Monarch: A Prince Out of Time

Monarch, Book 1

By: J. McCoy, Eligos

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

To save the kingdom, he'll have to stop his own murder....

It’s hard to be a drunken idiot when the world keeps burning down around you. Cairn, the charming-yet-utterly-irresponsible heir to the Uskarrion throne, is all too happy to toss the crown aside. But an invasion, conspiracy, and rise of a terrifying villain result in his untimely death.

Then, Cairn reawakens. It's a decade earlier, and he's in his childhood body. But he remembers everything...there's much to accomplish. First, however, he'd really love to stop himself from dying.

Monarch is a progression fantasy epic set in a time loop where planning and cleverness are as vital as swordplay. It a story about a spoiled prince who discovers what it means to rule. Watch as he gains power, learns magic, forges alliances, and delves deeper into the mystery of the loop itself and the nature of his relationship with the ruthless antagonist.

©2022 Aethon Books (P)2022 Podium Audio

I am fully invested in this persons life....

ok, first of all
to address ALL the concerns you have read about "character growth" in the other reviews. I read them and its what stopped me from reading this book for so long.
TWO THINGS
1) there is MORE TO LIFE than MAJOR change. Not everything has to slap you in the face ALL the time.

2) as for the - unsavory - individuals that are trying to make this political...i can bet they haven't looked themselves in the mirror and taken responsibility for ANYTHING their entire life, so reading a story about a boy who KNOWs how to apologize and FORGIVE others...it must REALLY rub them the wrong way.

I finally broke and started to listen to this book because i was desperate waiting for some other books to come out...
but unlike all the "stagnant" character development i was expecting, what i got instead was a subtitle mind game. Now, I can see how some could see that the guy didn't change that much, to give the fair critics their due, but, isn't that....normal? we as people don't usually change on a dime and its only book one. He's going to still have the same basic personality because as we get older its harder to change that, but what's CHANGING....is his PERSPECTIVE on LIFE....yes? We can ALWAYS learn MORE!!
dang it now i'm getting excited all over again and i need book 2!!!

Powerful story

Re: Monarch is one of the best time travel regressor books I've read. On top of Luke Daniels' gripping narration, McCoy's ability to keep us in suspense and endearment to his characters made this read stand out as among the best of the year. It's brutal at times, but McCoy has a feel for when to hit the high points and keep the story going. This epic tale has hooked me for the next and hopefully many more. Great job all around!

An excellent narrative, exceeded my expectations

Creative, dark, intriguing, and well thought out. this book is well worth the read.

Good, interesting read

Seems to jump around a bit in time and it’s not always clear when the time jumps are taking place but otherwise an interesting reincarnation story. Looking forward to more!

10/10

Just an amazing read/listen. Carin (one of the main characters) is one of the best written protagonists O have ever had the pleasure of following. Through out the story he grows in a way that just feels so real and authentic. The time loop feels real in the way that it affects characters. There are the consequences, the moral and emotional weights associated with being in a world that isn’t going to exist the next time day, and the weight of those choices sets this story apart and is another part of it that makes me love this story. The side characters are complex and interesting, all with fleshed our dreams and motivations separate from Carin. The plot and mystery of the situation are thrilling and well written. Each little bit of information that we learn feels like an understanding is reached only for the next piece to change everything is a way that makes sense in the puzzle piece of the story. Just a great story, 10/10

impressive story

I went into this not expecting much but I was impressed. it has its faults here and there and can feel disorganized at times but only if you do not pay attention

Book was amazing

I loved the book and the performance was awesome, also I loved the blooper section at the end

Good story, great narration

A good, occasionally dark time loop story, and of course Luke Daniels kills it, as usual.

flash backs are in the wrong places in the story.

the flash backs need to come at the beginning or the end of the chapter instead of the middle. in a lot of the chapters the MC flash back to he childhood ( Is original time line) with no warning whatsoever and it kills the flow of the story. he will be in the middle of a important meeting or fight ext... then be talking with his dad in the past. killing the belt up suspension. that's me only real problem with the book.

Surprisingly good!

I was not ready or prepared for how good this story would be. I was honestly expecting just another generic progression fantasy story, but, oh, was I wrong! The story starts off slow and a bit confusing, but once you get past the first few chapters that set the tone and introduce the characters it quickly takes off and goodness is it a ride! The character development is great, as is the world building. I feel invested in the characters and in what happens to them. Even though this is a time loop fantasy, I still care each time the MC is forced to loop again and again. The author does a great job in giving a voice and personality to each character. And the narrator does an amazing job invoicing them all - and there are a lot of characters, so seriously, this couldn't have been easy (the dwarfs were the only voices that I had a lot of trouble understanding, but mild detraction). What I liked most about the MC is that he's smart and resourceful, but not overpowered. I genuinely appreciate that they bring in mental trauma as an affliction that incapacitates the MC more than once. He goes through a lot of shit and it's nice to see that he is both mentally and emotionally affected. Extremely refreshing to see in the litRPG genre. All in all, I would highly recommend this book!