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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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.

4/5 Stars The Mysterious Package by Christa Nardi and Cassidy Salem

January 17, 2022December 29, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, cozyish, Family, mystery, Young Adult Cassidy Salem, Christa Nardi, Julie McCarthy

A Hannah and Tamar Mystery

Narrated by Julie McCarthy

Runtime: 2 hrs and 5 mins

Summary:

On the train ride up to see their grandparents, Hannah and Tamar stumble across a distraught, haughty woman and a scruffy looking dude. Things get weirder when the woman slips a strange package into one of the girls’ pockets.

Additional Comments:

Simple, kid safe mystery. Probably going for the market that loves Nancy Drew, The Bobbsey Twins, Mandie, and such.
Half the book is mystery and half is managing semi relationships with some nice guys from the town.
No real peril to the characters. Normally, that would annoy me, but it fits here.
Performance was good.
Main characters did have differences but sort of blurred into one type.
Conclusion works well and is satisfying.

Conclusion:

Clean, peril free mystery aimed at 10-14 year old girls. Fits that well.

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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)

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

3.45/5 Stars Classic Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

January 8, 2022December 29, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, classic, Young Adult classic, J.M. Barrie, Victor Warren

(Performance 4/5 stars) Narrated by Victor Warren

Run Time: 5 hrs and 29 mins

Summary:

The original and definitely not the Disney version of the Peter Pan classic. A boy chases his shadow into a girl’s room and ends up inviting her and her brothers on an adventure.

Additional Comments:

I’d never heard the original. My only previous impressions were the Disney illustrated movie. Basically, every change they made to the story is for the better.
This version is dark, and Peter’s an arrogant jerk. The story narrator declares this pretty quickly. The characterization is spot on for that, but it made him not that fun to hear about. This is the storybook hero … and I hate him because he is legitimately forever a spoiled, selfish, idiot child. Oh, he’s clever, but that’s about the extent of his redeeming qualities.
4/5 stars The performance is solid. The voices are distinguishable. The reading is smooth and correctly inflected.
Not sure how this became a classic. It’s not very kid-friendly. Way more outright murders and death by meaningless fights going on.
It’s certainly fantasy. There are a lot of excellent world-building elements.

Conclusion:

If you want to see where it all began for Peter Pan, go for it. This is a nice reading of it.

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Review copies for many titles are available from StoryOrigin.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

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

3.75/5 Nyssa Glass: The Complete Audio Set

October 25, 2021October 3, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Steampunk, Young Adult H.L. Burke, Mary Ann Weathers, Nyssa Glass

Narrated by Mary Ann Weathers

Run Time: 13 hrs and 35 mins

Genre: steampunk-ish, Christian-ish

Summary:

Nyssa Glass’s life is kind of a mess. She gets framed for her boss’s murder, gets blackmailed into a dangerous job, goes on the run, and still gets a fairy tale ending.

Additional Comments:

I really like this author, but some things about the plot and characters annoyed me.
There are 5 separate tales here, but you’d probably want to read them in order.
The worldbuilding’s interesting, but some things don’t seem to jive. The computers seem way too advanced for the time still talking about “horseless carriages.”
The performance was okay. Only the voice for Amara was truly painful to listen to, everybody else was fine. Theo sounded adorable.
Even though much of the plot (dumb character decisions) struck me as infuriating, I can see many people just ignoring such or not being bothered by it.
The end of each story turned out all right, but the journey there took way too many idiot-induced and convenient timing turns for me to truly enjoy it.
This might just be a pet peeve, but the phrase “Shock me” as an expletive got super old real quick. It fits and was clever oh the first one or two of 55 times in that story.

Conclusion:

I still like the author. The narrator’s okay. I’m not sure how people in the target audience would take the story, but it’s worth trying.

*Found a code on a free code site. I have freely chosen to leave this review. All thoughts are my own.

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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:

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)

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.)

