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Tales of Arilland
- Books of Arilland
- Narrated by: Gabrielle Baker
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
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Publisher's summary
In the fairy tale realm of Arilland, stories are told at children's bedsides - and not the stories you think you know.
Tales of Arilland is a collection of fairy tales, presented in the magical topsy-turvy way that only Alethea Kontis can do. Discover the story of Bluebeard's first wife ("Blood From Stone"), what really happened to Snow White in those dark woods ("The Unicorn Hunter"), how dangerous the Little Mermaid might have been ("Blood and Water"), and just how far Little Red Riding Hood was willing to go ("Hero Worship").
Included in this collection is "Sunday" the original novelette that inspired the award-winning novel Enchanted, as well as "The Cursed Prince", the previously untold history of Prince Rumbold of Arilland...and more.
Woodcutter enthusiasts will rejoice at this opportunity to delve into the secret worlds beyond Kontis's intricately woven fantasy novels. If you are not a fan yet, you will be!
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"This collection is the fifth book in the Arilland series, which combines the Woodcutter Sisters books and the Trix Adventures, offering alternate views of folktales with new characters and ideas. Narrator Gabrielle Baker's deep, reedy voice gives earthy weight to Kontis's stories. Her atmospheric delivery, measured pacing, and empathetic characterizations work well with Kontis's prose, building a world of vivid landscapes and complex beings. Knowledge of Kontis's earlier books may aid readers in understanding the scope of these tales, but this collection is enjoyable for those unfamiliar as well." -- AudioFile
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Story
When Lady Saren defies her father’s command to marry the vicious Lord Khasar, she is sealed in a tower with only her serving maid, Dashti, for company. In their cramped, dark space Dashti pours her thoughts into a daily journal while pitiless solitude engulfs them. At first the girl is optimistic: they have food aplenty, candles for light, and even a visit from Lady Saren’s true love, Khan Tegus - though he can only call to them from outside their walls. But their circumstances soon grow desperate.
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I charming little book.
- By Steve on 07-20-15
By: Shannon Hale
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Because You Love to Hate Me
- 13 Tales of Villainy
- By: Ameriie - editor
- Narrated by: Ameriie, Kevin T. Collins, Julia Whelan
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In this unique YA anthology, 13 acclaimed, best-selling authors team up with 13 influential BookTubers to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains' points of view. These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like Medusa, Sherlock Holmes, and 'Jack and the Beanstalk' provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains' acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage - and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on. No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again!
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I enjoyed more than I expected
- By Doha on 08-30-17
By: Ameriie - editor
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Princess of Thorns
- By: Stacey Jay
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy, yet she is cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and to free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne 10 years ago. Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late?
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Great story, great chemistry, great fun!
- By Katy on 01-28-15
By: Stacey Jay
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Mermaid
- A Twist on the Classic Tale
- By: Carolyn Turgeon
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Princess Margrethe has been hidden away while rumors of war threaten her kingdom. One gloomy, windswept morning, as she stands in a convent garden overlooking the icy sea, she witnesses a miracle: a glittering mermaid emerging from the waves, a nearly drowned man in her arms. By the time Margrethe reaches the shore, the mermaid has disappeared into the sea. As Margrethe nurses the handsome stranger back to health, she learns that he is not only a prince but also the son of her father’s greatest rival.
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So So
- By Joshua on 08-13-12
By: Carolyn Turgeon
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Wintersong
- By: S. Jae-Jones
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
- Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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All her life, 19-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family's inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns. But when her sister Kathe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above.
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Muddled
- By Ingrid on 03-13-17
By: S. Jae-Jones
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The Tiger's Daughter
- By: K Arsenault Rivera
- Narrated by: Caroline McLaughlin
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The Hokkaran Empire has conquered every land within their bold reach - but failed to notice a lurking darkness festering within the people. Now their border walls begin to crumble, and villages fall to demons swarming out of the forests. Away on the silver steppes, the remaining tribes of nomadic Qorin retreat and protect their own, having bartered a treaty with the empire, exchanging inheritance through the dynasties. It is up to two young warriors, raised together across borders since their prophesied birth, to save the world from the encroaching demons.
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Writing format that didn't work for this book
- By kara-karina on 02-24-18
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Grim
- By: Ellen Hopkins, Julie Kagawa, Amanda Hocking, and others
- Narrated by: Christine Johnson
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Inspired by classic fairy tales, but with a dark and sinister twist, Grim contains short stories from some of the best voices in young adult literature today: Ellen Hopkins, Amanda Hocking, Julie Kagawa, Claudia Gray, Rachel Hawkins, Kimberly Derting, Myra McEntire, Malinda Lo, Sarah Rees-Brennan, Jackson Pearce, Christine Johnson, Jeri Smith Ready, Shaun David Hutchinson, Saundra Mitchell, Sonia Gensler, Tessa Gratton, Jon Skrovron.
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amazing
- By Anonymous User on 10-04-17
By: Ellen Hopkins, and others
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Daughters of the Storm
- By: Kim Wilkins
- Narrated by: Lucy Price-Lewis
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Lying in a magic-induced coma, the King of Thyrsland is on the brink of death: if his enemies knew, chaos would reign. In fear for his life and his kingdom, his five daughters set out on a perilous journey to try to save him, their only hope an aunt they have yet to meet, a shadowy practitioner of undermagic who lives on the wild northern borders. No one can stand before the fierce tattooed soldier and eldest daughter, Bluebell, an army commander who is rumoured to be unkillable....
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Boring, could not even get through half…
- By Diana M Meredith on 10-30-23
By: Kim Wilkins
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No Man of Woman Born
- Rewoven Tales
- By: Ana Mardoll
- Narrated by: Cori Samuel
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
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From the author of the Earthside series and the Rewoven Tales novels, No Man of Woman Born is a collection of seven fantasy stories in which transgender and nonbinary characters subvert and fulfill gendered prophecies. These prophecies recognize and acknowledge each character's gender, even when others do not.
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Not What I expected
- By Customer on 07-27-18
By: Ana Mardoll
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Bloodleaf
- By: Crystal Smith
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Princess Aurelia is a prisoner to her crown and the heir that nobody wants. Surrounded by spirits and banned from using her blood-magic, Aurelia flees her country after a devastating assassination attempt. To escape her fate, Aurelia disguises herself as a commoner in a new land and discovers a happiness her crown has never allowed. As she forges new bonds and perfects her magic, she begins to fall for a man who is forbidden to rule beside her.
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Not Understanding All the Praise
- By GPChlorine on 08-23-19
By: Crystal Smith
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The Autumn Castle
- By: Kim Wilkins
- Narrated by: Richard Aspel
- Length: 19 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Berlin in autumn: Christine Starlight lives in an artists' colony with her lover Jude, whose patience and beauty have eased her battle with chronic pain. But Christine begins to be haunted by childhood recollections of a little girl's disappearance and the flapping of a blackbird's wings. Then her world is rocked by the return of a childhood friend... Mayfridh rules over a land where a wolf is the queen's counsellor, fate turns on the fall of an autumn leaf and mortals feel no pain.
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Great Story, Horrible Narration
- By KathyDB on 03-24-15
By: Kim Wilkins
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A Whole New World
- A Twisted Tale
- By: Liz Braswell, Disney Press
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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When Jafar steals the genie's lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish. To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war. What happens next? A "street rat" becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And listeners will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.
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Loved this!!!
- By Catherine E on 08-04-16
By: Liz Braswell, and others
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Tess of the Road
- By: Rachel Hartman
- Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons can be whomever they choose. Tess is none of these things. Tess is...different. She speaks out of turn, has wild ideas, and can't seem to keep out of trouble. Then Tess goes too far. Tess's family decide the only path for her is a nunnery. But on the day she is to join the nuns, Tess chooses a different path for herself. She cuts her hair, pulls on her boots, and sets out on a journey. She's not running away, she's running towards something.
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Beautiful and Boring, Both.
- By Ryan on 04-05-19
By: Rachel Hartman
What listeners say about Tales of Arilland
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Katrina
- 12-22-17
Unique and Different
What did you like best about Tales of Arilland? What did you like least?
I tried this audiobook out and had to get used to the smaller stories and the nature of the stories. They are some of the fairy tales redone in a very unique manner that was not as I expected. It was dark as I know it was meant to be. If you like that sort of thing, then you will enjoy this book. If you don't like it, then I might not recommend it. The stories were well written though I will say.
Which character – as performed by Gabrielle Baker – was your favorite?
I am not sure which character would be my favorite, but I know the narrator did a good job in regards to the voices of the different characters and making the stories come to life.
Any additional comments?
The great thing about books are that there are so many types and certain genres appeal to a particular audience while not to others.
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- ButteryBum/Gretchen
- 01-24-18
I am Mesmerized....or should I say "AletheaTized"
What made the experience of listening to Tales of Arilland the most enjoyable?
The writing of course... the stories were different and brilliant. And Gabrielle. OH MY WORD. I'd listen to her read the book of Numbers
Have you listened to any of Gabrielle Baker’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
It's possible but I'm not sure.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I did listen to it all in one setting. =0)
Any additional comments?
What do you get when you mix the dreamy voice of Gabrielle Baker and the Brilliant quit witted and amusing writings of Alethea Kontis? THIS.. this Audio book. This is a MUST read/listen. I am an Audio Book Judge and have been for 12 plus years and I know good quality Audio books.. and this is one to add to your collection.
A wonderful take on Fairy Tales, these are NOT the tales from your childhood, but deeper darker tales to tell for more mature readers.
Dragons: Check
Unicorns: Check
Demons: Check
Mermaids: Check
Revenge: Check
Strong Female Characters that don't depend on men to be rescued: Check
Suspense: Check
Emotional roller coaster: Check
Dreamy Delicious British accent that is Brilliant with Character voices: Check
"Well I didn't see THAT coming": Check
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- SunshineDew
- 01-28-18
Fairytales with chills
The stories in this book are not wore away in the retelling into magical children's bedtime tales. They are sweet and bitter. I found myself enamored by the good and ill deeds of the characters.
Thanks to the author for bringing some darkness back to make the light that much sweeter.
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- Lisa Guertin
- 12-21-17
Fantastic Fairy Tales retold
This was a great listen. I adore fairy tales in all their forms, but especially the originals with their often dark endings. Tales of Arilland fits perfectly with the classics with new spins on Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Little Mermaid, The Frog Prince, and so many more. This was a delight to read/listen to. The narration added a sparkling layer to the author’s amazing stories.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Midwestbonsai
- 10-05-18
Unique take on Fairytales
Tales of Arilland is a collection of fairy tales set in the universe of Alethea Kontis’ Arilland series and it is the first book by this author that I have partaken. I listened to it in audiobook form and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed these tales!
I believe there were 8 more “traditional” fairytales (traditional meaning that they were self-contained) and 2 excerpts from a couple of books the author had already published. Those excerpts were the last tales in this book, and although they were well written and just as beautifully performed as the others, I did not find myself enjoying them as much. I think someone who is familiar with the rest of the series would find the insights into the characters enjoyable. The rest of the stories were really engaging. They are darker than most fairy tales we hear today (closer to the Grimm style of a fairy tale), but entertaining nonetheless. Honestly, that might have been part of the charm!
The grim nature of this collection of tales seems to gear the book towards Young Adults but I love fairy tales and believe they can be for all ages! Also, based on the tone of this book, I would say that the Arilland series, in general, is written for the Young Adult population.
I particularly liked the variation in writing style. The Red Riding Hood story was told through a collection of letters, and the story was just as vibrant and bittersweet as the others. The medium gave us insight into the protagonist without clunky language (she felt, she seemed, etc).
Another story, titled Sunday, started in first-person and transitioned to third-person. The transition was a little confusing to get a grip on through the narration but after a couple of minutes, it started to make sense. (It started as a first-person diary entry, and then suddenly the story of the protagonist started in third, and eventually, the diary entry was read to someone). This framing might be a little clearer in the print version of the book, but it was difficult to follow through the audiobook narration. But, I think this might have been the only flaw in the narration.
Gabrielle Baker breathed life into these stories! Her tone, voices, everything about her seemed perfectly fitted to the fairy tales in this book. Soothing but still emotional and vibrant and evocative. I imagine this is what it’s like having your grandmother read you fairy tales before bed, but better because she is amazing. I would definitely listen to other books narrated by her!
All in all, this book was entertaining and worth the time to listen. Alethea Kontis has a great way of re-spinning fairy tales into recognizable but very different stories. Gabrielle Baker is a talented voice actor and perfectly suited for this book.
Audiobook was provided for review by the author/narrator/publisher.
Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.
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- DaynenMc
- 01-30-18
The dark side of fairy tales
Beautifully written book. I've always loved the retelling of familiar stories. Some of these are just a little too dark for my taste, but I enjoyed most of them immensely.
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