Blade of Fortriu

Bridei Chronicles, Book 2

By: Juliet Marillier

Narrated by: Michael Page

Length: 22 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Five winters have passed since young king Bridei ascended the throne of Fortriu. Five years, in which the people have felt a contentment unknown for generations. But the security of a people can vanish in a heartbeat, for wolves are often drawn to fields filled with fattened sheep. Bridei is determined to drive the Gaelic invaders from his lands once and for all. And so, with his land secure and his house in order, he prepares for war. One of Bridei's plans to win the war to come involves the beautiful young Ana. A princess of the Light Isles, she has dwelt as a hostage at the court of Fortriu for most of her young life. Despite being a pawn of fortune, she has bewitched all at court and is dearly loved by Bridei and his queen. But Ana understands her duty. And so she will travel north, to make a strategic marriage with a chieftain she has never seen, in the hopes of gaining an ally on whom Bridei's victory relies.

For secrecy's sake, Ana must travel at a soldier's pace, with a small band led by the enigmatic spymaster Faolan. Bridei implores Ana to trust him and see the good in Faolan…but Ana cannot see beyond his cold competence and killer's eyes. Then, when she arrives at the chieftain Alpin's stronghold in the mysterious Briar Woods, her discomfort and unease increase tenfold, for this is a place of full of secrets and her betrothed is an enigma himself. The more Ana tries to uncover the truth of her new life, the more she discovers a maze of polite diversions that mask deadly lies. She fears Faolan, but he may prove to be the truest thing in her world.

Or her doom.

©2006 Juliet Marillier (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Really Good!

I loved the first book in the series, but book 2 is way better!!! The story line was really good and the suprising twists and turn of events was captivating!

Great historical content, intriguing heart pounding story, some parts hold you waiting for the next page.

Liked the characters, very strong, loved that there are more than one main characters.
Did not like how sappy a couple of the love thought scenes became.
Read all three of the books and really liked them.

Loved it

I enjoyed this title immensely. I found it to be much more interesting than the first book in the series and my heart ached for the characters throughout. I can't wait to see what is in store for Faolan in book three!

Good follow-up, some narration variations from 1st

Any additional comments?

Really good second in a series, however as other reviewers mentioned, some voices were changed and were a little jarring until one became used to them. Bridei apparently has bronchitis, and most men in general sound either evil or acerbic. I suppose with this one since there are so many men-at-arms and male roles, it's tough to come up with yet another way to sound like a swarthy warrior. There were a few slight differences in how some of the names were pronounced, which is slightly annoying at first until you get used to it. Broichan and Faolan in particular. (E.g. Fay-oh-lin instead of Fay-lin, and Broy-han vs. Broy-shahn) I enjoyed the departure from court intrigue, which was very prevalent in the first book, but I can see how readers who enjoyed that would be a little turned off by the love stories that are more abundant in this book.

I loved it!

I've loved all of Juliet's books but I've found some of the audio versions are read in a super dramatic way that I don't really care for. but the first 2 books in this series have been awesome. Downloading the 3rd now :)

Beautiful story

Any additional comments?

In listening to this book I remembered how capable Juliet Marillier is of completely enchanting you with the world and characters she creates. It actually made me like book 1 a lot less because I believe she could have made book 1 much more interesting throughout. I was also hugely disappointed that Bridei and Tuala's love story that came about at the VERY end of book 1 was just skipped right over and picked up years later in this book. I would have loved to have spent more time with them together in book 1.

Anyway, this book was exciting, mysterious, heart-breaking, and lovely. It was everything you would want in a story, although maybe it was lacking a bit of depth with the characters. The narrator was fine in book 1 since most of the voices were either of young people or old people and he managed that quite well. But this book was mostly people in their teens and 20's and the narrator made all the men sound old and creepy, or like hobbits. That put me off particularly when it came time for the sentimental scenes or romance, especially, because it sounded wrong.

WHAT A RIDE

This second book was fantastic. I fell in love with the villains as well as the heroes. The weaving of characters intertwined with each other was masterful. I kept trying to figure out what was next and then gave up and let the author guide me. I can easily forgive the narrator for anything he had a mighty tale to tell and overall was excellent. A must read or listen

Second book better than first, on to third book!

I bought both books on a series sale, and wasn't happy with the uneven quality of the first book, but still considered it a 4 star book.

The second book in the series has tighter writing, lots of intricate plot lines that weave together, and more sensory descriptions (mostly visual, some sounds, some tactile) than in the first book to help fine tune the mental imagery the reader/listener uses.

The story is much more complex, interesting, and adventurous. Still lacking or awkward in the wit or humor department. It's great that authors do a lot of research and come up with intricate plot lines, but if an author can write despair and horrible treatment of people or fight scenes, what's wrong with some wit and humor as well in order to balance out the human experience.

On to book three!

Very engaging

Excellent character development, lots of intrigue, and a side of magic. Found myself listening every chance I got.

Extraordinary!

One of my favorites. Once again Juliet ha the ability to provide amazing detail that allows the reader to visualize the scenes and understand the feelings of the characters. Also, this story kept me on the edge with the twists in the plot.