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:

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:

4.45/5 Stars The Gladiator and the Guard by Annie Douglass Lima

May 6, 2021April 23, 2021 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Audiobooks, dystopia, Young Adult Annie Douglass Lima, Joseph Baltz

Narrated by Joseph Baltz

Run Time: 16 hrs and 13 mins

Genre: YA, Action, Dystopia?

Summary:

Bensin gets accused of a crime he didn’t commit. He’s sentenced to death in the arena and winds up as a gladiator. Meanwhile, Coach and Bensin’s sister are trying desperately to find a way to free him before it’s too late.

Additional Comments:

4/5 Stars Main Characters: Bensin goes through a brief time of being a complete jerk, but he thankfully gets over that. Ellie’s cute, but in audio it’s just painful. That’s not the narrator’s fault. He does whiny girl well, but oy, still painful. Coach Stein’s a hapless but nice guy. These are all characters you can root for.
Plot 4.5/5 Stars: It’s a very long book, but there’s excellent flow to what happens. There’s also good balance between the two stories: Ellie/Coach and Bensin.
Performance 4/5 Stars: Joseph Baltz does a lovely job with distinguishing the characters. There were some annoying parts where he tries to convey speaking while somebody is chewing. I get that, and he does it well. Still doesn’t make those parts less annoying.
World Building 5/5 Stars: The Krillonian Empire isn’t exactly one you’d like to live in, but it’s well described and very interesting.
4/5 Stars Cover and Title Fit: very well.
3/5 Stars Sense of Closure: You do get the sense that this ch closes, but there’s clearly a third book. It’s not exactly the sort of series you’d be okay to read out of order.
2/5 Stars Preview: This is probably just a pet peeve of mine. I find previews of future audiobooks terribly annoying, especially if the audiobook isn’t ready yet.

Conclusion:

A very, very, very long but good entry in an excellent series.

Audiobook Promotions …

Many of my 42 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:

Choices Stories Review 3.5/5 Stars Distant Shores

April 21, 2021March 27, 2021 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, romance, Young Adult Choices Stories, pirates

One of the general promo pics they put out as a teaser for the story.

Summary:

You’re auditioning for a role in a pirate movie when you step through a time rift directly into the past to a life of adventure on the high seas.

Additional Comments:

I appreciate what they tried to do with the scifi angle, but honestly, it probably would have been better as a true set-in-the-time period piece.
Characters are interesting. You’re not meant to like Robert, but of the characters Choices has put out, he has a particularly punch-able attitude and face. I really liked Charlie. Edward was okay. He’s kinda a little too full of himself for comfort. Side characters are just okay. Kendrick’s annoying. The Twins are fun. Jones is typical hard-boiled softee when it comes to Ginny. Samuel kind of makes no sense. Henry’s typical pirate. Oliver’s just kind of their “shoot. We need another love interest option” add-on.
The extra scene’s honestly not worth collecting the cabin pieces, though I probably would have collected most of the things anyway. I think the only extra scene that kinda seemed worthy was the Elementalists Book 1. As usual, I’m a sucker for pets and weapons.
Not my favorites Choices story. Not my least favorite (I don’t think … think that goes to The Haunting of Braidwood Manor).
End kind of disappointed. Like the end of their other scifi adventure (Across the Stars), it just sort of fizzled out, like they hit their quota of chs and decided to put more effort into their VIP stories instead. I get it, they gotta make money, but still wish it was a stronger ending.

Conclusion:

Worth checking out, but in my opinion, not their finest piece.

Audiobook Promotions …

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4/5 Stars Call of Kythshire by Missy Sheldrake

March 26, 2021March 13, 2021 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Audiobooks, Fantasy, medieval, Young Adult Missy Sheldrake, Penny Scott-Andrews

Narrated by Penny Scott-Andrews

Run Time: 14 hrs and 12 min

Summary:

Azi’s recent promotion to squire heralds good things, but then, her mother disappears on the king’s quest. The one that should have been an easy quest.

