BETTER THAN I REMEMBERED!

I am so happy this story came out as an audiobook!

I like to revisit stories I like, which isn’t as easy when you have to read it.

I waited for this story since I first read and listened to Radiance, and it didn’t disappoint when it 1st came out. I hadn’t had a chance to re-read it, so listening to it was a very nice treat. It was better the second time around, and Gabrielle Baker did a wonderful job narrating it.

Soon I‘ll do another listen to all Grace Draven’s audiobooks.

This was a wonderful addition to the series, and I can’t wait for the other ones to come out. In the meantime I highly recommend this audiobook with the long awaited story of Serovek and Anhuset wonderfully narrated by Gabrielle Baker.

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5 people found this helpful

Romance and intrigue on a funeral pilgrimage

“I wouldn’t know what to do with a ribbon”
This is first a romance, and second the opening act of a dark battle thought already won. Warrioress Anhuset was my favorite character in the duology, so I was thrilled that she and her Stallion were the stars in this story. This author excels at writing fantasy featuring alpha men and women, without resorting to the usual tropes where, no matter how strong the female, the alpha male is stronger and invariably saves the day. Anhuset is a force to be reckoned with and together they are unbeatable. This is a super slow burn, with nary a kiss until we’ll past the half, and the combustible climax ten hours into this 15 hr book. But, it’s the heart, and not the heat, that sells the story.

“A dark song is your spirit, a hymn of the broken”
The steadily building menace of the duology repeats the pacing here, with this book barely setting the stage after books 1 & 2. All but the final two hours are spent on the road fulfilling the duty of returning the body of Megiddo, the warrior monk who sacrificed everything. But, the journey is worth as much as the destination. There are shades of the Two Towers (where the dead won’t suffer the living), Gladiator
(or maybe the arena scene in Attack of the Clones with a far more fierce Amidala), and of course
Beauty and the Beast… only here Anhuset is both the beauty and the beast and I love her!

Minor quibbles:
The biggest downside for me was the minimal screen time for characters from the previous books: this book keeps the spotlight on Anhuset and Serovek. I also feel like the magic system and beast-imagery isn’t fleshed out enough. I bumped the speed up a bit, but otherwise adore the narrator. There is a very rare F bomb here or there, but I found them content-appropriate.

The minor quibbles fall before this majorly great fantasy. This book can stand alone (and there are recaps within this book), but I strongly recommend taking these in order. Besides, by the time you get through all three, the fourth book may be out. Alas, I’m afraid I’m in for a rather long wait.

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2 people found this helpful

Love this series

To have the continuation of the series and the same narrator who always does such a fantastic job acting! *chef's kiss*

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2 people found this helpful

need more!

I'm so invested in this series! i can't wait for the next!! so good!!

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3rd Book; Fantastic!!!

This volume continues the saga of Ildiko, her Kai husband, Brishen and Wraith King world. Looking forward to the next two books about the other kings. Draven has created a fantasy world—a blend of medieval, ancient Asian, Roman, etc and a whole lot of imagination—enthralling. The character development is excellent, consistent with some humor and philosophy. Love it!! Reading the book is great, but audio brings the book alive like a movie in your head. Bravo Grace!!! Bravo Gabrielle!! Thank you for taking me away from my real life busyness, such a delightful break; work-outs earlier lol.

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Love the story....

I am happy Grace Draven finished The Wraith King series with Serovek and Anhuset love story. I enjoyed them in the previous books. I loved their banter and adventures in this book.

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Couldn’t finish

I loved the first two books in this series, but could not get into this one at all.

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A good ending sorta!

While I enjoyed this tale it was not as good to me as the first two books, as it sometimes ran off the story line into details that could be easily left out. But I enjoyed the book and look forward to other stories by this author. I also liked the reader and her accent.

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Cockney accents ruined it for me

I always enjoy Grace Draven's stories but the narration here was beyond irritating. The narrator gave the Kai heroine and humans here all the same really irritating regional English working class accent. I couldn't identify it...cockney maybe? I could see that for the servants or soldiers but when the heroine and hero (the daughter of a princess and the powerful noble Lord) had it, too, it really threw me. It was a lisp and a mumble sort of accent that sounded like a 19th century pig farmer. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Scots, Welsh, Irish etc. accent and lots of beautiful English regional ones...just whatever she was doing here was NOT one of those. Confusing since both highborn and peasants, Kai and human all had it except for Ildiko and Brishen (which again makes it even more nonsensical for Anhuset and Serovek to speak that way).

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wow....what an adventure

such a deep & intricate story with twists & turns...i could not put it down!

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