don't stop

At first I thought it was a little bored, a simple fantasy book, but I was wrong it is a spine tingling book that I did not want to put down.

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Looking forward to Book 2!

I'll admit... I'm not usually a huge fan of "fantasy." I tend to stick more towards horror. The problem with both genres is that there is a plethora of terrible writing and stories that fall into them. You have to wade through a virtual sea of blatant ripoffs, moronic plotlines, or just badly written garbage to find the few gems that really shine and show what the genres are capable of showcasing.

V&V is one of those gems!

Despite jumping right into the story, it took me a little while to really feel immersed in the plot, but boy, I am glad that I did. Like "Lord of The Rings," there is a fair bit or world-building and required history to ingest in some of the early chapters for the stage to really be set so that the characters and plot can shine.

However, once they really take center stage, a compelling and exciting story unfolds. There are flawed characters on every page dealing with their own motives, grievances, and histories. The tale is relayed through a variety of character perspectives which keep the reader/listener aware of the story from multiple angles. List has created a rich world filled with ancient lore, interesting and believable creatures, and locales that each have their own character and feel. The battles are brutal, the desires palpable, and the internal dialogues are genuine enough that you can truly understand the characters, whether you find them funny, charming, intriguing, infuriating, or repulsive.

My one criticism is with the narrator, who while performing the story superbly, he tended to make most of the female characters sound sulky/sultry. His voice was very capable of creating multiple distinct and recognizable characters, which he did, but his females sometimes sounded like they were pouty femme fatale types, even when they were in battles. Otherwise I think he did a wonderful job with the narration and dialogue.

Book two should be an epic conclusion to the series, and I'm very much looking forward to it!

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I need more!!💜

I enjoyed the way this story was written. Multiple places and POVs made for a very exciting adventure. I sometimes had a hard time keeping track of who’s who especially when the story is written with uncommon and unique names but that’s my issue lol. I loved how the chapters were titled with the location and setting, making it easy to follow.
As I approached the end of the book I found myself disappointed that it was about to end. I’m so ready for the next book.
I used to say this isn’t my type of genre, but I’ve since learned that finding the perfect narrator has everything to do with whether or not I enjoy a story. Jonathan Waters is fantastic. Sometimes, after I’m fully submerged into a story, it suddenly hits me that there’s only 1 voice actor performing all these characters and it blows my mind. He is a brilliant narrator and has a voice that’s perfect for this genre.
This is book 1 and the story continues. I highly recommend this book.

Sisters Spotlight 💜

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Don’t feed the birds 

Oh, boy, is this a long book. It feels like three stories wrapped into one volume. And totally worth it. The narration in this story was incredible. Jonathan Waters is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators. This book is definitely worth the credit there is so much to love in this story from its action to its unique dark humor, and especially the political intrigue. Of the things I love the most is at the beginning of every chapter the chapters name seems to be the location of where the chapter is taking place, which helped keep the story flow understandable And a set expectations for the chapter. I’ll be keeping my eye on this author moving forward.

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Wow what a surprise!

So much packed in one book. There were so many characters broken just enough that they were relatable. The author holds your hand as you walk through some deep dark emotions and feelings that hit your heart in a way that’s hard to explain.Where is book 2?!?!?!? I hope there’s more potato lore!!!!

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Rich world building in a fascinating Grimdark world

Fans of Joe Abercrombie will adore this novel with rich world building, political ties full of secrets, and characters that truly feel real. List manages to focus on certain characters by telling their story through the world around them. No POV is wasted. David List is on a quick route to Grimdark royalty.

the narration is also amazing

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Grim

The narration was done well so that it was easy to distinguish the different characters’ voices. It made them more three dimensional. However, I was not thrilled at times when the narration switched to an inconsequential character. It was distracting from the main protagonists and story line.

The world created was done well, and as more and more of the history came out it made a lot more sense, but it was a little hard to follow in an audio format without having a map to get one’s bearings.

The story is really dark and grim; in some cases this overwhelms the story and in other moments it raises it, so while balanced I still felt it was off at times when violence or the suggestions of violence was unnecessary as it was never resolved, or more importantly no reason was really given for it at that point in the story.

Overall I enjoyed the story and many of the characters created.

****SPOILER******








Krauss’ continued being labeled as a rapist felt like it needed more resolution within the context of the story. Yes, we, the readers, knew this was not the truth, but it felt like the characters who caused this event to occur just let it go. The character who did this was one to gloat but never did even when the opportunity presented itself. This just felt a little off too me.

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