Lacuna

By: N.R. Walker

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Twenty-five years ago, the hand of fate marked four newborns and sent them to the four corners of the Great Kingdoms. They were schooled and trained as rulers of their lands in preparation for the Golden Eclipse ceremony: a festival to celebrate a thousand years of peace and prosperity since the Great War.

Crow, ruler of Northlands, a skilled swordsman and expert tactician, is as reclusive and stoic as the mountains that surround him. Tancho has spent his life in strict discipline, governing the Westlands with a fair mind and gentle hand. Quiet and unassuming, yet lethal in combat, he is the embodiment of the waters he lives by.

Yet the same hand of fate unknowingly linked Tancho to Crow in ways they cannot comprehend. Ruled by the stars, the brother sun and the two sister moons above them, and marked by an alchemical sorcery as old as time, their destinies were never their own.

As the eclipse draws near and the festival begins, word comes of another threat. Invaders from unknown lands bring a war no one was prepared for, and Crow and Tancho must decide on which side of the battle line they stand.

In life or death, their destinies will see them joined either way.

Lacuna is a 92,000-word story of swords and sorcery, action and adventure, and romance.

©2020 N.R. Walker (P)2021 N.R. Walker

Escape into an interesting world

I really appreciated the worldbuilding IN this one. Very descriptive and Nick's narration fit the story rather well. Wish the author would do more like this one. Thank you.

N.R. Walker + Nick J. Russo = Excellent!!!!!

There was not one single thing I did not like about this story! Fantasy and romance galore!!!

enjoyed it

Would I listen to it again: yes ✔
Did the story keep me engaged: yes ✔
Was I invested in the characters: yes ✔

📖 Story comment: Good pace, likeable characters, nice flow, more story than sex.
I really liked the concept behind the story (kind of "Stargate-ish", being able to step through a 'doorway' to another location, and the rulers of the four kingdoms working together as equals.

🎧 Narrator comment: I enjoy Nick Russo as a narrator, he suits the characters, has good cadence, inflections and intonations and it's easy to distinguish the characters from each other. Overall an enjoyable performance and he bought the characters of Lacuna to life

Typical Characters, Well Written

Well written, and the narration didn't take away from the story & the characters were easy to recognize. Characters play typical roles (Strong fellow who is hungry and a bit dumb or Strong independent woman who with a vicious streak) but it is a nice story all the same.

The first sex scene felt a bit out of place to me due to the upsetting situation they were in but that is certainly one way to cope, so to each thier own I suppose.

Off to hunt for the next in this series…

Is there a second book in this series? Idk. I loved this book and really enjoyed the audiobook. Good story, great narration. Excellent world building. Everything I wanted in a start to summer read.

Amazing World Building

N.R. Walker is definitely one of my favorite authors, and Lacuna is no exception of her brilliance. I love the connection of natural/scientific inspirations in our world to theirs, it made trying to comprehend this new and strange story to the reader feel all that more real. I also loved the cultural references in each of the kingdoms, and the inclusivity of different cultures being truly equal. I didn't want the story to finish, fingers crossed for a potential sequel?

Nick J. Russo is a newer author to me, and I quite enjoy his performances. Initially the third person perspective made it hard to differentiate between Crow's and Tancho's perspective until you had more cues, but I got used to it.

Wouldn't recommend

I think this book needed to be made more concise before it was published. It had a unique, interesting plot that I think got the best of the author because they ended up telling it for too long with unnecessary meetings, time and time again.

I enjoyed the performance and the characters, but by the end of the book, I was tired and waiting for it to end.

Not what I was expecting from NR Walker

While all the elements of a great fantasy were there, I just found this to lack and drag. It’s super unfortunate cause I’ve loved this authors other books (that I’ve read) so far.