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Before the Fortress Falls
- Narrated by: Jason Tatom
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
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Publisher's summary
When rumors reach Vienna that an attack by the Ottoman army is imminent, Wilhelm von Schor, one of the emperor’s courtiers, prepares to evacuate his family—including his sister, Katja. But Katja’s reluctance to leave the city and the people she loves so well grows the farther the family carriage gets from her childhood home. When she learns that another brother, Xavier, is returning to Vienna with his musketeers, she decides to remain behind and face the shadow of war.
Katja soon reunites with Xavier and also with Toby, a dear friend from childhood. As Katja and Toby renew their friendship, an element of attraction builds on the comradery of their youth, and they quickly realize they have found something worth fighting for: love. But all too soon, the Ottomans encircle the city, blanketing its inhabitants in fear. Katja, Toby, and Xavier must each fulfill their new roles if they are to survive. In the overcrowded hospitals, below ground in the countermines, and on the ramparts defending the city walls, the three must fight for love, family, faith, and the survival of their city and everyone inside.
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With a sharp tongue and an unruly temper, Sage Fowler is not what they'd call a lady, which is perfectly fine with her. Deemed unfit for marriage, Sage is apprenticed to a matchmaker and tasked with wrangling other young ladies to be married off for political alliances. She spies on the girls - and on the soldiers escorting them. As the girls' military escort senses a political uprising, Sage is recruited by a handsome soldier to infiltrate the enemy ranks.
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It was ok, but i didn't even finish it
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By: Erin Beaty
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New Spring
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- By: Robert Jordan
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
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For three days battle has raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon. In the city, a foretelling of the future is uttered. On the slopes of Dragonmount, the immense mountain that looms over the city, a child is born, an infant prophesied to change the world. That child must be found before he can be killed by the forces of the Shadow.
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Read it after reading others in the series
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By: Robert Jordan
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Grave Mercy
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- Narrated by: Erin Moon
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Escaping an arranged marriage, 17-year-old Ismae finds sanctuary in the St. Mortain convent, where the sisters worship the gods of old. There, Ismae learns that the God of Death has special plans for her—a destiny that will one day compel her to betray the man she loves.
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Slow Start but Finished Strong
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By: Robin LaFevers
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Servants of War
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The war between Almacia and the Empire of Kolakolvia is in its hundredth year. Casualties grow on both sides as the conflict leaves no corner of the world untouched. Illarion Glaskov’s quiet life on the fringes of the empire is thrown into chaos when an impossible tragedy strikes his village. When he is conscripted into the Tsarist military, he is sent to serve in The Wall - an elite regiment that pilots suits of armor made from the husks of dead golems.
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Capable writers produce soul-draining dystopia
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By: Larry Correia, and others
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When Zivah falls prey to the deadly rose plague, she knows it's only a matter of time before she fully succumbs. Now she's destined to live her last days in isolation, cut off from her people and unable to practice her art - until a threat to her village creates a need that only she can fill. Broken by torture at the hands of the Amparan Empire, Dineas thirsts for revenge against his captors. Now escaped and reunited with his tribe, he'll do anything to free them from Amparan rule - even if it means undertaking a plan that risks not only his life but his very self.
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My first book review ever (CONTAINS SPOILERS)
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The Wood's Edge
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Awesome
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The Runner
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Drake Sharazi, disgraced former captain of the Royal Guard, has spent the past seven years chasing fugitives as a hawker. He has never failed to complete an assignment, and this new runner will not be an exception. But being able to do a thing does not mean you should. Now he is forced to question the world around him as never before.
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My Dearest Enemy
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Struggling alone on the family farm, Abigail Tidwell knows exactly who to blame for her hardships: the Americans. If it weren't for their part in the war, her father and brothers would be home rather than fighting abroad. But no amount of antipathy could have prepared her for the shocking sight of a wounded American soldier on her property, a man in dire need of her help. Grudgingly, Abigail tends to the soldier's injuries and anticipates the satisfaction of turning him over to the authorities once he is healed. But fate has other plans.
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Romance and suspense
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The Way into Chaos
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The city of Peradain is the heart of an empire built with steel, spears, and a monopoly on magic...until in a single day it falls, overthrown by a swarm of supernatural creatures of incredible power and ferocity. Neither soldier nor spell caster can stand against them. The empire's armies are crushed, its people scattered, its king and queen killed. Freed for the first time in generations, city-states scramble to seize neighboring territories and capture imperial spell casters.