Additional Comments:

Characters 4/5 stars: Azi and Ryan (I might be spelling that wrong as I heard the audiobook) are the sort of good-hearted characters you can root for.
Side characters 3/5 stars: Flit seems like a waste of space for ¾ of the book before she proves her use. I could be biased here though because the “fairy voice” was super annoying. The prince and the evil mage played their parts well enough. Azi’s parents are nice. Wasn’t completely clear on the identity of Ryan’s parents. Maya is his mother. And I think Elliot is his father. But Elliot was mentioned late in the book and my first thought was “who the heck is Elliot?” The cook side character is adorably supportive.
World-building 4/5 stars: There’s a lot going on and the world’s pretty cool. There are some parts that don’t jive well. I’m keeping this vague to avoid spoilers, but if the world’s set up the way it is, then things should have been way easier for the protagonists. Same thing from the other side. If the bad guys had the sort of power they did, they did surprisingly little with it. Still, the limitations exist so the protagonists have stuff to do, and to that extent, it works. The way that things work out for some situations, like with Azi’s father are convenient. Ryan being silent on some key points, couched in magic rules, also convenient.
Performance 4/5: Handled well. The narrator has a nice range of characters, and scenes with multiple characters are still understandable. I didn’t like most of the fairy voices. (That’s just one person’s opinion. A hundred other people will hear the same parts and be fine with it.) I’d just decided that normal fairy voice was the worst thing to hit audiobooks when “whispered” fairy voice became a thing. Thankfully, the fairies aren’t in every section. That did have a cool twist at the end though. Almost made it worth it.
Azi’s family is nice.
The world as a whole is a neat medieval fantasy with D&D style classes (mages, clerics, paladin, etc). The costs of magic were interesting.
Pacing 3/5 stars: It’s long. Very long. There are ages long sections about balls and sneaking around that probably could have been shortened. Given the audio length, the book’s probably 130K words.
Very nice cover art.
End fight was cool.
Closure 4/5: Wrap up worked. It clearly angled for a sequel, yet closed off enough threads to be satisfying.

Conclusion:

Whether they know it or not, Azi and Ryan have a quest to save the source of magic from evil.

Interested in a fun writing course designed for teens? Check out Storyquest Academy. (Note: affiliate link – if you sign up for the class through this link, I earn a commission … you get a great deal – win-win 😉 … seriously, most writing courses are a LOT more expensive.)

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

Clean Reads – Fiction That Fills the Mind and Soul

March 20, 2021March 13, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Family, Fantasy, middle grade, Writing, Young Adult clean reads

Introduction:

I only write clean fiction. That was a personal choice when I started writing that came about because that’s what I grew up with.

Personal Definition of Clean:

In reviewing a lot of books for the Audiobook Edge list, I’ve had to develop a definition of “clean.” I’m aware my definition is much looser than many others because I’m trying to cater to a wider adult audience. I typically stop listening after 4 f-bombs. Even if I continue, it’d be off my “clean” list. Curse words in general are only occasional. Adult scenes aren’t described in any sort of detail.

I just finished a book, and honestly, it would have been better without the curse words. They didn’t add much. The problem in general is that people use cursing so casually, it loses all shock value and just becomes filler.

People curse in real life, so why avoid it in books?

It’s a simple concept of in and out. I may mention that a character curses, but I see no reason to include the actual curse word. Same for violence. Hard things befall my characters for sure, but the reader does not need to have disturbing images blazed onto their brains. You will internalize what you see. I want my stories to take people on grand adventures, not traumatize them.

Why are clean fiction reads important for children and young adults?

There are plenty of books out there in the world. Clean reads allow you to focus on the action and the characters without drowning in a sea of hard language or reading gory scenes that stick with you. Life’s got enough problems without adding a layer of brutality and hard edges to fictional adventures.

Awful things happen in the real world, why shy away from describing things?

