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Dreamer's Pool cover art

Dreamer's Pool

By: Juliet Marillier
Narrated by: Scott Aiello, Natalie Gold, Nick Sullivan
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Summary

Award-winning author Juliet Marillier "weaves magic, mythology, and folklore into every sentence on the page" (The Book Smugglers). Now she begins an all-new and enchanting series that will transport readers to a magical vision of ancient Ireland... In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she'll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help. Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady Flidais. He knows her only from a portrait and sweetly poetic correspondence that have convinced him Flidais is his destined true love. But Oran discovers letters can lie. For although his intended exactly resembles her portrait, her brutality upon arrival proves she is nothing like the sensitive woman of the letters.

With the strategic marriage imminent, Oran sees no way out of his dilemma. Word has spread that Blackthorn possesses a remarkable gift for solving knotty problems, so the prince asks her for help. To save Oran from his treacherous nuptials, Blackthorn and Grim will need all their resources: courage, ingenuity, leaps of deduction, and more than a little magic.

©2014 Juliet Marillier (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"Narrators Scott Aiello, Natalie Gold, and Nick Sullivan deliver this Blackthorn & Grim series opener in alternating chapters.... Together, the narrators weave a compelling tale." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Dreamer's Pool

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    82
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

So disappointing

Would you try another book written by Juliet Marillier or narrated by the narrators?

I have read both her Sevenwaters series and the Bridei trilogy which were brilliant but won't read anymore from this series

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Not much

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?

As this series, as with the others is based in Pagan Briton, Scotland and Ireland, the use of American readers was both dis enchanting and grating. Completely destroyed the mystical ambience evident in her other works

Was Dreamer's Pool worth the listening time?

Not really.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Would you try another book written by Juliet Marillier or narrated by the narrators?

I love Juliet Marillier' s books but the narration let it down.

If you’ve listened to books by Juliet Marillier before, how does this one compare?

This book does not have the intensity of the 'Daughther of The Forest' or 'The Bridei Chronicles' series. The language used was less considered and the vocabulary more basic it seems. I also didn't appreciate the swearing or the crudely handled sex scenes but that is my own personal opinion. It was as if this book was written for a different market.

What didn’t you like about the narrators’s performance?

The narration was completely incongruous and robbed the story of any sense of time or place. The tone was monotonous and lacked any vigour making it difficult to have any empathy with the characters.

Do you think Dreamer's Pool needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I can't answer this at this time as I have not yet finished this book but my interest in the story and the characters is such that I don't know whether I shall continue to the end.

Any additional comments?

Narration of a story adds so much to its effect. It sets the scene and enlivens the characters. The actors chosen to read this work were good but unsuitable for this story. It has completely coloured my opinion of the book. If the future volumes are read by the same narrators then I don't know if I shall continue with the series.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Quite an interesting story

Lots of good moments but I never got to grips with the American voices, so wrong in a story set in ancient Britain before America existed.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

disappointing

Far from Juliette's best work. You might enjoy it a little bit more if you're American or Canadian because there isn't one Irish accent in this Irish story. All American accents and one English. Bizarre.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Why the American voice actors

The story is great. I felt like I had fallen into listening to Of mice and men though with the American accents and considering it’s based In Ireland that was very confusing and distracting.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Disappointed by narration

As expected of the author a lovely fairytale/fantasy story set in historical Ireland. But oh how disappointing was the performance. American accents for the most part with no effort of anything else except for a strange fake french accent for one character which would have earned a part in Allo Allo. Some pronunciations totally different to British English far less Irish. Also the idea of a different Narrator one male one female for the different chapters depending on which characters story was being told meant that at some times the male narrator was voicing the woman’s speech and the woman voicing a mans. Messy and hard to follow at times. I shall buy the next book in this series but it won’t be an Audible book. Dreamers pool was completely spoilt for me.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Predictable

I have to start off by saying I am a HUGE fan of Juliet Marilliers books, she is one of my favourite authors and I eagerly await the next book she releases. I snatched this book up as soon as it was released but with other books in the queue it was only now that I got a chance to read it.
Almost immediately I guessed the conclusion of the plot which annoyed me as I'm usually fixated on these books and it is hard for me to put them down. I just felt the whole storyline was predictable and it didn't feel as magical as say the brideai chronicles or even the daughter of the forest ones which are by far my favourite books. It's not going to stop me reading the next instalments in the series as it is Juliet Marillier after all and I'm intrigued as to where she will take this series. I just hope the next few are better!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best story ever

If you could sum up Dreamer's Pool in three words, what would they be?

Fanstastic,gripping,moving.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dreamer's Pool?

To hard to answer this question it is all memorable

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favourite?

Grim's performance was my favorite, but you will have noticed I gave performance only 4* I took 1 away because I am Irish and love that Juliets tales are based in Ireland and Scotland so prefer those accents for the tales. Nothing wrong with the readers performance otherwise.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

As before I was moved by this tale so many times sometimes happy,sometimes sad, sometimes with love. At the end I was sad because it had ended, I just canot get enough of Juliet Marrillier tales.

Any additional comments?

I have many favorite authors, but my top two have always changed when, each time they release a new book they move to the top of my list. This time I do not think Diana can remove Juliet Marillier from first place after this one. Best tale I ever read, and I read a lot.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

engaging if a bit predictable story

this romped along nicely, the characters were engaging and the back stories subtly hinted at however, I've given this a low star rating because of the narrators' inability to pronounce words properly. Plaits pronounced "plates", wound (as in injury) pronounced wow-nd, shone pronounced "shown", and phonetically pronouncing Irish names instead of how they are said in Irish. it spoiled the story.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant want more !!!!!!

Where does Dreamer's Pool rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Loved this story, twists and turns very nail biting. Only problem with grammar, a Prince would never say " you and me"! rather "you and I", or David and I", as an example. That is one thing that sets my teeth on edge. !!!!! Can we please have the correct English grammar.

What did you like best about this story?

Great story line. Such imagination. I loved it.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Narrators were brilliant. Gave the story vivid pictures in my minds eye.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Gripping all the way.

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1 person found this helpful