Kindle Customer

It was okay

Revisado: 03-31-21

The story wasn’t the best and it wasn’t the worst. The injection of some mayhem was nice towards the end but still it felt like a general setup and a bit of fan service. The book also filled in some major plot holes, added some new characters, brought back a fan favorite, and introduced the reader/listener to the new zone and the way it works. Only this time it was faster than books 1 and 2 at that so he’s getting into the flow of writing this series more which is great to see. Still doesn’t change the fact that I hate filler books and this very much felt like one. Feel free to disagree and it was nice to see some quests finished and plot holes filled but in the end I was underwhelmed with the story on the whole. There were parts that were fun and I won’t deny that you should make up your mind in the end about the story.

Daniels’ performance on the other hand was superb as always. Getting used to him as the replacement narrator for this series was jarring at first and still is to some degree but he’s still incredible at his job. Also that bloopers reel at the end was well worth the cost of the book alone. There are some new voices and some clever inflection at the right times I hefted just enough humor to capture the silly nature of this series. I mean sure the races are in death games that end in subjugation but the story at its heart is about a socially inept guy making waves wherever he goes, and Daniels does a fine job of showing both the whimsical side and the serious side of the text.

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esto le resultó útil a 25 personas

Well written and preformed.

Revisado: 07-10-20

Let’s start with the performance since this is an audio production, Nick Podehl is in fine form in this one. I particularly like that he doesn’t over pronounce words, mispronounce any that I can recall, and in general this is well edited, which may not seem like much but after a few audible purchases that have had those issues.... it’s a major plus. Second all of his voices are different enough that it aides in escaping reality which is part of the point of a book in general and an audiobook specifically. Third his general narration is superb, since this is a first person narration it makes it feel like you’re being told the story by Corin which again is the point but it feels right, and Nick Podehl was clearly the right choice for this series.

So the story, Andrew Rowe is one of the best authors out there, hands down and I personally like this one more than the first. It starts out somewhat slow and moves through the plot with sprinklings of action, intrigue, and possible romances, along with heaping dollops of lore and politics, power and fights, the whole premise of the story may not be new, the characters, the world, the lore and the way the story is told however, those make this a worthy investment of time. I say this often about other authors and their series but I rarely mean this more: I eagerly await Arcane Ascension 3 and 4 and 5 and however many Rowe puts out. AA2 was a clear success, I love it and have revisited reading and listening to it several times over the last two years since no matter how many times you listen to it or read, you’ll always get something different out of it.

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Good performance on an okay book

Revisado: 10-25-19

I’ll start with performance since that’s easy, Andrea Parsneau did her usual fantastic job and saved the story in some places that for me lulled or went to fast when reading, by either speeding up the dull bits or slowing down the exciting ones with anticipation. She’s an excellent narrator, who I hope stays on with this series as it would be a shame to see a switch like with Apocalypse Gates.

**SPOILERS**
**minor ones but spoilers**


I feel like I’ll harp on all of the negative things later because I’m feeling all sorts of rants coming on when there is a lot of positive so I’ll start positive: Sean’s growth in certain ways including his powers, the girls praying to Morrigan, the way Sean was about to man up with Ida before the cliffhanger from hell, the introduction of the fairies, and the bar scenes were a nice touch. Even the fact that this is the first town where he hasn’t (yet) gotten into a fist fight in the bar was great. I like the maids and the staff all having all kinds of personality too.

There is a lot of good in this book but, pacing was an issue, that cliffhanger from hell was an issue (because waiting months for the next one is painful), and for me Ryann was a tremendous issue; her hostility with Ida and the barmaids was frustrating, childish, annoying, and frankly beyond rude at some points, and the fact that Sean never addressed it was almost worse. It was dissatisfying, disappointing, and wrecked a lot of the visible growth that Sean seemed to have by keeping him somewhat meek in not responding to her and letting Meena and Fiona “handle it” by letting Ida and Ryann settle it amongst themselves. Even with that I still love the premise and the character development for the most part. Though I suppose that Ryann is/was a personal issue that I have with the book that many of you may not agree with. However, the changing of pace is jarring since the story goes from quick to slow to somewhere in-between then to slow and finally ends on a fast pace. So all in all a 3/5 for me on the story. Some of you may like it more, some less but that’s where I’m at.

I still love the series as a whole and will wait to read and eventually listen to the next one just as eagerly as I waited for this one but, this is also the worst review I’ve left on a Schinhoffen book to date and I hope the next one is far better.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

100% Drama 100% Action 1/2 the time

Revisado: 06-18-19

If you’re expecting a book like the others don’t bother.... If you’re expecting an updated version of a radio drama then it’s more your speed. The sound design was great, the voice actors amazing, the story however felt rushed and lacked a lot of the details that you get in other books. It does a good job of getting its point across but fails in certain respects, it’s still a decent story but it’s very action oriented, again less of a book and more of a drama which it is labeled as, but, naming it book 7.5 was a mistake. I think stating the events happen between 7 and 8 was a good idea but again it lends to the expectation of a book... which it isn’t. I feel like I’m harping on that point but that’s because it really threw me for a loop. This isn’t to say that the teams didn’t put together a good drama, they did. It was exciting in places, it had me laughing at points, the sound effects and actors did a great job of immersion into the story. I think the second listen through will be far better than the first but it took until 10 minutes into chapter 3 for me to adjust to the format and get into the story. You really do need to set aside time to listen to this one, in the end it was worth the credit.

