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Dec 16, 2011

Tatiana rated it:

I think Juliet Marillier's most successful books are the ones that follow traditional fairy tales the closest. Heart's Blood and Daughter of the Forest are the best of hers I've read so far.

And as far as fairy tale retelling goes, nobody does it as well as Juliet Marillier does. She has that special ability to take a centuries-old tale and fill it with interesting new characters, historical details, original and always very atmospheric setting - and voila, a great story that doesn't More...

12 comments like (23 people liked it)

Jan 27, 2012

Leanne rated it:

It takes a certain book that moves at a snail's pace, seeping with extremely articulate and flowery descriptions, and passages that contain layers upon layers of language to be called fascinating and incredibly engrossing.

Heart's Blood is by far that certain book.

Heart's Blood is probably the best Beauty and the Beast retelling I have read, ever. The author's writing is quality, and the Celtic-Gaelic mythology in this novel is fresh, interesting and original. And th More...

6 comments like (14 people liked it)

Nov 14, 2010

Kat rated it:

Marquis de Sade is a rather famous figure. Mostly for a lot of kinky sex acts because all of his sex fantasies included violence, criminality and blasphemy. That and he really liked buttsecks!

Okay, so history remembers Marquis de Sade for the crazy, deviant man that he was. But I think we're all forgetting the real point to the story of Marquis de Sade... and that is love. Love that conquors all. Love that supports and love that understands and accepts. After all, the Marquis de More...

11 comments like (26 people liked it)

Nov 07, 2010

new_user rated it:

Are you feeling nostalgic about your Beauty & the Beast days? I mean the Disney movie. Then you should totally read Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier.

Her novels are as elegantly picked out as her pseudonym. Marillier's heroes and heroines are always so classy. They never say, "That bastard is a villain! Let's chop him in three!" They always maintain their humanity, and it isn't because they're too innocent to think of crueler alternatives. They're just above that, dude.
More...

44 comments like (23 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Erotic Horizon rated it:

Every now and again I read a book that is simply perfection – Juliet Marillier – HEART’S BLOOD is one of those books for me. Prior to the release I remember seeing the cover and thought this book will knock my socks off and so said, so done.

The book starts of with Caitrin a young scribe making her way to parts unknown, running away from a greater evil. With only the bare minimum plus the tools of her trade as comfort, she is dropped off late in the evening in the woods near to what More...

6 comments like (9 people liked it)

May 16, 2011

Chachic rated it:

Originally posted here.

Let me just say that I love the US cover in the edition that I have, showing a girl standing in front of a mirror in a library. The library and mirrors play major roles in the story so it's an appropriate cover design. Heart's Blood is a haunting retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I was surprised by how different the whole atmosphere in this one was compared to the Sevenwaters series. This one is much darker with a mysterious curse surrounding the chieftain of More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 09, 2011

Orlagh rated it:

Fleeing her traumatic past, young scribe Caitrin arrives, bruised and alone, at the remote settlement of Whistling Tor. Desperate for work and shelter, she ignores the villagers' warning of an accursed cheiftan, malevolent whispering in the night, and a hill swarming with eerie manifestations, and seeks refuge in the crumbling fortifications atop the Tor.
Caitrin is drawn into the mysteries of brooding Lord Anluan's unconventional household. What do Anluan's skewed features and mercuria More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 17, 2011

Emma rated it:

I'm a big fan of Juliet Marillier; counting this one I've now read eight of her books. Quality-wise, I'd say Heart's Blood is nearly on par with the Sevenwaters books (generally regarded as her best), although it's certainly different.

The story is part fairy-tale-retelling, with some obvious "Beauty and the Beast" parallels--although it has little in common with the Disney movie; on the most basic level, the male lead isn't giant and furry, and there are no talking candela More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 14, 2010

Jenny rated it:

Caitrin, a young scribe – and a woman in a man’s profession – is fleeing from her past and ends up at Whistling Tor. The place is old, and cursed, if the villagers are to be believed. But Anluan, the chieftain there, needs a scribe to translate his great-grandfather’s Latin documents and grudgingly allows Caitrin to stay. But as she begins to wade through the piles of parchment, Caitrin begins to have questions of her own – questions about Anluan’s ancestors and about the ghostly creatures that More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 19, 2011

Nikki rated it:

I'm not sure Heart's Blood actually stands with my other five star books in terms of how much I loved it, but it's the first of Juliet Marillier's books I've read (the other two being Wildwood Dancing and Cybele's Secret) that I felt genuinely excited about and eager to read, once I'd started. I ended up loving it quite a lot, with 'just a few more pages' syndrome and, near the end, excited little eeps and sighs. I'd hoped to enjoy Marillier's work more than I did, so it was lovely to thoroughly More...

