Forging Divinity

I did want to like it

I started this book with hopes it would be great, but found the characters flat, the action dull, and interactions predictable and shallow.
The Magic system sounds cool, but I wish they did more with it.
the storyline was also so slow I didn't realize we were through till it ended. I kept waiting for it get better and kept hopeing it would grab my attention and take me along for a thrill. it never seemed to get there.
I did manage to get lost several times with my attention wandering because it was so boring. this forced me to backtrack and try listening again many times. it just wasn't worth the effort.

I love Nick Podehl and will continue to support him, but this book just wasn't for me.

42 of 48 people found this review helpful

Hot and Cold

Would you try another book from Andrew Rowe and/or Nick Podehl?

Yes.

What about Nick Podehl’s performance did you like?

All the voices were very distinctive and fit the character's personality. I thought he really overacted in the first chapter with Taelien, but I got used to his style and it stopped bothering me.

Did Forging Divinity inspire you to do anything?

No. Who comes up with these questions?

Any additional comments?

Pros:
The characters are distinct and colorful- especially Jonan and Lydia.
Lydia was definitely on the same level as the male characters in terms of her roll in the story and her development. There are some raunchy jokes made by both male protagonists, but I never felt like her primary purpose for being there was to be a love interest. And she was not defined by her looks or her sex appeal. A+++.

Cons:
This book reads more like a text book or an encyclopedia most of the time. My goddess, the author will interrupt literally anything to lecture the reader on every little detail of the world. And it feels like a mind-numbing lecture. Most of it is totally irrelevant to what is happening, it's repetitive, it's dull, and it's voluminous. He never has the information come up naturally during the course of the story. Good luck remembering any of it if/when it becomes relevant.
The author over-explains everything, not just the world. A character will say something, and another character will sit there and analyze the statement for 3 pages. He or she will imagine every possible scenario before taking any action. It makes the story drag.
What the heck is up with the main character and wanting to jump off a bridge after killing an enemy in self defense? Wasn't he in military training for 6 years? I just don't find him believable at all. I believe that he would be haunted- heck, just being in the torture chamber seems traumatic, but his reaction was too simplistic.

I am more than half way through the book but I don't know if I will finish it.

30 of 35 people found this review helpful

Meh

What was most disappointing about Andrew Rowe’s story?

i just did not connect with the characters

Have you listened to any of Nick Podehl’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I like Nick's performances, this story was just weak

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Definitely a keeper

Any additional comments?

I immediately was swept into this book right from the beginning. The world and character development were nicely done. I like the idea of the use of magic causing a physical cost to the user. The action scenes were incredibly engaging. Nick Podehl is as masterful as ever. I had a hard time putting this one down. Moving on to the second book and I already can't wait for the third.

15 of 18 people found this review helpful

It was alright

It was alright, just alright. If your looking for the next big thing keep looking but your looking for a read that fills a gap inbetween series this might do.

14 of 17 people found this review helpful

Enjoyed the tale, but . . .

It feels as if the writer is lecturing to a class of second graders. All of the time-outs to explain the magic system are annoying and uncalled for, a brief explanation would suffice, then let us figure it out as we go along. The thoughts of the characters are the same, they think something, then explain why they think that. The plot was interesting, and the narration was excellent, but the writing style was just not up to par for this type of story.

10 of 12 people found this review helpful

Original and engaging

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Forging Divinity was an excellent read, so I couldn't resist picking up the audio version once it became available. Mr. Podehl really helps to bring the story and its characters to life.

What did you like best about this story?

One of the things I like best about Forging Divinity is the magic system. Where many other books leave their magic unexplained or without consequence, Mr. Rowe has written a setting in which delving into the complicated - and often somewhat dangerous - varieties of magic in the world causes some very serious effects.

Any additional comments?

This book is an excellent read/listen. As the first installation in the War of Broken Mirrors series, Forging Divinity delivers a story that is engaging and fast-paced with an abundance of clever, well-written characters and an entirely unique setting.

16 of 20 people found this review helpful

great book. Even better narrator.

A very promising first book. As you would expect from Podehl, the narration as second to none.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Too much too fast.

Would you try another book from Andrew Rowe and/or Nick Podehl?

Yes I would. This book was a lot of world building and setting. And the world is very interesting if not all throw at you all at once.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The world it's set in is by far the most interesting.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes,

Any additional comments?

This book throws a ton of names, places, and overall exposition at you right out of the gate and it never really feels like it lets up. The world is interesting and I liked the characters but there was so much to keep straight that I tended to lose track. I still enjoyed the book but i'm hoping the second will focus more on characters since the world was mostly build in this book.

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

A promising and enjoyable fantasy start

If ever there was a novel where it seemed certain that both the author and narrator worked closely to craft a novel that exploited the best characteristics of each, this is it. The story evolves around 3 unlikely protagonists, 2 untrusting sorcerers and one naive orphaned swordsman, agreeing to work together to help help the swordsman find a teacher he was directed to meet by his adoptive parents. Each of these characters have their own separate agendas that at times coincide and other times conflict; yet they end up working wonderfully, if ever untrustingly, together.

That combination in itself would have made it a very good story but the author took care to create several other characters, some antagonists and other allies, who are equally intriguing and interesting.

The narrator is excellent in his ability to put life into the telling of the story. There is some deaths; after all, it is a fantasy, but surprisingly, there are very few. I liked it so much I immediately looked to see if Book 2 was available but, alas, as of this review it's only available for pre-order.

22 of 29 people found this review helpful