Logophile

Couldn’t get past the narrator

Revisado: 04-06-25

Someone please tell her that speaking more slowly does not make the lowest tone she can voice sound more masculine - especially when she does the same thing for multiple male characters.

I finally got so irritated I had to quit listening. I’m very glad that I didn’t waste a credit, but I’m sorry that I couldn’t really determine whether the author is one I want to keep an eye on.

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I can’t believe how much I loved this book.

Revisado: 08-06-23

I normal taste lends to epic fantasy, but after digesting a particularly deep series or when waiting for a pending release, I may want something lighter. (A palette cleansing sorbet when cheesecake is too much.) This fit the bill without being “fluffy.”

Deeply satisfying, enjoyable, and enough substance to be worth a second listen when the mood strikes. I am truly looking forward to the next in this series.

The narrator was excellently cast, and I will be checking out his other works as well as the author’s. I highly recommend.

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Better than anticipated!

Revisado: 07-23-23

I have a terrible memory when it comes to books. I’ll remember that I have read a book or listened to it, but I frequently can’t remember after a time whether I really wanted to continue a series. So I had Unbound in a collection I call “waiting for the next release,” and of course when I saw that Defiant was being released, I started over with Ascendant.


Sometimes when I do this with a series, I find that I don’t recall have that same desire to continue. With Songs of Chaos, I did, and I’m glad that I did!

I can’t wait until the next book, and do that I don’t forget, Defiant is going into that same collection!

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I WANT MORE!

Revisado: 05-23-23

I WANT MORE! I WANT MORE! I WANT MORE!

I think you get it.
‘Nuff said.

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Surprisingly good!

Revisado: 12-14-22

I bought this as a light filler while I waited for a preorder from my preferred genre, and I was surprisingly pleased with a “filler” that made me want more. I actually wanted the next in this series more than my preorder!

YA? I suppose it is - but only because there is no steamy sex, and the characters are young. However, just because they are young, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have depth, development and/or intellect. It would be rated PG, if it was a film, but when I was the age of these characters, so was “A Star is Born.”

Narration? Well narration is always a stumbling block, and a serious pet peeve for me, however, I was even able to get past those issues because of the story. The narrator can’t carry off a Texas accent, and she really has only one good voice. Fortunately, she used that voice for the MC. The male voices all sound like they’re still waiting for their voices to change, which is really the only thing that reminds you that it is supposed to be YA.

In all, if I could read and multitask, aka, take the time to do it, I would choose to read this one. Nonetheless, I still recommend it!

Now, I hope I’ve told you something that helps you decide whether to use a precious credit. I’m off to download the next one!

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I wanted to like it but I couldn’t listen!

Revisado: 11-25-22

Some of the worst narration I have ever heard! I couldn’t force myself past the first chapter, and I really need to find a new series. This could be a great one, but I’ll never know it.

I hate to penalize the author because of the narrator, but I couldn’t justify rating a story I couldn’t bear to listen to.

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Kept me engaged

Revisado: 07-30-22

The narrator was excellent, which is vital to me, and the story line was good, although it is reminiscent of Breene’s series, and nothing in this subset of the genre has lived up to that.

I only have one issue with the writing. Days seem to pass, i.e. the MC will say “I’ve been here a week” but there is no sense of days having passed. It all reads like one string of events- as if it is the same day.

But if that is my only real complaint, that’s not too shabby!

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Twisted

Revisado: 11-08-20

No, not twisted in the vernacular sense. I mean only that it does not go where you might expect.

Anderson tells his story in a world that is not contrived. It is not filled with extraneous "plot bubbles" contrived to fill holes in the audience's knowledge, Nor do the characters talk to themselves unrealistically about what is common knowledge in their world in order to provide this needed background. The world is not ours, yet it is comfortable. Its divergences from what we know are naturally revealed as the plot progresses, and they are necessary to the tale, not to our understanding. This is subtlely masterful storytelling.

Euan Morton exemplifies the perfect casting of a narrator for a specific story. His mellifluous voice and accent add a layer of enchantment that is just right. In addition, as a listener who is a lover of language, (and more than a little jaded,) I have to commend him for his knowledge of it. Yes, I am praising him for what he is NOT doing. In 20 hours of listening, not once was I jarred out of my suspension of belief by repeated mispronunciations. His character voices were appropriate and also not jarring, and had range and depth. I did not even notice his female voices. This is also a subtle mastery. I will be looking for more of his work.

In all, the story itself was a little slow to grab hold of me, however, I found myself gently lead to that unexpected place where I found myself completely enthralled and wanting more.

I don't know if reading the book would have given me the same feeling as listening to the audible version. This is a case where the narrator and the author have a certain chemistry. Whether or not Mr. Anderson had any intention of sharing the limelight, the two of them became collaborators. Together, they weave the story about the listener as would a bard of old. I eagerly await the next book.

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Great world building

Revisado: 05-19-20

So nice to see something different in this genre instead of same old tropes with different character names. Very well written, and well narrated.

I will be search out everything I can find by this author, and I can’t wait for the next in this series!

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Different names, same characters. One trick pony?

Revisado: 05-16-19

I gave the first book of the Arcane Ascension series a rave review, although I did not rate the others in the series. As this is a spinoff of that series, I feel an obligation to offset that rave.

The lead character in Six Sacred Swords, Keras Selyrian, was introduced in book 1 of the Arcane Ascension series as a somewhat dark, mysterious, knowing and worldly man. (Spoiler ahead - skip to the next paragraph to avoid.) When he reappeared at the end of that series, his character had changed, although it is only in retrospect that it becomes glaring that his back-story and character had not been developed until then, and was likely due to Rowe's plotting out this book.

Now that Karas has his own series, it is evident that Karas has lost the mystery, several years, and much of the apparent knowledge and wisdom with which he had been introduced. The only mystery left is kept as an unanswered question. It is so blatantly stated that you even know what the question is - it is just not answered. I find that that question alone is not enough to be interested in Karas, and I almost did not finish the book.

Quite early in this book, I realized that the character, Karas, was the same in mannerisms, speech and thought patterns, as the lead character in the prior series, Corin Cadence. - In fact, I had to go back and double check that it was supposed to be a different person, and that I hadn't been confused about the names! - Corin was ok for one series, but there isn't enough meat in this plot to carry another him through it, no matter what his name is.

Nick Podehl does a great job with the narration, as always, and he clearly does what he can with the character. He can, however, only work with what he has been given by the author.

I will not be buying the next book.

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