Embrace of the Shade
Part 1 of The Berylian Key
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Narrated by:
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Austenne Grey
About this listen
Amarie’s legendary magic could incinerate her enemies, but it’s her sword she trusts.
While running from the men who killed her family, she learns of an ancient text locked within the Great Library that might be the final key to understanding her curse. During the daring theft, a stranger inserts himself into her scheme. Kin’s roguish good looks and boundless charm threaten to distract her, but she has no intention of landing in the city jail.
Kin’s life, riddled with shadows and death, is as dark as his soul.
He embraces his power, given by a wicked master, but then he meets Amarie … She shatters the walls he’s built, piercing his solitude with vibrant light. But if she learns he hunts the power cursing her family, he will lose her forever.
Trusting him could risk her heart and her life, but it might be the only way to destroy the world’s most sinister evil. Unless Kin’s master finds her first …
©2019 Amanda Muratoff and Kayla Hansen (P)2019 Amanda Muratoff and Kayla HansenListeners also enjoyed...
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Evie Crowe is starting over in a strange town with her newborn, and men are the furthest thing from her mind. If only the quiet, hulking farmer, Luke Ward, would stop coming into the thrift shop and piquing her reluctant interest. Evie wants to stay single all the way—she can’t trust anything more than friends-with-holiday-benefits. But Luke is in it for the long haul. He’s fixed on making this a Christmas Evie will remember forever. If she gives him a chance.
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Cringy lines ruined it
- By Lenna Crosby on 12-01-24
By: Tessa Bailey
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Cruel Winter with You
- Under the Mistletoe Collection
- By: Ali Hazelwood
- Narrated by: Vivienne LaRue
- Length: 2 hrs
- Unabridged
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All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.
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Endless insecurities and translation fails
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 11-12-24
By: Ali Hazelwood
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Verity
- By: Colleen Hoover
- Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson, Amy Landon
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.
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intriguing but skip if triggered by child abuse
- By Amazon Customer on 05-16-19
By: Colleen Hoover
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Holiday Hideaway
- A Short Story
- By: Mary Kay Andrews
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
- Length: 1 hr and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.
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I ain’t afraid of no ghosts
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 10-31-24
By: Mary Kay Andrews
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The Plight Before Christmas
- By: Kate Stewart
- Narrated by: Joe Arden, Maxine Mitchell
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Clark Griswold was onto something...at least with his annual holiday meltdown. And since the last three weeks of my life have been riddled with humbug—another breakup, a broken toe, an office promotion I deserved and didn’t get—I’m not at all in the mood to celebrate nor have the happ, happ, happiest Christmas EVER.
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Gaslighting and games
- By FMC on 12-22-22
By: Kate Stewart
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Nocticadia
- By: Keri Lake
- Narrated by: Aaron Shedlock, Stella Hunter
- Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I'd find the cure for what ravaged her and leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me. Four years later, I received an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it's rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before, those whose bones are said to make up the island's white sandy shores. And restless ghosts aren't even its most daunting peculiarity.
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Good but a slight miss
- By Destinyreadsbooks on 01-17-24
By: Keri Lake
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Resting Scrooge Face
- A Short Story
- By: Meghan Quinn
- Narrated by: Carly Robins, Aaron Shedlock
- Length: 1 hr and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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After a bad breakup, Nola wants nothing to do with Christmas, especially in her quaint hometown of Bright Harbor, Maine. Infuriatingly charming and cheery, Nola’s surroundings only worsen her sour mood. To make matters worse, Caleb, the boy who broke her heart years ago, is all grown up and still living in town. While doing her best to avoid him, Nola bumps into the local mailman, who gives her a mysterious letter. And when she finds that the writer is a fellow Scrooge, she can’t help but feel her spirit lifting.
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No-sex, “enemies to lovers,” Christmas short story
- By Kate McMurry on 12-24-22
By: Meghan Quinn
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How to Lose a Guy Before Christmas
- By: A.J. Pine
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Jason Clarke
- Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins
- Original Recording
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After a snowstorm grounds her flight, Lucy makes a last-ditch effort to get home for Christmas using a rideshare app. She thinks she’ll be taking a road trip with a stranger...but the guy who shows up is someone she knows all too well. He’s the hookup she ghosted a few months ago, and now she’ll be stuck in a car with him for the most awkward road trip of her life.
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Nearly pitch perfect holiday romcom novella
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 11-17-23
By: A.J. Pine
What listeners say about Embrace of the Shade
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- A pretty nice dude
- 02-10-24
A hidden gem that was worth remaking
Male listener here,
I originally purchased the first two Pantracia audiobooks after speaking with Kayla at Comic Con years ago. While I like fantasy, romantic fantasy is not normally my genre, with the occasional exception. In spite of that, I was impressed enough with her sales pitch and 10 (now 13 and finished) book series to give them a shot. On first listen, I found the characters and story to be both charming and quirky enough to keep my interest. Lucky for me, they had the audiobooks redone with a new narrator who did a fantastic job at bringing the book to life for a second listen.
