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  • Hawkmaiden

  • Spellmonger Cadet, Book 1
  • Written by: Terry Mancour
  • Narrated by: Finty Williams
  • Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (172 ratings)

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Hawkmaiden

Written by: Terry Mancour
Narrated by: Finty Williams
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Publisher's Summary

The Falcon’s Call!

From the moment Dara of Westwood spied the Silver Headed Raptor nesting in Rundeval Peak, the precocious redheaded 12-year-old girl was enchanted. The youngest daughter of the Master of the Wood lived in ramshackle Westwood Hall, in the independently minded Westwood estate of Sevendor. Her determination to capture a baby falcon and train it wasn’t hampered by the fact that Dara had never climbed a mountain, had never been trained in falconry, or even remotely had permission from her father to do it. Dara wanted the falcon...and the only thing in her way was the mountain, an angry mother falcon, and her own fears.

But the daring climb up Rundeval and actually capturing the fledgling falcon is just the beginning of her troubles. Actually learning falconry and training the willful bird is a responsibility she had barely considered. Worse, there is trouble afoot in the domain: A new lord has come to rule over Sevendor and all of her people, replacing the corrupt old Sir Erantal. While everyone welcomes the change, the new lord is a wizard: a magelord, the first of his kind in 400 years: Lord Minalan the Spellmonger. And he’s not alone. He’s brought thousands of oddly dressed Wilderlanders with him, families escaping the wars in the west...and settling in Sevendor.

Within weeks of holding his first court as lord of Sevendor, the wizard's magic begins to cause problems. Magelord Minalan turns Sevendor Castle, the entire mountain of Rundeval, and a good portion of the Westwood - including Dara’s home - into enchanted white stone when a spell goes unexpectedly awry one fateful night. As a result, Dara learns that she, too, may become a mage someday. Soon after she discovers that she can see through her falcon’s eyes and share her thoughts, the talents of a beastmaster, opening up a brilliant new world for her.

The folk of the valley have enough to eat for the first time in a generation, there are wizards all over Sevendor, and the castle glows with a magic light at night. The fortunes of the Westwood estate rise. But the Magelord finds foes as well as friends in Sevendor.

Though prosperity flows from the Magelord’s benevolent rule, the changes are frightening to some who have lost power since the Magelord came. Outside the Westwood, the other natives of the domain are upset by their magical lord and his strange new people, and there are whispers of rebellion. And outside of the domain, the neighboring lords, urged on by sinister forces, conspire to plunge Sevendor into war - with Dara and her family along with it!

What can one girl and her falcon do? When the Magelord leaves on business and his enemies close in on her home, Dara discovers she may hold the answer to saving them all! The fate of the entire domain rests with Dara of Westwood, the girl they’ll call the Hawkmaiden!

©2015 Terry Mancour (P)2019 Podium Publishing

What listeners say about Hawkmaiden

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wow what a start

sets up a great story I did not even know I wanted, and goes through the history of the 3rd spellmonger book in a new side of the story's we all know, for new and old readers of the spellmonger.
6/5 stars, if you don't read this your missing out

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5 people found this helpful

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  • PC
  • 2019-08-02

Great story!

Really good story, the narrator may want to give the other books a listen to get some of the names and terms correct. shaymins, zgore and villains (like evil villains) made it a bit tough to follow at times

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Some word prononciations were distracting

Ms William's prononciation of certain key words differed from the way John Lee pronounced them in all the books of the main Spellmonger series. The one I found most jarring was her modern day pronunciation of "villains", with its negative connotation, where Mr Lee used an archaic pronunciation (rhyming it with "again") which was in keeping with the historic meaning of farmhand or serf. The other differences I could pass over, but hearing a word with overtones of criminal or evil for honest peasants broke the flow for me.

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English vilein, vilain “churlish rustic, serf,” from Middle French, from Vulgar Latin and Medieval Latin villānus “a farm servant, farmhand"

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Better than expected

I found this book very enjoyable; I spent more time listening than I probably should have.
The story is very engaging as is the main protagonist. The performance was also better than I expected! Good listen all around.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable

Told from the perspective of a 12 yo girl, this was a very enjoyable tale of determination, adventure, war and magic. The narration was fabulous and I look forward to the next one in the series.
I haven’t read any of the Spellmonger series and that didn’t affect my enjoyment of this book. Might have to read them one day too!

