The Harp of Kings

By: Juliet Marillier

Narrated by: Moira Quirk, Alex Wyndham, Frazer Douglas

Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

A young woman is both a bard - and a warrior - in this thrilling historical fantasy from the author of the Sevenwaters novels. 

Eighteen-year-old Liobhan is a powerful singer and an expert whistle player. Her brother has a voice to melt the hardest heart, and is a rare talent on the harp. But Liobhan's burning ambition is to join the elite warrior band on Swan Island. She and her brother train there to compete for places, and find themselves joining a mission while still candidates. Their unusual blend of skills makes them ideal for this particular job, which requires going undercover as traveling minstrels. For Swan Island trains both warriors and spies. 

Their mission: to find and retrieve a precious harp, an ancient symbol of kingship, which has gone missing. If the instrument is not played at the upcoming coronation, the candidate will not be accepted and the kingdom will be thrown into disarray. Faced with plotting courtiers and tight-lipped druids, an insightful storyteller, and a boorish Crown Prince, Liobhan soon realizes an Otherworld power may be meddling in the affairs of the kingdom. When ambition clashes with conscience, Liobhan must make a bold decision - and the consequences may break her heart.

©2019 Juliet Marillier (P)2019 Recorded Books

THIS IS BLACKTHORN & GRIM'S CHILDREN

What a wonderful story and a continuation of the Blackthorn and Grim storyline, as this is their children's story. It ending with the possibility of even more stories of their children's adventures. Can't wait to see what else may come!!!!

Good story and narration

I’m a fan of Juliet, she is one of my favorite authors. It was a good one and true to her style for adult stories. I saw some bad reviews about it being juvenile. It wasn’t at all. I also saw some negative reviews on the narration. The narration was very good and as a former broadcasting pro I’m very picky about that. If you enjoy her books you should definitely get this one.

A new entry in a magical world

After anticipating the release of this book for months, I was not disappointed. It was like coming home to the old neighborhood and finding new friends there. The story was told from the point of view of three main characters, so it was nice to have a different reader for each one. The narrators all did an excellent job of giving their character personality and depth. The tale itself pulled me in quickly and kept me listening. There are surprises large and small throughout Ms Marillier weaves her usual magic around the whole. I could listen to her tales within tales endlessly. Finally, I’m happy to know this is just the first book in this story arc. I’m sure I’ll listen to it a few times while awaiting somewhat impatiently for the next one.

Subtle, strongly felt and narration good

Not read any Juliet Marillier before - but this was great. Subtle and engaging. Definitely not your usual swords and wizards fantasy. Will definitely be reading more. Narration was strong. Especially Broc. Beautiful work.

Juliet Marillier is Brilliant

Brilliant again and again. I love all of her written work and look forward to the next Warrior Bards book.

Great characters in a compelling story

I really enjoyed each reader. Their voices made the characters come alive. I loved the story.

Sweet story. But the narrator for Brock...

If you liked Sevenwaters, you will enjoy this book. Of course it’s not as good as Daughter of the Forest, but we all know Marillier hasn’t ever been able to top that book and probably never will. So you have been warned; just enjoy this as a good story to warm your heart if you are in need of a tale set in a lovely forest involving strong female characters, druids, and the fae. My issue is the narrator for Brock! WHY DOES THIS MAN SAY EVERY SENTENCE WITH THE EXACT SAME INFLECTION. It’s killing me. Brock is my fave character (soft spot for Marillier’s druids) so I’m so sad about this strange narrator. It’s SO distracting that he literally reads every sentence the same. Sometimes it makes me laugh, sometimes it makes me so frustrated I want to throw my phone. Sigh. The other two narrators are great though!

Love

I always love these tales, and was excited to hear the little details that relate to previous books. Just beautiful.

Nice middle school read

As an audible reader I hated the high- pitched rendition of children’s voices. I waited as the hours passed for something gripping to happen ... but nothing really did. A watered off version of Lawrence’s PoT book 1 dog death was told and retold. Maybe younger children will find it enjoyable

Le sigh

Juliet does it again and it was amazing! I greatly enjoyed the reading and story is exactly what I expected of this author. I was even pleased to see her writing from the perspective of such brass young ones with out them coming off as annoying or impetuous Absolutely fantastic

A magical adventure!

Juliet Marrillier is an alchemist who transforms the wounds of her characters into gold through adventure and obstacle. She is my favourite author and this book is a joy. I can't wait to read the next one!