Daughter of the Forest, by Juliet Marillier

I've finally read this book. It was on my Goodreads "want to read" list for years before I later deleted everything and started over. I don't even remember how I first heard of it, but it would come up in the book world every now and then.

For some reason, I'd always thought it was a light YA romantic fantasy that wouldn't interest me much. The cover and tagline may have something to do with it. "Love is the strongest magic of all"? Please do better, whoever came up with that. While it has fantasy elements, I'd label it as adult historical fantasy, with more emphasis on mythology and Celtic pagan tradition. And like other fairy tale retellings (this one based on the Brothers Grimm's "The Six Swans,") I expected happy, light, simple.

Yes, there is a love story, but it's a very, very slow burn. Very slow. That's fine with me. In fact, the whole pacing of the book, though some might consider it slogging, was perfect for me. Marillier took her sweet time setting up Sorcha's world, her background, her relationships with her family, especially her six brothers, and the magic of the Fair Folk. It's deeply atmospheric with rich, descriptive passages, set against a backdrop of the conflicts between the British and the Irish. This is a book with a deep sense of place and a connection to the earth.

The book follows the tale of the six swans pretty predictably, but what I didn't expect (and what I appreciated) was its refusal to brush over effects of trauma and grief. No one in this book gets a pat, happy ending tied up neatly with a bow. In this, it follows the tradition of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, in which "love is now mingled with grief."

There is triumph, yes, but also much loss. The years Sorcha and her brothers were away and the pain they endured through them, her broken home when they return—all have lingering wounds that aren't mended, even after the curse is broken.

That, I think, is what will make this book linger in my heart and mind.

If you like books with ambiguity and deep connections between family members and lovers, check out my upcoming short story collection, The Constellation of Forgotten Things.