Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Beautiful

By: Juliet Marillier
Narrated by: Gemma Dawson
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $29.90

Buy for $29.90

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

With the Nordic fairy tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon as her inspiration, Juliet Marillier weaves a magical story of a young princess’ search for her true self.

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?

©2019 Juliet Marillier (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Featured Article: 16 of the Best Fantasy Authors Ever


There is no feeling quite like falling in love with a great fantasy listen, doing a little digging, and joyfully discovering that the author has an extensive catalog of audiobooks for you to dive right into. Fantasy as a genre is particularly blessed with a wealth of diverse authors writing all different kinds of stories. From classic epics to standalone novels that were published in the last few years, it's the perfect genre for losing yourself in a full day’s worth of listening. These brilliant fantasy authors will transport you to another world—whether a parallel universe or a post-apocalyptic version of Earth.

Editor's Pick

A Norwegian fairy tale transformed by two huge talents
"You don’t need to know East of the Sun, West of the Moon to enjoy Beautiful, but listeners who remember the fairy tale will appreciate the twist at the beginning of this Audible Original. The plot twist sends the tale spinning in a new—and deeper—direction. With the glass mountain (and other realms), Juliet Marillier—as she did in her Sevenwaters series—creates a world of simple rules but emotional complexity in Beautiful. Gemma Dawson’s artistry brings Hulde to life as a sympathetic heroine." —Christina H., Audible Editor

What listeners say about Beautiful

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    933
  • 4 Stars
    423
  • 3 Stars
    183
  • 2 Stars
    55
  • 1 Stars
    20
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,009
  • 4 Stars
    291
  • 3 Stars
    101
  • 2 Stars
    22
  • 1 Stars
    7
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    819
  • 4 Stars
    357
  • 3 Stars
    177
  • 2 Stars
    54
  • 1 Stars
    24

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Left at the Door review of Beautiful

I love stories told from different points of view.
What if who you thought was a villain really wasn't?
What if she didn't even know your happily ever after was ruined?
What happens to the troll princess after she gives you back your prince and you ride off into the sunset?

This retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon & The White-Bear-King-Valemon is ingenious and fascinating.

The story made me laugh, cry, and left me wanting more. I do hope that one day, Ms. Marillier will consider a sequel to this book so that we can learn more about Hulde’s reign as Queen of the Glass Mountain.

Gemma did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and made the listening to a real pleasure.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a twist on one of the rarer fairytales of olde.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

32 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Mostly great

I really enjoyed this book. I read reviews of people listening to this with their kids. I was ready to have a great book to listen to with the kids, but then they had “the talk”. It wasn’t horribly graphic, but definitely not a book for young kids.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enchanting

Quick little story. Worth the read; couldn't put it down! Had a brief slow spot, but picks back up.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

An okay listen

The story was okay. I didn’t feel strongly one way or the other about. The narrator, although she has a nice voice and does different characters well, doesn’t seem to take a breath between sentences. A number of times I was confused because the thought or dialogue went on and on. I still listened to the whole thing but I wasn’t captivated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully perfect...

An unexpected twist on an old tale written by a master storyteller coupled with the perfect narrator make this one of those tales I will listen to again and again. Perfect.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun Retelling of a Fairytale

Sweet and engaging fairy story that reverses the rolls of the characters some what. Heroine is someone you can relate to. Gentle story, not Grimm dark.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

I would like to see more stories like this, a fairytale/fantasy type adventure. I wish the story had gone on longer, of course, but the characters were interesting and unique but also relatable.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Middle of the road read

Interesting enough to keep me listening. It had a lot of promise at the beginning, but for me, it lagged midway before falling flat at the end. I wish I'd gone to Goodreads and searched for a review that gave the whole plot under a spoiler warning, because if I had I think I'd have enjoyed that more than reading the book itself. Worldbuilding is lacking and several characters aren't very fleshed out. Marillier could have written a much smaller-scope hero's journey for our main lead Hulde that would have led to a more compelling story. The premise is so fresh and intriguing, and I wish it had been done justice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Eh. Not what I've Come to Expect.

Juliet Marillier is my favorite author. I own all of her books and I respect her immensely. I felt like this book just didn't do her justice. I understand its an expanded short story, but it felt kind of disjointed and I think that it needed more time to sizzle. Some of the things that occurred seemed to happen out of nowhere.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Always Enjoyable

Juliet Marillier writes fantastic tales that always keep my full attention. This one is no exception. Her characters are well developed and interesting. Gemma Dawson performed this perfectly. The only downside, is I wish there was more of this tale to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!