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Kat Kennedy's Reviews > Daughter of the Forest
Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)
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Kat Kennedy's review
bookshelves: fun-fantasy, romance-romance-romance, kat-s-book-reviews, australian-writer
May 14, 2010
bookshelves: fun-fantasy, romance-romance-romance, kat-s-book-reviews, australian-writer
***Warning**** Mention of rape and discussion of such follows.
I gave this book four stars so obviously I did enjoy it. There are actually many, many enjoyable elements to this book and I promise to get to them in a moment...
I found myself so COMPLETELY annoyed with Daughter of the Forest though I really enjoyed the book. We are treated to the terrible acts committed against Sorcha and it's rather graphic at moments. Yet when it comes to consensual, loving sex - nothing. Fade to black the moment they enter the bedroom with only a passing comment that she had a moment of fear that was passed when lovingly consoled.
WHY?! Fuck if I know! I've read this so often in so many books. WHY is it okay to be descriptive of rape in books and to actually give a full account of what happens (or at least, close to) but loving, consensual, normal sex is not okay. If you write about that it goes in the romance genre? Is that why? Shouldn't we have examples of this kind of healthy relationship for people to read? Shouldn't healthy, happy sex be prevalent in books as the norm? Not rape, not gratuitous violent sex! Why does sex go in the romance section and the rape get to stay out of the shelves for us to read?
And the casual, dismissive attitude by the Fairy characters of this book made me furious.
"You are not the first woman of your race to be abused thus by men, nor will you be the last."
So... what you're saying is, "Get over it. Happens all the time."
My compliments to the fairy folk for providing this opinion. My only response is: fuck you, fairy bitches!
I'm not going to go into the rape aspect of this story any further than to say that the author at least did a good job of showing the after psychological effects and the long term damage that this act causes - so I wasn't all pissed off.
The book started slow, but as I said, I enjoyed it. The characters were beautiful, interwoven with fantasy and historical life. The forest took on a life of its own as another character in the book.
The character of Red was great, so were the other minor characters in the book. Over all, I enjoyed the beautiful story and the writing which was full and descriptive.
It broke my heart at the end because it wasn't all joy and not all hurts could be healed. I suppose that's what made the story so sad and almost real though it was so firmly planted in fantasy.
Well written, with a female protagonist worthy of the title "heroine" and an all round cast of great characters and a masterfully woven story, I did actually quite like this book.
Its not one I would read again as it's very long. I don't know if I'll have the emotional energy to pick up the second book. But I'm glad I read it and that says something I suppose.
*Kat goes off to find some damn good chocolate*
I gave this book four stars so obviously I did enjoy it. There are actually many, many enjoyable elements to this book and I promise to get to them in a moment...
I found myself so COMPLETELY annoyed with Daughter of the Forest though I really enjoyed the book. We are treated to the terrible acts committed against Sorcha and it's rather graphic at moments. Yet when it comes to consensual, loving sex - nothing. Fade to black the moment they enter the bedroom with only a passing comment that she had a moment of fear that was passed when lovingly consoled.
WHY?! Fuck if I know! I've read this so often in so many books. WHY is it okay to be descriptive of rape in books and to actually give a full account of what happens (or at least, close to) but loving, consensual, normal sex is not okay. If you write about that it goes in the romance genre? Is that why? Shouldn't we have examples of this kind of healthy relationship for people to read? Shouldn't healthy, happy sex be prevalent in books as the norm? Not rape, not gratuitous violent sex! Why does sex go in the romance section and the rape get to stay out of the shelves for us to read?
And the casual, dismissive attitude by the Fairy characters of this book made me furious.
"You are not the first woman of your race to be abused thus by men, nor will you be the last."
So... what you're saying is, "Get over it. Happens all the time."
My compliments to the fairy folk for providing this opinion. My only response is: fuck you, fairy bitches!
I'm not going to go into the rape aspect of this story any further than to say that the author at least did a good job of showing the after psychological effects and the long term damage that this act causes - so I wasn't all pissed off.
The book started slow, but as I said, I enjoyed it. The characters were beautiful, interwoven with fantasy and historical life. The forest took on a life of its own as another character in the book.
The character of Red was great, so were the other minor characters in the book. Over all, I enjoyed the beautiful story and the writing which was full and descriptive.
It broke my heart at the end because it wasn't all joy and not all hurts could be healed. I suppose that's what made the story so sad and almost real though it was so firmly planted in fantasy.
Well written, with a female protagonist worthy of the title "heroine" and an all round cast of great characters and a masterfully woven story, I did actually quite like this book.
Its not one I would read again as it's very long. I don't know if I'll have the emotional energy to pick up the second book. But I'm glad I read it and that says something I suppose.
