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The Marsh King's Daughter

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The Marsh King's Daughter

By: Karen Dionne
Narrated by: Emily Rankin
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About this listen

Helena's home is like anyone else's, with a husband, two daughters and a job she enjoys. But no one knows the truth about her dark and twisted childhood.

Born into captivity and brought up in an isolated cabin until she was twelve, Helena was raised by her terrified, broken mother and the man who held them both prisoner - Helena's own father.

Now with news that he has escaped from prison, Helena instinctively knows that her father is coming for her and if she wants to keep her family safe, she must find him - before he finds her. Even if that means returning to the darkest parts of her past, the scariest place imaginable, home.

An unforgettable, read-in-one-sitting thriller packed with gripping suspense.

©2017 Karen Dionne (P)2017 Hachette Audio Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Thriller

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Critic reviews

"It's sensational." (Clare Mackintosh)

"A constantly surprising novel which never takes the obvious route, it is emotionally and intellectually thrilling as well as tremendously exciting." (Sunday Express)

"Sensationally good psychological suspense - I loved this book." (Lee Child)
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I was kinda expecting the end, but was not expecting how it would get there. Difficult to put down the book. Loved it. I want to read more about how the story came to life.

What a beautiful story.

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Absolutely loved - it from the very first page to the very last one. Relatable, honest, heartbreaking read with a never-dying glimmer of hope.

One of my favourites out there.

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This is an odd book, it's not obvious what is going on early on, but if you stick with it I found it utterly gripping, weaving folk myth with horror, from the perspective of the innocent. This is a very clever piece of writing which I hope is fiction.

Gritty and brutal in parts, it is a fascinating puzzle, great value for money.

Oh and by the way there is no fairy godmother for all the aspects of mythology; just human humans.

Gripping

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Another binge worthy listen with an intriguing tale.
I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a different story from the norm.
Found the narrator very good and she kept my interest, and I struggle normally with finding narrators I can stay engaged with.
Id love to know what the authors inspiration was behind this story.

Interesting tale

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I came across the movie and decided to read the book first. What a brilliant story and much better than Where the Crawdads Sing. Highly recommended. I wasn’t sure about the narration initially, but her voice grew into the characters.

Excellent!

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This was recommended to my by someone because I enjoyed " Where the Crawdads Sing". While I enjoyed both, I felt they are quite different. This one is more of a thriller in my opinion and if I had to choose between them. this would be my favourite. Personally I didn't want to stop listening to this story. The descriptive way it's written makes you feel like you are there. I'm easily distracted when listening but found myself gripped from the start. Even though it switches back and forth in time, it's easy to follow. One of the best listens in a while.

Gripping story and we'll told

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I have to confess there is normally little more that will make me roll my eyes than a blurb that says something like "The suspense thriller of the year".  I mean, just how many can there be in a single year?  Luckily I read on and decided to overlook Hachette Audio's heinous crime because in publishing The Marsh King's Daughter they have done enough to earn a break.  Karen Dionne's story centres around Helena who had the most incredible upbringing.  Her mother was abducted as a young girl and forced to live in a remote cabin, deep in Michigan marshland.  Her father, the kidnapper is a deeply twisted character who dominates her life.

Dionne's story is a clever triple line intertwined consisting of the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale which is the inspiration for the story, the current day Helena desperate to protect her family and stories from the younger girl's upbringing in that remote wilderness.  The transitions between the two main timelines are smoothly done and both stories feel exciting.  There is an interesting take on nature vs nurture as Helena battles to reconcile her love for her father, her growing understanding of her mother's life and her imperative to protect her own family.  Can she overcome the loyalties and conditioning of that tough childhood enough to do what she has to?

Helena herself is an excellent female lead albeit forged from rather unique circumstances.  The narration by Emily Rankin is very good at building the atmosphere and the storyline.  She doesn't have the greatest range of voices but this isn't tested by the small cast of important characters in this one.  I did hanker slightly after a less generic voice for Helena's father given his heritage but maybe there I am splitting hairs a little.

In all this is an excellent read as the stories progress and we get to know Helena.  As with most thrillers of this type there may be a minor amount of chuffing involved as a cliffhanger is left dangling while we drift back to the past but the transitions are generally well done.  I would definitely recommend this one.

Cunning Darkness!

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I tend to stick to certain genres of book but, this time, wanted to try something totally different and boy did I manage to find one.

I can't say just how much I enjoyed this book because I would rave on for hours, suffice to say if your reading this review you must read the book - you will not regret it!!

Unique and brilliantly written

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I feel like I have an insight into many things now. And the nature aspect was very interesting.

Fascinating!!

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Don't compare to Where the Crawdad's Sing as per the description. The writing and narration is OK but not really comparable to the former book.

It's a good premise but I find the protagonist incredibly unlikeable. The mother's story would have been so much more interesting.

I also find the narrator really unbelievable reading a character like this.

Just OK.

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