Stormwielder

The Sword of Light Trilogy, Volume 1

By: Aaron Hodges

Narrated by: David Stifel

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

For 500 years the Gods have united the Three Lands in harmony.

Now that balance has been shattered, and chaos threatens.

A town burns and flames light the night sky. Hunted and alone, 17-year-old Eric flees through the wreckage. The mob grows closer, baying for the blood of their tormentor. Guilt weighs on his soul, but he cannot stop, cannot turn back.

If he stops, they die.

For two years he has carried this curse, bringing death and destruction wherever he goes. But now there is another searching for him - one who offers salvation. His name is Alastair and he knows the true nature of the curse.

Magic.

©2015 Aaron D. Hodges (P)2016 Aaron D. Hodges

Good Beginning to the series

Any additional comments?

I found the book very enjoyable. I look forward to the next book in the series. I'm curious to see where the story takes me. The narrator was spot on. I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

Interesting Beginning

What made the experience of listening to Stormwielder the most enjoyable?

Lots of action in the fighting scenes.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Alistair. He was loyal and trustworthy and showed great compassion for his fellow travelers.

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

This is the first book I've listened to that is narrated by David Stifel. I have mixed reactions to his performance. While his voice is clear and effective for adult male characters, I didn't really care for the voices he used for women and older teens--they all sounded like children.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I found all the battle scenes to be exciting!

Any additional comments?

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next two books.

It's OK.

My actual rating is 2.5 stars but I'll round it up to 3. In all honesty, I don't know what to say about this book. I hate giving negative reviews and rarely do but since this is a review book, I have to write something!!

All I can say is that it started out good, with Eric losing control and destroying the village. It sounded promising but I don't know what happened then. I just kind of lost interest in both the story and the characters. It was dull and boring and I wanted so much more from this!

The narrator also didn't help, he read it in a very monotone voice and didn't seem like he enjoyed the reading. I may check out more by him, but I'll have to try the sample first.

*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.*

A Slow Start Fantasy Adventure

This was an interesting audiobook with a theme that (for some inexplicable reason) reminded me of Lord of the Rings. They are quite different books, but I think it might have been the writing style. The book was pretty slow to start and I found myself confused for quite awhile when I started listening.

A young boy abandons his family in order to protect them from his uncontrollable and destructive powers. When he finds himself in a deadly situation in a nearby town, his powers are released, destroying the town and killing most of its inhabitants. He is rescued by a strange man who offers to help him control and use his powers in exchange for his help defeating an ancient enemy.

As I said, the book was a bit slow to start, but I think that it made up for it toward the end. I also think that future books will be a little more eventful...

The narration was average in my opinion. It took me a few minutes to get used to the narrator's voice, but I was fully used to it by the end. He did a decent job and I will not be disappointed if he narrates the future books.

All-in-all, I give the book a 3.5 out of 5 (rounded to 4) stars. I think that a future book will probably get a better rating since most of the backstory is now out of the way.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author, publisher, or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review. I was NOT required to write a positive review and this reflects my honest opinion of the work.

Standard

Would you try another book from Aaron D. Hodges and/or David Stifel?

No, I didn't find either particularly engaging

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Quite predictable

What aspect of David Stifel’s performance would you have changed?

More energy, more diction.

Was Stormwielder worth the listening time?

No

Any additional comments?

I felt indifferent to everything the whole time. I would have preferred to hate everything than feel basically nothing!

Nice Start to the Series

Aaron Hodges has created a multifaceted world that could be among the greats, eventually. I found the direst of dire circumstances a twinge too much. In most other fantasy series, there are plenty of fights to the almost death where the hero or the hero's companions face death, and some even die. Here, though, the grim circumstances never let up. The group goes from bad to worse with no pauses, no reflection, no humor, and no reprieve to restore or get to know one another. I get it, it's the end of the world, and it's worse than the worst times have ever been.

I was drawn to the characters and enjoyed watching Eric come to understand his 'curse' and become determined to use his power for good. I liked that he came to trust Alistair and Kailen and Inkan.

I can only hope Enala sets aside her arrogance and anger and starts to help instead of being comatose and continuing with the woe is me attitude. And I hope someone who knows how to win steps up and starts to tell us what is going one and what needs to be done so the good guys can win. I am also hoping that what appeared to happen with Antonia at the end of book 1 didn't really happen or that I misinterpreted the outcome.

I enjoyed most of David Stifel's narration. He was good on the male voices and OK on the female voices (some could use some work though). He had a bad habit of stepping into 'the narrator' mode and sounding a bit stiff which brought me out of the story.

I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.

Not your typical coming of age story.

When he was 15, Eric had a bad dream, about a dark force coming after him. As he awoke, he sees that his house is burning around him, that a storm is raging around his house, and that lighning has struck the house and his village, and that he is the one that has summoned the storm. Thinking him cursed, he is cast out by the villagers, and for 2 years he has lived in the wilds, trying to avoid people. He breaks this habit and enters a walled town. A nice man offers to help him in the village, and leads him into a trap, where he is beaaten. during the beating, he loses control of his emotions, and summons the storm, Unfortunately, he cant control it. Even though the Lightning kills the muggers, it also wreaks havoc, death and destruction on the village. He is rescued by an older warrior named Alistair, and so starts an adventure that has to deal with the gods of their land, a monumental evil threat thought defeated, and personal challenges as Eric learns just what his "curse" is: Magic, and AListair starts teaching him to harness it. Along this journey, they meet a host of interesting characters, and travel a land raveged by the war the benevelent gods of Earth and sky fought against a mysterious evil that is more powerful than they are. It seems Eric has a bigger part to play that it seems, and the fate of the world may rest with him and his friends. With a fully realized world, a plot with non stop, well thought out action sequences, and realistic characters, this is a story any fantasy fans should be able to get behind.

David Stifel did a nice job narrating, bringing each character to life, and keeping the story flowing nicely. I especially liked his voice for Alistair, it really resonated. I am anxious to start book 2 now, and see where this talented author takes the story.

A Decent Story...

What made the experience of listening to Stormwielder the most enjoyable?

The Different Experiences The Main Character Went Through...

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The Most Interesting Was How He Harnessed His Powers...Being That They Were So Strong...

What does David Stifel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The Narrator Gave A More Vivid Look Into The Other Characters... He Gave Them A Voice That Painted Their Identities..

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It Had Some Slow Parts...So No I Didnt Want To Listen In One Sitting..

Any additional comments?

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

Interesting to listen to.

It's tough at times to follow, but the story and characters make this book a good book. The narration makes it fun to listen to. I received this audiobook for free, but voluntarily reviewed.

Good fantasy

Good book, need to get the next one. Lots of action and characters are interesting.