4 comments like (5 people liked it)

Aug 22, 2010

Patricia rated it:

Comprei este livro no sábado ao final da tarde e não resisti a passa-lo directamente para o cima da pilha, afinal um livro da Juliet tem prioridade. E digo-vos, foi a melhor decisão que tomei.
Sangue-do-coração conta-nos a história de Caitrin e Anluan, dois jovens que vivem atormentados com as suas mágoas e medos interiores, que acabam por se ajudar mutuamente.
Caitrin é uma jovem que apesar de ter sofrido agressões físicas nunca perde a esperança, ao contrario de Anluan que não conseg More...

7 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 09, 2011

Alyssa rated it:

I love everything about this book: the compelling narrative, the complex and likeable characters, the gothic setting, the triumph of good over evil and of course, the bittersweet romance. This is what fairytales are all about.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 09, 2012

Sandra rated it:

Peguei neste livro porque estava mesmo a precisar de um livro especial, que me enviasse directamente para o mundo da fantasia e este parecia ter mesmo isso.
Caitrin é uma jovem fugitiva que se aventura pelo país fora. Este acto é de elevada estupidez e irracionalidade uma vez que se trata da Idade Média, onde cada chefe tribal se vê confrontado com invasões de Normandos e onde uma jovem só e sem companhia é mal vista ou vista com desconfiança. Mas o desespero por se encontrar numa situação More...

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Dec 17, 2011

Farfished9 rated it:

Frikkin' loved this book--couldn't put it down. What a neat retelling of a classic tale.

I have officially found my new airplane companion in this lady's books. This is the 3rd I've read and that's totally it--I'm saving every last one of the rest for the crappy 12 hour plane trips I take throughout each year. I swear, I can sit down with one of her books and the next time I look up, 4 hours have passed like--what?? It's a wondrously relaxing and refreshing time warp, man...Voo-doo-r More...

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Dec 16, 2011

Cassandra rated it:

It took me a very long time to read through this book because the prose was very dense to me. I had to re-read segments several times throughout the book, and I can't really say I like the author's writing style as it's presented here. That being said, this book is masterfully written. I wish I had started it on a Saturday morning so I could have read it straight through in one weekend.

The author does an amazing job of layering conflict after conflict on her characters. At one point More...

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Aug 11, 2011

Libby rated it:

Juliet Marillier is a strong fantasy writer and excellent storyteller. Most of her books hold some connection to fairy tales, but the connection is stronger in some than others. Heart's Blood has distant hints of Beauty and the Beast (magic mirrors, a cursed household with enchanted servants, a disfigured hero), but the heart of the story is unique with a life and characters of its own.

Caitrin flees an abusive household and ironically finds safety in a holding plagued by a curse last More...

0 comments like

Aug 01, 2011

Theresa rated it:

On the run from her abusive family, Caitrin ends up at Whistling Tor hoping to work for the strange, disfigured man who rules there. Trained as a scribe by her deceased father, Caitrin is hired to transcribe the old Latin books in the library. Thinking at first that it is a simple translating job, Caitrin soon realizes that the Tor is haunted by an unusual, ghostly host. And the old books may hold the key to freeing the unquiet spirits that keep the inhabitants of the Tor isolated from the rest More...

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Jul 26, 2011

Vd rated it:

Another beautifully written tale by Juliet Marillier. This one is a retelling of 'The Beauty and the Beast' but the author has introduced such interesting characters and story elements that the old fairytale is quite transformed. Caitrin is lovely and intelligent. Her interaction with Anluan is fraught with many tender and quietly romantic moments. Muirne is not much of a mystery but that does not take away from the menace she presents. The history of the Tor is fascinating and I like it that al More...

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Jun 02, 2011

Kimberly rated it:

Within a couple of chapters, I came to the realization that Heart's Blood was, in essence, a re-imagining of the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. Of course it had it's own unique twist and turns, but the basic elements were there: a disfigured man, lacking in social graces; an enchanted household; a deep, dark secret; and a beautiful young girl who loves books.

The characters Marillier created for it just might be my favorites from her fertile imagination so far. The tale is com More...

