2.5/5 stars The Guardian of the Light Trial by Fire and Ice by Shaun Connaughton

March 21, 2022March 13, 2022 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Audiobooks, Fantasy David Reimer, fantasy, Jessica Weyman, Shaun Connaughton

Narrated by David Reimer and Jessica Weyman

Run Time: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Genre: fantasy; YA with adult character

Summary:

Shane takes a few months off from being Santa Claus, goes home, and immediately tells his friend, breaking one of like 3 major rules he was given to abide by (keep magic secret). His argument is it’s for the best, and although some are mad at him, they eventually see his point of view.

Bad guys are still scheming.

Additional Comments:

3/5 Main Characters – Shane’s still the happy-go-lucky guy they turned into Santa Claus. Joe’s the quintessential sidekick.
Target audience is really difficult to pin down. The main characters have an entire conversation about how Shane is now a superhero because he’s got the suit and awesome sidekick. It’s fine, but it sounded like 10-year-old boys playing make believe.
2/5 plot – My favorite parts were the bad guys. You can tell this is part of a much larger story, but it doesn’t really hold up on its own. It might have been better as one massive 35 hour story because then things the bad guys do would make sense.
Morgana’s probably my favorite character and that’s just cause she occasionally gets to kill people.
Descriptions are well done but also way overdone. We get really detailed looks at the inside of the flipping elevator. Nobody cares about the buttons on the elevator unless they’re specifically integral to the plot.
Well, the characters are well-fed. I think 80% of this book is them eating or exploring their really nice rooms at the North Pole. The other 20% is training or planning.
2/5 Still needs editing. There are things liked asked being used repeatedly for statements that strike me as odd. It won’t bother everybody though.
3/5 performance – Both narrators got the job done. The guy pulled a few additional voices out for the elementals. That was cool. The lady sounded mostly the same for all characters. Part of this could be she didn’t have many parts, so I was mostly just keyed into her voice when I heard it.
End fight is short but well done.
There’s a lot of world-building happening in here. It’s a unique take on fantasy and magic but as with book 1, it felt like the story was spinning its wheels to nowhere.

Conclusion:

High marks for concept and uniqueness. Medium-low for execution of plot and prose.

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Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

3/5 Stars The Guardian of Light by Shaun Connaughton

March 15, 2022February 27, 2022 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy, Young Adult David Reimer, Jessica Weyman, Santa Claus, Shaun Connaughton, YA

Narrated by David Reimer & Jessica Weyman

Run Time: 6 hours and 45 mins

Genre: fantasy

Summary:

The back cover copy/book description pretty much tells you the story. There’s a magical prison break, Santa Claus gets murdered, and Shane Conner is chosen to take up the mantel.

Additional Comments:

It’s imaginative.
The beginning doesn’t seem to fit. It’s dark, bloody, and almost like a horror story. Then, we flip gears fast to generic YA fantasy, complete with Polar Express vibes, then Harry Potter off to Hogwarts school of magic vibes.
I heard the audio version. Both narrators did okay. They don’t have a huge range of character voices but they got the gist across.
The story had some pacing issues. There was a lot of Shane sitting down to eat something or other and having very long conversations learning about the world. Those details were often cool, but it dragged.
There are a LOT of descriptions. Some are beautiful. Some are way over the top. I think we got an entire paragraph on the taste of hot cocoa and a few pages on what the train looked like.
Shane got kind of boring. He started neutral and picked up on everything he learned like a fish in water. The lack of struggle didn’t lead to much growth. He didn’t have many ties to the real world, so there wasn’t much to miss when he stepped out of it.
There are a lot of tie-ins to classic fantasy heroes and villains like Morgana le Fay and Merlin.
The author obviously gave a lot of thought to little details like what makes reindeer fly.
There’s a story arc, then it just ends with a lot of loose ends. I know there are more books in the series, but I generally like more closure in stories.
The big, climatic fight we were working towards was okay. I’m still not getting a heck of lot of details as to the bad guy’s motivations.

Conclusion:

If you like frequent references to other types of fantasy stories and all the classic races (elves, dwarves, etc), I’d recommend waiting for a combination book because one feels incomplete.

