Dreamer's Pool

Blackthorn & Grim, Book 1

By: Juliet Marillier

Narrated by: Scott Aiello, Natalie Gold, Nick Sullivan

Length: 17 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Award-winning author Juliet Marillier "weaves magic, mythology, and folklore into every sentence on the page" (The Book Smugglers). Now she begins an all-new and enchanting series that will transport readers to a magical vision of ancient Ireland...

In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she'll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help. Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady Flidais. He knows her only from a portrait and sweetly poetic correspondence that have convinced him Flidais is his destined true love. But Oran discovers letters can lie. For although his intended exactly resembles her portrait, her brutality upon arrival proves she is nothing like the sensitive woman of the letters.

With the strategic marriage imminent, Oran sees no way out of his dilemma. Word has spread that Blackthorn possesses a remarkable gift for solving knotty problems, so the prince asks her for help. To save Oran from his treacherous nuptials, Blackthorn and Grim will need all their resources: courage, ingenuity, leaps of deduction, and more than a little magic.

©2014 Juliet Marillier (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"Narrators Scott Aiello, Natalie Gold, and Nick Sullivan deliver this Blackthorn & Grim series opener in alternating chapters.... Together, the narrators weave a compelling tale." ( AudioFile)

decent book let down by poor narration

I'm a big fan of "Daughter of the Forest" one of Juliet Marillier's other books, so I thought I'd give this series a try. I don't know if the story was as poor (especially in comparison to Daughter of the Forest) as it seemed, or if iffy narration just made it seem that way. It wasn't that it was a bad book by any stretch (hence the four stars), but neither the story nor the narration were that good (hence the lower scores on those). I don't think I need to go into plot details, they're up there in the summary if you need them.

First the easy: narration. Could they not have found Irish narrators for a story set in Ireland? Ok that aside, the narrator for Oran was really aggravating. Prince Oran is already pretty naive as a character and the narration really emphasizes this, and I really hated the character even more because of that. Not having any sympathy for a character that's a third of the book kind of makes things drag.

Now the tricky: plot. As adult fairy tales go, this one was enjoyable if rather predictable. I'm not sure if the characters should have figured it out far sooner in the book or if the incessant repetition of the author just made it seem like they should have. That's the book's main flaw, it repeats everything a bunch of times. Frankly, I think the whole thing might have been more enjoyable if 90% of Oran's chapters were cut out. In fact, I'm pretty sure 100% of Oran's chapters could have been avoided. Moral of the story, make sure you're busy doing something else while you listen, because there are definitely slow parts you can sort of only half pay attention to.

A slightly more nit-picking criticism from a history buff, I found the entire concept of justice and systems of justice in the book rather anachronistic. Phrases like "due process" just don't ring true when you are talking about medieval systems. Maybe I let it bother me too much, but there seemed to me to be quite a divide between the theoretical system of justice which apparently exists in this society and the situation that Blackthorne and Grimm are in at the beginning of the book.

Lastly, I found myself not entirely happy with the ending. For a book that goes on and on about justice and find fairy tale endings for other crises in the book I was rather unsatisfied with how things ended, but to discuss it further would be spoilers, so make your own verdict at the end!

Five stars for 2 great characters and word craft.

Blackthorn and Grim - Great characters, alternating narration, and the Sidhe. I loved this and enjoyed the style enough to give this first book in a new series 5 stars.

Great story. Too bad about the accents.

I have to say that this is a totally enjoyable story. Good characters. Unfortunately the narrators all sounded squarely American, even though this was supposed to be ancient Ireland. I just couldn’t help being annoyed. Some of the characters, like the king’s body servant, has some weird broad American accent that sounded more Cliff Claven-ish (?) I couldn’t place it, but entirely wrong for the story. Unfortunate.

Nevertheless, worth a listen.

great ending

Loved it. Narrators are excellent. The story is intriguing and the ending is unexpected. I will listen again one day.

Inside a Woman's mind!

I have to say this is the first novel that I have listened to that comes from directly from a woman's point of view. This have a great narration for each character. This audio if very easy to tell in what point of view you are listening, too. The plot has twists that keep you going and asking well what is the answer? Who are the good guys and who are the bad?
I like how the fictional creatures are kept at a small amount and the semi real characters lead the story. I will be listening to the next novel to see where this series leads. This is a great beginning with plots and problems leading to stories into another story. Pick a character and see which one do you favor? Most books are told in a single person view and a narration. This one is told in many and thankfully not so many I need a character card. Well written and thought provoking. Great story and beginning to a series that I will be following. A must check out!

A wonderful book!!!

I fell in love with this book. I am looking forward to the second book. Hopefully I will not be disappointed.

A great read

If you enjoy fantasy and tiny bit magic this is for you. Great character. Flowed nicely. The female narrator was great but didn’t care for the male voice for grim but wasn’t terrible. Enjoyed the easy flow of the authors writing style. I will read the others in the series.

absolutley loved this book

I really enjoyed this story! I read all the books, only thing I was disappointed in was the story was over, I wanted more. deff read you wont regret it! the narrators really made the book! #ancientireland, #suspensful, #magic, #tagsgiving, #sweepstakes

Excellent selection!

I absolutely love this book! The narrator's did an outstanding job and it was full of intrigue and a little mystery.

Different Speakers, but Amazing Story

I absolutely loved the story of Dreamer’s Pool. It kept me guessing until the end. I love a good fairy tale like story and this was definitely it. The only thing that was a little jarring was that each narrator had very definite ideas of how other characters sounded... and that was a bit distracting. Hearing Blackthorns voice as ragged in her own telling, and then soft and feminine in the Prince’s was distracting. Same with the prince’s manservant in the prince’s voice and then grim’s... they almost were like two different characters. It felt as if each of the narrator’s didn’t listen to the other’s portrayal and because of that, it just didn’t flow nicely.

Other than that?

Absolutely amazing story. I can’t wait to read more about blackthorn and grim