Quest of the Dreamwalker

The Corthan Legacy, Book 1

By: Stacy Bennett

Narrated by: Zachary Johnson

Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Cara has been a prisoner all her life, shackled by a broken soul and fear of her father's temper. When a mercenary captain is taken prisoner, he sparks something in her she doesn't recognize - rebellion. Determined to save the captain's life, she flees with him intent on leaving her past behind. It isn't love that drives her father's zealous pursuit, but a hidden magical birthright she never knew about. Now she must solve the puzzle of her past before her father kills everyone she loves in his bid to reclaim her.

©2016 Stacy Bennett (P)2017 Miramae Press

What a ride...

What a great listen! This book was unlike any other book I’ve listened to lately. It was suspenseful and action packed throughout. The characters grew with the book and leave you wanting more when it’s over. I want, no NEED, to know what happens next.

If you enjoy magic, party dynamics, and finding oneself books, Quest of the Dreamwalker should be your next read/listen.

Great story and characters

4.5 stars! This was a great story. Right from the word go it is obvious all is not right with the sorcerer and the girl he simply calls daughter. He’s clearly manipulating and using her to his own ends and at her detriment, and she has never known any different, so she doesn’t even think to question it. But when Khoury and Archer are kidnapped and sold to the sorcerer as his next victims, something compels her to help them escape, and she escapes with them. Oddly enough, the relationship that clicks the most in the beginning isn’t the one that is the slow burn, it’s the one between Archer and Cara - he even gives her a real name. Archer is not only loyal to Khoury, but he has a soft spot for Cara as well, and it’s a very sweet relationship. At first, Khoury seems like a bit of a jerk after Cara helps them escape. He thinks he is only drawn to her because of their magic calling each other. But once he gets past that and realizes there’s more to it, he softens enough to be likable. The final battle with the sorcerer is pretty fantastic, very action packed and tension filled. And the connection between Cara and Fallon is definitely a unique twist that takes a very intriguing turn. The ending leaves you still wondering exactly who Cara is, even though we technically know at that point, and leaves things at a crossroads for the characters that hints at a very emotional second book. I for one am very much looking forward to it!

WOW

I want to start with what a great book. At first when I started the the book I thought I was not going to finish. Because I get confused when they go from person to person. Showing things from their different point of view. But that aside I glad that I was able to figure out what the missing piece was. I think this is a great book I so can't wait to see what happens next.

Thoroughly enjoyed!!!

Listened to this on audible and thoroughly enjoyed it. Exciting storyline with fun characters. Hard to "put down" but took my time listening so that I could "savor" every minute of it. Stacy Bennett created a fun story and Zachary Johnson portrayed each character superbly. He pulled you into the story through every character and every word. Can't wait for book 2.

A Good Performance And Story...

What did you love best about Quest of the Dreamwalker?

The Courage Of The Main Character...

What other book might you compare Quest of the Dreamwalker to and why?

This Book Has Its Own Plot... It Doesn't Really Compare To Another Story...

Have you listened to any of Zachary Johnson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This Was My First Time Hearing This Narrator...

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No Extreme Emotions But It Was A Good Plot With Adventure, Love And Magic...A Very Easy Listen...

Any additional comments?

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Well-written, page-turner + wonderfully preformed!

Cara has been “used” by Father all her life as she dutifully obeys the only human she has ever spoken to. Cara has never been allowed beyond the stables where she cares for her beloved bears. The people who come to the Keep are captives who become no more than dust in Father’s ceremonial room. Cara has strange dreams of a beautiful woodland where she finds shelter when Father “feeds” on her soul.

A new set of captives is delivered to the fortress where they are greeted with a bountiful, feast – for one night anyway. Cara is forbidden to share in the bounty and forbidden to talk to the “guests”. But this time she sneaks into the great hall to steal some food and finds two men hidden behind a pillar. One is a big, young man with striking red-gold hair and beard. The other is a dark haired, rough man, a bit more mature and with an imposing look of strength. Cara is startled when the young man speaks one word: “Please”.

Cara is drawn to the dungeons where the red headed man, Archer, speaks kindly to her and asks about his friend, Captain Khoury. Father threatens that these men will be his next sacrifices. For the first time in her life Cara dares to rebel by releasing the two men who have been kind to her. There are dangers before the men break out of the keep which is just the start of the trouble. They take Cara with them, but can they elude the evil sorcerer?

After escaping the first obstacle the captain, Archer and Cara seek shelter in Archer’s homeland. Cara is befriended by the Bear-Clan chieftain who senses the magic hidden within her. The village is attacked by giants and many new friends are lost. Cara, Archer, the chieftain and the captain escape, setting off again to find a way to fight the sorcerer. Along the journey Cara stumbles into a forbidden forest where no men are permitted. They are spared when a leader helps them by sending a social misfit, brave and resentful Falin, to help lead them out of the forest and to their next destination.

Each of the characters has a depth of history and pain which is shared in brief glimpses, with mysteries swirling for all of them. The strong-willed, independent Falin is an interesting contrast to the caring, dependent Cara. There are hints and twists, but most of the character backgrounds are not revealed until late in the story.

