Very enjoyable and definitely worth a listen!

I was sceptical listening to this story. The description wasn’t very enlightening. I was a bit confused at the beginning however it sets the premises for the story and the fictional world.

I absolutely love the characters - both main and supporting!
The hurt, horrors and discrimination Madeo and Jude has and are facing are heartbreaking and cruel but the love and trust of Cosmo and his pride are healing! I was drawn into this story in an usual way and my stomach hurt due to the cruelty at a certain point - they normally doesn’t happen. I’m excited about the next book but I also kind of dread reading further fearing what the characters will have to face. The world is a dark one and like I said horrors and cruelty very much present throughout. However, the love and bonds between Mc and the pride make up for it and brings both hope and love into the world.

The narration is good however the voice of Cosmo is a bit annoying but I kind of got use to it as the book progressed.

It’s a well written book and story definitely worth listening to!

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New to me, author and narrator

Start of a new series, and boy, am I glad I got to listen to this book. Great world-building and the characters have good backstories.

We meet Madeo and Jude, both Magi, who are of the lowest group living in this new world. First, there are Humans, Shifters and then Magi, the order of society.

Cosmo is the leader of a pride group of cat shifters, and the Alpha leader of the new task force group Madeo and Jude get posted to. Is there romance between Cosmo and Madeo, a Shifter and a Magi?

The complex relationships between the shifters and Magi are wound effortlessly in this book. Such a great read/listen.

CJ Storm did an amazing job of the narration. I did, however, have to speed up the narration to 1.25 on audible, but this is usual for me.

The Scars That Bind Us
The Magi Accounts, Book 1
By: Michele Notaro
Narrated by: CJ Storm
Series: The Magi Accounts, Book 1
Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins

❤❤❤❤❤ Overall
🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 Narration
📚📚📚📚📚 Story
Read at 1.25 speed on Audiobooks

I received this audiobook for free from GRR at my request. My review is my opinion and an honest review - neither the author nor GRR influenced my opinion.

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Fantastic!

My heart broke for Mads. Michele injects so much emotion into her words you can't help but feel for Mads, Jude and all they've been through.

This story is a great set up of this new world and it's "order". There's intrigue, affection, tortured pasts, new relationships and so much more! I loved the introduction to each character and loved that the "main" characters are more than just "the main two".

There's so much intrigue and twists I couldn't put the book down! I loved Mads banter and little bits so snark. He's a fun and unique character and I enjoyed the unique bond between Mads and Jude and look forward to seeing how these two will adjust to their new normal. I'm hooked!

Also great narration! I enjoyed the different dialects and voice nuances throughout the story and could even imagine the "eye-rolls" from the emotive storytelling! I'm looking forward to more of Storm and will definitely be a frequent listener!

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Fantastic

Michele Notaro is a new author to me and I was captivated by her book from the beginning. I really like her writing style because after just a few lines I was immersed in the story.
Michele Notaro has created wonderful characters that I could easily identify with. The world she has created is very imaginative and it also scores with great worldbuilding.
I really liked the two magi Madeo and Jude from the beginning, they are likeable but they live in a world where magi belong to the lowest class. Cosmo is the alpha of the new team and he is not used to the hatred of humans.
For a long time shifters have been disappearing in the city. But the team is not allowed to investigate. When suddenly a human dies, everything changes - the doors are opened for the investigation, but what they find is dark and sinister.
I was intrigued by the intriguing storyline, a great plot that kept me hooked until the end, lots of suspense, some action, romance and lots of emotion.

The narrator CJ Storm was also new to me and he did a fantastic job. I could tell the characters apart well, he did a good job of portraying the emotions and he has a very pleasant voice. I was pleasantly surprised and would love to hear more from him.

An entertaining and enjoyable start to a new series. I'm already looking forward to the next volume!

I requested a free copy of the audiobook and this is my honest opinion that I am volunteering

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1 person found this helpful

100% Highly Recommend!

I was very fortunate to get to review the ARC of this audiobook - and would like to thank Michele Notaro and GRR for allowing me to listen to this AMAZING audio!

I never do spoilers as the ‘blurb’ itself sells the book 😁

If you love supernatural, shapeshifter books/audio, you will LOVE ❤️ this!

Michele Notaro is an awesome author, with great world building and storylines - this is definitely her niche/comfort space for creating brilliant MC’s.
Cosmo is a real softie of an Alpha lion shifter and Madeo is a mage who’s actually part of a driad (2 male mages, who are best friends).

I was first introduced to this author a few years ago when I listened to her audiobook How We Survive, narrated by the late, great Kenneth Obi - I fell in love with this series ❤️🥰
Sadly, only the first two books were released in audio, but hopefully the rest will follow.

