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Viv rocks! I loved this book

Reviewed: 11-08-23

Note for potential readers/listeners: Even though this is a prequel, I'd advise reading or listening to Legends & Lattes first. I think this book could totally be enjoyed on its own, but knowing the context enhanced my enjoyment of this book.

Bookshops & Bonedust is a prequel that takes place 20 years before Legends & Lattes. In this book, we meet a much younger Viv who has just started her career as an adventurer. Her career gets waylaid (and potentially derailed) by an injury, and she's left behind in a small seaside village to recover. As Viv regains her strength and starts to move around town, we get to know the town and its inhabitants along with her. I fell in love with the place.

Like Legends & Lattes, this cozy, low-stakes fantasy pulled me in right from the very beginning. I love the great circle of friends Viv gathered around her in this book. That "found family," and a bit of mystery and romance kept me engaged: I literally could not put this book down once I started. It's a fun, feel-good story that not only put a smile on my face, but also brought a tear or two to my eyes. It's another fantastic story by a fantastic author and narrator. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

Travis Baldree's narration is excellent as always. He gives each character a distinct and easily recognized voice and personality. His narration really brought this story and its characters to life.

Highly recommended for fans of Travis Baldree and Legends & Lattes: 5 stars.

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12 people found this helpful

A fantastic start to Benedict Jacka's new series!

Reviewed: 10-20-23

As a huge fan of the Alex Verus series, I was super excited to listen to his newest book, An Inheritance of Magic: it did not disappoint.

The book only came out last week, and I've already listened to it twice. I loved the book and Will Watt's excellent narration. My only complaint is that book 2 isn't out yet!

Thank you to both Benedict Jacka and Will Watt for the great listen.

4/18/24: I wanted to add more about the audiobook & narration by Will Watt.

I read the book before I listened to it and, I gotta say, I wish I had been able to listen to it first. The narration by Will Watt was phenomenal. I absolutely love his natural, conversational style. It doesn't feel like he's a narrator reading a book, it feels like he's a friend telling the story over a few pints down at the pub. He's also an amazing voice actor, giving each character a unique and very recognizable personality and voice of their own. But his performance really shines during the action scenes. He gives those exciting scenes so much energy that they truly kept me on the edge of my seat even though I knew what was going to happen. I wouldn't hesitate to listen to anything else read by Will Watt.

Even for people who don't normally listen to urban fantasy books, I'd recommend listening to this one because the narration is just that good.

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Peter Capaldi's narration was fantastic.

Reviewed: 09-11-23

It's a great listen. The story itself was so engrossing and exciting. It had me on the edge of my seat. Peter Capaldi's narration was fantastic.

Highly recommended.

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An absolutely stunning finale

Reviewed: 08-09-22

When you get to the end of a series, picking up the final book can be a somewhat daunting prospect. Before you start, you have to wonder: will the author stick the landing, or will they stumble & fall? Will I love this book, or will I be bitterly disappointed? I was not disappointed by Priest of Crowns. I loved it.

Peter McLean stuck that landing.

The War for the Rose Throne series is told in first person from the point of view of Tomas Piety, a gangster, and a killer, who's not only ruthless but very ambitious. I love first person stories. You literally get into the head of the narrator. So, you see everything through their eyes. You know what they know when they know it and you're privy to their decision-making process. The narrator might make some horrible choices, but you see *why* they made those choices. So, those decisions make sense, and you support those choices.

Peter McLean's War for the Rose Throne series has been that way for me. Tomas Piety is a great character. He's a killer and a badly damaged individual who'd slit your throat as soon as look at you, but he has a strong moral code of his own, a gangster's code. Pay your "taxes" to his organization and he'll protect you. Prove yourself to be a loyal and reliable member of his crew and you'll be well rewarded. If you're cut down by a rival gang, he'll avenge you. But, if you cross the line by abusing women and children or if, gods forbid, you dare betray him, you'll be lucky if the worst thing you get is a knife in the heart. And he won't lose a moment of sleep over it because he has no conscience. But somehow, I loved Tomas Piety despite all that.

