Juliet Marillier’s work first came to my attention through my obsession with fairy tales. In particular, the tale popularized by Hans Christian Andersen as “The Wild Swans” has always captivated me, so when I heard about Marillier’s novel-length reimagining of the story, Daughter of the Forest, I had to track it down. (To give you an idea of my excitement, this was back in the days when “track it down” was more complicated than buying an instantly delivered eBook.)
It’s rare to find a writer whose work feels like it was created entirely for you, and Marillier is one of those authors for me. She has gained well-deserved recognition amongst fantasy fans over the last couple of decades, but her fiction still does not seem to be as widely known as it could be. But her fans are fervent, and finding another Marillier lover means I have found another book soulmate, someone with whom I will always be able to talk to about, if nothing else, stories I love. With her delicious prose and an impressive catalog of fairy tale-influenced series and standalone to choose from, any Marillier book is a treat.
But where to begin? There are multiple series and companion novels, as well as standalones. With such a rich smorgasbord of reading pleasure available, I’m here to offer a bit of guidance and some possible places to begin…and if you like these suggestions, all I can say is that I’m delighted to introduce new readers to Marillier’s glorious fairy tale adventures, filled as they are with rich characters and delightfully well-developed romance. I know you will find it a wondrous feast…
Daughter of the Forest
This is where I began, and frankly, it’s still one of my favorites. This title is the first book in the Sevenwaters series, which explores the lore of a bit of hidden Ireland, focusing on the eponymous family that are the custodians of a forest where the human world and the shadowy Otherworld exist side by side. The six-book series begins with this beautiful retelling of “The Wild Swans,” as I mentioned above, but beyond that, the series travels its own path, the stories guided by the characters and their desires. Although the Sevenwaters books continue to evoke the fay and Irish mythology, none of the other novels in the series cling so closely to a recognizable fairy tale.
“The Wild Swans” is a story of trauma and sacrifice, and the novel depicts sexual violence and other potentially upsetting moments, but Daughter of the Forest is also a story about healing and love. Sorcha’s commitment to saving her family sustains her through years of suffering, leavened with a slow-burn romance. It’s as important for her to let this into her heart as it is for her to help her brothers, and the ending will leave you on an achingly bittersweet note.
Wildwood Dancing
Although Marillier has a couple of series aimed at young adult readers, this duology is my favorite of her YA fantasy. Wildwood Dancing, the first novel, is a spin on “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” with hints of Dracula (it’s set in Transylvania); it also evokes the familiar (and slippery) trope of fairy bargains. Jena, the second of five sisters, spends her days exploring the wild forest around her home and delights in the dance that takes place every full moon, when the mystical portal in their home opens and allows the sisters entrance into a mysterious fairy land. When her father falls ill, the sisters are entrusted to the care of their cousin Cezar, who certainly does not seem to have their best interests at heart. Jena must outmaneuver him while also trying to protect her eldest sister, who has fallen into a dangerous union with a creature from the Other Kingdom.
This is certainly a softer and easier read than Daughter of the Forest, but there’s plenty of complexity as well, and the sisters and their relationships are rendered in delightful strokes that allow for the many ways that women can relate to one another. (And for what it’s worth, I enjoyed the second book in this set, Cybele’s Secret, even more than the first.)
Heart’s Blood
Another one of my favorites, this retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” is a standalone novel, with no series to follow (though I would happily dive in if Marillier ever expanded on this story). Caitrin is a scribe who finds sanctuary in the fortress of Whistling Tor, which needs her as much as she needs it; the household is caught in a curse that generations of Anluan’s family have not been able to break. It will take both of them to grow and trust each other to break the curse.
I started reading this with some trepidation because of the (original) marketing about the young chieftain Anluan’s childhood illness leaving him disabled—I am wary of stories in which someone’s body or appearance is magically “fixed” at the end of the tale. However, Marillier handles the whole storyline with compassion and skill, creating a tale that both reflects the influence of the original fairy tale and allows for a more sensitive and humane treatment of long-term illness in the novel.
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If there’s a particular fairy tale that you’re seeking, here are a few other excellent options:
Dreamer’s Pool is a rather dark retelling of “The Goose Girl,” interwoven with the story of Blackthorn—whose abilities as a magical healer make her something of a witch—seeking vengeance after been wrongfully imprisoned by an evil chieftain. Another two books follow the further adventures of Blackthorn and her companion Grim through other fragmented fairy tales (including “Rapunzel” and “Red Riding Hood”).
Wolfskin is shaded with the rather more obscure fairy tale “The Singing Bone,” woven skillfully with elements of Norse folklore. The second book in the duology, Foxmask, follows a generation later with more of the cultural blend and clash of the Norse warriors and Orkney islanders.