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Magnificent

Revisado: 04-09-19

John Lee is a gift, that should be stated first when talking about this book (or any he reads) because his narration brings Callidore to life in ways I never imagined while simply reading the words on the page. As for the story... I usually hate tangential authors, the ones who go on and on about characters that aren’t the protagonist. I usually despite the works where they go on and on from the perspective of the character that made me fall in love with the series. However, Terry Mancour has done it again. I adored Knights Magi and I love Court Wizard. Honestly the fact that the events of Court Wizard dovetail nearly perfectly with the events of Enchanter is one is one of the few ways it could have been pulled off this magnificently. The change gives a different perspective (that of one of my favorite characters in the form of Pentandra) which adds a greater depth to Min’s story as well as the context necessary to understand the series as a whole in ways that weren’t conceivable before reading or in this case listening to this work. Mr. Mancour has weaved a wonderful tale from beginning to end and has left me wanting more. Mr. Lee on the other hand has kept my interest in the series at an even higher level as I eagerly await his narration of Necromancer, Thaumaturge, and the rest of this series as it comes out.

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Engaging and Informative

Revisado: 11-07-18

I highly recommend this course, it was truly wonderful. A lot of the great courses are rather dry but this one is far from it, it was both interesting in content and fun in narration. You can truly feel the joy of the professor on topics she enjoys and it makes you pay attention in ways other courses do not as well as informing on a subject that is incredibly fascinating.

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Good Book/Great Series

Revisado: 09-26-18

I love Nick Podehl but I don’t think he was right for the series too many of the women sound alike and the charm of the first book was kind of shattered by not having similar sound effects. I know, I know it sounds petty but they helped with the story and listening to the books one after the other I lost the sense of continuity that one voice provides through a series. Having said that... the only issue I have outside of the performance is that the book is too short. It is a fantastic story and I wish I had more of it. I love Felix and every single other character is so well developed which is surprising in such a short series of books. The plot keeps you going, and the curveballs really take you for a loop, the writing is masterful in a cheap comic book sort of way. I mean that in a good way, it takes me back to sitting at the local comic shop and reading dark comics that I could get for only a few buck. It’s well worth the price (even if you get the kindle version...it makes the audiobook so much more affordable), I would spend a credit but my hard earned cash will go straight to whoever for something like this. It’s magic and wonder, heroes and villains, and a guy who’s not quite good or bad trying to make his way with the help of some loyal friends. All in all I love this book and this series, and hope you keep it going too.

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Masterful

Revisado: 09-20-18

I’ll be honest, I purchased this expecting a darker version of Super Powereds... I was in many ways disappointed by that but I’m so many more I was surprised and drawn in by the familiarity of Hayes’ tone and voice (clearly I’m talking about the wording and not the narration...by the way Tantor picked the perfect Narrator for this). From having read and listened to most of his books I’ll say this: Drew Hayes is a master of the Super Hero genre and this book proves that he can not only write from the heroic perspective but, from the point of view of the villains. Now, I could gush about about the development of the characters, the constant guessing despite a certain surety of outcomes (like a comic book), and the complex interplay of well chosen secrets that are his trademark but I’ll let you figure that out for yourself. If you love a strong female protagonist you’re gonna love Tori, I know I do and I’m greatly anticipating the next in this series. Hope this review helped make up your mind... get the book, it’s worth the credit. Oh and in case you missed it early the narrator is awesome as well. She does a number of voices and brings the story alive in ways I never expected, it was almost like having a movie playing in my head.

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Awesome

Revisado: 07-25-18

This book is a perfect work of fiction, yes there are some loose ends that piss you off but it’s so worth it. It’s fast paced, nerdy, and well worth owning. Yes it’s a little predictable but you know what it’s not the ending your hear for, it’s the story in between and Will Wheaton... Will Wheaton is perfection. He does this book justice in ways that you have to hear to believe, it’s almost like he fades away and becomes the story, I know that’s kind of the point of an audiobook... but Wheaton does Cline and this story proud. It’s awesome if you like RPG’s and Aliens, or just a good piece of fiction. Armada is well worth the money or if your cheap like me... the credit is well spent here.

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Complete and Utter Magnificence

Revisado: 07-25-18

This book is beyond words, first you have the story which keeps you reading (or in this case listening) on the edge of your seat but keeps you laughing as long as you get the references. Next you have Will Wheaton who was the PERFECT choice to read this book, he brings the world of Ready Player One alive in ways that the movie failed to and the book itself can only try to do. For me it was a religious experience to hear him read this akin to Jim Dale’s reading of the Harry Potter series. Moving on before I gush too much on Mr. Wheaton, the story is perfect for people who love D&D, RPG’s, great music, movies, and good puzzles. It meshes on so many levels that all I can say is stop debating and spend the credit already, or pay the price for the book because few books are worth having more than this in your library, and fewer still will give you as much pleasure to hear more than once. On a personal note this is my 6th or 7th time listening to this audiobook and every single time it gets better.

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