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Crystal Awakening

An Epic Fantasy Adventure

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Crystal Awakening

By: Andrew Rowe, Kayleigh Nicol
Narrated by: Travis Baldree, Emily Lawrence
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About this listen

A team of adventurers enters an epic trial of wits, magic, and monsters in this thrilling new fantasy series set within the Arcane Ascension universe.

Parties attempting to claim the treasures of the Tortoise Spire of Dalenos are usually composed of six professional climbers. But following a near-disastrous climb, Team Guiding Star Legacy finds itself two challengers short. With Nieve as the frontline fighter, Sage as the strategist, Lani as the healer, and Emiko as the spellcaster, they need a couple powerful allies to round out the squad.

The first new recruit, Hane, is a fighting and stealth specialist, while the second, Aldis, has quite the talent for teleportation magic. Though their individual reasons for scaling the spire vary—wealth, fame, favor—the team’s shared goal is thus: fight, win, ascend, and repeat. All in the hopes of one day making it to the top, where the goddess awaits to grant them the objects of their deepest desires.

To achieve this goal, they must master escalating levels of fire and ice, dangerous creatures, and confounding illusions. Whether facing a threat to their bodies, their magic, or their minds, each of the climbers accepts the risks. And bending the rules is part of the challenge. Some call this cheating; others call it winning.

But no test is ever straightforward. Because Guiding Star Legacy is being judged, and their next contest is one they aren’t meant to survive. Ascend or fall, the quest is only just beginning.

©2022 Andrew Rowe (P)2022 Podium Audio
Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Adventure Paranormal Magic

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Critic reviews

"Nicol’s fantasy novel offers a promising start to a new spinoff series, set in former role-playing game designer Rowe’s popular Arcane Ascension world...surprising elements and shocking twists [lead] to a harrowing final life-and-death battle and [set] up an intriguing premise for a continuing series....Fans of anime, RPGs, and the authors’ previous work will be eager to follow Guiding Star Legacy’s further adventures." —Kirkus Reviews

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I’m not sure if it’s the two authors, the two narrators or a combination of both of these but this is Andrew Rowes worst book to date. I love his work and his lore but would implore him to go back to the formula that he knows works.

Slow and difficult at times

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Narration was good, would have been better if each took specific characters but overall a great start to a series. Not a great place to start in this world but a great cast of characters that I got invested with and punched in the gut by in the end. Hoping for more in this series

Good opening

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story and voice acting were good, enjoyed the book and look forward to the next one.

good book

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While a nice story that clearly has legs in the same world as AA and other Andrew Rowe books, it was not up to quite the same standard.

Spoilers!

Killing off half of the main characters that we were just getting to know seems brutal. Why all the teasers for back story just to kill them off… and the crystal shard did not grab my attention enough to make me care…

Didn’t grip in the same way as AA

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Memorable Characters! Clever Puzzles! Interesting Loot!
This fantastic adventure helps flesh out Andrew Rowe's world, although no prior experience is needed to start with this one.
I had so much fun with this book, even if parts yanked the floor out from beneath me!

Amazing Dungeon Delving

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