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May 11, 2011

Aisling rated it:

I just finished this book about 6 hours ago. Juliet Mariller did not disappoint. I have always loved her books since the first time I read "Daughter of the Forest". I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like a thrilling and inspiring story about how to over-come your fear. Here is the little excerpt from the back of the book:
"Whistling Tor is a place of secrets, a mysterious wooded hill housing the crumbling fortress belonging to Anluan- More...

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Jan 17, 2011

Katya rated it:

Why oh why are UK covers so... unimaginative? First "The Replacement" and now this. I swear, if I ever get a book deal, I am so going to be a nightmare to work with.

That aside, this book is what "Beauty" by Robin McKinley should have been - a novel that is not only historically accurate, but exciting, mysterious and, yes, romantic. However, unlike "Beauty", "Heart's Blood" doesn't spend a good third of the book building up to the meeting of the More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 26, 2010

Melissa rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Dec 14, 2010

Bonnie at rated it:

I recently finished one of the most captivating novels I’ve read in a long time. Have you ever had that experience where, upon picking up a novel, you find yourself reading it during every spare moment? Before work, on your lunch break, afterwards; on and on until you’ve turned the last page and your eyeballs are weeping while your head is throbbing, but the story was just so entrancing you just didn’t care? It’s a feeling that doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, it’s magic. For me, t More...

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Jul 18, 2010

Marci rated it:

I've come to expect that I will enjoy anything Juliet Marillier writes. She's not simply a fine storyteller, but she combines her tales with sparkling writing. As in all her fantasy novels there's a touch of romance, which lightens the heart. In HEART'S BLOOD we find Caitrin (pronounced Kat-reen) running away from home. Her father has died, and she, at only 18 years of age, is at the mercy of a harsh aunt and merceless cousin, Cillian, who beats her regularly. Caitrin runs into Whistling Tor, an More...

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Apr 15, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com

In medieval Ireland, eighteen-year-old Caitrin is an anomaly. Before he died, her scribe father not only taught her how to read and write, but allowed her to actively participate in his trade and supported her in the face of those who scorned the idea of a female intellectual. However, with his death, Caitrin is left at the mercy of her cruel and abusive aunt and cousin, whose treatment forces her to flee from her home with nothing but h More...

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Apr 01, 2010

Lexie rated it:

I've been a fan of Marillier's writing since the first time I took Daughter of the Forest out from the library. Like that book, and all the Sevenwaters books succeeding it, Heart's Blood is set in an ancient time past in Ireland. Choosing to use the tale of Beauty and the Beast to form the foundation of this tale, Marillier both re-created the well known tale and made it something completely different.

It shouldn't have surprised me that this book would make me cry at least once. T More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 11, 2010

Suzanne rated it:

(Guilty pleasure: I should so completely be reading Peach books or books for SLJ reviews only right now, but I like this author and it had good reviews, so . . .) I'm just a sucker for medieval-era fantasy books. This one, like many, is a slow starter because the world has to build up in my mind. Marillier writes well, though, and I was caught up enough in the strange denizens of Whislting Tor, a cursed Irish chieftain's stronghold, that I stayed abed reading for several hours one weekend mornin More...

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Dec 16, 2009

Sara rated it:

This book had many of the elements I enjoy about Marillier's books: a persistent sense of history (both familial and cultural), realistic but strong female characters, a romantic thread, side characters with personality, an atmosphere that adds to the suspense, and cool historical details.

Like the Sevenwaters trilogy, this book is set in Ireland, but the action takes place somewhat later in history than the other books I've read by Marillier. My guess would be 1100-1400 but I don More...

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Dec 14, 2009

Larissa rated it:

A young woman is running away from the demons in her past. She has come to the edge of the world, to the middle of nowhere. To a place darkened by fear and cast in shadows. She has come to Whistling Tor.

Caitrin has made her way west, as far as her funds could take her from her old life in Market Cross, to the settlement of Whistling Tor. Now she finds herself alone, her funds all gone. But she does have her box of materials and the means to support herself, if only there was work for a More...

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Nov 23, 2009

Rachael rated it:

Caitrin is running away. With only limited financial means, a change of clothes, and the precious instruments and materials she uses as a scribe—and a past she needs to escape—Caitrin only hopes she’ll be able to find a comfortable place to stay where she can use her skills to provide for herself. Chance leads her to the fortress of Whistling Tor’s chieftain, a man diminished by the crippling effects of a childhood illness and haunted by the evil actions of his ancestors, a man nearly hated by t More...

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