Daughter of the Forest discussion

Did anyone else think that Simon was her true love and not Red? I was really disappointed that she chose Red and hurt poor Simon.

She may have been falling for Simon but in Red she met her match! I'm on book three "Child of the Prophecy"!

I really believe that Red and Sorcha were the perfect couple! I love how he is able to understand her so well.

I've read up to and including "Heir of Sevenwaters" and I don't believe there was anything more on Simon except I think he married Elaine. I'll check that out. I'm waiting for "Seer of Sevenwaters" to come in the mail. Just love these books.

I think that if Lady Oonah(?) did not show up and Sorcha did not leave Simon and finished healing him, I think they'd be together, however I do believe that "Jenny" and Red are the perfect match :D

Simon was a man that always wanted what he didn't have. He wanted to be lord, but he had a brother. When he was given the land, he wanted the girl. (It was in the book).

It wasn't meant to be. Sorcha had a long journey up ahead and she needed someone like Red to help her along the way. Somehow i dont see Simon taking Red's place, or even leaving his lands and his title to follow Sorcha. I really liked their story and romance.
And i hated it that the author decided to kill her on the second book.

I freakin LOVE Red!

I honestly did like Simon, but Red is still my favorite XD

I felt sorry for Simon, as Lizzie said above, he always wanted what he could not have. When Red was betrothed to Elaine he wanted Elaine (she is the one I really pity). I think though that Simon did sincerely fall in love with Sorcha when she was helping him. His experiences with the Good People intensified that. I did not notice though that Sorcha ever had any special feeling for him, except friendship. In Son of the Shadows you learn more about Simon. It is not a spoiler if I say that he did not learn from his experiences, he still wants what he cannot have and so spoils his chances as lord of (what was the name of the place?)

It has been a few years since I read the books but I remember feeling that Simon was kind of...whiney. I mean, I know that what happened to him was HORRIFYING and I don't want to demean that, but he just wasn't a strong enough person to match Sorcha. I do believe that he genuinely loved her, but I never felt that Sorcha loved him.

Red was the perfect hero, as far as I am concerned.

I would LOOOOOVE to read a story about Elaine and Simon though.

I felt like Red and Sorcha were meant to be. Simon loved Sorcha, for sure, but it was unrequited. It was sad, but that's how life goes sometimes, ya know? I think Sorcha and Simon would have been unhappy together had they actually chosen each other.

L.M. wrote: "I felt like Red and Sorcha were meant to be. Simon loved Sorcha, for sure, but it was unrequited. It was sad, but that's how life goes sometimes, ya know? I think Sorcha and Simon would have been u..."

I agree, I think that Red seemed to respect her more, SImon what happened to him was terrible, but he took it out on Sorcha, Red and Sorcha seemed more equal in my mind.

Kat wrote: "L.M. wrote: "I felt like Red and Sorcha were meant to be. Simon loved Sorcha, for sure, but it was unrequited. It was sad, but that's how life goes sometimes, ya know? I think Sorcha and Simon woul..."

Agreed. Simon always tugged at my heart. In some ways, I'd hoped he and Elaine would be happy together after everything, but in some ways, I think Simon will always love Sorcha.

Simon is an important character for many reasons. Sorcha helping Simon defeat his own darkness is important for when Sorcha has to battle her own darkness. It's hard to believe that Sorcha would ever end up with Simon, they meet when she is so young. I also agree that Red has a greatness of character that Simon lacks at the beginning of the book.
It's really hard not to feel that Simon has been pushed to fall for Sorcha by the fair folk and then only returned to the world when she's already in love with Red. I think I felt the most sorry for Simon when he talks about the fair folk keeping him so very long. I always hoped that Simon would learn to love Elaine again or at least hide the feeling he has for Sorcha and that at least his love for Sorcha could move into something a little more brotherly in time.
The Second book does say that Simon is unable to keep the estate at Harrowfield as well as his brother would have, and this could imply that Simon hasn’t really learned well from his past experience or that Red has left to be with “the enemy” tears thing apart.

Rachel wrote: "Simon is an important character for many reasons. Sorcha helping Simon defeat his own darkness is important for when Sorcha has to battle her own darkness. It's hard to believe that Sorcha would e..."

Very well said, Rachel. Even though I just read the book (for the gazillionth time) last winter, I may have to read it again soon! All these great discussions are making me homesick for Sorcha and Sevenwaters!

There seemed to be something between Simon and Sorcha at the time but then she was only 12 wasn't she? Seems way too young to have those kind of feelings.

By the way, was the little wooden carving Simon left her an indication of his feelings for her? Is that what Red was getting at on the day they got married? Is that what he interpreted that as?

I was kind of torn between the two, but Red got me when he came for Sorcha. But I think maybe Simon had too much of a temper for Sorcha.

Cassie wrote: "Did anyone else think that Simon was her true love and not Red? I was really disappointed that she chose Red and hurt poor Simon. "


I COMPLETELY agree with you! I was SO mad that Sorcha ended up with Red. I wanted her to be with Simon!!!!

The things that Simon said to Sorcha bothered me. He had just been rescued by his brother and then went behind his back. Plus he gave no thought about how his words could affect Sorcha. I know this won't be a popular opinion, but that's just how it struck me.

Hello, I am totally new to Juliet Marillier's works, so I borrowed the entire trilogy from the library. I read Daughter of the Forest and it was like the best thing ever. I mean, honestly, the language is awesome and the descriptions are awesome, and I nearly cried when Sorcha had to get starwort.