I understood and supported Tomas's decisions all the way because he did everything for the right reasons, or so it seemed. Doing such horrible things wasn't right, of course, but it felt like justice. He did what he had to do to protect his home, his family, and his people. Tomas Piety isn't a hero, of course, but it felt like he was.

But Tomas is the one telling the story, and everyone's the hero of their own story, aren't they? Even villains. As I got deeper and deeper into Priest of Crowns, I felt less and less comfortable with the decisions that Tomas was making. As his choices became more & more unsettling, they became harder & harder to justify, even in the heart & mind of this very enthusiastic fan.

Peter McLean didn't shy away from showing us that unsettling underbelly of his protagonist. The end of Tomas's story rocked my understanding, and acceptance, of Tomas's actions up to now. If I ever listen to the series again (and I probably will!), I'll approach it with an entirely new understanding of the characters and events in Tomas's life and the choices he made.

Peter McLean took a big risk to end the series that way, but it paid off big time. Rarely does the end of a series force you to re-evaluate the entire journey the way this one has done for me. As a result, it was one of the most satisfying, and mind-blowing, endings of a series I've ever read.

Priest of Crowns was an absolutely stunning finale. It was bloody, heart-breaking and brilliant.

Thank you, Peter.

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Fabulous audio book!

Reviewed: 07-02-22

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for providing a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I honestly loved it.

"Daughter of Redwinter" is told from the point of view of Raine, a 17-year-old who's hiding a terrible secret: she sees dead people. She was blessed (or cursed) with a magical talent called "grave-sight" that allows her to see ghosts and sometimes even speak to them. It's a forbidden talent that carries an automatic death sentence.

This book is a roller coaster ride that has mystery, great action, and a diverse cast of characters. I loved following Raine on her journey. The narration by Samara MacLaren was amazing. She gave each character a unique voice and personality, which really helped pull me into the story and I was fully engaged in Raine's story right from the beginning. I loved the mystery at the heart of Redwinter. I loved following Raine on her journey to Redwinter and, like her, I didn't know who to trust until the climatic end: it was both gripping and exciting. I love stories that don't give away the "surprise" or twist long before you get to it.

My only quibble with the story was that the pace slowed down in the middle, but Samara MacLaren's beautiful narration kept me engaged throughout the story despite that. The action picked up again at about the 30% mark & didn't let up until the final climatic fight.

I loved this book so much that I bought the audiobook because I will listen to it again. I am really looking forward to book two. I hope Ed McDonald doesn't keep us waiting too long to continue Raine's story.

My rating: 5 stars for the amazing narration and the great story with an exciting end. Highly recommended for fantasy fans.

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Benedict Jacka sticks the landing with Risen

Reviewed: 03-24-22

Some authors have a hard time keeping a long series interesting and entertaining as it goes along, book after book. When a series lingers long past its expiration date, it can lead long-time fans to fall out of love with it and drift away. But Jacka managed to bring something new and exciting to each book in his series and it only got better and better as it went along. It's an utterly bingeable and fast-paced series with a smart protagonist. Jacka turned the series up to 11 with the books Fallen & Forged, and then stuck the landing with Risen. What a great ending for the series.

In many ways, the Alex Verus series can be seen as a series of trilogies. The final trilogy is made of up of Fallen, Forged and Risen. In Fallen, Alex had a tough decision to make when he realized trying to be a "nice guy" wasn't really working. So, he took his first steps down a darker path in order to save the woman he loves. In Forged, we see the consequences of that choice and the stakes at the end of Forged couldn't be higher. In Risen, Alex reaches a truce with the Council and his old teacher, the Dark mage, Richard Drakh, in order to defeat the dark creature possessing his lover. But Richard and the Council have no interest in saving Anne. To defeat the creature and save his lover, Alex needs to embrace his inner Dark mage. He'll also need to be at the top of his game, but the clock is ticking. Will he able to save her before his clock runs out?

The resolution of Alex's quest in Risen is at times heartbreaking, but it was a wild ride that was well worth taking. The final scenes are exciting and very emotional (there might have been some tears).

For fans who listen to audiobooks, Gildart Jackson is a fantastic narrator. He really nails the action & emotional scenes, and he's in top form in Risen. I absolutely loved Gildart Jackson's narration of "Risen."

