Sunday 19 June 2022

THE 13TH WITCH

The 13th Witch by Mark Hayden
Book 1 in The King's Watch series
Narrated by Ciaran Saward
Genre: urban fantasy crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


Ever had a text from a deity?
Conrad Clarke did.

Someone has plans for Conrad, and those plans don’t involve an easy life.

Conrad Clarke, former RAF pilot and alleged gangster is dragged out of his comfort zone by a visit from The Allfather.

Norse gods in twenty-first century England?
Don’t be silly. Load of nonsense.

Before you can say “Ragnarok”, Conrad is plunged into a world of gods, Mages, Witches, Dwarves and one rather aggressive giant mole.

But he has next to no magick of his own.

Armed with nothing but a sense of humour and a willingness to cheat, Conrad has to save the Witch — and his life.
Source: Info in the About The 13th Witch was taken from Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36533380-the-13th-witch on 30/05/2022.


Buy Link(s):

  Audible Books


Odin's Valknut
My Thoughts:
This book reminds me of the Blue Moon Investigations Series. Both have the same typical white mundane male protagonist with military background. The same mystery, investigatory-driven theme. The main difference being that in Blue Moon Investigations Series there is no big paranormal governmental organisation while there is one in this book.

As I read on, I had to constantly look things up from the internet because the language in the book is so entrenched in English vernacular that I do not understand some of them, i.e., the Summoner in Chaucer's the Canterbury Tales, to understand what the fluff is the author going on about!!! I've heard of the Pendle witches though, simply because I've read some of the Spook's Apprentice books... This "having to look things up" thingie made the going just a little bit slower than it would have been otherwise.

Usually, I am very tolerant with plot holes and plotless-ness in urban fantasy, but not so much in crime thrillers. However, this series is not just urban fantasy, it is supposed to be an investigative one as well. So the plotholes kinda matter...


Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = (10 hours listening time)
Plot = 3
Narration = 4.5


Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The King's Watch Series:
Book 1: THE 13TH WITCH Book 2: THE 12 DRAGONS OF ALBION Book 3: THE 11TH HOUR Book 4: TENFOLD Book 5: NINE OF WANDS Book 6: EIGHT KINGS Book 7: THE SEVENTH STAR Book 8: SIX FURLONGS Book 9: FIVE LEAF CLOVER Book 10: FOUR ROADS CROSS

 
Meet The Author

About Mark Hayden:
Mark Hayden is the nom de guerre of Adrian Attwood. He lives in Westmorland with his wife, Anne.

Adrian has had a varied career working for a brewery, teaching English and being the Town Clerk in Carnforth. He is now a part-time writer and part-time assistant in Anne's craft projects.

He is also proud to be the Mad Unky to his Great Nieces & Great Nephew.

His current writing project is the King’s Watch series of urban fantasy novels, from 13th Witch all the way down to Zero Hour. If he can keep it up.


The Narrator

About Ciaran Saward:
I’m a London-based voiceover artist who loves discovering new things.

From small businesses and indie video games, to big publishers like William Collins and big authors like Wilbur Smith, I’ve worked with a range of clients to get their stories heard.

If you need a flexible & enthusiastic voice to bring your project to life, you’ve come to the right place.

Please have a listen to my voicereels, read some testimonials and see how I could help you!



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

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