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Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Choices Stories Review 4.5/5 Stars: Blades of Light and Shadows

November 30, 2021October 23, 2021 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Choices Stories, Fantasy action adventure, Choices Stories, fantasy

Summary:

You play as a young orphan from Riverbend, an idyllic little village. You and your brother dream of adventures, until one comes calling. Soon into the quest, your brother disappears into the Shadow Realm. From that point on, your quest is very personal.

Side discussion about diamonds: Are they worth it?

Short answer: Yes.

Longer answer: If you can afford it, it’s best to spend $107-ish. It’s $100 + taxes) for 1500 diamonds. Throughout the games, there are certain choices you can only make if you have the diamonds. Some games, the diamonds are more about special scenes. Others, like this one, you will need it for max experience and special items and so forth.

It’s possible to play the games without diamonds. Heck, most of the stories have youtube videos. Those are great if you want to see an alternate special scene (like with a different character because there will be different lines of dialogue). I think PB lets those stay up (instead of fighting them) because it draws people into the stories as a whole, which will get people to spend money eventually.

Additional Comments:

Plot 4/5: The beginning meanders. The end is amazing. In between, they did everything in their power to make sure you have lots of sidequests to spend diamonds on. Since that’s basically how they make money to pay people to keep writing and animating such stories, it’s fine. The story itself is fairly standard fantasy fare. I think that’s sort of the schtick.
Side Characters 4/5: Mal’s kind of obnoxious. Knowing that’s part of his charm doesn’t quite cover every irritation. The quest makes him a hero, even if he does still have sticky fingers. Nia’s sweet. I think part of your journey is corrupting the priestess’s do-gooderness. Imatura’s tough at the beginning and tough at the end. Tyril’s kind of the emo, tormented soul of the party. The Nesper’s obsessed with snacks. He’s also adorable.
End 4.5/5: I’m not sure if you needed to buy enough lore and legendary weapons to get the scene at the end, but it had the exact feel of the Elementalists’s first book. They’re definitely angling for a sequel, though to be honest, it probably depends how many people spend diamond along the way. Pretty sure they only continue the series that are popular.
Replay value (5/5) is fairly high. You can adventure as either a man or a woman. You can romance one of 4 companions. It’s a tad annoying that if you switch genders, the special adventuring outfit isn’t already paid for (you have to buy it again even if you bought it for your first character. Cheap shot, PB, but I will admit both the female and male special outfits are stellar).
One of the best Pixelberry stories I’ve finished of late, though it’s probably a hairsbreadth behind The Royal Heir Book 2 in overall feels.

Conclusion:

Well-worth playing and replaying if you love fantasy.

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Many of my 50 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
River’s Edge Ransom – Prequel to Redeemer Chronicles (Amazon) (email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)

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Devya’s Children Series Links:

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian. (Amazon) (free codes)
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live. (Amazon) (Please email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift. (Amazon) (free codes)
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma. (Amazon) (free codes)
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother. (Amazon) (free codes)
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble. (Amazon) (free codes)
More Scifi:
Reshner’s Royal Ranger (epic sci-fi) just made it there. (Amazon) (free codes)

Guardian Angel Files:

Spirit’s Bane – Allister and Mina are training to be Guardians. Satan’s out to get them. (Amazon) (free codes)
Kindred Spirits – Mina’s exiled to Earth. Allister’s stuck in the Heavens. (Amazon) (free codes)

4/5 Stars Video Game Review Hogwarts Mystery (iphone)

November 18, 2021October 23, 2021 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Fantasy Video Game Review

Summary:

You get to play as a young witch or wizard in the Harry Potter world. It’s a long, drawn out adventure story. I have been playing for a few weeks now. It’s fun but there are certainly annoying points.

Additional Comments:

