The Infinity Mantle

Lore of Arcana, Book 1

By: Elaina J. Davidson

Narrated by: Thomas Bestwick

There is a darkness coming ...

Rayne of the Mantle searches for the magician Aven to confirm rumours of the dara-witch Infinity’s presence on Valaris. He isn’t prepared for what he actually finds. Changeling children bent on murder, a secret Society of Sorcerers, the mysterious waif Averroes, and the Maghdim Medaillon, a magical coin that creates a thread of light between two realms.

Two worlds in two universes are on the brink of destruction. Both will burn. Connecting them and their shared fate is a linked past, a glowing thread, and a tear in the fabric of space. Separating them is a mighty Chaos barrier.

Valaris is vulnerable to the Infinity and, beyond Ardosia, the Darak Or Margus watches for the perfect opportunity to annihilate a world and its people. Both will use Chaos as a weapon of ultimate manipulation.

Taranis of the Guardians is summoned to witness what will happen to Valaris should Ardosia fail and is forced to endure the darkness blockade. In the aftermath, he understands the Guardians need a sorcerer of extraordinary power to step forth. Is there anyone out there able to prevent eternal night?

Rayne meanwhile dreams of a little girl from another world desperate for help and cannot fathom how, until he meets the Guardians in the Great Forest of Valaris. When they reveal the presence of a tear in space, Rayne realises he is being gathered to fulfil his destiny...

And on Ardosia a little girl awakes from a nightmare, screaming, “It will all burn, daddy!”

Another awakens; a legendary figure from the forgotten past, creator of the Maghdim Medaillon, the true ruler of both Valaris and Ardosia. His time is now.

There is a darkness coming.

©2013 Elaina J. Davidson (P)2018 Elaina J. Davidson

pretty good but takes a bit to get going

the first few chapters are kinda slow and mostly set up and exposition. Also this book is mostly third person which is something of an oddity these days, so that also took some getting used to. but the story picks up very well and the world building is quite rich.

Riveting

Although a bit complicated and hard to follow at times it’s still a great story with multiple twists and turns. Great action and character development.
The narrator was well spoken and seemed to know the book well. His character voices were distinct and recognizable.

Thanks for the opportunity to review this book, which I received free at my request for this unbiased review.

Slow start but focus and hang in there

This is the first book I have read/listened to by this author and I have the second waiting in my library. I quite enjoyed this book. It took me three tries to get into it however. I found I was lost often and my mind wandered easily, so I had no idea what was going on. I switched books then came back to it. This is definitely a book you need to focus on. It is not hard to understand, but there is a lot of info and setup, characters, and lead up to the action. I agree with many other reviewers, the beginning is a slow start but most of it is necessary. Once I got to the backstory of Valaris I was engrossed. I had a harder time again nearing the end, but I believe it was more my fault. Regardless, I am looking forward to the second book. It his one ends with a reveal and huge lead into the next installment.

This is the first book I have listened to by this narrator ( Thomas Bestwick ) and I look forward to listening to him with book 2. I typically increase the listening speed to about 1.5-1.75x but find I needed to increase this book to 1.9x speed to get the same result. His narration is clear and well performed. He uses different voices and accents to differentiate the characters. He even does the children’s voices well.

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence. I don’t recall any swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

A lot going on!

This review is for both the 1st and 2nd book in the Lore of Arcana series.
First let me say I found the narrator to be great at bringing the characters into focus in my mind. His voice was smooth, clear and distinct.
Now, as for the story, in the 1st book I felt it was slow to start. At times confusing with all the player's involved. The 2nd book did pick up some, less confusing.
Still I had to rewind occasionally, cause if i got sidetracked I was lost as to what and who.
This audio was given to me free and I voluntarily gave this review.

A Stellar Epic!

The INFINITY MANTLE (Lore of Arcana I) by Elaina J. Davidson, is a wonderful fantasy of truly epic proportions. The writing is stellar, though had I not been prepared by the author at the outset to expect a good deal of (absolutely necessary) backstory in the beginning of the story, I might have become impatient and not discovered the brilliant and mesmerizing tale which followed. The pace is steady-to-lively beyond the history, and the character development is exceptional. The characters are well-fleshed out with distinct and realistic personalities. My favorites are Rayne, Averroes, and Vannis. The world-building is superb. It is evident the author poured a great deal of care and imagination into creating her exceptional and fascinating world.I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this unique and intriguing series.

Recently I listened to the INFINITY MANTLE audiobook and discovered that this epic tale is even more of a delight to hear. The narrator read and performed well, bringing the character’s and their enchanting tale to life.

I highly recommend THE INFINITY MANTLE, both the novel and the audiobook, to all who enjoy epic fantasy, or a spectacular long story.

Epic Fantasy and Narration!

The Infinity Mantle is the start to an excellent series. Darkness is coming and two worlds teeter on the brink of destruction. 14 companions are forced to play a game against the Dara-Witch Infinity in which the prize is the salvation of the world. This epic tale includes Rayne of the Mantle, a reluctant sorcerer with power greater than what he realizes. an imprisoned ruler who may be the only hope for 2 worlds, and Taranis of the Guardians, who is summoned to witness what will happen should they fail. Although the book started off a little slow, it picks up and maintains a good pace. Elaina Davidson uses excellent character development and world building catapult this book high into the world of epic fantasy.
What can I say about Thomas Bestwick's superior narration? Just that. Thomas brings the characters and world alive as only he could. I have listened to other novels by him and he never disappoints!

If you like epic fantasy, superior narration, and rich, engrossing characters, this is the series for you.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.