I chuckled, whooped, and muttered "called it." in the way you call a jumpscare after the fact and try to shake it off like you expected it. a road trip flew by as I sat straight in my driver's seat (safely, and far more healthy for my back) I told the final chapter. when I picked it up again, I couldn't put it down. the talent of Jeremy Ang Jones cannot be denied, but his gentle tones lulled me a bit too much. I started this once, but I wasn't in the right mindset. Sanderson-esque world with Robinson-esque dialogue I cannot wait to see what the next book has in store for me! While it is a treat to hear his full range on the whole, I really was impressed by this in particular. I must point out, specifically on the point of narration, that Jeremy Ang Jones does an INCREDIBLE job voicing old women. The other reviewers here are correct about when the action picks up- I started crying in the middle of chapter 13 and could not stop listening after that, but the fourth and final section of the book is so good I had to tell four different people how much I love it. It’s a hero’s journey, through and through, but Wen Alder’s mistakes are humanizing, and his tragic flaws are what make him a protagonist worth following down a twisted path. JT Greathouse choosing a basis in imperial China rather than the typical European backdrop to construct his epic fantasy is something I both admire and enjoyed, coming from an Asian Studies academic background myself. The narrative performance is spectacular, and the variety of voices is deeply entertaining and enriching. Even though the premise was compelling and I adore Jeremy Ang Jones’ other work, I was worried I would have the same problem here. I have to preface this by saying I’m not much of an audiobook listener, as I often have trouble focusing on the content. Now, on the verge of taking the steps that will forge the path of his life, Alder discovers that the conflict between the Empire and the resistance is only the beginning of a war that will engulf both heaven and Earth, gods and man - and he may be the key to final victory for whichever side can claim him as their own. It began when his spirited, rebellious grandmother took Alder into the woods and introduced him to her ways - ways he has never been able to forget. And it is expected that Alder, too, will follow this tradition by passing the imperial exams, learning the accepted ways of magic and, if he serves with honor, enhancing his family's prominence by rising to take a most powerful position in Sien - the Hand of the Emperor.īut from his mother he has inherited defiance from the Empire, a history of wild gods and magic unlike anything the Imperial sorcerers could yet control. On his father’s side, a legacy of proud loyalty and service to the god-like Sienese Emperor spanning generations.
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