Lord of the White Hell: Book One

The Cadeleonian Series, Book 1

By: Ginn Hale

Narrated by: Jakobi Diem

Kiram Kir-Zaki may be considered a mechanist prodigy among his own people, but when he becomes the first Haldiim ever admitted to the prestigious Sagrada Academy, he is thrown into a world where power, superstition and swordplay outweigh even the most scholarly of achievements.

But when the intimidation from his Cadeleonian classmates turns bloody, Kiram unexpectedly finds himself befriended by Javier Tornesal, the leader of a group of cardsharps, duelists and lotharios who call themselves Hellions.

However Javier is a dangerous friend to have. Wielder of the White Hell and sole heir of a dukedom, he is surrounded by rumors of forbidden seductions, murder and damnation. His enemies are many and any one of his secrets could not only end his life but Kiram's as well.

Contains mature themes.

©2010 Ginn Hale (P)2019 Tantor

Great Book

Pissed as hell about the ending. Thank gods there’s a second book. I need to know more!

Yelled at my phone

I can't believe we were left with that cliffhanger. I yelled at my phone "What!?" and then downloaded Book Two.

perfect. Good plot, well written, well read.

Great book. Excellently well written with a good plot and just the right amount of spicy content. I have read enough of this genre to be very tired of books that rely too heavily on smut, thinking they can cover literary porn in a thin veneer of barely structured plot and pass it off as a book. This is a good example of how to balance the spicy moments enticingly and still maintain its focus on good story telling worth realistic characters who think like real people and are easy to sympathize with. The narrator read it well, with noticeable differences of tone and inflection for each of the characters.

Really enjoyed it!

I loved this story a lot! I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the narrator to begin with, but his voice grew on me! Overall I really enjoyed the story and got totally immersed!!

Absolutely Perfect

Most BL/gay fantasy novels are usually prolonged x scenes with a contrived plot thrown in or campy dialogue with painfully cliché plot (how is TJ Klune so popular???) I’ve read 4 or 5 books that I’ve enjoyed. The two cultures the author created and their deep differences seen through the MC’s experiences is perfect. The relationship between the two men arises naturally and is realistic. The difficulty in their circumstances and their flaws is well explored without being overly dramatized or a total angst fest. The xx was used sparingly and only to move the plot forward, not gratuitously or as an inevitability to end the book. I can’t remember the last time I actually enjoyed a gay fantasy book. Comparative to Lord Mouse or Luck in the Shadows. I don’t even write many reviews. I’m downloading the sequel right now.

Meh.

I'm a big fan of Jacobi Diem usually, and I really don't think it's his fault this book was so hard to finish. The story is very slow moving without any real substance or plot to keep the reader engaged. I kept thinking maybe it would pick up and make the previous 10 hours worth it.. nope. Skip this one if you're truly looking for an epic adventure with an LGBTQ perspective.

Love this series!

I was so excited when I saw this on Audible. I have the book on Kindle but it had been years since I'd read it. Ginn Hale recently released a new Cadeleonian book and I was meaning to re-read the earlier books to refresh my memory. It worked out great that the audiobook came out now. Ms Hale is an incredible author, one of my favorites. The world-building is intricate and fascinating, the plot draws you in, and the characters are all complex, all with their own flaws and their own motivations. Though it takes place in a fantasy setting, there are many relevant real-world themes, such as the racism Kiram faces, and the homophobia of Cadeleonian society, that elevate this series from "just" a fantasy novel or "just" M/M romance to something more poignant that will stick in your mind.

As for the narrator, I found him largely unobjectionable. Not the best, but far from the worst. I don't think he brought anything particularly special to the story, but neither did he distract from the story with things like overdone character voices or a totally wooden narration.

Overall, I highly recommend this book, and this author in general. I hope to see more of her books coming to audible. Just a note, this book is part of a duology, but to me they read more like a single long book, and Part 2 continues directly where Part 1 ends, and completes the tale.

It's okay, good listen between better books

Gay Harry Potter if Hogwarts was more like Catholic boarding school. There are good ideas, but the plot is mostly just fantasy academy clichés. I wish the author had dropped all the day-to-day academy filler and let Karam focus on the mystery of Javier and his "white hell". That would have been a better book.

The narrator is good with his characterizations, but his neutral narrator voice sounds too old and gruff for this story.

#NarratorMotivated

First of all, let me say that I came across this book because I am motivated to listen to ANYTHING Jakobi Diem! And when I read these reviews about his performance, I was even more curious. I'm not sure what others was expecting, but he did an amazing job capturing the innocence of Kiram and Nestor and the arrogance, hurt and confusion of Javier!
I loved the story and the characters. It was very well written! I can't wait to listen to book 2!

SUCH a good book, and a favorite series

I don't often write reviews, but I want to encourage folks to give this charming, complex, and beautifully detailed story a chance, both in book form, and audio form. While the narrator takes a little getting used to, and doesn't always nail the subtle tongue in cheek of the dialogue, you soon get into the rhythm of his soothing voice and overall his voices are well done. Ginn Hale excels at characterization and world-building, as well as spinning up the perfect amount of suspense. While the characters are younger in this book, I would definitely not rate it a "teen book" as one reviewer suggested, though I certainly would have enjoyed reading it at that age as well. There are several more books in this series, and everyone only gets more mature from here, and the stakes only get more complex, fast-paced, and excellent from here. I hope you discover a new favorite!