Seriously Excellent

I love finding books by authors I have not previously read that come highly recommended and still manage to blow me a way. This one hits on all accounts. I cannot believe that I had not heard of Carol Berg before. I won't give anything of the plot away, but writing is excellent, it is long, but not over done or slow in places. And the story drags you in right from the beginning, I could not stop listening. I highly recommend it.

7 people found this helpful

Very, Very Engaging

This story unfolds, folds back, circles, returns, and surprises. At times, it seems to drag as the protagonist suffers interminably in so many different ways. However, as we learn who he is and what he has done, we appreciate the weaving. The reading is good, but not great. The story bogs down here and there, but is still very engaging and entertaining.

4 people found this helpful

Rai-Kirah is Excellent

Carol Berg has written one of the best novels I have had the pleasure to read in 2015. The selected narrator added just the right touch. Two thumbs up for him and five for Carol Berg. Everyone who enjoys reading must read.

2 people found this helpful

Really great listen!

I’ve had this one in my library for a long while. It was recommended to me by someone on reddit with the caveat that you should absolutely not let its cover deter you from reading it, and I ended up finding it on audible for a not-ridiculous amount of money (thanks whispersync!) and couldn’t resist.

It was an interesting and quite amazing listen. Seyonne is a slave, recently purchased by the prince of the Derzhi. He is of a race that was pretty much overthrown sixteen years previously and he has been a slave ever since, but he was once a Warden, known for their ability to fight demons. He finds that there is a demon hiding in the court of Prince Aleksander, and when the prince himself starts suffering from maladies that demons are known to cause, Seyonne takes a risk to himself and tells the prince what’s happening. Then he finds out that the prince has within him, something special. Something he’s sworn to protect. And they become… friends, of a sort.

I really liked this one. I don’t think I was expecting to latch onto it quite as easily as I did. Most audiobooks take at least an hour to get into, but this one caught my attention right from the beginning. I ordered the following two audiobooks in the series before I was even halfway through this one.

We get the story from Seyonne’s point of view, which is often heart wrenching, especially at first, because the Derzhi are not at all nice to their slaves. He is routinely beaten and half-starved and so on. It was a really interesting view to see this story unfold though, and I really enjoyed it. It was well written, and the story unfolds in an interesting way. There’s not a great deal of action in the beginning, but the story gets where it is going. It gets there quite well! There are quite a few transformations in this book, so it has quite an appropriate title.

The narrator, Kevin Stillwell did a great job. I like the sound of his voice, and so I think he gave Seyonne a good voice for his story. There were accents peppered throughout, and he did them well, but there are little things here that make this one special. For instance, when Seyonne is reading Aleksander a letter, the cadence that he gives him sounds like a student reciting something from a book. Little things like that really immersed me in this book.

It was great! Can't wait to see what happens next!

1 person found this helpful

Wonderful Story, Wonderfully Written

I absolutely LOVED this book.It might be my favorite book ever. I could barely bring myself to stop listening even though I wanted to spread it out and make it last for as long as possible. The writing is excellent and evocative, the characters multi-dimensional and so enjoyable, and the story held my attention from beginning to end!

I feel as if someone looked into my mind, found all the kinds of things I love, and put them into this book. If you like the hurt/comfort genre, if you like whump, if you like stories about deep and unexpected friendships, peril, angst, and characters you can't help falling in love with, then I am sure you will adore this book as much as I did.

1 person found this helpful

Awesome!!

LOVING this book. Especially the Narrator! He is AMAZING. His voices for different characters are so varied and in depth! The way he reads totally draws me into the book and makes it hard to push pause when I'm done driving.

A slow burn friendship

A tale of a slow burn friendship between a slave and the prince he servers. The narrator does a laudable job portraying the world weary protagonists acceptance of his fate, and the inner strength he fails to contain.

The beginning of a story very dear to me...

I adore the Rai-kirah series. Alone, I have read it more times than I care to count.

Though the narrator is not who I would have chosen, and though he chose some... interesting accents, I cannot deny that I immensely enjoyed the whole experience and can't wait to listen to the other books in this series that captures, describes, and lives close in my heart and soul.

Amazing

I think I’ve just found a new faborite author. Cant wait fir book 2 and 3 ... and everything rose she’s written!

long time favorite.

this is one of the few series where over the years I have grown to like the characters more and develop a deeper understanding for some of the underlying troubles that plague the characters. it is also one of the few book series where in I own it in digital, audio and hard copy. well worth getting engrossed in.