There’s a very big difference between reading that a character lost their head and reading a point-by-point description of how that came to be. Nobody needs that mental image in their heads.

Enjoy being a kid

Kids have a lot to deal with. Stories have many functions. They bring people together. They teach us. They entertain us. Clean reads opens the way for people of several age groups to enjoy the same tale.

Focus on the characters

Some characters have special gifts, some don’t. A lot of my books feature people put in challenging situations. I want readers to focus on the characters and their actions, not their language unless that’s relevant.

I write my adult books without strong language or describing adult scenes. It can be done at all levels of fiction.

Learn to express yourself without resorting to strong language.

Sure, cursing is a way of expressing dismay or trying to sound cool, but children and young adults are still developing and discovering themselves. I’d rather let them learn how to express their feelings without curse words.

Some people, like me, grow up in homes where strong language is a rarity. This is good. There are so many words in the English language. There’s always a way to describe a situation tastefully or with just a few details.

Things you see and watch will shape the way you think and behave.

Have you ever been around somebody with a very strong accent, and then, unconsciously started slipping into that accent? The same concept holds true with things you read, listen to, and watch. Where possible, fill your mind with edifying things.

Conclusion:

I’m not saying every story has to have a happy, uplifting, sickeningly sweet ending, but stick to clean reads and get the most out of a story.

Links:

Website: Juliecgilbert.com

Email:

Amazon page: https://smile.amazon.com/Julie-C-Gilbert/e/B002BMB2LG/

If you want to check out my audiobooks, go here in the US and here for the UK site.

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4/5 Stars Wager’s Price by G.P. Ching

March 6, 2021February 28, 2021 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Audiobooks, Fantasy, Young Adult G.P. Ching, Holly Adams, YA fantasy

Narrated by Holly Adams

Run Time 11 hrs and 44 mins

*mild spoilers possible in discussion

Summary:

Finn and Hope end up at Revelations, a unique reform school.

Additional Comments:

Main Characters 4/5 Stars: Even though the blurb focuses on Finn Wager, the book struck me more as Hope’s book through about 70% of it. He’s not particularly good at anything, which fits his ordinary persona quite well. (Yet, he still has zero problem getting Wendy to like him.) Hope kind of annoyed me, inducing a few times where I wish I could reach in and tell her to quit whining and do her job.
Side Characters 3/5 Stars: Most of the sidekicks blurred or became a stereotype. Jayden. Mike. Evil chick enforcer. Evil sadistic hunter enforcer dude. Literal guardian angel. Even the good guys didn’t seem fleshed out enough/likable to the point where I really cared about their fate one way or the other. Except Ms. D. Kinda liked her.
Plot 4.5/5: Intriguing. Took a long, long, long while to get there and quite a few long-winded infodumping sessions, but it’s quite an imaginative journey. A few things were a tad convenient, but that happens.
Closure 3/5: Yes, this story arc closes, but the end felt like a blatant pitch for a sequel.
Unique 4/5: Props for the circus angle.
Performance 4.5/5: Nicely handled. It’s a very long story. Characters are distinguishable. I think I liked the magician’s voice best.
General observation: The book kind of had a hard time deciding what it wanted to be. It was part Raiders of the Lost Ark gone wrong, part typical Gifted kids go to a cool, dangerous academy tale, and part where the Star Wars Expanded Universe lost it’s dang mind and went all fantasy-based paranoia road story.
Side note: I have a slight issue with the idea of a Soulkeeper—supposed servant of God—practicing reiki. I 100% get that this is pure fantasy, but that is some serious mixing of ideas. You want your immortal, reluctant Soulkeeper to heal people, awesome, do it, but make up a term for it or just stick with generic healing.
Content Warning: Quite a bit of cursing. Some gruesome descriptions of violence.

Conclusion:

Interesting opening to a YA fantasy series very, very loosely based on angels and demons.

Audiobook Promotions …

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files: