So Good

I first found Juliet Marillier through the Blackthorn and Grim series. I loved those books. I then started the Sevenwaters series and only listened to 4 of those books. When I saw the books with Blackthorn and Grim's children I had to purchase and listen. The Harp of Kings was good, but A Dance with Fate is sooooo good. The story and the narration is great... although the way Brocc's chapters are read are are a little annoying, but not so much that it didn't detract from how great this story is or the overall performance.

3 people found this helpful

Great Continuation of a series

This is the second book in the Warrior Bard series about the children of Blackthorne & Grimm. Although I liked the Blackthorne/Grimm trilogy better the stories of Liobhan and her brother Brocc continue the adventures of these characters with a mix of the “real world” and fae. This book is not really a stand alone story because without reading the first book in the series (Harp of Kings) the reader can’t appreciate the characters and setting. If you have read Harp of Kings and want to continue this is a good second book.

1 person found this helpful

Love the series; narrators???

This series is an exciting, next generation continuation of the Blackthorn and Grimm series that I hoped would never end. The Warrior Bards series has a different feel to it, but I’m enjoying myself nearly as much as with B&G. I won’t get into specifics, but the parallel of “otherworld” and “our world” in each of the books in this series is complementary and gives the books a nice pace. There is enough quirkiness to add charm, enough violence and suspense to add tension (though the violence in this book *almost* went too far for me), and enough description to make the characters and places pop from the medium.

I don’t have too many complaints, but I feel obligated to make a point, if only to provide constructive criticism.

1. The characters say “I’m a swan island man/woman” way too often. This is an unusual quirk in this series that rather surprised me…not a typical writing style for Juliet Marillier. If this quirk bothers you, rest assured that you can read/listen to her other books without reservation. She is a author of unusual talent, and this quirk is only noted in this series.

2. Moira Quirk is an EXCELLENT narrator and does a first rate job in every situation I’ve listened to…no complaints here.

3. I BELIEVE that Ralph Corkhill does the reading for Dau. He does a fine job, and I had no complaints, though there is a different reader for this part in the third book, and now I’ve been listening long enough that I can no longer remember what RC sounded like.

4. I THINK it is Alex Wyndham who reads the parts for Brocc in all three books. His voice is deep, melodious, and even enchanting. My small criticism has to do with pitch. He brings every sentence to a mild crescendo, then drops the end of each sentence lower than the beginning. Given the enchanting nature of his voice, if you get lost in it, you will end up feeling like you’ve been on a very small boat in a very large, tempestuous body of water. I am very happy to write that someone may have already mentioned this, since Mr Wyndham’s tendency to ride the seas with his voice enters calmer waters in the third book. It was mildly annoying, but still easy on the ears…an odd combination.

Overall: good book, good series (though I do prefer her other series), and the narrators did well as a whole.
Rating: 3.5 stars and PG-13 for violence (nearly R for torture descriptions); there is no sex or foul language in these books (or any of her books that I can remember)

If you find this review helpful, please let me know. Thank you

1 person found this helpful

Series continues to be good

Second books in a series are sometimes not as good but this one is. Juliet is one of my favorite authors and She is just an excellent writer. The pacing was good. Character development continued, wasn’t predictable. Very enjoyable. If you’ve started the series and liked the first one, you should definitely continue. Definitely need to read the first one before this if you haven’t. I like these characters and look forward to a third installment. There is a complete story here but it is very much a middle book.

1 person found this helpful

Good story

The story was very good. It kept me spell bond. Juliet Marillier is my favorite author. The only problem in the story was I would have preferred that Dau would have adapted to his blindness. As a blind person myself. Independence and the ability to do things even though, would be even better.

1 person found this helpful

A Dance with Fate: Aptly named, highly entertaining Sequel

This audio book does not disappoint, especially if you are familiar with Marillier’s writing. Gaelic mythology blends well with storyline and reveals more of Swan island and its warriors snd bards; Covid distraction ( distraction from the poor state of affairs ) and excellent entertainment. Cannot wait for the next sequel or sequels. Please publish it soon ! cannot get enough of the hero protagonists.
oh yeah: the performers are all 5* !

1 person found this helpful

Was worried

I read a review that said this book was to “dark” I really enjoyed it. Great characters and interesting plot

Too entirely dark! Ruined the story!

This was too dark. That all this went on was ridiculous! What is the point? It completely ruined the story.

The plot was too contrived... Fell down hit head blind now... fairy magic fixes it in the end...

As a side note... My how Swan Island has fallen... What happened to the men that died for each other? Believed in right and wrong? These Swan Island pansy gave the bag of silver and abandoned their comrades.

I have every Juliet Marillier book. This book was just disrespectful to her earlier works and her legacy.

How long til the next.

totally immersed in JM's world! please don't miss this. start at sevenwaters !!!love this! 💘😻💜

By far my favorite author

Iʻve read or listened to all of Juliet Marillierʻs books and many of them more than twice. Her stories and characters keep me coming back for more. Excellent storyteller. Only problem with this audible series was Broccʻs reader who sounded like he was struggling with constipation throughout and dreadfully monotone. It was so HARD to get through his chapters. Had to take a star off performance for him. Maybe he should have listened to the other performers as they played their parts to get a clue?Otherwise, all the other performers were stellar and made this another fantastic listen.