Pro: Graphics are beautiful.
Con: Load times are annoying.
Neutral: If you’re willing to watch a bajillion of the same ads, you can earn energy.
Ah, energy. It’s probably the sorest point. That’s how they make their money. It takes 4 minutes to get 1 energy, but they will happily give you 3 from time to time if you watch an ad. Those are a sanity and life-saver. I get that they need to make money off the game, but 4 minutes is excessively long when it takes about 30 energy for an hour long quest, 60 for a 3 hour quest and about 100 for an 8 hour quest.
Between ads and bonuses you can find every few hours throughout the castle, you should be able to complete a few quests a day.
Con: Certain story quests lock you in until it’s finished. Most, you can come and go as you please to pick up extra energy, feed a pet, or work on your friendships.
Pro: Year 3 features study with a friend. This is an amazing boost to your friendships.
Neutral: Meal with a friend is okay for building friendships, but they don’t give you a lot of experience and there is a 6-hour cooldown between instances. I’d starve if I went to this school. Playing gobstones gives more XP for building friendships. You kind of have to advance friendships if you want your friends to help you on your crazy quest to find your missing brother.
Pro: Most of the answers to quests are available online. Not sure how I’d have made it without those walkthroughs. Major thanks to those who painstakingly put the lists together.
The story itself is fine, but it’s a little drawn out for the sake of prolonging the game. For example, I’m trying to get the lady in the Three Broomsticks to give me my brother’s quill. She’s using me as an errand girl. At least the collection quests are short so far.
Quiddich is fun. I like the game mechanics. You have to move the cursor into the spheres when it reaches the green part. The quest to join the quidditch team for your house is kind of annoying though. Orion’s a jerk.
Con: I’ve had major connectivity issues. I’m not sure if the blame rests with Jam City (game maker) or Facebook or what, but it still stinks. Thank goodness for Youtube videos that tell you how to preserve a game. Even if it’s FB’s fault, I highly recommend connecting your game. I’ve been restarted twice and gotten my game back through the method in this video.
I played ages ago, but I quit because the dueling annoyed me.
Dueling is now possible against other players. It’s a lot more fun that way.
They’ve also done a lot more work with events. Timed quests can be annoying, but they’re possible if you plan carefully. In that sense, it is a bit of a strategy game.

Conclusion:

It’s not bad for a phone game. A little tedious at points (okay, a lot tedious), but still fun.

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4.5/5 Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson

October 6, 2021October 3, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy Brandon Sanderson, Michael Kramer, mistborn

Series: Mistborn 6

Narrated by Michael Kramer

Run Time: 14 hrs and 41 mins

Genre: fantasy

Summary:

Wax, Wayne, MeLaan, Steris, and Marasi set out on an epic adventure to find the bands of Mourning. They need to recover some spikes to restore a condra and keep the powerful Bands out of the bad guys hands.

Additional Comments:

The prologue is pretty long but worth it. That could have been a separate short story altogether.
I would have liked more background on Wax’s uncle and the history of how Wax’s sister fell into his hands.
Brandon Sanderson is a master of intriguing characters. MeLaan’s hilarious in a dry way. The way she keeps pulling stuff out of her body is amazing, kind of gross, and amusing all at once.
Wayne’s penchant for swapping out stuff is good for some light moments.
Marasi and Steris are polar opposites. Steris’s lists were hilarious. Point 17 – framed for a crime. That poor innkeeper.
The adventure works out well enough. There are some neat sort of steampunk turns.
The twists at the end were okay, but there are really only so many twists, so they become predictable all the same.

Conclusion:

This probably should not be your first Brandon Sanderson story. It’s 3^rd in a trilogy and 6^th of the Mistborn stories. I think there’s a 7^th, but I’m not positive. Sanderson’s got so many series. Not all are gold, but this one (Mistborn) is excellent. I may return to the series some day and listen start to finish.

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Many of my 57 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.

Review copies for many titles are available from StoryOrigin.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Books 1-4 were re-released in audiobook form in 2021.
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift. (Amazon) (Request a Review Copy)
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma. (Amazon) (Request a Review Copy)
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother. (Amazon) (Request a Review Code)
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble. (Amazon) (Request a Review Code)
More Scifi:
Reshner’s Royal Ranger (epic sci-fi) just made it there. (Amazon) (click for sample)
If you’re all in and want to review the entire trilogy (~35 hrs!) go here.

Aeris Legends Books 1-3 ~17 hrs of epic fantasy. (Request a Review Copy)

Guardian Angel Files:

I have Author Direct codes from Findaway Voices for the combo book that has Spirit’s Bane and Kindred Spirits. (Click here for a review copy.)

Guardian Angel Files Books 1 and 2: Spirit’s Bane and Kindred Spirits by Julie C. Gilbert

October 3, 2021August 23, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, Fantasy Christian fantasy, Julie C. Gilbert, Reuben Corbett

Narrated by Reuben Corbett

Run Time: 13 hrs and 13 min

Genre: Christian fantasy

Summary:

Allister and Mina share a Kindred Spirit bond. It makes them powerful, but also paints a target on them. Satan and his minions want to control them.

