GRIMOIRE THIEF 1: HERO'S GAMBIT

Grimoire Thief by Atlas Kane
Book 1 in the Grimoire Thief series
Narrated by Rebecca Woods
Genre: fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Grimoire Thief:

What would you sacrifice for the gift of magic? And if denied, would you steal it?

Ever since I was old enough to hold a blade, I knew I wanted to become a Magical Knight.

For years I trained, waiting for the day I would receive a grimoire of my own. But magic can neither be controlled nor predicted, and when it was my turn to take the test… I failed.

I’m Null, a person born without a core. With this, all my plans have been upended, and the future lies veiled in mystery. However, a chance encounter one evening challenges everything I’d come to believe.

As it turns out, I do possess a certain kind of magic. Powerful, rare, and a threat to the Mage Council, my newfound ability is one many would kill for. There’s just one catch...

I’ll have to become a thief in order to use it.

Source: Info in the "About Grimoire Thief" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207017730-hero-s-gambit on 03/02/2024.

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

At the start I thought Nico was a girl! Like the cover art person has breasts! The narration has female voice. Then he was called "son". I thought that was just a quirk. Then his girlfriend showed up. I thought he was gay. Then it hit me, he is male!! Duh!!

That took a lot of adjusting...

But the cover art confused me royally!

Why would his girlfriend be on the cover art instead of him when he is the main character??...

The thing I like most about this book is that it makes sense! Reason for hard choices I can understand. Kudos to the author!

However, this book also ended in a big whooping cliffhanger. And that is one of the main reasons that this book did not get a 5 out of 5 with me. I am not fond of cliffhanger endings!

This book has adult content. Therefore, not recommended to anyone under 18 years old.

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 3
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (13 hrs and 16 mins listening time)
Plot = 3
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Grimoire Thief Series:

 

Meet The Author

About Atlas Kane:

Atlas Kane is a retired Dragon Rider with recurring pain in his L4/L5 joints. Carrying a zweihander while fighting in the king’s war took a toll on his constitution, so he turned to the less glamorous occupation of Court Scribe. He now lives with his wives and a platoon of kids, recalling old battles and bygone glory.

www.atlaskane.com | facebook | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Rebecca Woods:

Well, I’m a working actress and artist with a combined 15 years of education and professional experience.

I am passionate about the storytelling process, and in any medium my focus is to truly create an immersive and holistic experience. To me, every moment — every detail — is an opportunity to bring an entire world into existence.

For the past two and a half years, I’ve brought this perspective to the voice-over industry, solo and co-narrating over 100 audiobooks as well as lending my voice to AI platforms, podcasts, PSA's, and videogames. In 2022, I co-received a bronze Reader’s Favorite award for the audiobook of Christopher Hopper’s Oblivion Awaits.

Outside of the audio booth, I’ve dipped my toe into film acting, appearing briefly on Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, as well as taking to the stage in numerous roles — from wacky musicals like Seussical and Sondheim to dramatic works like Jean Genet’s The Maids, garnering national recognition and the award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress.

In my obvious copious amounts of spare time, I put one of my many arts degrees to good use as the resident Art Director and VP of Film for WildFlower Entertainment Co., a start-up based out of my current home state of Texas.

www.rebeccallewellynwoods.com | tiktok | facebook | instagram1 | instagram2 | youtube | linkedin | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

THE CLEANER

The Cleaner by Mark Dawson
Book 1 in the John Milton series
Narrated by David Thorpe
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About The Cleaner:

John Milton is the man the government calls when they want a problem to go away... but what happens when he’s the one who needs to disappear?

After a botched job leaves a bloody trail, government assassin John Milton does the one thing he’s never done before: he hides.

Disappearing into London’s bustling East End and holing up in a vacant flat, Milton becomes involved with his neighbour Sharon and her troubled son Elijah, who are caught in an increasingly bloody turf war between two rival gangs.

Unable to ignore the threat, Milton sets about protecting mother and son, meeting violence with violence. But his involvement puts him in the sights of the government’s next best killer, and before long Milton is not just fighting to save a family and a home - he’s fighting to stay alive...

Source: Info in the "About The Cleaner" was taken from amazon on 26/06/2024.

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

This is my first Mark Dawson read and I would probably follow him and this series until my interest in it wanes.

If John is supposed to be this bad-ass assassin who has bad-ass assassin habits like putting powder on the floor to inform him that somebody has been in his digs when he comes back to it, then how come he did not get the bead on Callan being in his apartment? Or maisonette. Or whatever it is you want to call his rented place. That's a bit odd. I do not like it when things don't line up...

This is a crime fiction so I was expecting the plot to be a little bit twistier than it is.

The narrator was obviously reading a different script to the ebook that kindle sold me. It plays havoc with amazon's whisper sync.

David Thorpe reads with a sing song. It's not as bad as other sing-songy narrators, still, I am not fond of sing-songs...

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 3.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = (8 hrs and 58 mins listening time)
Plot = 3
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Books In The John Milton Series:

 

Meet The Author

About Mark Dawson:

Mark Dawson has worked as a lawyer and in the London film industry. He has sold over six million copies of his propulsive, exciting thrillers and is best known for his John Milton, Beatrix and Isabella Rose and Atticus Priest series.

markjdawson.com | twitter | facebook | instagram | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About David Thorpe:

David Thorpe is a British actor. He was born in Sheffield, grew up on the Isle of Wight, and has lived in London (mostly East) all his adult life. He has appeared in numerous plays in rep and on tour, most recently as The Fool in a production of King Lear directed by Jonathan Miller. Twice a member of the BBC Radio Drama Company, he has been heard in over a hundred radio plays and narrated over 400 audiobooks. An award-winning audiobook narrator, he has voiced several fantasy and science fiction books, including a number of the original Doctor Who books and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. David has also conceived and performed in two one-man shows: Confessions of a Toytown Revolutionary and This Way Up!

goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.