The TLDR is that the audiobook for "Risen" has everything I love about the Alex Verus series: great action, humor, and excitement. As a fan of the Alex Verus series, my anticipation for this book couldn't have been higher and this book did not disappoint.

This book is an absolute must for Verus fans. I give it 5/5 stars (I'd give 10/5 stars if I could).

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I loved it

Reviewed: 02-19-22

I've followed Peter McLean for a while now on social media because he's smart and he's funny, but I took a woefully long time to read one of his books. I hesitated because I thought something called "grimdark" might be too dark for me. But I shouldn't have hesitated because it wasn't too dark. And just like Peter's social media posts, "Priest of Bones" is both smart & funny.

"Priest of Bones" is about Thomas Piety, the leader of a criminal gang called the Pious Men. Before the war, Thomas controlled the typical assortment of organized crime businesses like brothels, taverns, and gambling dens in an industrial city called Ellinberg. But along with every other man between under the age of 40, he was conscripted into the army to fight in a brutal war that lasted three long years. He survived, but like most veterans, he was left with some deep emotional scars.
At the beginning of Priest of Bones, the war is over at last and Thomas heads home, determined to pick up where he left off. But he returns to the city to find that another gang had stolen his turf and there's nothing left of his once prosperous criminal enterprise. So, with the help of his sergeant, Bloody Anne, and his crazy brother, Jochan, Thomas sets about the task of taking back his businesses.

What follows is the fast-paced, exciting, and fun story of how Thomas methodically and brutally reclaims his territory, one illicit business at a time. The keys to his success are putting the right man (or woman) in the right job, enforcing his zero-tolerance policy for violence against women and child abuse and retribution for incursions into his territory. Anyone who steps over those lines will face harsh justice.

This story is told in first person from Thomas's point of view. He's got a unique and very distinctive voice. Even though he's a foul-mouthed and ruthless criminal who wouldn't hesitate to cut someone's throat when the need arises, I love Thomas Piety.

I highly recommend this audiobook, not just for the story, but also for the excellent narration by John Lee. He was able to give each character a very distinctive voice. It was also refreshing to listen to a book that was done with a Yorkshire accent (similar to Sean Bean) rather than a London accent.

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Fantastic fantasy debut!

Reviewed: 02-10-22

What a great debut novel! It not only tosses the "chosen one" trope on its head, but it also has great action & great characters.

This book is about Calen, a young man who is still dealing with the grief of losing his beloved older brother. Make no mistake: there aren't any prophecies or omens that foretold what happens to Calen, his friends & family. He was just in the right place at the right time (or perhaps, it'd be better to say: wrong place, wrong time!).

This was a thoroughly enjoyable listen that possibly caused some sleep deprivation.
Also... I'd want my supervisor to know that reports which claim that listening to it in the car today made me late to work are **greatly** exaggerated. Do not believe those scurrilous lies!

Highly recommended!

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6 people found this helpful

Even better than the first book, Ascendant!

Reviewed: 12-06-21

I listened to The Songs of Chaos #1, Ascendant, a couple of months ago and I really enjoyed it. The main character, Holt, was likeable & I loved his interactions with various dragons, especially with Ash. Maybe because it was the first book in the series, I got a bit impatient whenever the POV switched away from Ash & Holt: I wanted to stick with them. But that wasn't the case in this second book. I'm not sure if it's because I know the characters better or if it's because the characterization and pacing are better (maybe it's a bit of both?), but I wasn't as impatient to get back to Holt's story in Unbound as I was in Ascendant. I was totally engaged with the book every step of the way.

My main complaint with the audiobook for the first book was the way the narrator did the dragon's voices. He used a growling sort of voice that made what the dragons were saying hard to understand at times. It was particularly bad with the young hatchling: I couldn't understand anything the poor little thing was saying at first. Thankfully, this was an issue with only a few lines of dialogue in "Ascendant."

I'm delighted that wasn't the case in "Unbound.": the dragons were very easy to understand in this book. As a result, I liked the narration of this book even more than the first one. Peter Kenney does an excellent job with all the character voices, too: you can tell who's speaking by the way he reads the line. He's also excellent with action scenes, which made the fights & action scenes even more exciting than they would have been if I had been just reading the text. He's not just "reading" the text, he's performing the action with his voice. His voice acting skills really show in this book.