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Although Marillier’s writing is often dark and full of sorrow, she fortifies her well-balanced love stories with hope and healing. The women she writes about are richly realized, powerful figures who make their mark in their worlds, worlds where the odds are stacked against them. They are challenged and wrenched out of their element, and rise to face the many obstacles and antagonists in their path through hard work, sacrifice, and intelligence—all while clinging to the hope of coming to the end of their trials having earned their own happiness and love.
If you’re already a fan, please share your own favorite Juliet Marillier stories below—and if you’re new to her work, let us know where you’re going to dive in!
Rachel Ayers lives in Alaska, where she writes cabaret shows, daydreams, and looks at mountains a lot. She has a degree in Library and Information Science which comes in handy at odd hours, and she shares speculative poetry and flash fiction (and cat pictures) at patreon.com/richlayers.
AHHH I LOVE HER!
She’s one of my favorite authors and one of the few (Sharon Shinn is another, along with Guy Gavriel Kay and now Sanderson) that I endeavor to keep up on her complete works (although I have sadly fallen several books behind).
Daughter of the Forest was the first of hers I read and it is enchanting; I was introduced to it by a friend who was a big lover of all things fae and was captivated by the Palencar cover art. I picked it up in her car and had read through several chapters by the time we got to where we are going. This was probably over 15 years ago!
I’ve read her Wildwood Dancing and Foxmask series, as well as the Bridei Chroncicles. One of the things I always found really compelling is the way she depicts the balance between the clash of the ‘old’ and ‘new’ worlds and faiths. Especially in the Foxmask series (where one character in particular has a really interesting character twist)…I appreciate it’s not always portrayed as simply as ‘the old tribes were perfectly egalatarian and peaceful and then the Christans came and they all sucked’ – there are a lot of interesting and nuanced characters on both sides of those conflicts when it occurs.
I am also IN LOVE with her novels. She’s one of the best storytellers out there, in my opinion.
My favourite novels would be WILDWOOD DANCING and SON OF SHADOWS. But I also loved FOXMASK.
Did you hear BEAUTIFUL, her audio only fairy tale fantasy, an Audible exclusive?
Oh, I’m so pleased to see this piece! I, too, fell in love with the Sevenwaters books when I was about 16 or so. Wonderful, wonderful book. I think that the later ones are not as good as the original trilogy, though.
I thought Wolfskin was very disappointing, but Foxmask was so superb that I forgave everything. Heart’s Blood and the Bridei chronicles are very nice too.
@2 … okay that might be enough to finally convince me to do the audible free trial….!
@2 Those are my exact same favorite three! I always think it’s funny that both “Foxmask” and “Son of Shadows” are the second in their duology/trilogy, too.
I haven’t read anything by her, but I’ll fix that. This article feels like you could substitute her name for “Robin McKinley” and it would still make sense. Anyone familiar with both: how similar are they?
I ADORE Juliet Marillier. Between her and Joan D. Vinge they were the two authors of my HS heart. Wolfskin and Foxmask were some of my favorites, but I did love The Sevenwaters Trilogy. Now I just want to do a massive re-read of her library of works. She is such a great writer and it’s so lovely to see others show appreciation, I haven’t found many who’ve read her works. I actually clocked the book covers before I even read the title of the article and got very excited.
@6 – I personally enjoy Juliet’s writing mor ethan Robin McKinley’s (no shade against her, I like her too) – Juliet Marrilier seems to focus more on British/Celtic/Norse-ish myths while I get the impression that Robin McKinley’s work focuses more on mainland Europe.
Also, at least in the Sevenwaters and Foxmask/Wolfskin books, the stories take place in the ‘real’ world (including interaction with groups like early Christian missionaries) and if I recall, McKinley’s worlds are pure fantasy. Guy Gavriel Kay is another author I think has some passing similarity with Marrilier although his works are more about a fantasy world subtly based on history (a fctionalized Byzantine, Moorish Spain, etc) than legends/myths.
I’m just finishing a re-listen of the Seven Waters series. It has been my favorite of her works until her new series starting with The Harp of Kings came out. It’s also great. But so are the Blackthorn and Grim books. Her writing is so lyrical and her characters really come to life.
I love Marillier. Her Blackthorn and Grimm novels hold a particular place in my heart, since they deal so thoughtfully with PTSD and feature older protagonists. I was sad to hear those would not be continued. And the Seven Waters series was magical fairy tale candy that I couldn’t put down in my 20s.
I did have to pause on reading her because many of the stories lean heavily on sexual violence and I’ve stopped reading SV fantasy (same with GG Kay). Are Marillier’s YA books better about that?
Yes! I LOVE Juliet’s work! The women are powerful, but not always in ways that you expect. Not all of them need to brandish swords and brawl their way out of tight spots. All her characters are treated respectfully and remain gloriously flawed people.
