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Spellbreaker
- Spellbreaker, Book 1
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden, Joel Froomkin
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
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Spellbreaker
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Summary
A world of enchanted injustice needs a disenchanting woman in the newest fantasy series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.
The orphaned Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there were two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells and those, like her, born with the ability to break them. But as an unlicensed magic user, her gift is a crime. Commissioned by an underground group known as the Cowls, Elsie uses her spellbreaking to push back against the aristocrats and help the common man. She always did love the tale of Robin Hood.
Elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey is one elusive spell away from his mastership when he catches Elsie breaking an enchantment. To protect her secret, Elsie strikes a bargain. She’ll help Bacchus fix unruly spells around his estate if he doesn’t turn her in. Working together, Elsie’s trust in - and fondness for - the handsome stranger grows. So does her trepidation about the rise in the murders of wizards and the theft of the spellbooks their bodies leave behind.
For a rogue spellbreaker like Elsie, there’s so much to learn about her powers, her family, the intriguing Bacchus, and the untold dangers shadowing every step of a journey she’s destined to complete. But will she uncover the mystery before it’s too late to save everything she loves?
Critic reviews
“Skillful vocal characterizations enhance this fantasy audiobook set in a magical Victorian Britain…While the plot is complex, both narrators evoke the sympathetic protagonists so convincingly that listeners will feel invested, as well as excited for the sequel.” --AudioFile magazine
“Those who enjoy gentle romance, cozy mysteries, or Victorian fantasy will love this first half of a duology. The cliffhanger ending will keep readers breathless waiting for the second half.” --Library Journal (starred review)
“Powerful magic, indulgent Victoriana, and a slow-burn romance make this genre-bending romp utterly delightful.” --Kirkus Reviews
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What listeners say about Spellbreaker
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- It's me N B
- 04-03-22
Poor Male Narrator
I enjoyed the book but the male narrator was distracting. I found myself willing him to finish so I could get back to the story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Will George
- 09-03-22
Good story
Good story, female narrator great, male narrator was difficult to listen to and retain concentration. Specifically his accent for the characters from Barbados was so clipped and unnatural it was hard to listen to.
Story was good, good pace and nice uses of magic not completely breaking history but adding a new thread.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. C. J. OSullivan
- 27-07-22
intriguing story... keeps you wanting more
loved this story, accents poor at times, would rather not have someone try an accent and just read as normal.
loved audio books as relaxes me and storyline was one to keep me interested the whole time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MandyJ
- 10-05-21
Great story - love Elizabeth Knowelden
Loved this book and Elizabeth Knowelden brought the characters to life. Sadly Joel Froomlin's confused and jarring accents for Bacchus was difficult to ignore. I almost gave up but the story was so compelling. I can't wait to listen to the next book and am delighted to see a new male narrator has been cast. That being said, I'm not sure why two narrators are needed as the storytelling carries itself.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zenith
- 05-09-22
Enjoyed!
Enjoyed the story and narration! Look forward to the next!
Only thing is the male narrator has a weird Welsh sounding Barbadian accent, which he shouts when narrating. It's quite funny actually.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Logan81
- 31-07-21
mixed bag
Good story. The female reader is good but the male voice is awefull, so distracting.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- cuteasabutton
- 04-08-21
Great story, disappointing narrator
I loved the idea of this story, set in Victorian London but with lots of magic. The plot was interesting, I loved how the magic was described and the fact that there were those who could make magic and those who could break it. Elsie makes a great protagonist and the discovery of her background and the unraveling of secrets kept me listening happily.
However, the narration was really disappointing. The sample only included the female narrator who was pretty good - I always listen to the samples to see if I'm going to be irritated by the way a book is read and I thought I was on to a winner. But as soon as the male narrator began in chapter 2, he really grated on my nerves. Terrible accents (that actually made it much harder to distinguish which character was speaking) and Star Trek style overacting - so many odd pauses all over the place!
I kept listening because I wanted to hear the end of the story, but found myself tuning out of the annoying bits. I think I'll read the sequel rather than go through that level of irritation again!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- V. Edwards
- 07-10-21
gripping and magical
I loved the story. I looked forward to listening to it every day after work. can't wait for the next one.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Seli B
- 10-01-21
Good start to a new series
Elizabeth Knowelden was great as always. I don’t what accent the male voice was supposed to be but it needs sorting before the next book, it was awful and killed concentration at times, shame because it was a great story! Looking forward to the next- hopefully with a better male voice
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Donna
- 14-05-21
Worth a listen
I’d definitely give this book a go if you like magic and a bit of mystery thrown in. It wasn’t my favourite writing style; I could have done without the slow romance aspect that never really developed and was a bit immature but it wasn’t horrific. Overall plot was pretty interesting...
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