I also really liked the addition Osric as a POV character: he's awesome and I hope to see more of him in the next book.

Unbound is also a better dragon rider story. Not only because we see more dragons, but also because the bond between Ash & Holt has grown & matured. I'm new to progression fantasy, but I think this is an excellent example of the genre. The power of Holt & Ash has developed and grown—they "leveled up." But it's a steady progression with no unearned, sudden boosts of power. They did it through hard work (& a bit of luck) and it's been great to watch them on that journey.

To sum up, I enjoyed the audiobook for "Unbound" even more than "Ascendant." I think it's both because the book has better pacing and characterization, but it's also because the narration was even better than it was in the first book. Also, the progression of the characters has been very satisfying. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone looking for a good progression fantasy or dragon rider story: it was great on both counts.

I literally could not put the book down. Normally, it can take me weeks to listen to a book because my commute is so short, but I burned through this one in just a few days because I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish! I enjoyed it that much.

So, get cracking, Michael & Peter! I can't wait to listen to the next one!

The TLDR on this audiobook: I wouldn't hesitate to listen to another book by this narrator & author team.

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The Alex Verus series gets turned up to 11

Reviewed: 08-28-21

I've been a fan of the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka only since 2019 (it's August 2021 as I write this). So, it's been about 2 ½ years since I first read Fated (Alex Verus #1) in March of 2019. To be honest, I wasn't 100% thrilled with it, even though I loved Alex Verus as a main character. He really scratched that Dresden Files itch I had at the time (during the long Dresden drought before Peace Talks was released, but that's another story). But I wasn't sure if I liked it enough to read book #2, Cursed.

So, I moved on to another series. After I was done with that, I realized I was still thinking about Alex. So, I decided to give Alex and the gang another try, and I picked up book #2 and I absolutely loved it. Where "Fated" had a slower build-up of tension like a suspense thriller, "Cursed" was more like an action thriller. It was faster paced with more action. So, I binge-listened to books 2-9 in about 10 days. Then, I listened to them all again: I was hooked! That was in July or August of 2019, nearly 2 months before scheduled release of "Fallen," (Alex Verus #10).

So, I was eager for the release of "Fallen" in September 2019, and it didn't disappoint! So many times, the build-up of anticipation for a new book/show/movie/album can give you unrealistic expectations about how good it will be, but that wasn't the case with this book. It exceeded my expectations and I absolutely loved it.

Some authors have a hard time keeping a long series interesting and entertaining as it goes along, book after book, leading long-time fans to drift away, no longer as in love with the characters as they once were. But Jacka has brought something new and exciting to each book in the series and the series has only gotten better and better as it goes along. "Fallen" turns it up to 11.

If you've read up through book #9, "Marked," you know that Alex has experienced some highs and lows. He's been brought to the edge of disaster many times, but he's always managed to pull himself and his friends out of it. At the start of Fallen, it's been a year since Marked and Alex is working hard to keep his friends, and his secrets, safe. If the truth came out, he could lose it all.

As the war with Richard Drakh and the investigation into Alex's past heat up, Alex is pushed to the breaking point. Will he continue the way he's been going or choose a darker path? Alex's dilemma, and the choice he makes, had me on the edge of my seat throughout and it's one of my favorites in the whole series.

For fans who listen to the series, Gildart Jackson was at the top of his game in "Fallen." The book is an emotional roller coaster ride and Gildart brings it all to life. He's able to portray the excitement in the action scenes as well as the heart-wrenching moments of the emotional ones. I admit he's not the most consistent when it comes to character voices (for example, Arachne's "voice" sounds completely different in this book than she did in previous books), but even with that flaw, this book is still an outstanding listen.

This book is an absolute must for Verus fans: 5/5 stars from me! I think even for people who read & liked some of the earlier books in the series & dropped it for some reason, it's well worth getting back into it just to read this one. Buy this book or borrow it from your local library: you won't regret it.

For people who haven't read any of the Verus books, this year is a great time to try it. The final book in the series will be released at the end of the year: you won't want to miss this fantastic ride from a great author.

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