Blade of Fortriu

Bridei Chronicles, Book 2

By: Juliet Marillier

Narrated by: Michael Page

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.

Masterful storytelling

First off Michael Paige is a fabulous reader. His female voices are completely believable and he does an incredible job with a whole variety of different voices. Second, and most importantly, Juliet Marillier captures characters and their personal growth quite masterfully. She also creates such richly complex plots it’s hard to figure out how she’s going to resolve them until she does. She uses historical research to create stories that linger and capture a strong sense of time and place in all her novels, which are well worth reading and listening to.

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!

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.

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.