Essential World-building

NOTE: I READ ALL THREE OF THE BOOKS IN ORDER AND RETURNED TO EDIT THIS REVIEW AFTER COMPLETING THE SERIES


[Phillipino author Rin Chupeco is non-binary and prefers the pronouns They/Them. I will honor that convention].

This book is essentially an establishment entry. Chupeco goes on to tell an interesting tale of political, military, and existential conflict through this trilogy, but in Book One (''The Bone Witch') they concentrate on a coming-of-age story for a reluctant antihero.
Tea ("TEE'uh") inadvertently reveals that she is a "Dark Asha" - a rare type of Necromancer that the world needs to hold off attacks from "Daeva" - monstrous demons that must be periodically raised & banished to keep the world in balance. Tea is taken from her village to the Capitol for training in magic, combat, and - oddly - music/dance/singing to entertain the aristocracy.
At the same time as telling this intriguing story, Chupeco creates a world where adult humans hold magical objects of different colors/types called heartsglasses (from which they draw power) - enhanced by analgously rare male wizards called "Heart Forgers"; a male mage class known as "Deathseekers" fight battles for the Eight Kingdoms; belligerent royalty maneuver & subjugate the other classes; a mysterious cabal of sorcerous villains known as "The Faceless" threaten society; the realm is somehow shaped by legendary myths involving love & betrayal, and typical confused teenage feelings of attraction, loyalty, independence, and insecurity complicate *everything*.
See what I mean? It's too complex for a 12-hour book..
Fortunately, Chupeco does a very nice job making the whole imaginative scenario surprisingly intuitive. Their vocabulary and prose are creditable, their dialogue - while admittedly often melodramatic - is realistic, and their description is more than capable. The problem is that it takes time. Chupeco basically uses this episode for characterization and to introduce the milieu (only after reading this book can you move on to the rest of the work).

Unfortunately, complaints of poor volume modulation from Blackstone Audio Inc. are legitimate. Will Damron - reading the part of "bard", a witness to the fully-trained Tea in a contemporary timeline - exhibits commendable diction, timbre, and cadence.. and injects an admirably interested tone. His reading is unspectacular yet professional.. but at least at a steady volume.
On the other hand, Emily Woo Zeller - reading Tea as an apprentice in a past timeline - is similarly passable, but delivers most of the text with a whispery quiet timbre that demands listeners strain to hear.. and then changes her volume drastically with overdramatic dialogue: performing with uncomfortably voluble interjections/near-shout emotional exclamations. AVOID EARBUDS IF YOU VALUE YOUR COCHLEAS.

To be honest, this entire series should be a single epic book in three parts. This first installment rates a mere 4.5 stars out of 10, but the lack of "standalone" merit shouldn't discourage you from going on with the series. It gets better.
Also in it's favor: it was included as a 'Plus' option - included with my subscription. If you can likewise get it for free, the investment of time and effort is worth the immersive YA-flavored Fantasy. Don't automatically pass if they ask for Credits.. but consider carefully.

ATTN PRODUCERS: Adding a PDF with maps and the Final Chapter in this book (A Glossary of the Eight Kingdoms) would improve this product immeasurably

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NARRATION IS UNBEARABLE AFTER A FEW CHAPTERS!

They story is ok on its own. It's got a different take on story telling. But I cannot stand this woman's narration. It just gets into your nerve. I wish they had someone else do it.

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Magic

Very nicely written but it took me a chapter or so to realize that depending on the narrative, you were listening to the past then present time. I enjoyed the variation in magic and fantasy that was brought into this novel.

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Worth a listen

I really liked the world building. The story dragged in places and the main character was a bit too whiny at times but overall I really liked it. The female voice actor had a good range, but had some trouble with volume control, I think it was a recording issue more than anything though. Still, I recommend it.

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Can't decide if I like it or not.

EDIT: The second book really picks up and it's worth a listen!

EDIT II: The third book of the trilogy is the best one. I'll be re-evaluating the first book after a second listen. The split timeline is confusing as are the names of three big male characters all being similar enough to confuse them. Glad I kept going with the series.

The writing is really quite good but the plot and pacing is a bit of a mess. There's a point in the middle of the book that all plot just disappears in a far-too-drawn-out makeover menagerie. I nearly deleted the book at that point, but I'm glad I didn't. Consciousness jumping was interesting but made for awkward writing - though I don't know if it could really be done any better. I understand the split storyline but the lack of commonality made the reveal completely unsurprising and therefore pointless. The who-dunnit style reveal of the main plotline was slick and surprising. The final chapter was info-dumping on the world. The world building is very cool, but only die hard fans would be interested in a list of kingdoms. It would be better left in print. As I said, the actual writing is well done and I'm undecided about whether or not I will buy the next book.

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loved it 💯+!

once you get started, you have a hard time pulling away. I can't wait to start the next audiobook!

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great start

I enjoyed the listen. Great start, looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

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loved the whole series

So well done. My daughter and I loved the whole series. Great character development. Plot was we'll developed. We really enjoyed it. Highly recommend.

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It was better than expected

What made the experience of listening the most enjoyable?

The narrator. She is absolutely fantastic. And Will was great as well.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters are very good, easy to care about and want to see them happy.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was when Tea was able to tame the beast.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?
This book can be tough to follow, once I realize that we were moving back and forth between times by the different narration than it all made sense to me and I enjoyed it more. I'll move on to the next one.

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Couldn’t stomach the main narrator. .

Quit partway into chapter 6. The story seemed good but the narration became too bad to bear.

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