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Beautiful  By  cover art

Beautiful

By: Juliet Marillier
Narrated by: Gemma Dawson
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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.

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

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting coming of age story

Perfect coming to age story for any woman with an over bearing mother. The main character is well developed and likeable.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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engaging fairy tale give trolls humanity

loved this twist and how joyful and interesting the simple story was. never thought to see trolls as heros.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Hermoso y original cuento de princesas

No es la típica historia de princesas bonitas e inútiles. Es la princesa que no es la más hermosa pero busca aprender, ser buena líder y valiente. Perfecto libro para niñas y jovencitas. Muy bien escrito y narrado.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Beautiful Story in Many Levels

Beautiful delves into what is true beauty in a way that is entertaining and thoughtful for all ages. I was spellbound from the first.

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1 person found this helpful

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Wow what a story

I was surprised at how compelling the story and performance was. A very good overall experience. I will want to to look into more works by this author.

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1 person found this helpful

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

cute

cute story. middle was a little boring, which was why I made it 4 starts. Loved Hulda and her pets at the end though

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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It is Good

it is a female Shreak....I love it very much. Especially....her strength of love. I especially love the education a Princess to be strong to be the hero.

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  • Overall
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Entertaining and enchanting

Who would think trolls could be the center of a book? Beautiful in mind and deed is the lesson here and one we all need in these trying times.

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

Like a faerie tale...

Lovely story with moral lessons throughout. Good clean fun with a happy ending. Family friendly for middle school children and up due to a tastefully described but not too explicit birds and bees talk.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Magic and strength of character

My 10 year old and I listened to it on a road trip. She quickly got hooked into the story, even though she said she wasn't that interested at first.

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