I want to give a huge caveat here - The Ill-Made Mute /Bitterbynde trilogy has been a favourite of mine for decades, and I was THRILLED to see this has been published as an audiobook as well.

Are there flaws in the story - yes, the author does like her lists. But I will overlook that because I find this a wonderfully immersive, detailed high fantasy set in a world not too dissimilar to ours, but one where Eldritch wights rule the land and the safest passage for humans is through the air. The worldbuilding and *mechanics* of said world is incredibly detailed - Dart-Thornton has put a lot of thought into *how* the eotaurs and windships fly; the physics behind the shang winds; and a lot of research into Irish mythology.

Because yes - this was first published in 2001, when the Irish influence was strong, and the setting is a blend of Australian and Irish landscapes, while the "Ertishman" Sianadh is clearly Irish.

As for the audiobook, Kim Bretton does a fantastic job narrating the story, breathing life into the characters and doing all the different accents. I did find the slightly hollow sound of Imhrien's inner voice a little disconcerting, but I don't know how else it could have been done.

All up, this is a great audio version of a much loved comfort-food fantasy novel.

~This is a NetGalley ALC. All opinions are my own. I already owned a paperback and ebook copy of this book.~

3.5 out of 5. The narration was compelling and dynamic. The narrator did an excellent job conveying the confusion and emotional state of our main character. This book is a fantasy staple. If you are a fan of high fantasy and fairy tale retelling, then you probably will enjoy this first installment in The Bitterbynde. Fans of The Locked Tomb Series would totally dig Dart-Thorton's styles of story telling.

3,5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of The Ill-Made Mute in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was one of the most atmospheric fantasies I’ve listened to in a while. The world is lush, strange, and full of folklore-inspired creatures that pulled me in right away. I loved how immersive it felt.

The main character begins the story with no memory and no voice, which adds a layer of mystery to the journey. That said, the writing was a bit dense for me at times. The descriptions are beautiful, but they sometimes slowed the story down. Still, I stayed curious to see how things would unfold.

The narration really suited the tone—calm, a little haunting, and very fitting for the dreamlike world. The narrator’s use of different accents and character voices made it an even more immersive listening experience.

#TheIllMadeMute #NetGalley

If you compare book to Tolkien you better deliver. If thinking over describing things means book is like Tolkien’s master pieces you are missing completely the point of his books.

I had to DNF this at the 25%. The audio narration was amazing but the plot didn’t had a red thread to follow. There was so much item describing and random stories that might or might not have anything to do with the story if there was one but I couldn’t keep listening to this.

There was not enough main plot or main character to follow. Quarter way of a book there still was nothing to hold my attention or directions of the stories.

This was not for me but maybe some other fantasy readers are able to get through this and find the main plot.

I’m rarely this critical and I know this book still has its readers if they find it. This was just not for me at all.

Thank you @leavesofgoldpress for providing this book for review consideration via @netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I had a really hard time listening and following along with this audiobook. I found it hard to really connect with the story. The narrator was ok. I think sadly this wasn’t to book for me.

This audiobook of the Ill-made mute was a great opportunity for me to reread this story. I read this book in High School and probably didn't completely understand all the complexities of the story, it was such a great way to re-live the book as an adult, I will definitely be purchasing the rest of the series on audiobook!

Couldn't get into this, way too much info dumping and worldbuilding detail and not enough focus on the characters or the story. Every other page was some minor person telling a grand tale of the past, would much rather know what is going on in the present with the title character who is a supporting character in their own book.

This book is interesting but is so wordy that it feels at times like you are just listening to a list of descriptions mixed in with random tales from mythology. The first quarter of the book was basically just a string of descriptions of what people were wearing and the description of the setting. It got better once the main character ended up on the pirate ship but it was a bit of a slog.
The narrator was not my favorite. She really tried but the voice acting was a bit cringy and I hated how the main characters voice sounded like it was spoken into a can. I totally get what they were trying to do by differentiating the main character’s voice since it was trapped in her head but it wasn’t for me.

Yes, The Ill-Made Mute is riddled with issues: overlong descriptions, info-dumps, a protagonist who begins as a total blank slate, and a vocabulary so arcane at times that it borders on parody. Still, I liked it. Sometimes, you fall in love with a book despite its flaws, not because it’s perfect—and this was one of those times.

Cecilia Dart-Thornton’s world-building is extraordinary. Her setting is so richly textured, so thoroughly soaked in Celtic folklore, that it becomes something greater than background—it becomes character. This realm is not bound by the usual fantasy tropes of good vs evil. Malevolence here is complex, often motivated, and more deeply unsettling because of it. The “seely” and “unseely” binary gives way to a morally layered world full of fey creatures that feel individual, eerie, and vividly imagined.

There’s a lot to criticize: the pacing can be patchy, and at times the narrative grinds to a halt with long-winded lore recitations or meandering descriptive passages that seem to exist for the sake of vocabulary flex. The term “thesaurus assault” has been thrown around by others, and I understand why. The use of words like “peripatetic” in the POV of a semi-feral protagonist with no memory is definitely jarring. And the info-dumps—often delivered through minor characters telling minor tales—can be exhausting, especially if you're already familiar with Celtic myths.

The protagonist, Imrhien, is compelling not because she is richly developed (she isn’t, at least not initially), but because her deformity and voicelessness provide a stark contrast to the lush world she moves through. Her journey from mute nobody to someone of importance is more symbolic than intimate, but still meaningful. I especially appreciated that early on, her romantic interest is willing to accept her as she is—before any magical fix—something rare in fantasy and quietly subversive.

Who Should Read It?
- Fans of Pan’s Labyrinth, The Mists of Avalon, or Tolkien’s descriptive style
- Readers who love Celtic mythology and folklore
- Those willing to forgive flawed pacing in favor of lush world-building
- Adults who still long for fairy tales—dark, eerie, and full of wonder

Final Verdict
The Ill-Made Mute is not for everyone. It’s indulgent, overwritten in places, and demands patience. But if you let it cast its spell on you, it will. Despite the skimmable sections, despite the obscurities, this book embedded itself in my imagination.

Grateful to NetGalley, Leaves of Gold Press, and Cecilia Dart-Thornton for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.