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The Amber Owl

Heartwood, Book 1

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The Amber Owl

By: Juliet Marillier
Narrated by: Emma Drysdale
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Summary

 Stasya lives in an isolated farming village on the edge of the mysterious Heartwood Forest with her unusual dog for company. Thought odd by the locals, she is tolerated for her rare gift with animals. Engaging with her fellow humans is difficult, with one exception: goatherd Lukas, who shares her love of storytelling. The peace of Heartwood is shattered when a group of soldiers descends, under orders from the Ruler of the Northlands. Their mission: to hack a path through the forest and find the fabled treasure said to lie deep within. The task is clearly impossible. The forest is alive with bears and wolves, and the old tales speak of evil spirits, monsters and uncanny beings. Nobody has ever gone deep into Heartwood Forest and returned safe and well. When Stasya raises her voice in protest, she is removed from her beloved home and transported to court – a different world. Word of her special skills has reached the Ruler's ears, and Lady Elisabeta has a job for her. But Stasya will not break her vow to protect the forest, even under the most appalling threat.©2025 Juliet Marillier (P)2025 Bolinda Publishing Epic Fantasy Historical Heartfelt
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Critic reviews

'Enchanting and wise!' (Kate Forsyth, bestselling and award-winning author of The Chain of Charm series)
'Gradually secrets are peeled away leaving the reader satisfied and hoping for the next in the duology. Marillier's world building and character development is outstanding.' (ReadPlus)
'An enchanting tale.' (on A Song of Flight) (Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of Poison Fruit)
'Lush worldbuilding and well-rounded characters.' (on A Dance With Fate) (Library Journal)
All stars
Most relevant
This was a hard one to get through the end.
The narrator's choices of making all the characters and every single moment sound pathetic and wimpy has made this a really hard listen. I love Juliet Marillier's books because the female character have a bit of grit and power in them, even though the world they live in tries to work against it. But the narrator changes every powerful move to fear and despair.
Having read the second book I finally understand the characters a bit better but I can't remember a thing that happened in the first book. I'm just glad that it's finally done. I'll read it in book form in a few years so that I can get excited and forget about this version.

love the writer, couldn't get through the story due to the narrator's choices

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I can't tell if the story is good or not! The narrator is so, so terribly bad. I don't know if I will be able to finish listening this book. It is a shame -I really like the author normally.

Bad narrator

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