The only thing that bugged me was Simon. Simon is like Loki, except crueler and blond (at least, I imagined him with blond hair. i don't quite remember if that's in the book or not)

I understand that Red fits with Sorcha, but throughout the book I didn't connect with him at all. To me he was kind of the big brother, the crown prince that everybody loves. Yeah, okay, he has problems. But Simon's problems were bigger for me.

For example, he was tortured horribly by Sorcha's people. This problem (being hurt physically, mentally, and emotionally) also affects Sorcha: he's a patient that she couldn't heal right away.

Before that, he was always the third wheel, the replacement prince that's unknowingly overlooked. His brother always came first, always beat him to doing things, always was the better and more important one.

Then he waited so long to see Sorcha again, only to find out that his brother had beaten him to it.

I honestly thought the book would have been way better if Simon was paired with Sorcha.

Jaslyn wrote: "Hello, I am totally new to Juliet Marillier's works, so I borrowed the entire trilogy from the library. I read Daughter of the Forest and it was like the best thing ever. I mean, honestly, the lang..."

I liked Red. Really. But I LOVED Simon ever since the first moment he appeared. I agree 100% with you, because until first half of the book I still expected Simon to find Sorcha and be paired with her...and it never happened. It was too painful to watch Simon at the end. He spent years yearning for Sorcha only to come and find her not just in love with another man, but to his own brother. Its something like fate playing with Simon and telling him he sucks and he was not worthy of even being happy and that his big bro will always be better than him. It broke me. :/

I do feel sorry for Simon... He waited 70 years for Sorcha, and it was his memories of her that kept him from losing his sanity at the hands of the fair folk; and i also think that if Sorcha had not gone away at that time when she was healing him, if they both had been together for a little longer, they both would have fallen in love with each other. That being said, I still think that Red was the perfect match for Sorcha- her gentle protector, as it were. Their love is complete in every way, and what more, they paid for and earned each others love. Still, it sucked for Simon.

I was thinking the same, until Simon said "I would do anything to keep you here". That made me have second thoughts. Red loved her enough to let her go, thats freaking true love.

Kyria wrote: "I was thinking the same, until Simon said "I would do anything to keep you here". That made me have second thoughts. Red loved her enough to let her go, thats freaking true love."

TEARS. I love that book so damn much.

Absolutely agree. I didn't think Red and Sorcha were a good couple. In some ways they fit, but overall Red was the loveable big bro kinda dude. The Lady of The Forest said at the start about Sorcha's and Simon's fate being intertwined (or something like that). I feel because of what The Lady of The Forest said, Simon should've made more than just two brief appearnaces at the end and beginning. And anyways, Simon was closer to Sorcha in age AND had more a connection with her because of what she'd done for him. Whereas Red, though he saved Sorcha, it was a quick spur of the moment sort of thing. Anyoneone else get me here?
I could rant more about why they should be together, but I won't. XD ;)

whimsical weirdo wrote: "Absolutely agree. I didn't think Red and Sorcha were a good couple. In some ways they fit, but overall Red was the loveable big bro kinda dude. The Lady of The Forest said at the start about Sorcha..."

Yeah I’m gonna have to go with Simon and Sorcha. I feel like what Simon and Sorcha went through together was much stronger than Sorcha and Red’s experiences with one another.

The majority of what Sorcha and Red endured together was basically just family probs, he was like a big bro protecting her from his family’s gossip and backstabbing and judgment etc (not to downplay Sorcha’s suffering) but I just felt Red and Sorcha were still quite disconnected the whole time. I always saw Red as a distant protector.

But with Simon, even though their time together was only a brief time near the start of the book, their bond was permanently imprinted in my memory. I can’t believe he only came back at the very end and Sorcha had nothing more to say to him besides “I didn’t know” and “farewell, Simon”. I was like SERIOUSLY?? You’ve been worrying about him since you were a child and you shared so much of your spirit together and that’s all you had to say?? Those long nights they went through of pain and healing with only each other, it felt so much more real than anything with Red. It just struck me as stronger. And well you know there’s also the fact that Simon waited for 70 years for her lol. I love Red but more as a brotherly figure. Anyway SIMON FTW


** edit 10 hours later** but Red ended up being a good match too ngl DARNIT

YES ! Until the arrival of Elaine I was so unsure as to who the love interest because Simon had everything of the love interest (he was hurt, wasn't the overly perfect prince, had a bond with Sorcha and changed her) but so did Red ! (he had the virtue of the prince of the Six swans tale : he has patience). And slowly it shifted : Red became the deviant love interest because the book started by saying it was Simon, so Red was the unexpected one and Simon wasn't anymore.
Anyway until Elaine I hope Simon would return. But the 2 brothers relations with Sorcha are very meaningful, because Simon is the brother who speaks his mind and he only arrives when Sorcha can speak, as to mirror her. Red on the contrary mirrors her too, but because she is mute and he "doesn't have a way with words". They both enlighten us about Sorcha as a character, they somehow are two sides of her life, the one before the curse and the one after.
Now on a very personal level, I prefer character like Simon : he doesn't show up much, but when he does he has such a presence, a strong aura that his scenes with Sorcha are amazing and stuck with me.

Yes I thought she should have ended up with Simon as well, it was one of the things that really annoyed me. I just thought Red and Sorcha just didn't have that type of chemistry. Since Sorcha couldn't even speak for quite a long time after she met him it just felt like he was dragging her around and venting his frustrations to her. I know he also saved her life and protected her but let's not forget he kidnapped her!