*Kat goes off to find some damn good chocolate*
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Reading Progress
May 14, 2010
– Shelved
May 20, 2010
–
Started Reading
May 21, 2010
–
Finished Reading
October 7, 2010
– Shelved as:
fun-fantasy
October 7, 2010
– Shelved as:
romance-romance-romance
October 7, 2010
– Shelved as:
kat-s-book-reviews
May 15, 2012
– Shelved as:
australian-writer
Comments Showing 1-50 of 70 (70 new)
message 1:
by
Elisa
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rated it 5 stars
May 20, 2010 12:52PM
Ooh! Be sure to post a review on this one, I'm really curious about it.
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It's starting slow but still good if YKWIM?
OMG! I haven't reached the rape part yet, didn't expect it actually...
Oops! Sorry honey, didn't mean to spoil! Though its not really a plot part - just kind of comes into the story!
No, that's OK. I just didn't quite expect it in this book. After Tender Morsels no content will scare me off.Great review BTW. I hope your friend worked it all out.
You know, I never thought of it, but you're absolutely right. Though it didn't bother me as such, the rape scene is pretty graphic but the we're-gonna-get-married sex is just there and not really dealt with. I mean, it's obvious it's consensual and she enjoys it, but beyond that...Good point.
Ah! I forgot you'd read Tender Morsels. It's funny how you read a book and nothing else seems quite as bad.My mantra when someone tells me that there's a lot of sex in a book is, "It's okay - I've read Anita Blake."
Misty - thanks, this is a point that annoys me. It's not that the rape scenes bother me, its that the good sex is left out pretty much entirely.
Hear you on the Anita Blake. Though actually she topped herself with the Merry Gentry books. They are very porn-like. I read it with my book club, and one of the members said she would hide it under her pillow when her husband came in the room. ;p
Patricia Briggs knows how to write love scenes after traumatic rape. If I'd read her book before this one I might've been thinking how you did. I get weirded out over virgin awkward love scenes in films. (For some reason the one on Big Love comes to mind.)
I have never thought of the sex issue that way; definitely did not think of it that way either! But you make a really terrific point that unfortunately remains unsaid and neglected. Why is rape so graphic, while consensual sex is not? A very interesting issue. I got a few ideas while writing this comment, but I definitely need to let it stew before I can adequately express myself.
Wow, thanks for this thoughtful review. has your friend read Lady Chatterly's Lover? It's set in 1920, but the sex is described fully and in a semi-literary serious way.
Thanks for this review. I completely agree that there is way too much violent sex depicted and not enough good sex (except in a chika-bow-bow way sometimes.)
I would love to come across more books that describe sex in a graphic yet joyful and loving way. I don't know if it's up your or friend's alley but Nora Roberts / J.D. Robb books do a good job imo of doing that.
I would love to come across more books that describe sex in a graphic yet joyful and loving way. I don't know if it's up your or friend's alley but Nora Roberts / J.D. Robb books do a good job imo of doing that.
Great review- completely in agreement. I actually stayed away from modern fantasy authors for years because rape seemed to be such a common component (see Terry Goodkind). Also, why do some authors feel that they have to "damage" the heroine (not my words) to make her true love more epic?
Thank you for the insightful review. I've never thought of it that way before.
Great review, thanks! I never thought of the graphic-ness of the rape scene vs. the "making love" scene before. I find myself annoyed with rape in literature (my main series is A Song of Ice and Fire which has lots of it), but always have a hard time finding the right way to express myself when discussing it. Your take on it was really interesting. I had a hard time seeing how it fit into the "big picture" aside from making Sorcha a, for lack of a better term, "damaged" character.
Psychology Today article states that 4 out of 10 women fantasize about rape. I believe it. Don't want to be insensitive (I have tons of friends who were raped by ppl they knew, not strangers) - but I think many ppl find the slow, soft, romantic sex kinda boring to read. Maybe ppl already get that at home and they want the perverse, the dangerous, the bad. I think Barrons and Bones and Curran top the list of heros, all alpha males, all quite brutal in their own way. That's my guess why rape is so thoroughly described and romantic sex is just 'and they made love. door closes. next chapter'
PS I find historical romances dish up the romantic love sex and paranormals tend to run on the rough/dangerous sex - likely to go hand in hand with the genre.
Great spoiler. Thanks : /
Here's another: Jesus dies.So does Dumbledore.
Bahahaha!!!! Love you, Kat!!! Kat Kennedy wrote: "Here's another: Jesus dies.
So does Dumbledore."
oh, get over it. Kat, and other bloggers that deal with people that don't get the memo about reviews..I don't know how you deal with it.
It's all good, Wendy. I just laughed it off.
I'm so glad you liked it. Juliet Marieller is one of my favorite authors. Good point about how rape scenes are so descriptive in comparison to scenes of healthy sexual experiences. I never considered that before, as my tastes run pretty tame. Now that you bring it up, there are quite a few books that have disturbingly graphic rape & glossed over 'making love' descriptions. I haven't read it in a long time, but Enchantment by Orson Scott Card had a very tender honeymoonish scene. Not super detailed.
You hit the nail on the head--the "rape is okay to show, but consensual sex is not" that I keep seeing in books pisses me off.The book where this hit me was
--awesome book, by the way--the consensual sex was fade to black, but the rape scene was totally on-screen. WTF people?!?
