Black Spark

slow 1/3 then better

Black Spark
Dark Magic Enforcer Series, Book 1
By: Al K. Line
Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
This was hard to get through, at least the first third of the way. I almost stopped and quit many times. Once I got half way, it picked up and went much better and was a pretty good book. I am going to get the next book because I am hoping it will be better idea behind the story sounds good.
The narrator has such a thick British accent that it was frustrating at times. It is hard to do humor and I think another narrator might have been a better pick. Some very good lines were not funny when they should have been. It is not easy to do...just saying.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Boring and Repetitive.

It was an interesting concept, but sacrificed tension for explanations that were repetitive and long and boring. The audible version doesn't help since the reader had a dry and bland tone. I knew I went wrong when it literally repeated sentences.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Not Convinced

On the surface it seemed like a good book. But, as I continued to listen I got bored. Each chapter seemed like a short story. The characters had no depth and I got tired of all of the descriptive writing.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Can't stand the main character

I quit on this book after two hours of listening. The main character is annoying and constantly complains about the pain of using magic. Also, the world seems contrived and not unique. The voice talent has a very good smarmy british accent which unfortunately played more into me not liking the character at all.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Great new series!

The main character, Spark is an enforcer/detective in the United Kingdom. We meet him when is exhausted, disoriented, deranged and could not remember his name or anything else. Within seconds he has flagrantly broken the golden rule, keep magic hidden from the normals. Immediately his existence is in danger. The penalty for using magic in public is death. Usually, that is his job to do the killing, remember he is the enforcer.

His dialogue is witty, charming, and self-deprecating. I found myself laughing at his remarks. As the story progress, his memory returns in pieces, but the reason why did he broke the law remains elusive to him.

The laws, which Snark broke are:
• You don’t let regulars know existence of magic
• You don’t disobey your house head or ward head -
• You don’t interfere with other species ways unless they break the law of the hidden
• You don’t do it in public
• For heaven sakes don't get recorded on social media

Between the vampires and hi boss Rickers, he has 24 hours to clean up his mess. That means find out who set him up and cover up his mistake. During his 24 hours, we meet mages, zombies, oversexed imps, necromancers, and trolls.

We are taken on an action-packed adventure as Snarks works to save his life. Oh, his problem is compounded when he realizes he did not complete Rickers assignment.
Al K. Line presents the politics of his world and the magic with the quick dialogue and action. The book was a great read. The narration was good, and I am on the second book.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

2 and a half stars

I'm not sure about this book. The characters, plot and world created is interesting but the story itself seems disjointed and lacks depth. I might get the next book but, maybe not.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A bit tedious

The repetition of what happens in the magical world and what magical beings can do became tedious. I wanted the story to move on. That said, the characters were engaging and there dialog and Spark's inner thoughts were downright funny.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

not the best, but not bad at all

it was okay. Not as good as some of the other fantasy books, and it took the narrator a while to get a feel for how the character actually spoke. all in all not bad.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Give me more

This is my first Al K. Line book and although skeptical I really enjoyed this book and I enjoyed listening to the narrator Gildart Jackson, as always. Gildart has a magical way of reading bringing every character to life with their own distinct voices and personality. The book flowed effortlessly, one chapter gracefully sinking into the next, making you feel as if you closed your eyes you'd find yourself right smack dab in the middle of the excitement.
This book is giving the Jim Butcher series a little competition, but a little competition never hurt anybody, has it? I look forward to reading or listening to the next book, so long as it has my new favorite narrator.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Interesting world build. Less than solid story.

Faz Pound, aka Black Spark, has just killed a mortal. An innocent. But that isn't what's got him in hot water with the powers that be inside the Hidden world. He killed a mortal, AND GOT VIDEOED DOING IT.

That just isn't done.

Spark has twenty-four hours to fix this, and get a botched assignment done. Now that his mind is once again his own, he's remembered that he's a dark magic enforcer. Yep, that's right. He's the one that supposed to track down people who do things like he did this morning. Oops.

This book was more of a 2.5 than a true 3.0 for me. There are plot holes a plenty, and while we start with Spark failing at his task, it's nearly the entire book gone before we find out what that task is. It ends with us assuming we're calling things over once a fairy shows up and takes the succubus with her. Not a solid landing at all.

What is solid is the world build. I've read lots of urban fantasy and magic books and this world I find fresh and interesting. If this Alkaline guy could just string his story along something that resembles a structure I'd be happier. Anyway, it's book one and there are lots more. I may try book two, just to see what it's like, but I'm not rushing out to buy it right away.