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Runemarks

By: Joanne Harris
Narrated by: Rosie Jones
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Summary

It's been 500 years since the end of the world and society has rebuilt itself anew. The old Norse gods are no longer revered. Their tales have been banned. Magic is outlawed, and a new religion - the Order - has taken its place.

In a remote valley in the north, 14-year-old Maddy Smith is shunned for the ruinmark on her hand - a sign associated with the Bad Old Days. But what the villagers don't know is that Maddy has skills. According to One-Eye, the secretive Outlander who is Maddy's only real friend, her ruinmark - or runemark, as he calls it - is a sign of Chaos blood, magical powers and gods know what else....

Now, as the Order moves further north, threatening all the worlds with conquest and cleansing, Maddy must finally learn the truth to some unanswered questions about herself, her parentage, and her powers.

From the bestselling author of Chocolat and The Gospel of Loki comes a fantastical tale of magic, adventure and Norse mythology.

Read by Rosie Jones, with a preface and prophecy read by Joanne Harris.

©2007 Frogspawn Limited (P)2016 Orion Publishing Group
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What listeners say about Runemarks

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

norse tales told in such colour

Cry I did, as did I laugh.
some of the pronouced norse names I believe to be wrong, however this is a minor issue, for the story is a wonderful adventure, twice I have read and now I have listened. Very good voices, though I find it difficult to imagine the norse gods with welsh and scottish accents. still enjoyed it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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This is the better version

Very entertaining till the end. Love this story. I used to own the abridged version and did not like it since there were lots of details missing which actually help paint the world where the main protagonist lives. I fully recommend this book if you enjoy stories that makes you see your world in a different light!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it best book ever

I like the adventure and the amazing I simply loved it it's amazing best book ever

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

perfecto 👌❤

lovely story! you must listen to it! I liked the nerrators voice which is quite unusual for me as I'm normally quite critical of the voises 😁😊 you must listen to it 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👌

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Really great story

Something different, of course if you really look for similarities you will find them but I really think the story works on its own. Wasn't too short or too long, everything was relevant, I am not good at writing reviews but I just wanted to encourage everyone who likes nordic mythology.

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RUNES RULE!

Where does Runemarks rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Meet Maddy, a girl who does not fit into the way of life in her village, she thinks too much and dreams. Dreams are forbidden as is the use of magic for it is the power of chaos. That is what happens to her life that year as One-eye brings her a new challenge.

See the Norse Gods in ways you would never have imagined before. They are more real, more believable and very much amongst us. The characters wild and all of their own throughout. The story whilst slow to start is very much like a stone running down a hill and really does pick up speed. Whilst predictable with many a thing you can see before told you are still left in the dark about some of the deeper twists in Maddy's tale. A very very well written book that I am going to love reading more of the series.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Good for target demographic I think

I like Joanne Harris’s books immensely and I know I’m not the target demographic for this one. But nonetheless it was enjoyable and I stayed with it to see what happens

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful book and story, one of my favourites

Wonderful story, enigmatic, full of wonder and Joanne's signature, (if you'll pardon the pun, for those who have already read it) relentlessly detailed world-building.
Characters that are easy to love and easy to despise, and a compelling story loosely based on the mythology of the Norse gods, I think this book is an excellent read.
My only qualm is with the narrators trouble pronouncing certain words, and occasionally misspeaking, shattering the immersion a little. However to her credit, her pronunciations of the occasional Norse words and rune names are well-researched, and over all her narration is full of life and personality.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Just a bit drawn out

I liked the story, the narration and I do enjoy the way that JH writes, but this book just went on and on....... I lost interest in the minutiae and decided to flip through a few chapters, Overall I found the whole thing to be soporific and lost all sense of what was going on!

I think I would have enjoyed it so much more if it had been stripped of the overburdened 'wordiness' of it all.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Myth and legend

Brought to life in the wonderful
Writing of great stories told over
And over again, brilliant narrator
Who told the tale in such a way
Just couldn't put down thank you

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