While the only other review at the time of writing this makes a couple points, namely the laundry list of tropes present in the book, I would argue that romantic fantasy as a genre thrives by playing on tropes as a bylaw. I think they've massively undersold this audiobook. I don't normally write reviews, but I also don't believe EotS belongs at the bottom of the 1 star trash heap.
I'll try to divide the review down into categories with a tl;dr at the end for those who just want a breakdown. Novel incoming:
Characters: 3.5/5
First and foremost, I found the characters, though occasionally frustrating, were crafted well enough. The authors managed to infuse them with enough depth to make them feel like unique characters with occasionally relatable struggles. Amarie is a slightly idealized FMC with magic powers and trust issues, while Kin is the edgy, mysterious, hot guy with a dark past. A match made in heaven, obviously. The supporting hero(in)es, dubious villains and other side characters all felt distinct in their motives and personalities that made them stand out from one another, which is a detail that many independent authors struggle with. I had trouble relating to some of the character's decisions at times, some of which periodically felt forced, but overall I enjoyed most of the characters.
Narration: 4/5
I'm not normally a fan of female narrators, who are a staple in romantic fantasy, but Austenne does a great job in her role. With only a few instances of monotone sections or struggling with deeper voices, she managed to keep them all distinct enough to differentiate between each character, while simultaneously breathing life into the text. Hearing the disgust, disbelief or the quickening of her rhythm of speech during key moments made the listening experience more enjoyable than I had expected. It was a good performance, marred only by a few nitpicks, and I look forward to the next Austenne/Pantracia collaboration.
Side note: As is tradition, this is a spicy book, with tasteful/meaningful sexual encounters. Thus, there is no satin curtain to pull or door to close, so do prepare yourself with headphones. Especially if you have curious roommates (ask me how I know).
Story: 4/5
Despite this not being my preferred genre, I found myself surprisingly engaged in the story. The narrative had a magnetic quality that kept me hooked, while also infrequently making me roll my eyes. Yet, I still wanted to see where the story would go next. It speaks volumes about the authors' ability to craft a compelling tale that transcends genre preferences.
Although the story does lack the polish of certain other authors, and despite this being their first novel, the authors' writing demonstrated a commendable level of skill and creativity, promising a lot of potential for the rest of the series and beyond. The ability to create a captivating story, especially within the challenging realm of fantasy, is a testament to both authors' storytelling capabilities.
Flow: 4/5
I didn't have too many issues with the pacing of the story, barring a few instances. As someone who regularly listens to 20-40 hour audiobooks, the 9 hour duration of this book felt like a blink. That being said, there were one or two moments in the book that were either painfully slow or far too quickly glossed over. Thankfully, the transitions from chapters or scenes seemed more or less, clear and easy to follow, so I rarely had trouble orienting myself. The sexual content, as mentioned above, is tasteful, doesn't drag on for overly long, and only present where it adds to the storytelling.
Tl;dr
Characters: 3.5/5
Narration: 4/5
Story: 4/5
Flow: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
In conclusion, Embrace of the Shade offers a delightful journey into a Romantic Fantasy world, filled with decent characters, great narration, and a compelling narrative. While a few frustrating moments may arise, the overall experience is one that I would recommend to both fans of the genre and those open to exploring new literary realms. Since discovering this series, I have recommended Pantracia to many friends and family members who went on to absolutely devour the paperbacks ahead of me, which only makes me look forward to the next installments more.
I'd give this a 4/5, but I'm going to tack on another star to counter balance the only other review at the moment. I hope in doing so that more people get a chance to listen to this hidden gem. In the vast tapestry of audiobook opinions, where a reviewer named “OnlyPaid ReviewsStay” resides in the realm of perpetual negativity, my 5-star encounter with Embrace of the Shade sparkles like an unexpected gem. While some may find comfort in paid up or downvote perspectives, my journey through Pantracia affirmed that true appreciation can't be bought. Amidst the shadows of cynicism, my review stands as a testament to the genuine magic woven into the fabric of this Romantic Fantasy. So, here's to embracing the authenticity of an unfiltered narrative and letting the stars shine without the need for a financial constellation. #UnpaidAndUnfiltered #GenuineAppreciation
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- OnlyPaid ReviewsStay
- 11-28-23
The cringe is just too much for me.
Holy smokes this book was cringy. You hit every single stereotype in the market before chapter 10. Instant lust, hand holding, virginal damsel, cocky hero, and the god forsake miscommunication trope. I bought this book when it first came out and kept restarting and stopping before chapter 3. Now I know why. The cringe is just too much for me.
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