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Very pleasent fantacy read

I loved the narrator & the characters were charming. I wish I had heard this book when I was 13 or so... I would have been so enthralled. As it was I will tune into the rest of the aries I think. Not disappointed with this at all.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing author!

Terry Mancour has quickly become one of my favorite authors! The Spellmonger world is amazing! Keep it coming please!

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1 person found this helpful

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

Enjoyed listening to Dara's perspective

Listening to this audiobook allows the "reader" to complete certain parts of Terri Mancour's previous works through Dara's eyes. Certainly, this one is shorter than his typical beasts books, but I had to use a credit, and decided to give this cadet book a try. I don't regret it. I enjoyed the performance also; yes, certain words aren't pronounced as John Lee does, but Lenodara is from the Westwoods, not the Riverlands, and it feels normal that the story told from her perspective would have a different accent. I really liked her performance if Gareth, also. I will listen to the other cadet books.

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

Refreshing Entry in the 'Spellmonger' Universe

Terry Mancour's imaginative fantasy world of Callidore is fairly formulaic (low-tech/medieval and populated with "shadowy" villains, goblins, dragons, and wizards), but incredibly gritty & violent, informed by a fascinating "normal society vs magical society" dynamic, and loaded with adult themes like sex & politics.
In this first of the 'Spellmonger Cadets' spinoff series, Mancour introduces 'Dara', the headstrong youngest daughter of a minor feudal lord - training herself to be a Falconer - who discovers fledgling magical powers. The writing is remarkably family-friendly - eschewing Mancour's typical R-rated take on the world - and reveals that the author can write more capably than I thought he could (when he can't resort to graphic scenery & expletives, he's pretty good).
The dialogue is admittedly unoriginal, but the characters are interesting, the plot is plausible, and the description is commendable. The book frequently reminded me of Ursula K. LeGuin's 'Earthsea' chronicles.

Reader Finty Williams contributes to my favorable impression of the book. Podium Audio provide creditable technical support to a reader with spot-on diction, tone, and voice-acting. True, Williams's sing-song timbre and cadence occasionally gets annoying.. but this is a solidly "above-average" performance.

Altogether, I am pleased with this 9/10 star recording.. it was well worth the $5.20CDN I spent on it.
If you are a fan of the Spellmonger series, it injects some much-needed accessibility/levity to a harsh fantasy worldview. If on the other hand - like me - you are simply a Fantasy-SciFi afficianado (who may or may not be listening with kids), it's still an excellent choice for a long cross-country drive or a couple of quiet afternoons. Can recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

Recommend to any age. Am 55 years old & delighted that the narrator’s voice, along with this imaginative story, kept me engaged during long walks & stair climbing.

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  • Zeak S.
  • 2019-08-03

Great addition.... but?

I loved hearing the back story and see things from a different prospective, it was a great addition to the world of the spellmonger.

However one annoying aspect was the narrator, for the most part she was great except there where quite a few inconsistencies with the pronunciation of words.

After listening to all of the spellmonger series to have this book not be able to pronounce elemental parts of the well established vocabulary was off putting

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45 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Margaret Burud
  • 2019-09-15

Wrong Narrator

The story was good. The Narrator was pretty bad. John Lee does the best job for The Spellmonger series. There were words mispronounced and names said incorrectly. Tough to get over that.

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25 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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  • xan Michael
  • 2019-08-01

narrator mispronounced a lot of words

i wish the narrator listen to the original narrator for the series. she mispronounce names and keep saying "villian" instead of "villein". do your homework lady!