'Fuck you Fairy Bitches' sums up my reaction perfectly. Thank you Kat for giving a sassy outlook on a difficult book.
I agree with the above: good point on the rape and sex issues. However, I feel I should mention to you that the second book is as good as the first one!! Not usual, but IMO it is the case. Can hardly wait to get my hands on #3.
*nodding, snapping* Yes. This. This exactly.
I was raped and this book literally saved my life. I appreciate the lack of detail with consenual sex because it helps me remember that sec is what I make of it. it is what the moment is and is rarely replicated and therefore often special and difficult to describe how it "should" feel. however.... being abused or raped.. anything that takes away your voice or sense of self.. that thing can be repeated. that feeling can become a terrible pattern.
also... kindle has an issue with sex and wants to change it to sec. sorry about that. silly prude kindle.
Your review is very powerful and illuminating. So much so that I am not going to read the book.
That's why Jacqueline Carey rocks - her books have everything...
lol your warning ruined that part of the book for me LOL...
Great review. I just read Flame of Sevenwaters, not realizing this author even existed, and now will read the rest, starting with Daughter of the Forest. Your comments on the subjects of 'rape' and , 'good sex' bring to mind the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon. She is very good at describing both kinds but the good outweighs the bad. The first book, Outlander, is guaranteed to get you hooked.
This was probably my biggest complaint about the book as well. I felt completely cheated of that moment -- the reader has to experience her horror and trauma so viscerally, but we don't get to experience the healing.
Personally I have rarely come across a book that actually is as descriptive in abuse as the scene with Sorcha. Maybe it is just the books I have read but none usually go into such detail when rape is involved. Having been there, rape is something you will never forget. It is a deep scar you bare forever you can get past it and heal but it is always there and the slightest thing can trigger memories better left buried. I know after reading those words I was thrown back. But it only made it more real for me, Sorchas plight that is, she was more real to me. I did feel cheated that we were left wanting when Red and Sorcha finally got together.
"WHY?! Fuck if I know! I've read this so often in so many books. WHY is it okay to be descriptive of rape in books and to actually give a full account of what happens (or at least, close to) but loving, consensual, normal sex is not okay." I think you hit the nail on the head. So many books and television shows will graphically discribe and aggressively show rape but then they will brush over rape recovery or brush over the eventual consensual sex. It's really not right. It has gotten to the point where rape is shown and written more often than consensual sex between two people and that is NOT okay.
Extremely well put. I wonder how long it will take for sex to stop being the four letter word it has been for centuries. I suppose it'll be when we stop allowing the "God-blessed" to control how we think, and thus speak, about it.
Thank you for the warning, I no longer plan to read this book.
thanks for your warning. as a survivor myself, this is GREATLY appreciated, and i will no longer be planning on reading something that so happily depicts rape while failing to balance that out with the goodness and empowerment that can be found in reclaiming one's body. again, thank you so much. <3
I think part of it is that rape is viewed as plot relevant and actually describing sex as gratuitous. I don't agree but I think it is part of the reason.
Thanks for the heads up! I'm looking for a good fantasy book for my sis' birthday and the last thing I want is detailed rape!
Thanks for the warning! I am quite annoyed that there are so few female main characters who get raped. Yes, it happens, but I hate that it's becoming the norm for it to happen to female characters in novels. Escapism? Not so much.
I think you bring up a really interesting and thought provoking point here. I think what's especially interesting to me is the idea of consensual sex being well described in the same book as vivid/graphic rape scenes. Is it some weird sub-concious idea that people who experience rape don't experience loving sex? Is it because consensual, positive sex is so different for different people? Is it, as someone above mentioned, that rape is a plot point and consensual sex is thought of as extraneous? I have no idea but it's definitely something to think about.
I'm with you, if you're going to get graphic-then have the balls to do it when it's good and when its bad. I've always considered it chicken to not write a sex scene when a book is filled with graphic scenes of death and war. If your going to give me "gratuitous" bits on weapons through heads, then you better treat sex with the same level of "gratuitous". Don't come at me with words like gratuitous or I will come at you with the label chicken. How is normal sex not part of the plot when rape was? I hate adult books that dedicate paragraphs to the enjoyment of things like coffee, but fade to black when it comes to sex.
Hey!The plot and the Synopsis of the book seems very attractive but based on the several reviews I have read on goodreads regarding this book, each review exhibits polarities. They sing praises fir the book while not failing to point of the heightened graphic content of the book. Just wanted to ask if a sixteen year old could read this book and walk away with a sound mind?
it's just that after reading the reviews, I am a little aprehensive about the book.
Thanks
Charu wrote: "Hey!The plot and the Synopsis of the book seems very attractive but based on the several reviews I have read on goodreads regarding this book, each review exhibits polarities. They sing praises fi..."
I read it when I was 16, perhaps younger� but to be fair, I read many books that parents would probably be uncomfortable with teens reading. Depends of maturity level. I knew how sex worked, theoretically, at the time of my first reading.