I found her through Wildwood Dancing and instantly fell in love (I still have my original copy, and I refuse to let it go!). I found Cybele’s Secret by happenstance in the bookstore. But the story that cemented my loyalty to her work was Heart’s Blood. Needless to say that I endorse these books as entry points into her stories.
I, too, adore FOXMASK, the first of Juliet’s books I ever read (while in a Kirkwall B&B, on holiday in Scotland, which made it perfect, though I never did spot any puffins): Sixteen years later, because so many of my books are in unlabelled boxes in storage, I wasn’t able to satisfy my hankering to reread it without unpacking 50 boxes to check each book. We were at a stage in our pandemic lockdown where the public libraries were closed and people were only able to leave the house for exercise within a 5km radius of their homes. On a walk in the rain, I saw the familiar FOXMASK cover in the dusty little window of a street library, and snaffled it at once – taking off my raincoat to lovingly wrap and protect the book, while I got wet all the way home. The story was still magic, of course! Then I had to return it so I wouldn’t be denying it to a fresh reader.
I like that so many others in the comments love FOXMASK – I thought I was unique in preferring it to WOLFSKIN and I tell everyone to read them in reverse order, hehe. Yes, and HEART’S BLOOD gets regular rereads, along with the three Blackthorn and Grimms, which I appreciate now that I’m old, whereas young me would rather have tagged along with the Warrior Bards :)
Thank you for the introduction! I clicked through from the newsletter purely because I thought I recognized a Kinuko Craft cover painting amid those tiny thumbnail images, and I’ve never disliked a book with her art on the cover. Sounds like Marillier’s novels will be no exception.
Juliet Marillier has been my favorite writer for many years.For Christmas I bought myself the final Warrior Bard story ” Song of Flight” and just finished it. Now I am reading the story collection” Prickle Moon”. I love all her books and have re-read most of them over and over. They all continue to fascinate and entertain.
Juliet Marrilier is my favourite author, I have read all of her books and read some more than once. I discovered her when I read Daughter of the Forest many years ago. I picked the book up second hand because I loved the cover. It was the first fantasy book I’d read and I was hooked by the first chapter. I have always had a love of herbs and aromatherapy and I identified with Sorcha and her passion for healing. My most reread books are Hearts Blood, Son of the Shadows, Heir to Sevenwaters and the Shadowfell series. There isn’t a book I don’t like but was less keen on the Blackthorn series. I love her work so much I preordered many of her later novels and have them in beautiful hardback, as well as a second very battered paperback version I could read in the bath! Weirdly I cannot being myself to read her books on kindle, it’s just not the same. Another author I love is Alison Croggon, The Pellinor series is amazing. But Juliettes work takes pride and place on my bookshelf and she will continie to be my favourite author, nothing comes close to her beautiful tales
Yes! I discovered Juliet a couple of years ago when I was recovering from surgery and somewhat bed-bound. I’m a fast reader, so discovering her extensive sets of novels actually made my recovery a time I look back on very fondly – and how many times in life can you say that? The worlds she creates strikes this very fine balance between flawed but still admirable and relatable main characters. The stories leave you feeling clean, refreshed, and hopeful about life. I also love how she weaves in a certain amount of magic, but that the magic incites the incidents, and rarely resolves them – that it’s up to the characters to use their human ingenuity to solve their own problems. The only other historical fantasy that grabs my attention in a similar way is some of Naomi Novik and Elizabeth Arden’s work…and they haven’t amassed the same amount of novels to read…I also appreciate the suggestions from other readers on this thread. I’m always looking for new writers whose work takes me away to places in which I’d like to live, with characters who feel like the family I’d like to have!
My favorite author of lore! Thank you for bringing her well deserved attention. I read her older books years ago and still think of them. She stays with you. Sevenwaters is my favorite series but I love them all.
Juliet Marillier is my absolute favorite author! Ihave all here books and audiobooks and am ever hoping for more. I love the ‘Bridei-Trilogy’ also very much. It is dark, but beautiful and poetic and lovely too. So in case you don’t know it, its a must have… Clairike
I’ve been reading Juliet Marillier’s books since Daughter of the Forest first came out. Love her work so much that she’s an automatic buy for me. Favorites are Son of Shadows, Heir to Sevenwaters, the Shadowfell series and Heart’s Blood. I tried reading the Bridei and Wolfskin series when they first came out but had a hard time getting through them. Hearing your reviews has convinced me to go back and try those again. :)
As for the question of comparison between Juliet’s work and Robin McKinley, I would say they are similar but different. Some of the McKinley books feels geared more for a slightly younger audience and I don’t think her heroines have quite as much trauma as some of Juliet’s books (Deerskin is certainly an exception to that), but I do love Robin’s work too