The Scars That Bind Us is narrated by a new to me narrator CJ Storm - he is just brilliant - I loved his voice, his ability to transform the authors characters from the pages to life… perfect! ☺️

I cannot highly recommend this book/audiobook enough - a definite MUST have if you’re a paranormal/shapeshifting lover 😁😁


I’d give 10⭐️‘s if I could, but definitely worth 5⭐️’s

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Entertaining listen

This has a unique storyline with captivating characters that I absolutely loved meeting. I was impressed by how well the world was built sometimes I had to have a pause after listening because I was so immersed in this world. This is a series that I will be incredibly excited to continue.

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Captivating, magical, and romantic

To say I was captivated feels like it doesn't accurately reflect the intensity with which I devoured this audio. All it took was a few sentences for me to become fully immersed in Madeo's journey, and the more I learned about the history of his world the more fascinated I was. CJ Storm is a new narrator to me, and I've got nothing but good things to say about the way he brought these characters to life. I found his narration style very engaging, and it was always easy to distinguish between the different characters in a group conversation.

From new paranormal species to terrifying otherworldly monsters and evil people in power, there was plenty for me to love and hate about this new world. I don't know if it qualifies as a full-on dystopia, but the suffering and injustices that magi and shifters had to endure were pretty rage-inducing. My heart ached every time Madeo revealed another horrific piece of his past, and the fact that he somehow kept his kind heart and generosity after so much mistreatment only made me more in-awe of his strong character.

Speaking of character, the entire cast of characters I met in this book were pretty dang fantastic. Madeo, Jude, Logan, Cosmo, and the rest of the Ono-Nai pride started out wary and distrustful of each other, but over time they all started to feel like one close-knit family. That lovely sense of community is a big part of why Michele's books always feel so special to me, and she definitely captured that feeling here. Since this story was solely from Madeo's perspective, I had a lot of time to appreciate his unique dyad bond with Jude, but I'm equally excited to learn more about the pride in upcoming stories.

Because so much of Madeo's story served as an intro to the new universe, his romance with Cosmo got off to a slow start. It honestly didn't bother me at all, because I was way more excited to learn about the characters, watch them all get to know each other, and see the types of missions they got to work on. Without me even realizing it, more than half the story had flown by without Madeo and Cosmo going further than longing glances across the room. When the two of them did finally make their interest in each other known, they were pretty freaking cute about it. Mads kept being so flustered and overwhelmed by Cosmo's affection, and Cosmo was a wonderfully patient gentleman about it. Their romance was more about learning to be open and trust each other than about steamy nights of passion, and I really enjoyed the change of pace. It made me believe in their connection way more than I would have if they'd made it all about sex, and honestly, with so much going on in their lives, who has the energy for all of that.

Just when I was starting to feel comfortable with the direction this story was headed, Michele threw a curveball that accelerated the action in a major way. I love a good race to the finish line, and boy did Madeo and crew put me through the emotional wringer along the way. I continue to be amazed by how this author can string tiny breadcrumbs together into a massive, open-ended conflict, and I know we've barely scraped the surface of what's in store for these brave fighters.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.

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So Good.

I truly believe that this new series is going to be an absolute pleasure to read and listen to.I thought that the performance by CJ Storm really brought this book to life. I am already impatiently for book two. Cosmo and Mads are supposed to be enemies, but over time work well together enough to make a relationship a goal.

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Feels and action

I really liked how shifters are all cats in this world! I also like it when an author uses fiction to shine a light on reality. Michele Notaro demonstrates the human affinity for mistreating minorities in this "post world war III but with shifters and magic" story. The things Madeo and Jude have been through are all the more horrific for having happened in one way or another to real people throughout history.

But this is also a romance novel, and Cosmo is a thankfully solid and self assured contrast to Madeo's traumatised defensiveness. It's a slow burn, but it's worth waiting for.

I enjoyed the introduction to this new world, and I look forward to hearing more!

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Great Start to a New Series

The Scars That Bind Us is the first book in the Magi Accords, a new urban paranormal series set in a world similar yet vastly different from our own. The setting is very interesting and Michele Notaro uses it to explore the injustices and how the human spirit can overcome those awful obstacles.

The world of the Magi Accords is not a fair or easy one. Shifters and magic users are less than second class citizens with heavy restrictions and limitations placed on them. Yet, despite this unfairness, shifters and magic users are expected to protect the world from dangerous, carnivorous, dragon-like creatures that come from a different dimension. The world building is extremely interesting with a very creative magic system that I absolutely love and find unique. I wish there was more depth to the politics of the world so I could have better context for why things are the way they are, but considering that the story’s point of view is from one main character, this lack of political depth makes sense. Madeo, the main character, chaffs at the restrictions he finds himself under, but he never loses his sass nor will to fight and compassion for others. This makes him a very likeable character that I was rooting for the entire book. I loved the romantic tension between him and the alpha shifter on his team.

The audiobook was narrated by CJ Storm. I thought CJ did a great job narrating a host of different characters and making them all interesting. I had no issues with his narration and found his performance to be engaging and enjoyable. The quality of the audiobook was also very good.

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