There are a few respites between the fast-paced action scenes. The escaping companions did not realize the powerful sorcerer would use an arsenal of tools- storms, giants, fire, a dragon and more- to get Cara back. Khoury might not readily acknowledge his love for Cara but he isn’t about to let her go easily. Khoury is a darkish knight (in truth a mercenary) but he is still a knight in my eyes. I loved the spellbinding story, the strong characters and the steady action. I guessed a few parts but there were still secrets at the end. This story comes to a conclusion but there is a clear path for the next book which I look forward to. I highly recommend this gripping page-turner to fantasy lovers!

Audio Notes: Zachary Johnson provides amazing narration that I thought was 'spot on'. It was clear he put in a lot of preparation so that the story flowed seamlessly from beginning to end. Zach provides wonderful accents for the characters and although he doesn’t present 'female' voices he clearly portrays the females by inflection, emotion and nuances that fit the characters. The combination of the story and the narration made this audio hard for me to turn off!

I received this audio title from the narrator for an unbiased review.

Amazing Narration and beautiful world building

I absolutely loved this fantasy romance.

The world building was engaging, descriptive and enthralling.

The narration was enjoyable and compelling.

Definitely recommend this one

Hard to put down!

Daughter, that was her only name. This alone makes any parent who reads this book instantly feel for this poor tortured girl. Her fear so strong it poured through the page into my ears with real sorrow, yet her courage made me proud to share in her story. Stacy Bennett has created a story that immediately immerses you into this girls world and Zachary Johnson read that world into life. From the thoughts of a bear to women warriors this land flowed into my minds eye with ease as the narrator carried me along as an observer. I am very much looking forward to reading the next one, to continue Cara's story and I really want to see Corey and Cara together. This book was given to me freely in exchange for my honest review.

a world so mystical yet realistic

Kept in a black keep for all her life a young woman knows nothing more than what her father, Sorrenus,  allows her to know and feel.  She has no feelings, nothing but the knowledge that she should be grateful to father and help him with his rituals.  That is until Cory and Archer, prisoners, offer her an insight into other human interactions and that it’s ok to want more.  Their conversations spark something within her to help them escape - compassion, love, and desire to live her dreams.

But can one truly escape an evil so vile and selfish as the father?  Everyone senses that Cara is unique; one knows she is missing a part of herself.  She must find what's missing before she loses Fallon, Cory and Archer or anyone else dies because of her. Her escape from father is riddled with pain and death.    Cara must decide what is most important in her young lonely life and move forward to save her friends and her true love.

Stacy Bennett, the author has skillfully created a world so mystical yet realistic that one cannot stop listening to this epic novel.  It has everything – passion, mystery, action, evil, fighting, and so much more!  One does not truly expect where the story goes but when it reaches the end, the listener can only reflect on how they got to this point and realize this is where the story needed to go.  This is an edge of your chair, nail-biting story with twists and well-developed characters and plot.

Zachary Johnson, narrator, performs this epic novel as if he were born to do so.  He owns the book with his talent to step into the story and wear each character as if it was his true identity.  While his female voices are not feminine by any means, he does a good job of making them female through emotion and style of speaking.  In other words, Fallon is spoken strongly – she is a strong female lead; Cara a hesitant – she is shy and unsure; Moira is in love, hopelessly with a man and is tired of waiting; her tearful voice demonstrates her passion.  I enjoyed Zachary Johnson’s reading so much so that it was a disappointment to reach the end of the book.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves magic, dragons, and knights in shining armor (ok, slightly tarnished armor).

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

[If this review helped, please press YES. Thanks!]

Epic Fantasy Masterfully Told

She has spent her entire life within the walls of the black keep with no name except for Daughter. Her only company is Father and her beloved bears. Endless tundra and black mountains stretch around her, and she knows she'll never step foot outside. Every full moon, Father forces her to lay her body on his alter while he casts his magics on her. It's a violation of her very soul, and she sends her mind to the cool forests to escape the pain.

Khoury is a mercenary, his body covered in scars and his mind racked with painful memories of the past. He and his lieutenant are taken captive and brought to the black keep where the sorcerer demonstrates his magical abilities and shows them the futility of escape. Outside his cell door, a slight wisp of a girl appears and offers freedom. When she tells him that he and his lieutenant are next to be sacrificed, he accepts her help and they set her plan into motion.

Fleeing across the frozen tundra with her sledge bears, Father appears in her mind and promises he will find her, kill her companions, and bring her back to his keep. She doesn't know why she chose to free these men out of the many that Father has sacrificed, but she vows to do anything she can to stop further killing. But with Father seeking her return by any means necessary, more death is inevitable.


Excuse me for a moment while I gush about this book! It was truly masterfully told and expertly written. The mystery at the core of the novel was handled so well and the pace of the foreshadowing was perfect. The little nuggets of information we were given kept the mystery at the forefront without spilling the secret too soon. The characters were fleshed out and their motivations and backgrounds were clear. This book doesn't gloss over actions or their consequences, it delves deep.

This book stayed in my thoughts when I wasn't listening to it. I found myself wondering what was coming next and hoping for events to turn out a certain way. I was so invested in the characters, and I wanted to spend more time in this world that the author created. I'll be first in line when the sequel is published.

Zachary Johnson was a great choice for the narrator. He narrated in a dramatic way, and although he didn't attempt a female speaking voice (thank goodness), he did change his inflection enough so we could tell who was speaking. His accents fit well with each character, and overall it was an incredible performance.

I received a copy if the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.