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Made me want to buy more credits
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Stiger
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A nobleman from an infamous family, Ben Stiger finds himself freshly assigned to Third Legion, Seventh Company as a lowly lieutenant in the opening stages of war between the Empire and the Kingdom of the Rivan. Third Legion has been tasked with pursuing a retreating Rivan army back to the border where the Empire can take the fight into enemy territory. However, a major obstacle stands in Third Legion's path: the river Hana.
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TALES OF THE SEVENTH?
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The Skystone
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Everyone knows the story-how Arthur pulled the sword from the stone, how Camelot came to be, and about the power struggles that ultimately destroyed Arthur's dreams. But what of the time before Arthur and the forces that created him?
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Fascinating new series
- By Jim R. Whitt Jr. on 08-27-13
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What listeners say about Before the Fortress Falls
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Cassidy
- 07-03-24
Well researched
This is one of my favorite books by A.L. Sowards. I’ve always read it, but I decided to listen to the audiobook this time and I wasn’t disappointed.
First off, the narrator did such a good job. I’m picky with narrators but I didn’t have a problem with this one. He did a great job with pronouncing names which I fail miserably at when I read it. lol. Between the narrator, the well researched history and characters, it was easy to imagine what was happening in the story.
Second off, the characters in this book are so easy to get emotionally attached to. I love that we get to read the story from the four main characters in this story. It’s easy to see how every storyline works together when that happens.
Third and last thing, the research that the author did for this book was so well done. This is part of history I’m not well versed in, but I definitely did a deep dive into it after I read this book.
These thoughts and opinions are my own.
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- mara
- 04-02-24
Fantastic historical fiction
Wow! I don't know why I'm always amazed each time I read a historical book written by this author but I am. A.L. Sowards always does a fantastic amount of research so she can be as historically accurate as possible, and it shows as this story came to life while I listened about the Ottoman Empire attacking Vienna.
I love knowing what each character is thinking so I really liked getting the different points of view from multiple characters. There are the three siblings Wilhelm, Katja and Xavier (Katja's twin). Then Toby, a childhood friend of Katja and Xavier, shares his point of view. Toby is a joiner by trade, but becomes a counter miner during the war. The last point of view we get is Ahmed, a Turkish soldier who's fighting with the Ottoman army. I found his POV to be very interesting as he thinks he's on the right side of the war and God will help them defeat the Christians.
The romance between Katja and Toby is NOT the main storyline of the book but it's a sweet childhood friends to more story. I can't imagine meeting up with a childhood friend I hadn't seen in several years only to fall in love in the middle of a war. Would I have the courage to marry him with such a strong possibility to lose him at any time?
I didn't know anything about the 1683 siege of Vienna and found it fascinating how the city was designed to be protected from invasion since this was not the first time they had been invaded. Learning how they destroyed businesses and homes outside of the city wall to prevent the Turks from having a place to stay, the counter mining and how that worked was so interesting.
This isn't a just a story about a war--it's a story of a group of people coming together and fighting to keep an enemy from taking hold of everything they held dear. We see the three siblings overcome their differences and make peace with each other. There are scenes of war but the author isn't overly graphic in her descriptions. If you're like me, once you start reading this book you're not going to want to stop--so consider yourself warned.
The narrator did a good job with the various voices and getting the emotions across, especially during the tense war sections.
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- @reading_past.bedtime
- 03-19-24
Moving Historical Fiction
If you like Historical Fiction, you know A.L. Sowards is well researched and provides a story rich with history. This one surpassed my expectations. I absolutely loved this story of not only a historical battle, but of a complicated family, reunited friends, and a love of music.
The story is of unprovoked attack. A city full of people willing to pull together to fend off a well established trained foe. An ambassador seeking aid from nearby nations. It is the ultimate underdog story, that proves heart and faith can get you through an impossible situation. While the story was packed with action and interesting history of war tactics, it also included the very human elements faced in war. Sibling relationships, love, loss, the plight of the vulnerable in society. There were moments of triumph, followed by moments of heartache. Sowards created a story of intensity that takes you back into time and opens up your eyes to the plight of the citizens within a city at war. I loved it!
One of my favorite parts was when the heroine plays her father’s violin in a convent turned hospital. She plays a hymn I’ve always loved and didn’t realize had been around so long. It gives the people hope and stirred within me my own hope. While the story itself is not heavily religious, there are divisions among the people because of religion, and it was nice to see their religion play a role in their lives in a natural way. I have always loved the power of music to lift spirits and this scene was written so beautifully.
“Ponder anew
What the Almighty can do,
Who with His love doth befriend thee.”
I’ve read this book and now also listened to the audio. I enjoyed this narrator. He had good inflection and enough feeling in his voice, without having too much. I really appreciated that he didn’t try to make his voice sound like a woman when reading those parts. That never sounds good. I would recommend either reading or listening to the audiobook.
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