Desulti Audiobook By Ross Hightower, Deb Heim cover art

Desulti

Spirit Song Prequel Series, Book 1

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Desulti

By: Ross Hightower, Deb Heim
Narrated by: Alissa Malakan
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About this listen

The tyranny of the Vollen Empire is written in the scars on Tove's face. But a chance encounter with Brie, a Desulti assassin, awakens a hunger in Tove.

She'd seen Brie fight. The Desulti was a small woman, like Tove, but Tove doubted Brie ever felt small. Not like Tove did.

When Brie offers her a chance to be the first Alle'oss woman to join the Desulti, she can't believe her luck. But the secretive order of women is not the haven she expects.

Can Tove find what she seeks, or is she a pawn in a scheme that could end her life and destroy the Alle'oss rebellion?

©2024 Black Rose Writing (P)2025 Black Rose Writing
Action & Adventure Epic Fantasy LGBTQ+ Literature & Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy

Critic reviews

“The authors offer a huge array of elements that contribute to a fully textured world that feels immersive and alive. We are brought into a complex society shaped by history, politics, art, and complete disparity of wealth and power, with no greater example than at a wedding where the economic prowess of the Volloch lords is on full display.” –Readers Favorite

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Review of “Desulti” by Ross Hightower and Deb Heim (audiobook)

This is an amazing audiobook, replete with everything I look for in a fantasy story! I give it my highest possible recommendation!

The focal character is Tove, a Alle’oss (from a very low caste people) woman. Having experienced a very traumatic background and then having been “adopted” and cared for by the Oss’stera, a small rebel group against the Empire (a highly abusive and misogynistic empire), she is given the possibility of applying for sanctuary to the Desulti (also called The Order,) a remote female-led community. There she hopes to find permanent acceptance and a new home with the longer term aspiration of becoming Murtair. The Murtair are the elite “fixers” of the Desulti. While the Desulti usually only accept women from the Volloch (highest rank) caste, Tove is supported in her application for sanctuary by Brie, a Desulti who is also Murtair. What Tove doesn’t know is that Brie and Nessa, a member of the Desulti’s Inner Council, have ulterior motives for recommending Tove for acceptance by the Desulti.

This engaging story evolves from this point forward and I will not divulge any further details because I want listeners (or readers for those who prefer text to audio) to have the extreme pleasure of experiencing this tale for themselves. I do want to emphasize that the world building in this book is complex and immersive and checks every box for what I look for in a fantasy world! The characters are engaging, sympathetic, and interesting and each is a distinctive personality.

I wish to point out that I listened to this audiobook during Pride Month, which I found to be very appropriate because this title represents loving, mutually respectful and supportive same-sex relationships throughout and I greatly appreciated this aspect of the title (in addition to the many other wonderful features that I have mentioned). However, this is an audiobook that will have wide appeal and accessibility as most of the topics that arise in the book are universal.

The narrator, Alissa Malakan, is excellent and truly brings the story and characters to life.

Overall, this is an amazing audiobook which should appeal not only to fans of fantasy, but also to anyone who enjoys a really well written and narrated story! This was my first experience with an audiobook by the authors and now I look forward to listening to many more works by them.

Review by Sue Ratner

This is a fantastic audiobook - not to be missed!

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