Additional Comments:

Spirit’s Bane has a lot of Mina and Allister trying out the various roles a Guardian Angel could have: Comforter, Protector, Healer, etc. Then, things get serious.
There’s a war on in the heavens and on Earth. Mankind’s just caught in the middle.
Kindred Spirit picks up where Spirit’s Bane leaves off. Mina stays on Earth and tries to keep the weapon out of Satan’s hands. Allister tries his best to find her.
This short series has a lot of philosophy for a fantasy series.
The story seed came about from a musing about what had to happen to meet somebody you know in a grocery store.
It’s a very different flavor of fantasy for me. Probably the closest I come to urban fantasy.
Young adult genre fits well enough, but it’s not really a shapeshifter, shirtless dude kind of fantasy.
It features first person narration from Allister, Mina, and Hadeon – Director of Operations for Satan (and Than, another demon).

Conclusion:

If you like the style of writing in the Screwtape Letters, you might like this.

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4/5 Stars The Lady in the Coppergate Tower by Nancy Campbell Allen

September 21, 2021August 11, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy Elizabeth Knowelden, Nancy Campbell Allen

Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden

Series: The Steampunk Proper Romances

Run Time: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Summary:

Hazel Hughes meets an eccentric uncle who happens to be a Count and super rich and mysterious. She’s also got a sister she only sees in visions and the mirror. Sam MacInnes is a handsome doctor whose station is far above Hazel’s. She works for him as a medical assistant of sorts. (She’s a healer with perfect recall.)

Additional Comments:

– The worldbuilding aspects were cool. It’s a place with magic and mystery, fantastic tech, yet stuck in a time with bored rich people with oddball rules of courtship.

– It got boring. I had it playing at 2.3 speed for the most part, but sections still managed to drag. I know the worldbuilding took some time, but the story’s essentially in 3 sections. The first is terribly slow and hardly worth slogging through except for those gems about the world. The second is skippable when they’re on the submarine to Romania. The third is shorter but interesting. There’s finally some action.

– The Coppergate tower thing doesn’t kick in until the very end, which is fine. I’m glad there was a tie-in.

– The romance was so-so. The only thing holding them back from each other was a disparity in station and that got remedied in the first third of the book.

– The mystery of what the Count wants and so forth was predictable.

– The book had awesome narration. Would definitely listen to the narrator again.

– I found the book on audible plus. Wouldn’t have checked it out otherwise.

– There was a part at the end I had to yell at the character. She’s a flipping healer.

Conclusion:

The odd aspects of the book were cool. The “normal” portions dragged, a lot.

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

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2.45/5 stars 31 Drōmfrangil by Cynthia McDonald

September 1, 2021August 23, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy Andre Santana, Cynthia McDonald

Narrated by Andre Santana

Run Time: 10 hrs and 42 mins

*spoilers in discussion

Summary:

Marcus gets swept into a fantasy world on a quest to find his father. Of course, his best friend and his new friend come along for the ride. The world is basically a utopia that’s been upset by the presence of humans.

Additional Comments:

It’s about 8 hours too long for the story being told here. The main character spent the first 7.5 hours wandering around this world going from point A to B to C sticking his foot in his mouth and asking “what?” repeatedly.
Was very preachy for a secular book. Main message: humans screw up whatever they touch. Oh, and we’re going to get through this on the power of friendship. The perfect people don’t have a system of money, they just trade for whatever they need. People do what needs doing just because it needs doing. That’s the surface anyway. Underneath, there’s still a system of torture used on those who would lead the masses away from party lines. Ironically, the main character wins the day by exerting his will over the bad guys, but this is okay since he has good intentions in mind and just wants to set things right.
1/5 stars The “bad guy” was lame. Big, great power, and defeated by a thought.
Main character 2/5 stars: The MC was crazy overpowered. He can basically change anything he wants to about the world. The disability angle was interesting at first, but then, he learns he has this cool power and decides to keep his disabilities because they have made him who he is. He gets asked on 3 separate occasions about this. Repeatedly looking a plot hole in the eyes doesn’t make it less a plot hole. Every other human only gets 1 power, except the MC, he gets however many he wants/needs/ the plot needs. Technically, he only has the power to change whatever he wants about the world, but it still boils down to he can basically do anything: heal, catch rockslides, teleport people and objects, etc.
Side characters 2/5 stars: literally just there so the kid can have conversations without talking to himself. 0 value.
Plot 2/5 stars: Pretty sure we got 4 separate descriptions of the kid bathing. Took about 8 of 10 hours for there to be any sort of meaningful confrontation with the bad guys.
Worldbuilding 3/5 stars: There’s a lot here. Rock/dragon-like people, tree-like people, merpeople, etc. The author certainly has a rich imagination. The main trouble to me was the same knit I have with a lot of fantasy stories. Every other word was something new. So, we have hours upon hours of the kids wandering around meeting new people and learning what mundane things are in that world.
Content Comments: fairly clean. Some cursing.
Performance 4/5 stars: The narrator distinguished between the characters nicely, but he still had to work with what he was given.
I would listen to the narrator again, but I doubt I’d seek out anything else by the author unless it’s a completely different genre.

