Fire Maidens: Ireland

Grace Connolly is a professional harpist from Boston. When she was young, she visited the seaside village of Ballyfianna, Ireland, and met a boy named Finn Hurley, who was a similar age. They explored the countryside, played games and got to know each other. They experienced a strong connection at the time, but were too young to understand its meaning. They haven’t seen each other for 20 years, when they both wind up back in Ballyfianna. Both have yearned for that connection over the years, but have never found it with anyone else. They reconnect and it is obvious that they belong together. However, unbeknownst to Grace, she has magical powers, and soon learns that Finn is a shape-shifting dragon. This causes some consternation…

It’s easy to get lost in the magic of this story. The author paints the countryside and the community in vivid detail with her words. The conflicts are mostly clear, although there are details that are left unanswered, such as a robbery that occurs and then remains unresolved and forgotten. Fortunately, the tension is steady and holds the interest of the listener. The story itself is a fun listen, filled with adventures, hidden powers, shape-shifters, treasure, and intrigue.

A listener might expect to hear an Irish brogue or two in a story set in Ireland. Unfortunately, the weakest part of this book is the narration, in that there aren’t any Irish accents to be found in the audiobook, and there aren’t many efforts made to differentiate between the various characters. They all sound strangely similar. The recording quality is good and there aren’t any unexpected noises or variances in volume, which helps to redeem the recording. The story itself is a delightful and fun romp into the realm of the paranormal!

Carey Sullivan