Our score
Excellent
Listen free with a trial
Listen to The Pirate Queen freeNew to Audible? Start a free trial to listen: stream or download titles in the Audible app and cancel anytime.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support the site at no extra cost to you.
The Pirate Queen Audiobook by Ariel Lawhon— narrated by Ariel Lawhon and Tara Flynn
Ariel Lawhon's The Pirate Queen turns the real life of Grace O'Malley into a work of absorbing historical fiction, tracking one woman from a defiant childhood on the Irish coast into command of her clan's fleet. It's a patient, character-driven portrait of a woman who spent decades taking back a life she was told from birth wasn't hers to have.
Why the audiobook wins
Ariel Lawhon, who wrote the book, narrates it alongside Tara Flynn. It is a patient, character-driven novel about Grace O'Malley, who cuts off her own braid as a girl to earn a place on her father's ship. The story braids three stretches of her life, maiden, mother and matriarch, and the timelines take a short while to click into place.
The book is long on well-researched sixteenth-century Irish detail and slow to build, moving from confinement toward command. That makes it a good fit for people who like to settle into a historical novel and stay a while, one sitting at a time. A stubborn heroine pays off the wait.
One Audible credit covers the full book.
Audiobook questions
- Who narrates the The Pirate Queen audiobook?
- Ariel Lawhon and Tara Flynn narrate the audiobook edition of The Pirate Queen.
- Is the The Pirate Queen audiobook worth listening to?
- We scored The Pirate Queen 4.4 out of 5. Ariel Lawhon, who wrote the book, narrates it alongside Tara Flynn. It is a patient, character-driven novel about Grace O'Malley, who cuts off her own braid as a girl to earn a place on her father's ship. The story braids three stretches of her life, maiden, mother and…
- Can I listen to The Pirate Queen free with an Audible trial?
- Eligible new Audible members can use a free-trial credit to listen in the Audible app. Eligibility and current offer terms are set by Audible.Listen free with Audible
We earn from qualifying Amazon purchases.
- Is The Pirate Queen on Kindle+?
- No. The Pirate Queen was not included with Kindle+ when we last checked on September 17, 2026.
- What formats is The Pirate Queen available in?
- On Amazon, The Pirate Queen comes as a Kindle ebook, a paperback and a hardcover.
