Maz'hura

The Twelve Dimensions, Book 1

By: Paul L. Centeno

Narrated by: Courtney Holly

Famed sorceress and military captain, Shirakaya, explores vast regions of an alternate universe. On a particularly hazardous mission, an ancient alien race, exiled eons before, attack her intergalactic spacecraft. The body count rises as Shira struggles to defeat the formidable enemy and to convince the galaxies the malevolent species has returned and their mayhem will engulf the entire Ensar universe.

The cosmic leaders, the Ruzurai, meet the crew’s harrowing tales with skepticism and deny the escalating threat. Shira's magical powers mysteriously weaken and she must face the terrifying prospect that she cannot protect those she loves - let alone the entire universe. Her skills waning, Shira is forced to decide how far she will go to vanquish this ancient and monstrous race to see peace prevail.

©2018, 2019 Paul L. Centeno (P)2020 Paul L. Centeno

Great and intense adventure with some nice music

I really enjoyed the adventures in this story. There is more than one plot that gives the book a lot of depth. Shira is a really well developed protagonist and I especially enjoyed the section when she visits her family which was unexpected because there's so much action in the book...her surprise shore leave is a nice break. It's also emotional, especially when her brother is in trouble....there is always something unexpected.

Shira is a bit too proud and tough but you eventually see a softer side to her. On another note....between each chapter there are some kind of interludes with futuristic/mystical proverb stuff about the universe mixed with enchanting music....to be honest some of them are hard to understand at first but I still loved hearing them. The narrator also has a beautiful voice that enhanced the story for me. When the audiobook finished, I wanted to hear more. Hopefully the sequel comes out soon.

Great Sci-Fi with a strong female lead

Faced with an enemy long thought destroyed, Captain Shirakaya (also known as Shira) is tasked with saving the universe even as they mock and ignore her.  Shira is a strong woman with magical powers and a rock-solid determination and who is fearless. 

Paul Centeno, the author, was serious in his world-building and character development.  In between the action, he took the necessary time to build not only each character but the background as well. Centeno took his time to develop the main character, Shira with an intense depth that allows the listener to see more deeply into her and figure out her responses.   Each character is given attention, providing a rich and vivid story. This sci-fi adventure story is packed with action!

The narrator, Courtney Holly, did an excellent job of giving a voice to Shira that reflected her inner being as well as giving each character a unique voice.  Holly made it easy to determine who was speaking and to follow along. 

The only downside to this production, in my opinion, and I have stated this opinion often – is the music.  However, this is a good strong book that is gripping from beginning to end.

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook. 

 

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.

Magic in the future...cool

After listening to the sample and hearing music I decided to use one of my credits. The sound effects and music in this audiobook enhance the story. This book sort of reminds me of the expanse and the witcher which is kind of weird when u think about it but after listening to this it eventually makes sense. Some people are born with magic while others are not so lucky. Soldiers don't seem to be gifted and those with magic are in higher positions like the captain. There's a lot of action. The author seems to have made up a bunch of new words....they are hard to follow but some were catchy. I liked the interludes a lot….the music is beautiful. It took a little longer than I wanted to learn about the characters but maybe book two will focus more on them. Courtney's voice is another good thing. Some narrators sound like robots and kill the story. She was engaging and caught my attention right away.