I’m a picky audio-listener. Almost high maintenance-ly picky. I found this narrator to have quite a pleasant voice and excellent acting. He truly brought the story to life. I have a few favorite narrators that I’ll listen to despite the genre of the book they’re reading, and I plan to add Matthew Berry to that list.
The story was good. A little predictable but not in a “I feel cheated” way. The journey was thrilling, tinged with horror and peppered with suspense. I liked that the characters themselves didn’t have magic, but what they sought after ended up being magical. Interesting fantasy twist to it. Not something I’d normally pick up, but glad I did.
The story reminds me quite a bit of Six of Crows. The plot is different, but the feel is the same: a band of criminals, some with more to lose than the others, all in a fictional world with fun quests that never go as planned. It’s dark, but deliciously so. Matthew was able to truly bring out the creepy parts in the story, and I found myself with goosebumps a few times, and embarrassingly I admit, he startled me once, lol.
I’d recommend this for dark fantasy lovers, perhaps gothic fantasy lovers as well. If you like quests, this would be a good one. The main character is a middle-aged man so probably won’t be relatable to many teens.
When the second audio book comes out, I will be snatching it up. Matthew Berry has a new fan!
D. Fischer 
Published by