Shattered Dreams

Ultimate Level 1, Book 1

By: Shawn Wilson

Narrated by: Johnathan McClain

Max wanted to be a [Baker].

Settle down, bake stuff, and enjoy life. The gods, however, ruined that dream.

Given [Baker] and a rare black skill, he is now running for his life, trying to grow strong enough to return home. Now, Max must find a way to grow strong enough to survive the people and the god hunting him. Unprepared for an adventurer's life, Max will have to learn things the hard way as he hides his secret lest his fellow adventurers turn on him.

©2024 Shawn Wilson (P)2024 Podium Audio

Exactly what I hoped for.

The main character is OP but still faces trials. The pacing is great. The narrator gives an excellent performance. Loved listening throughout. Can't wait for the next book.

narration

I normally don't write reviews that are negative but The overall story was great. seems real solid. the only thing I couldn't get over is the narration, it seemed really stiff so to say,

plot is decent. narrator is ok

The plot is decent enough. the narrator is fine for the plot but when it comes to dialog, I don't care for his female voices.

Very fun story

I really enjoyed the weak to strong stories and this is a great one. Recommend trying it.

Funny and Entertaining

Loved this book, tried to save it for work but ended up binging it. Great main character who doesn’t take himself too seriously with a lot of funny moments.

Great book!!!

Well worth a credit, fantastic and funny. i loved the cuss words they truly were unique. The book went by to quickly I wasn't ready for it to end but it was amazing and I already have the second book in my wish list.

the narration is at another level

the narrator made it more enjoyable!
Definitely recommend!
I don't typically listen to books from this point of view, but it was great! Will be getting the next book

Good for new listeners

As an avid listener of the LitRPG/Progression Fantasy genre, this book had a few too many played-out tropes and plot points to be truly spectacular. For a first listen or to introduce one to the genre, though, I believe this novel is perfectly fine.

This novel seems more geared towards a more YA/teenage audience, and it shows in the dialogue and character writing. The world and characters are a bit one-dimensional. The MC, for instance, seems to change his opinions and outlook on life on a whim with little substantial evidence to support this. The dialogue can be funny at times, but is a little childish in its swearing.

The world could be a bit more developed, but sometimes it’s nice to have a simpler, more linear progression setting. The narrator can overdo it at times, but helps more than hurts the story. The combat is good, and it easy to track.

Overall, I would recommend veteran listeners to avoid this, but recommend this novel to others who are unfamiliar with genre tropes, as it’s sure to be a good stepping stone into more serious/gritty/grounded works. It’s fun and lighthearted, and not a bad time waster.

The energy

The readers energy holds your attention perfectly. The story is well paced not too slow and not too fast. Many laughs but also touches of sadness or compassion and it all just fits together perfectly in this book.

great story, overenthusiastic narration

The story is great for folks who enjoy powerful protagonists. My main gripe is that the narrator puts far too much emphasis and inflection in sentences that do not require it. Other than that he does very well.