Conclusion:

There’s a lot of fluff in here. If you chopped all that out, it’d be a decent story. As is, it was just a really long meandering tale to nowhere.

*I received a free copy of the audiobook. This is my honest evaluation of the story. I have freely chosen to review the book.

3.75/5 Stars How I Magically Messed Up My Life in Four Freakin’ Days by Megan O’Russell

August 22, 2021July 30, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy, Young Adult Bryant Adams, Jacob McNatt

Narrated by Jacob McNatt

Summary:

Bryant Adams finds a phone that helps unlock his latent abilities as a wizard. It does not go smoothly.

Additional Comments:

First person narration lets the character voice come through very strongly. So, if you like the voice, which I mostly did, you’ll likely enjoy the book. If the voice gets annoying for you, parts can get tedious. It did but not to an overwhelming point.
The style is very flippant, which can be funny, but it also makes it come across like a superhero fluff piece. There’s no sense of danger. Just a ho-hum, well, that was bad sort of attitude taken throughout. For example, the MC and company manage to blow up or destroy about 3 structures. At one point, a character laments that people only ever remember the structural damage, which is an amusing point. However, the other 3 central characters don’t seem to care one whit about the structural damage to any of the places. That seems callous, even for teenagers.
The main character and company do spend much of the book clueless.
Part seemed geared toward a MG audience. That’s not necessarily bad, just not expected.
End battle’s cool.
Romance angle was okay but seemed there just to be there.
Characters are likable. Devon and Elizabeth are decent sidekicks. Eric turns out to be interesting too.
Nitpicky things: The word chortled is way overused. Snarked is an odd dialogue tag. Not sure a 17-year-old boy would use it.
Better than okay but not quite great.
Narration: Fitting and decent throughout.
Content warnings: Some casual cursing.

Conclusion:

There are interesting, funny characters caught up in a chaotic plot that zigzags wherever the heck it pleases. The title sort of sets the tone you’ll get throughout. Definitely not serious. If that’s your thing, give this a shot.

Audiobook Promotions …

Many of my 44 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4.5/5 Stars Netherfield: Rogue Dragon by Maria Grace

August 19, 2021July 30, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, dragons, Fantasy Benjamin Fife, Jane Austen spinoffs, Maria Grace

Series: Jane Austen’s Dragons 3

Narrated by Benjamin Fife

Run Time: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Summary:

Lydia and Wickham are missing. Netherfield might have a rogue dragon wandering about. There an emissary from the Eastern dragons coming to chat with the find English folk, but she’s also missing. The peace that exists between dragons and mankind is fragile at best.

Additional Comments:

Parts of the book dragged, but as usual, the end and last third of the book turned out to be interesting, which made up for most of the earlier boringness.
I think this book focused a little more on the dragon aspects and less on the Pride and Prejudice aspects, which made it better than the previous entries.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Pemberley’s adorable. The voice chosen for the baby dragon fits her nicely.
I like that Elizabeth’s not perfect.
Lydia’s still a twit. That fits.
The dialogue works for the era.
Benjamin Fife’s performance is once again solid.
The end, while satisfying, came across as a tad rushed.

Conclusion:

The book can be read as a standalone, but it is probably more satisfying if you read the series in order. The prequel is take or leave as far as affecting anything, so you can just start with Pemberley if you want to get the most out of the series. I’d venture to say that the prequel has more meaning for those already invested in the series rather than serving as an introduction.

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files: