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Hawkmaiden
- Spellmonger Cadet, Book 1
- Narrated by: Finty Williams
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
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Hawkmaiden
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Publisher's Summary
The Falcon’s Call!
From the moment Dara of Westwood spied the Silver Headed Raptor nesting in Rundeval Peak, the precocious redheaded 12-year-old girl was enchanted. The youngest daughter of the Master of the Wood lived in ramshackle Westwood Hall, in the independently minded Westwood estate of Sevendor. Her determination to capture a baby falcon and train it wasn’t hampered by the fact that Dara had never climbed a mountain, had never been trained in falconry, or even remotely had permission from her father to do it. Dara wanted the falcon...and the only thing in her way was the mountain, an angry mother falcon, and her own fears.
But the daring climb up Rundeval and actually capturing the fledgling falcon is just the beginning of her troubles. Actually learning falconry and training the willful bird is a responsibility she had barely considered. Worse, there is trouble afoot in the domain: A new lord has come to rule over Sevendor and all of her people, replacing the corrupt old Sir Erantal. While everyone welcomes the change, the new lord is a wizard: a magelord, the first of his kind in 400 years: Lord Minalan the Spellmonger. And he’s not alone. He’s brought thousands of oddly dressed Wilderlanders with him, families escaping the wars in the west...and settling in Sevendor.
Within weeks of holding his first court as lord of Sevendor, the wizard's magic begins to cause problems. Magelord Minalan turns Sevendor Castle, the entire mountain of Rundeval, and a good portion of the Westwood - including Dara’s home - into enchanted white stone when a spell goes unexpectedly awry one fateful night. As a result, Dara learns that she, too, may become a mage someday. Soon after she discovers that she can see through her falcon’s eyes and share her thoughts, the talents of a beastmaster, opening up a brilliant new world for her.
The folk of the valley have enough to eat for the first time in a generation, there are wizards all over Sevendor, and the castle glows with a magic light at night. The fortunes of the Westwood estate rise. But the Magelord finds foes as well as friends in Sevendor.
Though prosperity flows from the Magelord’s benevolent rule, the changes are frightening to some who have lost power since the Magelord came. Outside the Westwood, the other natives of the domain are upset by their magical lord and his strange new people, and there are whispers of rebellion. And outside of the domain, the neighboring lords, urged on by sinister forces, conspire to plunge Sevendor into war - with Dara and her family along with it!
What can one girl and her falcon do? When the Magelord leaves on business and his enemies close in on her home, Dara discovers she may hold the answer to saving them all! The fate of the entire domain rests with Dara of Westwood, the girl they’ll call the Hawkmaiden!
What listeners say about Hawkmaiden
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Armin
- 2019-08-20
wow what a start
sets up a great story I did not even know I wanted, and goes through the history of the 3rd spellmonger book in a new side of the story's we all know, for new and old readers of the spellmonger.
6/5 stars, if you don't read this your missing out
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2022-10-19
Refreshing Entry in the 'Spellmonger' Universe
Terry Mancour's imaginative fantasy world of Callidore is fairly formulaic (low-tech/medieval and populated with "shadowy" villains, goblins, dragons, and wizards), but incredibly gritty & violent, informed by a fascinating "normal society vs magical society" dynamic, and loaded with adult themes like sex & politics.
In this first of the 'Spellmonger Cadets' spinoff series, Mancour introduces 'Dara', the headstrong youngest daughter of a minor feudal lord - training herself to be a Falconer - who discovers fledgling magical powers. The writing is remarkably family-friendly - eschewing Mancour's typical R-rated take on the world - and reveals that the author can write more capably than I thought he could (when he can't resort to graphic scenery & expletives, he's pretty good).
The dialogue is admittedly unoriginal, but the characters are interesting, the plot is plausible, and the description is commendable. The book frequently reminded me of Ursula K. LeGuin's 'Earthsea' chronicles.
Reader Finty Williams contributes to my favorable impression of the book. Podium Audio provide creditable technical support to a reader with spot-on diction, tone, and voice-acting. True, Williams's sing-song timbre and cadence occasionally gets annoying.. but this is a solidly "above-average" performance.
Altogether, I am pleased with this 9/10 star recording.. it was well worth the $5.20CDN I spent on it.
If you are a fan of the Spellmonger series, it injects some much-needed accessibility/levity to a harsh fantasy worldview. If on the other hand - like me - you are simply a Fantasy-SciFi afficianado (who may or may not be listening with kids), it's still an excellent choice for a long cross-country drive or a couple of quiet afternoons. Can recommend.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- PC
- 2019-08-02
Great story!
Really good story, the narrator may want to give the other books a listen to get some of the names and terms correct. shaymins, zgore and villains (like evil villains) made it a bit tough to follow at times
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Budb
- 2022-06-09
Better than expected
I found this book very enjoyable; I spent more time listening than I probably should have.
The story is very engaging as is the main protagonist. The performance was also better than I expected! Good listen all around.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- FarmGirl
- 2022-10-24
Enjoyed listening to Dara's perspective
Listening to this audiobook allows the "reader" to complete certain parts of Terri Mancour's previous works through Dara's eyes. Certainly, this one is shorter than his typical beasts books, but I had to use a credit, and decided to give this cadet book a try. I don't regret it. I enjoyed the performance also; yes, certain words aren't pronounced as John Lee does, but Lenodara is from the Westwoods, not the Riverlands, and it feels normal that the story told from her perspective would have a different accent. I really liked her performance if Gareth, also. I will listen to the other cadet books.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Lacey Stairs
- 2020-04-24
Very pleasent fantacy read
I loved the narrator & the characters were charming. I wish I had heard this book when I was 13 or so... I would have been so enthralled. As it was I will tune into the rest of the aries I think. Not disappointed with this at all.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carole
- 2020-03-28
Excellent
Recommend to any age. Am 55 years old & delighted that the narrator’s voice, along with this imaginative story, kept me engaged during long walks & stair climbing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David
- 2019-08-24
Amazing author!
Terry Mancour has quickly become one of my favorite authors! The Spellmonger world is amazing! Keep it coming please!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ingrid
- 2020-07-06
Very enjoyable
Told from the perspective of a 12 yo girl, this was a very enjoyable tale of determination, adventure, war and magic. The narration was fabulous and I look forward to the next one in the series.
I haven’t read any of the Spellmonger series and that didn’t affect my enjoyment of this book. Might have to read them one day too!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jenn Ford
- 2019-09-20
Mancour delivers another captivating tale.
I was clearly spoiled by the usual length of Mancour's books as this one flew by. It was an absolute pleasure though. I very much enjoyed the building of Dara's character. He does such a great job at building on the several branches of the Spellmonger Series rather than just toddling down a single limb of it. I am absolutely loving every bit of it that I have been able to gobble up. I would suggest starting from the beginning of the Spellmonger series if you can but this is still a great stand alone if you prefer a smaller piece of story pie.
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