Shadebound

The Last King, Book 1

By: David Estes, G.D. Penman

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Assassins lurk in every shadow of Covotana Palace. Noble blood is spilled, and the firstborn scion of the usurped king has been summoned to seek justice by the twins who now claim his throne.

Artemio Volpe must contend with more than simple intrigue. The embers of war burn bright beyond the horizon of the northern steppes, his already estranged family has been hounded by the assassinations, and the shades of the dead pervade his body and mind, granting him their power at a terrible price.

Torn between his duty to the kingdom and his studies at the legendary House of Seven Shadows, Artemio finds his loyalties divided and time running out. After all, the fires burning to the north are not mere barbarian's pyres. They're dragon fire...

©2022 David Estes and G.D. Penman (P)2022 Podium Audio

amazing

it's an amazing book and the narrator also is great. I listened to it nonstop David Estes is an amazing author

Good read

This story kept me interested all the way through there weren’t so many characters that you’d confused about who was who and Tim Gerard Reynolds is a great reader

Frustrating

I dont normally rate books before I've finished them, but it is irritating that the sister is supposed to be so smart but continually acts in moronic ways. I wish she wasn't even part of the story. The mystery alone keeps this at an overall 4. Sometimes, the characters just repeat ideas in their heads. It feels unnecessary.

Narrator as usual great

Always enjoy Tim Gerald Reynolds narrating. The story seem to have a lot lacking. I can't put my finger on why I feel that way

Intriguing

I am extremely glad I took chance on this book. Generally, I prefer to wait until there is a least two books, preferably more, when starting a new series. Estes expertly wove an intriguing tale in this blend of murder/mystery and magic. Took me a while to really understand the shade concept. Part of it is how the author blended the revelation of the shades into the story, revealing a bit at a time. By the time I was halfway through the story, I was thoroughly hooked. I am a big fan of TGR and he certainly does not disappoint here. He is magnificent. The characters are complex, all too human, but wonderfully portrayed. Yes, it ends somewhat abruptly but is well set up for the next book, which hopefully will come soon. When the story gears up, it is a full sprint to the end. No language but a fair amount of violence but nothing over the top for this genre. Most highly recommended.

Finally an amazing book!

Been struggling to find a book that can keep me entertained from front to back! Very good narration also, I'm super happy with this 😁

Disappointing really

I'm a fan of David Estes' Kingfall Histories series, and Tim Gerard Reynolds is one of my favourite narrators, so I was excited to listen to this book. The story started off promising, and I was intrigued by how the magic in the world worked, but the story left me very disappointed.
I was not a fan of Harmony, especially in scenes when she was acting overly dim-witted and an annoyance to people who were actually getting things done.
The book would have been much improved if Harmony was not there, If Artemio was actually as smart as the whole book tried to convice us he was and if Orsina didnt become the most powerful shadebound in around 6 months. I know this is fantasy, but come on.
And back to how stupid Artemius was. I figured out who this last king was ages and ages ago, It was very predictable. The servants told him. His father told him so ... how couldn't he figure it out? It doesn't pay to discredit your MCs just to keep a half-baked mystery going. Additionally, I don't understand what they were doing with his character. Everythingqbout him felt .. unfinished. I didn't particularly like him and definitely didn't like his twin. They and the rest of the army were almost complete nonfactors by the end. Had it not been for the peasant girl, they'd all have been dead, and the whole country subjugated

I usually like to finish all the books in a series i start, but im happy to wnd this one early. By the end of this book, I was wishing it would just be over.

chrap chrap chrap

Dark and depressing chrap ending with everybody dead in a vulcano swolowing erverything and end of story

Bait and Switch

I don't generally write reviews, but this book is so annoying I feel I have to. Artemio is not the main character of this book, though all of the summary would lead you to believe he is. Orsina is the main character. Orsina gets the amazing powers; Orsina wins over the girl; Orsina becomes the focal point of the grand finale.

While Orsina is going supernova and saving the day, Artemio is given barely a minute of dialogue to show that he's even involved. What a slap in the face.

Hard to follow

I was hooked in the beginning. But as the story unfolded it became harder and harder to follow. I’m super disappointed.