The powerful story of a woman and country struggling for survival, set against the splendidly drawn background of Ireland in the Middle Ages Educated in the sophisticated confines of the Abbey of Fontevrault, young Finn has only the barest memories of her Irish past. She is destined to return to her native land as Abbess of Kildare - one of the most influential positions in the Church’s gift. However within months Finn is an outcast, brutally raped by a powerful warlord and publicly humiliated by the Church she had served so faithfully. She seeks refuge on the islands of Lough Mask, a place of healing for women. Here, she begins to piece together her shattered life, fired with determination to stay independent of all ties. But Finn finds that the plight of her beloved country still has the power to command her loyalty... Daughter of Lir is a superb historical saga, perfect for fans of Reay Tannahill’s A Dark and Distant Shore. Praise for Daughter of Lir ‘Rich and entertaining’ The Times

In our little green Ireland in days of old A story of magic and courage was told There once stood a fortress, four children lived here Along with their father, the mighty King Lir ... This charming rhyming story tells the legend of The Children of Lir, who were turned into swans by their wicked stepmother and forced to wander across Ireland for 900 years. The Children of Lir is a story from long, long ago, part of an ancient oral tradition, handed down from generation to generation. It's Ireland's best-loved legend: the story of Fionnuala Aodh. Fiachra and Conn - the children of King Lir - and how they were turned into swans and cursed to wander until the toll of a bell broke the spell and freed them from the enchantment.

Daughter of the Forest is a testimony to an incredible author's talent, a first novel and the beginning of a trilogy like no other: a mixture of history and fantasy, myth and magic, legend and love. Lord Colum of Sevenwaters is blessed with six sons: Liam, a natural leader; Diarmid, with his passion for adventure; twins Cormack and Conor, each with a different calling; rebellious Finbar, grown old before his time by his gift of the Sight; and the young, compassionate Padriac. But it is Sorcha, the seventh child and only daughter, who alone is destined to defend her family and protect her land from the Britons and the clan known as Northwoods. For her father has been bewitched, and her brothers bound by a spell that only Sorcha can lift. To reclaim the lives of her brothers, Sorcha leaves the only safe place she has ever known, and embarks on a journey filled with pain, loss, and terror. When she is kidnapped by enemy forces and taken to a foreign land, it seems that there will be no way for her to break the spell that condemns all that she loves. But magic knows no boundaries, and Sorcha will have to choose between the life she has always known and a love that comes only once. Juliet Marillier is a rare talent, a writer who can imbue her characters and her story with such warmth, such heart, that no reader can come away from her work untouched. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A sampling of some of the most famous Irish legends.

Children of all ages will love this enchanting collection of tales, legends and poems.

Eight tales: "The Fate of the Children of Lir," "The Shepherd of Middvai," "Beth Gellert," "The Tale of Ivan," "Morraha," "The Story of Deirdre," "The Llanfabon Changeling," and "The Sea-Maiden."

And so it was that when he met Aoife, a stranger to those parts, he was struck by her beauty and blind to her evil.