I will be honest as much as I wanted to really like this book, It was just not a hit with me. I feel like I stopped and started it so many times and still could not connect with this story or the characters, it didn’t seem to be much like the summary and that was a bit disappointing. It could’ve keep my attention, so unfortunately I have to give it a 3 ⭐️‘s

Thank you to the Author and the Narrator for your hard work!

Thank you as well to RB Media and NetGalley for my no cost audiobook copy!

What’s not to like? The Blue Maiden offers a captivating blend of historical fiction, accused witches, and strong, resilient women. Set in 1825, four generations after the women of Berggrund Island were accused of witchcraft by their priest, the story now follows Pastor Silas, a widower with two wild young daughters, Beata and Ulrika. The sisters, outcasts in their community, are imaginative and oppositional, increasingly obsessed with the lore and legend of the island’s dark past and their absent mother, whom their father refuses to discuss.

Alyssa Bresnahan performed the narration for The Blue Maiden, and I had a great time with this audiobook. Alyssa brought so much emotion to the performance and drew me into the story from the beginning. Her pacing was excellent, and she skillfully distinguished between characters, adding depth to the experience. The way she portrayed the emotion in the story truly enhanced the audiobook, making it a memorable listen.

I recommend this book to my friends who love historical and Gothic fiction with a witchy vibe.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for gifting me an Audio ARC of The Blue Maiden in exchange for my honest review.

This one just didn't work for me unfortunately. I found the tone quite jarring and thought the narrative was a bit meandering. I did enjoy the relationship between the sisters and thought that the community felt authentic, but I just didn't like the reading experience.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this book as an audiobook

I thought this was going to be a lot different than it was to the story we got, the writing was beautiful and in places, it was very poetic and beautifully described... this is the first time I have read anything from this author and her writing style I did enjoy but the story was not to my cup a tea even though I can appreciate it and what has been done.

The description of this novel alludes to witchy vibes and buried family secrets, all in the shadow of a mysterious neighboring island. While we open with a sufficiently dark and disturbing witch hunt on Berggrund Island, the ensuing story of two sisters, Bea and Ulrika, growing up generations later, is frankly boring. Was their mother, an outsider and long dead, a witch? Are Bea's visions a result of a supernatural connection to the past? Does the red book really contain spells, or just home remedies? Nothing is particularly clear, the sisters are not terribly compelling characters, and there's unfortunately a lot of telling without much showing. Alyssa Bresnahan's narration is perfectly fine, but it can't make up for an otherwise lackluster story that never delivered on its compelling promise.

Thanks Net Galley and RB Media for an advance copy of this book.

DNF. You know when you have wallpaper with a design or a wood beam ceiling, and it’s always there in the background not really calling any attention to itself, but when you’re laying in bed and can’t sleep your brain starts seeing faces and patterns and suddenly there’s a whole storyline unraveling, but when you finally do fall asleep you’ll forget all about it? That’s what listening to this book felt like. I had such a hard time paying attention due to the passive way in which it was written and I’m sad because it sounded so alluring from the description.

It reminded me of The Sun Walks Down, which I’m also struggling my way through and determined to finish only because I paid full price for it at sun airport bookshop.

I found it difficult to connect with this book. I wasn’t very engaged with the plot nor interested in the characters. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this audio recording.

This is my first book by the author and I will say it was an okay experience for me.

Audiobook Narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan

It's 1825 and it starts with a story of how women where accused of being witches and burner at stakes. Later on, a story of two sisters Ulrika and Beata, is told who live with their father. Everytime their mother is mentioned, the father goes restless and doesn't want to talk about her. The relationship between the sisters is complex. To be honest, the whole story was confusing and I did not really the point of it.

There are parts of the story where you hate the book as it was terribly slow, nothing happened for really long time and then some reveals which was when I was really intrigued by the storyline. But overall it was a very forgettable book, something I wouldn't really remember after a while.

Narration is good but as story didn't make any connection, the characters didnt leave any lasting mark as well.

