Dark fantasy that willLeave you chilled

Sometimes it’s good to cheer for
The bad guys. Sometimes it requires the good guys to employ some not so good guys. Sometimes those who have been twisted and broken make the best servants. This is one such tale. Of some not so nice people who are the unlikely heroes that do the dark things the traditional hero can’t. Love these darker fantasy tales! I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

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grimdark coming of age and hidden scifi???

The story is the beginning of a grimdark fantasy, but it isnt about the character as an adult until the end. It is told past tense first person of Calidan Darkheart, an imperator of the empire. It seems to be a coming of age story with a lull in the middle that is basically a wholw training saga.

The great heart references a beast companion that makes him OP, which is cool because Seiya is like a huge panther who is catty as all hell, pun intended.

I did not enjoy the middle of the story, but the end and beginning was good. I did think the use of a FF7 boss was a little cheap to use. It specifically used the first boss, the scorpion boss complete with laser tail, lol.

The ending was meh, I might look at the second book if there was another.

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A great Start for Great Hearts!!

This isn't so much a debut novel as it is a breakout novel. This book really hits a lot of tones, tempos, and toothy subjects. It revolves around two friends, Calidan and Cassius, who train to become great fighters. The story starts out grimly, with their homes, and all their loved ones, getting wiped out. From there, they go forth and try to improve their lots in life together. They have some great adventures, and there is a cool/odd/exciting twist at the end. This book has a lot going for it, character development is there, there just could have been more. Other than that the story is great.

Oliver narrates his own tale, which is fun, because who knows their story better than the person who wrote it? You here him do the voices as he heard them in his head! He sets the pacing, the mood, the tone. He embodies it.

I cannot wait for part 2 to come out to see what happens next. I must come clean and admit that I did receive a promo code to review this book, but that had NO bearing on my opinions stated above.

Get it, read it, love it.

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2 people found this helpful

A very solid start of a (hopefully) new series

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I found that I quite enjoyed this one. The two main characters were interesting and well developed. Normally, I have found I don't care for books narrated by their author, but I thought he did a good job on this one. I am on the fence on the flashback thing. I understand why the author did it, but I would have almost preferred that the story start with where the flashback starts, rather than start current, then flashback. Either way, I still really enjoyed the book, so that is a very minor complaint. I definitely have interest in the next of the series, should one come out.

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Enjoyed the listen!

Enjoyed the book. Great narration with a fantastic story. Well worth the credit and the listen.
This book is on my multiple listen list.


This book was provided at no cost for a fair and honest review.

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Wonderful fantasy tale.

This is the story of Cassius and Calidan; more so Calidan as the tale is told from his perspective. These two have been friends since childhood and consistently watch each other’s back throughout the story. The tale begins with Cassius and Calidan escaping from raiders, hiding out in the forest, and becoming exposed to Great Hearts. Great Hearts are large legendary magical animals that bond with a human resulting in increased characteristics and powers. Eventually they become involved in the politics of the land and find themselves enrolled in a Special Forces school of sorts to become Imperators. Imperators are basically the Emperor’s muscle. The twists and turns are well-done and keep the pages turning. This is a wonderful fantasy tale that starts out slow, but quickly builds into an exciting and interesting debut novel. I look forward to more from this author. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

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Mixed bag

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This book was a mixed bag for me. I think some people will love this book while some wouldn't. It started off great. The initial dark setting sets the mood for the book. But a few chapters in, the mood changes significantly and I'm bewildered for some time, wondering whether this is trying to be a dark-fantasy or a YA-Fantasy. Even if I looked past that, I still couldn't fully enjoy this story since it is told in a "flashback" style and it is implied that the character has gone through something terrible. So, while listening to the flashback, I already knew that something terrible will happen but he will survive. Beyond these two, I felt the characters were slightly under-developed. The ease with which they moved on from a massacre was weird. I would've loved to see some glimpses of their damaged psyche or something. Instead, they just brush it off and go on.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

All 3 things I mentioned above. Now, those are the things I didn't like and it might even look like nitpicking. Those might not be of any concern to other listeners. Everyone has their own preferences.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Narration was alright. Characters were distinctly identifiable. And there was no audio issue.

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook for free from the author / narrator / publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

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1 person found this helpful

A very pleasant surprise

I picked this book up braced for a self-published trope-fest. Instead, I was very pleasantly surprised to discover a legit dark fantasy novel thick with skeptiscm, hard truths, and wry observations about the human condition. Good times! The comparison to Joe Abercrombie is obvious, but at several points I found that Oliver's tone and style reminded me of Brian Stavely's books as well. The prose is polished, witty, and is laced with enough light-hearted banter to help soften the darker aspects of the story. I listened to the book on audio, so cannot speak to typos, but the overall presentation, including the author's skillful self-narration seemed to me to be at a professional standard. Bravo, Mr. Oliver, and thanks for an excellent read.

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Nice Voice for Narration

This story does a good job with dystopian world building and gives the feeling readers have glimpsed only a sliver of the big world. The characters start out intriguing, particularly with their reactions to trauma. Yet, as the story went on, I felt like I lost touch with them. Not sure I can identify why, as the book was certainly competently written. Perhaps it could be the amount of jumping between between times or maybe part of trying to follow so many characters? I just couldn't stay invested in what was happening to the characters. Without going too far into spoiler territory, I felt the end was abrupt and without much in the way of payoff for the first book. It seems I might have been upset about this if I were more deeply attached to the characters. Again, the book is certainly competently written and certainly an interesting concept, I just failed to fully connect with it.

Narration was very well done. David Oliver has a nice voice for narration and is able to make the characters distinctive. Narration certainly added to the experience.

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

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I hate writing reviews like this.

I have never seen a book take a nosedive in the same way this one did. It started out as something absolutely fantastic. I was immediately drawn in by the plot, and I couldn't believe how great the narration was. And from the author, no less! I was already composing an overwhelmingly positive review in my head.

Then, out of nowhere, the whole thing just fell apart. The characters started floating around with no real goals. Rather than needing to work to overcome obstacles, they started having things simply handed to them. They are two poor orphans in a pre-industrial empire, and for some reason they are taken in and coddled by the highest members of society and trained by military weapons masters. Even the Emperor becomes their best friend, for no reason at all, on their first meeting! And there is something very self-indulgent about the way they win every fight and have every powerful adult stand up for them and tell off anyone who would get in their way.

On top of this, the book seems to have trouble deciding what kind of story it wants to be. In the beginning it is decidedly grimdark (a good thing, to my mind), but shortly thereafter becomes a young adult novel. 12 year olds are the center of attention and are treated like adults, running around fighting battles and agonizing over romantic 'love' for their adolescent crushes--who are actually referred to as their 'loves' in some passages, eg., 'she did such and such with her love.' I really could have done without that part.

Even the formerly wonderful narration took a jump off a cliff around the time the emperor showed up. The author has a lovely speaking voice and great instincts, but he should not attempt the ultra deep range, because it sounds horribly unnatural.

Still, as much as I found the above problems irritating, I do believe this author has talent and should keep writing--and narrating. It just leads me to the headline for my review, because I think every problem I've mentioned could have been easily solved with the help of a good editor. It's quite a shame that the failure to contract one has lead to the demise of a potentially great story.

I received this audiobook for free at my request from the author, publisher or narrator and have voluntarily left this review.

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8 people found this helpful