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The Harp of Kings

By: Juliet Marillier
Narrated by: Moira Quirk, Alex Wyndham, Frazer Douglas
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Summary

A young woman is both a bard - and a warrior - in this thrilling historical fantasy from the author of the Sevenwaters novels.

Eighteen-year-old Liobhan is a powerful singer and an expert whistle player. Her brother has a voice to melt the hardest heart, and is a rare talent on the harp. But Liobhan's burning ambition is to join the elite warrior band on Swan Island. She and her brother train there to compete for places, and find themselves joining a mission while still candidates. Their unusual blend of skills makes them ideal for this particular job, which requires going undercover as traveling minstrels. For Swan Island trains both warriors and spies.

Their mission: to find and retrieve a precious harp, an ancient symbol of kingship, which has gone missing. If the instrument is not played at the upcoming coronation, the candidate will not be accepted and the kingdom will be thrown into disarray. Faced with plotting courtiers and tight-lipped druids, an insightful storyteller, and a boorish Crown Prince, Liobhan soon realizes an Otherworld power may be meddling in the affairs of the kingdom. When ambition clashes with conscience, Liobhan must make a bold decision - and the consequences may break her heart.

©2019 Juliet Marillier (P)2019 Recorded Books
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What listeners say about The Harp of Kings

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Judy Brilliant

Excellent , engaging story, unexpected plot twists, memorable characters superb narration. just was I have come to except from such a talented author. Really also appreciate that the story was told in a single volume, giving me the option of joining the characters on other adventures if I choose to. Brilliant all round - would recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A twisting narrative.

At first I struggled with the multiple narrators. The voices were too stilted but eventually I got around this and was able to enjoy the story. Plenty of plot twists to keep the reader guessing.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Dreadful narration

All three narrators were just awful. Flat, boring, and at times displaying completely the wrong expressions for the words they were saying.
Far too many of Juliet Marillier's stories have been ruined by the narrator's. It's as if her publishers are uninterested in her work, I get the feeling they just think 'whatever' when arranging the audio versions. If I were her, I would be fuming.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

good story but too slow

I admit at about the 13 hour of listening that I jumped ahead a chapter at a time because the story was too slow with added, unnecessary additions.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Much more than I was expecting.

I was afraid to find another YA fantasy with tired tropes written for a much younger audience. I am very happy to say that I was wrong! Looking forward to the next book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Great book. Not crazy about the production.

I was pleasantly surprised by the story and am looking forward to book 2 but I have to say that the performances, though inspired, were marred by an excessive use of hushed tones which were impossible to hear clearly if there were any other sounds in the room.

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👌

Early on this felt like it was going to be a very YA tale about flat "badass" characters but as the story develops it became clear this was going to be another great read with characters that just keep growing on you the more you read.

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A magical adventure!

Juliet Marrillier is an alchemist who transforms the wounds of her characters into gold through adventure and obstacle. She is my favourite author and this book is a joy. I can't wait to read the next one!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Juliet Marillier Does It Again

As a huge fan of the 'Blackthorn and Grim' trilogy, I was delighted that we would have a story about their children, with brief visits from Blackthorn and Grim along the way. Juliet Marillier serves up a fantastic tale of three young people trying to prove their worth, and succeeding. My only complaint is with the narration. I had hoped that at least one of the three narrators would have been up to the task, sadly none of the three were.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Another Great story

Well formed characters that don’t sound cliche. A real page turner. Not predictable, I really love the progression of the story. I’m looking forward to the other books in this series. Juliet Marillier is a master of the art in this genre!

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