The Cruelty of Magic

The Cruel Origins, Book 1

De: Shawn Amick

Narrado por: Alexander Keys

A warlord seeks the destruction of Runefall, and the end of magic, as a prophecy is met with doubt.

Kyra, a young woman capable of wielding rune magic, is called from her hidden city to a temple no one knows about. As Kyra wrestles with a prophecy, and wanting to save her city, a dwarven king leads his people to carve a new home for themselves but instead finds himself approaching divinity. On the other side of the world, a dark sewer hosts a father and son who escaped a tyrannical attack. They now hide and attempt to summon a golem for protection but learn something about magic that might change the world.

Intricate stories and deep lies connect peoples from all across the land. The actions of one may very well condemn the lives of another, even if they never meet.

Such is the cruel way of the world and the unforgiving cost of magic.

©2024 Shawn Amick (P)2024 Conquest Publishing

Amazing story

If this was the debut novel, we are in for a phenomenal series.
The characters were believable, the world building was amazing, and the story arch was incredible.
That being said, I would strongly suggest finding a different narrator. He sounded like the type of reader who could win awards for reading newspaper articles. Also, and I don't know if this was the way he was taught, or ifhe has a speech impediment, but the way he reads, if a word ends with the letter "D"he pronounces it as if it's a "T" so for example, the word "ground" was pronounced "grount" and the word blade, was pronounced "blate."
If you're able to look beyond that, you will enjoy this book.

fabulous

i really enjoyed this book! this was a great example of Epic fantasy! the plot, story & world building were fabulous! i found the characters to all have individual things i liked & some things i disliked! the narration was good but was probably my least favorite thing about this read, the narrator did an ok job, it was such a great read the narrator kept my attention throughout the entire read! i look forward to the next one in the series!this book was given to me by story Origin, i read it voluntarily, my opinions & thoughts are my own! i highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read!

A Truly Dark & Twisted Fantasy

This was my first experience with this author's work. I was amazed at the comprehensive worldbuilding; however, there were times when I thought the story got a little lost in the details. I was moved by some of the characters and their stories, and it was important to note the names of the characters in order to know whose story was being presented at that point in the flow of the plot. I enjoyed the complex magic systems. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I thought Alexander Keys' narration was great, and I was entertained by his performance of various voices for the different characters. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this audiobook.

Prophecies, hidden cities, & a gritty underworld!

The Cruelty of Magic is a mesmerizing journey through prophecies, hidden cities, and the gritty underworld of Runefall! Kyra’s fierce determination, paired with a dwarven king’s unexpected path to divinity, makes for an epic tale brimming with raw magic and intrigue. Shawn Amick’s world is rich and ruthless, and Alexander Keys’ narration brings every twist to life with captivating depth!

Loved it! Yes

Loved the book enjoyed the feel of like lord of the rings meets Harry Potter kind off. Definitely a genre I read! Perfect narrator as well ❤️

Intriguing Story Hurt by bad narration

I've read the original and enjoyed it so I was excited for this updated release. However, I couldn't make it through an hour of this narrator because he was giving my a headache. The voices are fine, but the cadence is so bizzare and unnatural that I thought it might have been AI. I tried to push through, but I genuinely couldn't muster it, which is a shame because the story had me intrigued. will continue with the ebook. listen to the sample first.