inconceivably

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier tells the story of Sorcha and her six older brothers. See, Sorcha should have been the seventh son of a seventh son – but she ended up being a girl instead. Fate is funny that way (turns out not so much ha-ha funny as cruelly ironic). What follows is the story of how Sorcha will do almost anything to keep her family together.To say that Juliet Marillier starts off Daughter of the Forest a little slow is like saying it might get slightly boring to watch paint dry. Seriously – I first read Daughter of the Forest a few years ago and if it wasn’t for all the recommendations I’d gotten I would have been more than willing to give up on it. But – BUT – when things finally get going, you’ll forget all about the slow beginning. The pay-off is more than worth it. Trust me. I have now reread it more than once.The story, for the most part, is so subtle and slow-moving even past the beginning. But there is urgency and strength underlying each and every word – I am always awed by the power of the story. The quiet pace only makes the important things reverberate that much more.There is also a beautiful plot thread (well, more than one really) about how stories can make us get through pain. No one knows that better than tireless readers like us, right?The magic of the story is all about balance – how evil and good have to weigh themselves against each other. Sorcha spends the majority of the book trying to counteract a curse. If life was fair, it would have been easy, but of course things don’t work that way.Also: faithful dog alert. Linn is one loyal animal, and he made my heart hurt more than once. Sigh.As for the romance – it is very satisfying. Daughter of the Forest is one of those sweet and innocent love stories that gives you the warm fuzzies. Y’all, I love Red. He ends up giving up a lot for Sorcha!This is definitely a book worth reading. When you’re in the mood to watch a wonderfully written slow-paced story weave itself together, Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier is the book you should pick up.