Here's something with a bite of different flavor....

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier - Marillier has made a pretty awesome name for herself in the realm of adult fantasy. I really enjoy historical fiction, and I especially those based in folklore (which is moving more into the fantasy realm, I suppose...), and this book by Marillier is actually based on an old Celtic legend. It follows the story of Sorcha, the youngest child, and only dauaghter, of the powerful Irish lord of Sevenwaters, who is well loved and favored by her 6 older brothers. They live relatively peaceful and content lives, but that changes when her father brings home a new wife, but looks can be decieving. She's young, beautiful, and by all appearances a devoted woman, but in reality she's a sorceress who casts a spell on Sorcha's 6 brothers that turns them into swans. Sorcha, fortunately, escapes the same fate, and with the help of the Lady of the Forest is given a task to help break the spell and return her brothers back to their human forms, under certain conditions - she's not allowed to speak until her task is completed and not to tell anyone what she hopes to achieve with her task. Sorcha's adventure is fraught with danger and obstacles, and she must try to break the spell, while at the same time trying to protect her heart from the Briton (enemies of the Irish) who 'kidnapps' her away. I thought this was a pretty good book, Marillier's use of language was excellent, but it was a bit slow to start and the course of Sorcha's thoughts have a tendency of slowing down the plot at some points. All in all, I'm glad I bought the book and plan on reading more of Marillier's books in the future.

**** 4 Stars

Sevenwaters Trilogy Includes:
1. Daughter of the Forest
2. Son of the Shadows
3. Child of the Prophecy

I reviewed this book as a stand alone, (1) because I've only read the first book and (2) because although this is a trilogy each book is about a different character from different generations of the same family (so, Son of the Shadows is going to be about Sorcha's children...). I plan on reading the last two since the first one has piqued my interest, and for those of you who end up reading all three and want more, Marillier has recently released a 4th Sevenwaters novel in 2008 called...

4. Heir to Sevenwaters (still in hardcover)