The Chronicles of Starlyn

De: Craig A Price Jr

Narrado por: Shelley Roit

Kheshlars are immortal, except death by battle or poison. Yet, despite that fact, Starlyn’s mother is dying, and nobody knows why.

Starlyn loves her mother and desperately searches for any way to help her, yet it seems there is little she can do but sit and watch. Even the kheshlarn healers and herbalists are stunned and cannot find a way. Other kheshlars turn away from her aid, afraid of a weakness - an illness - in her bloodline, and would rather her mother die than taint the others with her weakness. Starlyn’s sister, Arria, refuses to sit and watch as their mother dies and takes more drastic measures to try and save their mother. She dives into the restricted books in the kheshlarn library about dark magic.

Dark magic has been forbidden for the kheshlars because it is said that even the willpower of a kheshlar cannot prevail against the touch of a dark taint. Arria is no longer concerned with her own welfare and dives heavily into her studies. Strange things begin to happen, and Starlyn ends up learning of her sister’s studies in the dark magic and is forced to confront her.

The kheshlarn law states that if you begin in the art of forbidden magic that you are forever an outcast from the kheshlarn order. Starlyn wishes to reason with her sister that dark magic is not the way. Her love for both her mother and sister leave her torn to either save her mother or her sister, and if at all possible to save them both. However, if she doesn’t make the right choice, it may condemn both of them to death, and leave Starlyn without family, which is the very thing she treasures the most.

©2016 Craig A. Price Jr. (P)2018 Craig A. Price Jr.

I thought it would have been a much bettern if

Unfortunately I believe this author had a great story but the way inch it was recorded was not such a good choice and I believe that it was not necessarily the narrator because she seemed to be doing a fairly good job with her voice but I think it was more so the recording Company or the unprofessional recording of this narrator instead of a top notch company that has good or great narrators. So I can’t really say who did what but because of the choices made in this area the overall experience suffered. I sincerely hope that the author is able to make more because I really did like her writing and think it could be awesome;).

"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

The Chronicles of Starlyn

Like the others I found the narrator put me off. The story was OK, I would still read the next book just to see what happens next.
I liked this authors Dragonia series that is why I picked this one but it is not as good as the other series. I will still give it a chance since it might get better.

terrible narration and sound quality

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I was really looking forward to this book, as I enjoyed Crimson Claymore. That being said, I was so distracted by the poor sound quality and childish sound of the narration that I struggled to get into the book. I think the author needs to have a better equiped and more experienced narrator re-record this book. If they do that, I'd be willing to give it another listen and reasses my opinion.

An okay prequel to The Crimson Claymore

This is a short story, a prequel to the Crimson Claymore which I reviewed once upon a time, so it will be a short(ish) review.

I liked some things about the TCC, and the same can be said about TCOS. Arria, a kheshlar (think elf), breaks an age old law by turning to the dark arts to save her ailing mother. Banished from her home, she seeks to save her mother while gaining revenge on her people. She meets some draeyks, dragonspawn, who share her goals (well,except for the ailing mother bit), and they team up.

Arria's sister Starlyn, aims to save her sister from her fate, but an attack on other kheshlar by an army of draeyks turns her into the vengeful killing machine we see in TCC.

The story was okay, not amazing, but the narration was weird at times. Starlyn sounded a bit like my daughter, which is fine if you're nine years old and not an immortal elf/not an elf. At other times there was an echo to the audio that sounded like the narrator was reading in the can, or some other small room. As there were no accompanying splashes, we'll go with some other small room.

I'd put it somewhere in the 2.5/5 range, mostly due to the weird audio, but don't let that put you off the author's work. The Crimson Claymore has its fans, and his more recent work, the Dragonia series, is far more polished.

Potentially good

I have listened to many audio books, and each story has it's unique way to grab the listener's attention. Which it falls to the story and Narrator.

As for this book, I honestly had a hard time getting used to the "sound" of the audio book. It sounded like it was done cheaply...or the audio tech didn't do a good job at all to clear the voice up.

The story was...interesting. I think this book could use a little revamping (and audio).

"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

Felt like I was missing something

While I enjoyed this, I felt like came into the middle. I had a hard time getting vested in the characters.
Kheshlars are supposed to be immortal except in battle or from poison. When the mother of Arria and Starlyn falls I'll, their people shun them. Arria turns to black magic (which is illegal) trying to find a cure, it backfires.
On the run, Arria finds a race of beings that resemble in part the dragons of old. She assembles an army of them, with the intent of rescuing her mother and destroying her race.
Starlyn is tracking her sister, to reunite with her, but, what has she become, and is she worthy of forgiveness?

The Making of a Villain

This was my second time reading this book. It was also my introduction to the writing of Craig A. Price. It was amazing.

I don't generally like stories that attempt to make us sympathetic to the villain. I don't generally feel sympathetic to the villain. But for the first time, I felt like I could understand why someone might be able to turn against their upbringing and everything they knew.

Arria's mother was dying. And Arria was willing to do anything, go to any length, to save her - even if that meant reading the forbidden books and using dark magic. It was disgusting and horrifying, the lengths she went to. But it made sense. She loved her mother. And it was the one thing that remained, even as her mind and heart changed and became more attuned to the things of the darkness.

I didn't like Arria at all. She made bad choice after bad choice as though the end would justify the means. That would be impossible. The cost was too great. But she never gave up despite it all.

Starlyn was opposite her sister, always making the right choice, even when it cost her her sister sister and her mother. Her companions were interesting. I loved the interplay between the races thinking each other were myths. And the king didn't seem evil, but his choices between when to be absent and when to be present made me wonder. I also wondered about his connection to the humans, but perhaps that will be addressed in a later book.

I mostly liked the narration, with the exception of the narrator's interpretation of Starlyn. the voicing made her seem weak and cringing, rather than the fearless girl, confidently making hard decisions and persistent in her love for her sister that I pictures when I read the book.

I received a free copy of the audiobook from the author and have reviewed it willingly.

Story good but recording poor quality!

though this was a good story following up on the audible book "The Crimson Claymore " the audible was Very poor quality and the narrator was VERY poor too! Author should have used a better narrator who could put life into recording and not use such a high irritating voice for the main character.