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Daughter of Crows

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Daughter of Crows

By: Mark Lawrence
Narrated by: Olivia Dowd
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About this listen

Set a thief to catch a thief. Set a monster to punish monsters.

'I never met a Mark Lawrence book that I didn't love' ROBIN HOBB

'An excellent writer' GEORGE R.R. MARTIN

The Academy of Kindness exists to create agents of retribution, cast in the image of the Furies – The Kindly Ones – against whom even the gods hesitate to stand.

Each year one hundred girls are sold to the Academy. Ten years later only three emerge.

The Academy’s halls run with blood. The few who survive its decade-long nightmare have been forged on the sands of the Wound Garden. They have learned ancient secrets amid the necrotic fumes of the Bone Garden. They leave its gates as avatars of vengeance, bound to uphold the oldest of laws.

Only the most desperate would sell their child to the Kindnesses. But Rue … she sold herself. And now, a lifetime later, a long and bloody lifetime later, just as she has discovered peace, war has been brought to an old woman’s doorstep.

That was a mistake.

(P)2026 HarperCollins Publishers Action & Adventure Dark Fantasy Dystopian Epic Fantasy Science Fiction Revenge

Critic reviews

Praise for Daughter of Crows

'Sinks its hooks into you and does not let go'

John Gwynn, bestselling author of The Bloodsworn Saga

'Unflinching, full-on and mesmerically gripping'

The Daily Mail

'Smoothly seductive and thought-provoking'

The Fantasy Hive

'Saturated with venom, vengeance and violence, while also serving as a deeply emotional commentary on age, guilt, memory, and survival. Altogether, Daughter of Crows stands as a powerful reaffirmation of Mark Lawrence's position at the forefront of grimdark fantasy'

Grimdark Magazine

Praise for Mark Lawrence

‘Excellent – on par with George R.R. Martin’

Conn Iggulden, author of GENGHIS

'The Library Trilogy is one of the most profound and wholly original works of fiction that I’ve read in the past two decades. The Library Trilogy should place Mark Lawrence’s name in the same breath as other twenty-first century masters of speculative fiction'

John Mauro

‘Mark Lawrence gets better with every book. It has a drive to it, a pulse, a gearshift that kicks higher and higher.’

Fantasy Book Review

‘This tale of knowledge and its cost flies by thanks to the gripping mystery and beautiful worldbuilding…readers will be desperate for more.’

Publishers Weekly

‘Lawrence works with many threads here, but none feels misused or insufficiently explored. Rather, the author unspools them masterfully, leaving behind a tightly woven tapestry that readers will ache to see finished even if they can predict one or two of the tale’s myriad twists and turns. Gripping, earnest, and impeccably plotted.’

Kirkus

All stars
Most relevant
Loved the way the story is layered with a current story untwined with the past events collimating into a story that keeps you listening…

Another creation of a new and exciting world to immerse into from Mark Lawrence

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This was so beautifully crafted. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the way they presented a rich tapestry of the lives lived and the pain endured. The artwork on the cover is hauntingly stunning. I listened to the book on audible (due to an eye disorder) and the narrator was really proficient in drawing you into the drama. This is a book that will stay with me for the longest of times….. and I cannot wait for the next in the series. Mr Lawrence: get writing!!!!! Off for a good cry at having to wait.

What a beautifully crafted piece of work

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Wow. I'm a long time fan of Mark Lawrence and was eagerly awaiting this book but it outshone all my expectations.
The themes of the book echo those of Red Sister and I was worried at first that it would be too similar but the author has brought them to an entirely new story.
The lore and world building was really interesting and very skilfully woven through Rue's story.
The story itself was captivating and although I saw some of the twists coming, I missed many of them, meaning that I'd imagine this book will be even more interesting on a reread.
it is a dark book, not necessarily in terms of gore, but it explored past trauma and there were some sections (Eldest) that verged on more traditional horror. However, I do scare easily and found that I was still able to read and enjoy these sections as there was always a thread of light/goodness running through them.
I'm so pleased that I pre-ordered this book and will be doing the same with the next one!

Masterful storytelling

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