s brothers and Sorcha herself didn’t really grow any more interesting than she was at the very beginning, for all the ordeals she has to suffer through.

Of course, they have risks themselves, the possibility of being hunted, for example, but when they change they really do become a swan with very basic instincts, thoughts and feelings whereas Sorcha is living every moment.

The pain in my hand was like fire—a white-hot agony that made me screw up my face and howl as I blundered along the path, my flowers dropped heedless underfoot. To add to this problem, while the book is told entirely in first person from Sorcha’s perspective, the book’s dialogue is written in formal, declarative speech which takes a bit of getting used to, and often feels needlessly long winded, albeit for the most part the character’s personalities show through all the same. Yet, to go along with this Marillier also tells us of Sorcha’s recovery, a recovery aided by the care and kindness she receives from several good men along the way; most notably the man she marries.

Whether you’re a lover of animals and nature, history and spirituality, some wonderfully otherworldly fae, or just a classic story of perseverance being rewarded, you will find this a journey worth taking. It happened in a split second, and in the baby's place is a pile of sticks, leaves, branches, and pebbles, crudely shaped in a baby's form—until Clodagh sees that the twig-and-leaves child is much more than it appears to be.Not to mention I’m almost certain that I would have said something out loud by accident at some point. I’ve read quite a few fairytale retellings and I think so far this has got to be one of the most hard hitting in that respect. Set in a mythological Ireland when Druids still held the upper hand against expanding Christendom and Fair Folk still meddled in the lives of mortals, Daughter of the Forest is a retelling of the “Six Swans” fairy tale.