Dawn of Wonder

Instant Favorite

I can't say enough about this book! Before I even got halfway through this book I knew it would be one of my favorites. The thing that glues me to this book most is the character development. I felt emotionally attached to the main character Aedan, I found myself screaming out loud in some situations routing him on. Jonathan Renshaw has a natural ability to set up tension in a scene. One key thing that I really like is the fact that the character development feels very realistic and natural. It doesn't seem forced or stiff if that makes any sense. People react to situations as you could imagine they would in reality which is something I look for in a book. Some authors like to use coincidence far too much, to the point where it takes you out of the immersion. And some authors like to take the character to a knifes edge and then some miraculous event saves the day. Which is OK sometimes... That certainly doesn't always happen in this book. Sometimes the characters in this book have to go through some really rough things not always being saved at the last minute.
Jonathan Renshaw REALLY did allot of research for this book and you can tell. He goes into detail about the making of weapons and fighting techniques etc. I very much enjoyed these parts of the book. You can very much tell that the author was a school teacher before becoming an author and likely a very good one.
Another thing which stood out about this book is the solid morality which goes against so many adult fantasy books that are popular right now. Too many authors these days feel as though in order to make the world feel more real and the characters more believable you have to add questionable morality harsh language and obscene over the top sexual situations. This book proves that this is not the case. In fact, this is a book I will be reading with my children when they are a little older as there are allot of life lessons and virtues I want to teach them which I find scattered throughout this book.
In summary, this book is a must read for anyone who likes fantasy. I wish I could give more than 5 stars. One more thing of note Tim Gerard Reynolds did a spectacular job of bringing this story to life! What an amazing performance!

325 personnes sur 355 ont trouvé cette évaluation pertinente

This is such a great book!!!

Just listened to it again, I've been waiting almost three years for the second...ugh but if Johnathan gives us another amazing story, I can be patient, it's just hard lol.
Love, adore, crave these characters!!! I was getting sad at chapter 34 knowing it was half way through.
This book is so awesome, I know I'll listen again before the second book comes out!!!
The narrator does a wonderful job, I wouldn't want anyone else, he's so good!!! I already have 5 books that he narrates and I'm getting more for sure!!!

152 personnes sur 169 ont trouvé cette évaluation pertinente

Renshaw will go down as one of the greats!

Any additional comments?

Okay, this is truly something special! The writing is absolutely beautiful - a few steps above even the better modern novels in this genre. The amount of detail is superb - not overly drawn out, but wonderfully intricate.

The plot has a lot of depth/dynamics, and doesn't fall into the usual routines so many modern Fantasy novels are guilty of.

The characters are so easy to engage with, and most definitely NOT two dimensional and obvious - there is lots of depth/range in this department.

Perhaps the best part is that it's fresh. It follows in the footsteps of the greats, such as Tolkien and Jordan, but is easily distinguishable from them - and even manages to be distinct from the modern greats, such as Sanderson and Rothfuss.

If he keeps this up, Renshaw will easily be remembered as one of the greats of the genre.

And as always, Tim Gerard Reynolds brings an absolutely brilliant delivery, making it all the more amazing. SO glad this got properly matched with a narrator equal to the material!

Absolutely superb!!

237 personnes sur 272 ont trouvé cette évaluation pertinente

Best book this year

Where does Dawn of Wonder rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This ranks among the top, not the top 10 but very high. I saw influences from many of the great writers of fantasy and the author managed to bring out the best in fantasy.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Peashoot (or how it is spelled), solid character with quick retorts.

Have you listened to any of Tim Gerard Reynolds’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes I have and he is among the best. His performance in this was very good but the reason I don't give top grades is that I felt that the editing was sub par to his other works. Constantly the new sentences changed in volume and you noted that the author had taken a break. The flow was interrupted.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it was to long for that. A lot of smaller adventures over several story years made the main story a bit weak to hold interest for one sitting but no less important as character build is one of the most important bits to a great story.

Any additional comments?

Strongly recommend this story and look forward to the next. Readers should note that this story is a bit slower than other in the same genre but I felt that was refreshing.

5 personnes sur 5 ont trouvé cette évaluation pertinente

This was an excellent fantasy coming of age story

Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw is the first novel in the series called The Awakening. This fantasy novel is set in the country of Thirna and it’s a coming of age and adventure story about a young boy, Aedan. When an officer rides into Aedan’s home of Mistyvales warning of coming slavers, Aedan is immediately suspicious. As events unfold, Aedan is forced to travel away from his small northern country town and finds a home in the large southern city of Castath, where he aspires to join the Academy and become an honorable marshal. He is thrown into a new life that he isn’t prepared for and must learn to contend with his demons as well as become adept at understanding and interacting safely with the world around him.