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21 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Melanie D.
  • 2020-08-10

Good Story, but Sexist

I'm used to the traditional tropes of fantasy literature taking place in a medieval, patriarchal society, but the hero of this story is a 12-year-old girl, so I expected a bit more female empowerment. She has one courageous moment where she climbs a mountain to take a young falcon from its next. Even this action, however, she does with tacit permission from her father and uncle. After this, she devotes herself to training the bird and, apparently, forgets this earlier backbone. She devotes herself to being a good, obedient daughter and worries over the safety of the menfolk (brothers, cousins, uncle, and father). She trusts that the men in her life will rule over her with wise benevolence, and they do. They take into account that she doesn't like embroidery (her one small rebellion), and make sure that she dresses appropriately, learns to curtsey, exhibits no unseemly ambition, and demonstrates cheerful obedience to their will (for the good of the whole community). At one point, the lady of the manor is allowed to organize the defense of their lands. At this point, I'm thinking we'll see some female leadership and I breathe a sigh of relief, but it is not to be. The men grumble, the steward steps in to bolster the lady's authority, and then they muddle through as best they can hoping that their lord will come home soon to save them. The teen boys in this novel become men when they are giving a sword, and the teen girls become women when they menstruate. Boys are destined to be wise leaders. Girls are apparently content to marry and run the kitchen. Our heroine is definitely a one-off as she wants to raise a falcon, but she's largely happy with her lot in life and shows no indication that she wants a sword like her brother. She's a lot like Menolly in Dragonsinger, but at least Menolly knew that the sexist attitudes in her home were unfair.

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18 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Vanessa A. Krailler
  • 2019-08-01

Good book but no humor like the others

I love the spell monger series and was excited to get more familiar with the Hawkmaiden but I found that it lacked the light hearted humor I love from the books that center around the main character Minolan.

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17 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • James Watts
  • 2019-08-17

Pronunciation is off.

As always a great story in the Spellmonger series.

The narrator should have listened to John Lee’s readings of the main series, for the proper pronunciations.

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13 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Nathan Parker
  • 2019-07-31

Meh

This story is only interesting because you get to hear the same story you've already heard from a different perspective. Someone new to the Spellmonger series would probably find it boring.

As for the narration, few narrators can compete with John Lee's majestic voice and Flinty Williams isn't one of them. Her performance was pretty flat and her MC voice came across as rather timid, compared to the spunky character the author described. And all of her voices sounded pretty much the same.

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10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Kevin Ford
  • 2019-08-28

Spellmonger Sidestories that seem Necessary

Hawkmaiden completely satisfies the thirst of old readers familiar with the Spellmonger series while introducing a younger audience to Lenadara and her trusty companion, Frightful. Terry Mancour is unmatched with his ability to turn a side story not involving the main character, something many would be annoyed or angry with (admittedly, myself included) into a fresh point of view of the people surrounding Minalan and his Journey against the evils of Calador.
Hawkmaiden begins just before Minalan arrives in Sevendor and you are introduced to the condition of the native people from the eyes of a young woman who's whole world is dependent on her family's day to day struggle with the current occupants of Sevendor Castle. This side story was fun and interesting, as they all eventually become when they are released.
I was hesitant when it recieved a YA rating, but fear not, fellow Spellmongers, this book is well done. Finity Williams does a wonderful job, becoming a fresh new voice in the series to accompany John Lee. There were a few pronunciations that dont follow the main series, but all in all it was just what the doctor ordered. I will have no hesitation pulling the trigger on the books in this series regardless of the rating. Thanks Terry! You are such a fantastic storyteller!

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • s. mack
  • 2019-08-23

A VERY pleasant surprise.

I am absolutely enamoured of this series. I was a little disappointed when this recording started up and it was not John Lee's voice I heard. I associate his voice with Min so completely. But very quickly I got accustomed to Finty William's delightful voice and skillful narration. She has done an excellent job giving voice to Dara. I am nearly finished with Hawkmaiden and I am distraught that Hawklady doesn't come out for a couple weeks yet!

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6 people found this helpful

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  • A. Carlson
  • 2019-09-11

Another Spellmonger Hit

I was worried going into Hawkmaiden that the series would be watered down by including another perspective. Hawkmaiden is wonderful, with all of the same adventure that the Spellmonger series contains. The character of Dara is richly created and her actions in the previous Spellmonger books are easily connected in between the books. The narrator does a great job in reading for a young person without sounding childish. I’m excited to read the continuation of the story in Hawklady.

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5 people found this helpful