Audiobook narration : 3 stars
Book rating : 2 stars

Thank you Netgalley and RB media for the ALC in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I had a hard time getting into this one, it wasn't what I was expecting and felt a bit disjointed at times. The author has a way with words but it couldn't keep my attention. The narrator did ok.

The Blue Maiden shines in its conjuring of atmosphere but the story itself left something to be desired.

The book opens with an emphasis on witches and entices readers into thinking that they will become a central part in the story. As the story progresses it becomes apparent that it simply isn't the case. Perhaps it was a matter of mismanaged expectations but I found myself struggling to find the authors point of view. Unfortunately,beautiful prose and atmosphere wasn't enough to keep me engaged with this one.

"The Blue Maiden" by Anna Noyes is an intriguing read. While I found it enjoyable overall, it didn't quite captivate me as much as I had hoped. I am a big fan of books about witches and it was great just not my absolute favorite.

I made it about 10% into this audiobook before I had to stop listening. The writing is very choppy and jumps around so it was extremely difficult to follow.

3 Stars
The story premise was good however I found myself confused a lot because of the artistic take on the story. It jumped around and I would have a hard time trying to figure out what was going on. I might of missed the bigger picture. The writhing was very lyrical and beautiful it just wasn't maybe for me. I think others that like that style of writing would enjoy it. I almost DNF'd but I really wanted to know what was going to happen. The narrator was great!

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

This was beautiful and heartbreaking and the writing was absolutely stunning. the pace was a little slow for me, though.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I feel like this would have gone better and been more enjoyable with a different narrator.
I did enjoy the story itself and the setting but the narrator made it hard to sit through.

I really wanted to like this book and be able to get into it but I just couldn’t, I think maybe the beginning was a little too dark for me. DNF.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

What I noticed and loved the most was the setting and how well the author describes the land and where this study takes place, building a world through writing. The story itself is also pretty darn good; you learn of a dark family secret in a strange twist while also learning more about the accused and murdered witches generations earlier and the secret and cursed island called The Blue Maiden where the Devil himself dances. If you’re looking for a dark family gothic tale interwoven with secrets and witches, here you go!

The Blue Maiden by Anna Noyes and narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan is a stunning audiobook that made my heart ache from start to finish. It was not just the prose, or the storyline, but the gorgeous, emotive narration of Alyssa Bresnahahn

Feeling more like supernatural/ fantasy crossover, this historical fiction is enjoyable, unique in its geography, characters and era. I found myself listening closely, not wanting to miss anything and gripped by the dark mystery of the story

In a time of accussations of witchcraft and community strictures, two sisters are coming of age. The daughters of Pastor Silas, are as different as chalk and cheese and their mother gone. Life is routine until a stranger arrives and turns their existence on its head

A stunning Nordic gothic novel

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media | Recorded Books, the author Anna Noyes and narrator Alyssa Bresnahan for this outstanding ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

The horrors of witch trials still haunt Berggrund Island where the two sisters lived all their life. Each peculiar in her own way grows to fight against the constraints of the societies in the 1800s. When a handsome stranger arrives in town, scales dip to one side, uncovering all the mysteries that lay buried forever (including their mother's death). Depicting the stories in an inter-weaving pattern of women, society, greed, lust and power, the tale transports into Nordic times.

This isn't one of that slow-paced literary fiction where you move through each instance living it in depth, but a swift tide that submerges you in water and brings you back on top gasping for air- which I loved! The plot of the story is one of its strong suits which I think could have been utilized better with a strategic approach to highlight a few characters. Each character was developed well and had a good background to cover their story, but none of them were prominent enough to stand out.

Having said that, I do feel the contradictions of society are portrayed well in the story and if a similar uniformity was shown in the relationship between the 2 sisters, it would have been amazing.

I really thought I would enjoy this read but I think the Audio version is just not translating well. The narrator sounds robotic and this does not help the book at all. I very rarely do not finish a book, especially on audio but I just couldn't keep going.

Maybe e reader/physical read might have been different.