There is no good or evil, save in the way you see the world

12. Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters #1) by Juliet Marillier

This book was a reimagining and expansion of a traditional Celtic myth called "The Swans." A friend of mine had told me that this book made her cry, and I'll admit that I had my doubts.

Yeah, I came close to crying.

The story is set in Ireland and Britain at a time when the Irish still practiced the Old Ways but the Britons had converted to Christianity. The evil step-mother enthralls her new husband and drives a wedge between him and his seven children (six boys, one girl). The children have great ties to the magic of the forest in which they live (one son is clearly destined to be a druid), and they gather together early one morning to perform a ritual and ask the Lady of the Forest to help them break the spell Lady Oonagh (what an evil sounding name) has over their father. But Oonagh interrupts the ritual and turns the boys into swans. Sorcha escapes into the forest thanks to the split second warning and shove of one of her brothers. Sorcha is only twelve, but the Lady of the Forest tells her she can save her brothers. She must make six shirts using the stems of the very spiny starwort plant, and when all six are finished, she must slip the shirts over the necks of each swan to break the spell. There's just one teensy weensy catch -- she can speak not a word until the spell is broken, nor can she tell her story to anyone via any means (writing, sign language, pictures).

This is very much a story of "What can happen to this poor girl next?" The plot is ever-changing but always interesting. The characters are fully fledged (no pun intended) -- you love the ones you're supposed to like and despise the ones you're not supposed to like. I made Mom laugh when I told her I wanted to poke one character in the eye with a very sharp stick. My only complaint is that I did not get to witness the punishment of that particular character. I found myself not wanting to work on my research so I could keep reading. Haven't had book do that to me in a long time. I just hope the next one is as well crafted.