Audiobook Review – Beautiful by Juliet Marillier, Narrated by Gemma Dawson (3.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 7 hours and 18 minutes
Publisher: Audible Original
Release Date: May 30, 2019
ASIN: B07PK4R7RV
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audible Originals Audiobook free from Audible
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
“Hulde is a queen’s daughter and lives in a palace. But her life is lonely. Growing up atop the glass mountain, she knows only her violent and autocratic mother and a household of terrified servants.
Then a white bear named Rune comes to visit, and Hulde learns what kindness is.
But the queen has a plan for Hulde. When she turns 16, she will wed the most beautiful man in all the world. Hulde has never met her intended husband, and her mother refuses to explain the arrangement. Hulde becomes desperate to find out more and seeks the help of a magic mirror. Perhaps someone is coming to her rescue.
On her wedding day, Hulde’s existence is turned upside down. For the first time she leaves the glass mountain behind, setting out to be as brave as the heroines in her beloved storybook.
The journey will test Hulde to the limit. Can she overcome her fears and take control of her own life?”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I got for free as an audiobook through Audible Originals with my Audible membership.
Audiobook Quality (4/5): This audiobook was very well done and I have no complaints.
Story (3/5): This starts out very slow with a very childish, fairy tale like feel to it. In the end this is a very simple story that focuses on lessons of friendship and responsibility. I did enjoy some of the fantasy elements but also found it a bit boring and struggled with the story keeping my attention, espcially in the beginning.
Characters (4/5): Hulde is incredibly naive and it takes a long time for her to start becoming a bit more savvy and worldly. In the beginning I really struggled to engage with any of the characters. However, by the end I really started to enjoy Hulde and her companions.
Setting (4/5): The setting is a typical fantasy type of setting. I did enjoy getting to venture underground and meet some other races. I also enjoyed the castle on the mountain.
Writing Style (3/5): Although this book is for the most part beautifully written, it felt like two different books. The style of the beginning was very childlike and then the second half had more of a YA fantasy adventure type of vibe to it. I struggled to figure out what audience this was intended for. The beginning was so simple and childlike I found it boring, while the end was too mature for children.
Summary (3.5/5): Overall this was okay, but I could have done without reading it as well. I love some of the things that happened in the second half of the book but the first half was incredibly slow. The writing was beautifully done but full of inconsistent pacing. If you are a huge Marillier fan you might want to check this out, however it is definitely not one of her stronger stories.