This was an excellent fantasy coming of age story. Each of the characters is filled out with a range of emotions and actions. Similarly, their interactions with one another are filled with amusement and feeling. I especially liked the boys and girls that Aedan interacts with at the academy. They turn out to be his solid footing when other things in his life are trying. Renshaw’s world building and character development are just incredible. There were many times during the listen that I actually laughed out loud! It is definitely a long book, but it lets the reader soak in every part of it with all the detail. The plot is dynamic and there are many highs and lows for Aedan and his companions, which keep it from getting boring with its length. I actually wanted it to keep going! The end is satisfyingly set up for the next novel, which I’m really looking forward to. One interesting part of the fantasy aspect was that it isn’t blatant. The world is slowly becoming more and more aware of strange mystical occurrences and vaguely speculating of their meaning. This magic wasn’t the centerpiece of the story, but something slowly coming more into focus, similarly to Aedan’s adulthood. As the series continues, I can see how it’ll become more important and I’m looking forward to learning more about the meaning of everything that was introduced in this first novel.

The narration by Tim Gerard Reynolds was excellent. He is incredible at voicing the different characters and delivered the amusing lines extremely well. I would definitely listen to another novel narrated by him. The production quality of the novel was good as well. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys fantasy coming of age stories with complex, in depth story lines.

Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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186 personnes sur 221 ont trouvé cette évaluation pertinente

Enjoyable if not cliche

When I first saw this book, I read a review that said this book was incredibly stereotypical of fantasy novels. It literally hits every fantasy cliche you can imagine:

1) Child Prodigy - Check
2) Horrific Childhood experience - Check
3) Training with secretive/selective unit - check
4) Nobel Rich Dick vs commoner kind Main Character - Check
5) A little Magic - Check
6) Old and powerful Mentor - check (although he went against the norm and didn't die!)
6a) Old Mentor takes place of father figure - check
6b) Father comes back and renews tension between father and son - Check
6c) father son battle - Check
7) Dragons - kind of check
8) magical creatures - Check
9) Prophecy - little check
10) Kings, Betrayal, Friendship, near death, death death, bullies and revenge/justice - all checks

If you can think of another cliche, this book probably had it. I was looking for red vs blue swords by the end!

But it's very enjoyable and Renshaw even introduces some serious mental issues with the main character. He also creates a fairly decent introduction to a second book which I will bother with.

Go a head and take a chance. It's fun and emotional at the same time.

18 personnes sur 21 ont trouvé cette évaluation pertinente

Wonderful start to a great and realistic fantasy

Rarely does a book cause such an emotional high or low. I kept getting so angry at points in the story that I wanted to discuss it with others or just shout my frustration (which I did on occasion). This is not negative, as it might sound, Aedan just felt so real I couldn't help getting emotionally invested and sometimes that was with joy or sadness or rage.

This story is well worth a credit or purchase. I had a tough time turning it off and got little sleep. I am excited for the next story and will keep this one downloaded and will listen to it again which is another rarity for me. If you are a fan of a more realistic coming of age fantasy story centered around a main character and his friends you will not be disappointed.

45 personnes sur 54 ont trouvé cette évaluation pertinente

Possibly the best Audible book ever!

Any additional comments?

I just finished Dawn of Wonder on Audible and I was extremely delighted with the book. The character building was detailed and meticulous from the start, which I appreciate. The main character Aedan was a delight. Mentally following Aedan from the Misty Vale to the Academy and beyond was captivating. His coming of age story and the difficulties he faces are magnificently portrayed within the book.

The story took a surprising turn about 25 hours in which for me was the highlight of the entire book. If I went farther I would risk being a spoiler. Let’s just say I will be purchasing and downloading book 2 in advance the minute it is available.

I was in awe of the care and skill that the author employed to maintain sexual and linguistic purity within the story. It is nice to listen to a book with creative writing that does not require an NC-17 rating. Humor and action are scattered throughout the book providing an excellent rhythm for the story.

I have already began recommending this book on audible to my family and friends. My brother and Father will be listening soon. This will be my Father’s 2nd book on Audible, the first was Ben Hur. I myself have listened to 81 Audible titles.

I place Dawn of Wonder at the top of my list in the fantasy/Adventure category.

This has been my first ever review, that tells you something about the quality of this Book. Spend the token, you will not regret it.


The only sad point for me is that the 2nd book is not out yet which means I have to wait ;(

138 personnes sur 168 ont trouvé cette évaluation pertinente

Drop everything, buy this book.

I wasn't sure if I would like this book, I've read several coming of age books, and sometimes I get bored with the main character being a youth that is somehow the chosen one.

Not this book.
This is the first which can only be a great series to come. This book make me miss work, laugh, smile, cry and mourn.
I read the authors blog and he said a goal of his was to have the characters feel more real.
We are our own worst critics because these characters felt very real.
Everyone wasn't perfect, the main character even annoyed me at times, but not because of bad writing- but because he is trying to work through things and I wanted to shake it out of him.
I know it's yet another unfinished series, but everything from the magnificent narration to the detailed writing, loveable (and hateable) characters, the world and the sense of magic and purpose.
I don't know much about the author but I will always choose his books, and I suggest you do too.

I normally don't write reviews, and I normally don't give out 5 stars (last time I did was for Sanderson) which can be a bit snobbish, but I would give this book 6 stars.

This is a book that all ages can enjoy. It's not YA by any means- but you'll find yourself younger and full of imagination. Exactly what a fantasy book is about.

Bravo.

21 personnes sur 25 ont trouvé cette évaluation pertinente

Next?

This is one of those stories that should have notation "sequel not ready" and a note to the author to write fast and stay safe!

20 personnes sur 24 ont trouvé cette évaluation pertinente