Heart’s Blood

The narrator didn\’t sound whiny to me, but I did slow down the reading speed because it seemed very fast. After I did that, I had no problems with it. I\’ve never had to do that before. Story wise, I really enjoyed it. Villian was a little obvious, but I loved the story idea so much it didn\’t matter. The author always does a good job with strong female leads that don\’t need to tear down men to raise themselves up. This is no exception. They\’re realistic people facing fantastical problems.

I almost don\’t want to compare this to beauty and the beast, as I feel it takes away from the intricate and original story Juliet Marillier has crafted. Yes, there is a similarity to beauty and the beast, but Marillier really has created her own beautifully woven account of it. I decided to listen to this after I had read a rather tragic kind of romance, in the hopes of an assured happy ending. While this did indeed give me my happy ending, it is by no means a fluffy fairy tale. I don\’t mean to say this in a negative sense, but more in the way that this is an adult fantasy that deals with both the triumphs and tribulations of life. In her usual fashion, Marillier blends together these opposing notions in a meaningful way. If you are looking for a love story with a solid story line that gives purpose to the romance in focus, then you will like this. I would also say, if you are a fan of Juliet Marillier, this is worth a listen. I do prefer her book \”Daughter of the Forest\” to this novel. This being said, it probably depends on an individual\’s mood or preference. The main reason for my predilection, in simple terms, is that I felt I was able to connect with the characters in \”Daughter of the Forest\” more deeply than with the ones in \”Heart\’s Blood.\” However, both are wonderful reads and I plan to continue reading books by this author! As a final thought, my reason for giving the narrator a 4 instead of a 5 is that for the main character only, her voice could be a bit sharp or winy, and at times, I felt she would run-on with her sentences. This was a minor issue overall though, and with all the other voices she did a great job. Happy Reading!

I love Juliet Marillier\’s other books so I was so excited to listen to one I haven\’t read before. Unfortunately, I couldn\’t listen to the narrator for the whole book and I ended up reading the rest on my kindle. The main character can be negative and almost whiny at times, but the narrator was almost always whiny, except for voices of other characters.The book itself was difficult to get into, but the narration didn\’t help. It got hard to put down towards the end, but a slow start mixed with a narrator I don\’t love could\’ve led to me giving up if I didn\’t already love the author.

Another great story by ine of my favorite authors. Juliiet Marillier has a way of taking the extraordinary and making it perfectly believable. I love her books. I have them all so far. Please don\’t stop writing!!

If you like fantasy that makes you feel like you are seeing a new world that is much much older than you, Juliet Marillier has the touch. Truth be told, I’ve yet to read any of her books that I didn’t love, but this one will be a special one that I re-listen to. I appreciate seeing new long blossom while in the context of people who have very real weaknesses and scars that they must overcome. This book is no pretty tale of everything going perfectly, and I love it even more because of that. The narrator, Ruth Urquhart, did a fantastic job as well. Her ability to convey emotion is quite fantastic.

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