The Lost City of Ithos

Other books were great. Fun quick stories with enough depth to feel real and this one was the complete opposite. 5 chapters of them all on a boat where literally nothing of consequence happens. the overdone feelings and telling each other how much they care about each other over and over…and over. these books have alot promise but if I see the next one is 17 hours too then I\’m just done. Don\’t almost triple your book size with filler.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all three previous books in this series and enjoyed this one even more. It has everything I most enjoy in this series with plenty of action, character and world building, and magical theory. The action occurs primarily in the first fourth and last third of the book with lots of character backstory, relationship building, magical lectures, and exploration of both the geographic and natural world around the continent of Ithos in the middle. The story moves forward quite rapidly from its setup in A Traitor in Skyhold, and what will happen next promises to be even more of a wild ride. Small quibble… I love Ralph Lister\’s narration, but his voice for Alustin this time was rather subdued instead of the eccentric amiability we have come to expect. This may be due to one line in the text, or maybe the narrator took his cue on Alustin\’s voice from the last conversation he had in the previous book… an atypically subdued Alustin there. Anyway, I love all these character voices and Ralph Lister\’s overall performance so it really is a small quibble. And maybe Alustin\’s energy level will pick back up by book 5, The Siege of Skyhold. There is bonus material of a fun short story that expands our knowledge of the continent even further and shows us more of the irascible Alinia. There\’s also a word from the actual author talking about tigers, so don\’t stop too soon! Spoiler Warning: Hugh\’s spellbook is its usual funny self and acquires a suggested nickname at one point… imo, the stupidest nickname possible! If that name sticks and is shortened, Hugh will have the continent\’s first Makbook… no, just no!

I felt compelled to offset some of the negative reviews with my own (I think I\’ve reviewed perhaps one out of my nearly 100 audio books). This book did have a different… Tone? Pace? I don\’t quite know how best to explain it, but I never once felt like it was \’a slog\’. These are the adventures of a group of deadly teenagers who all have various identity issues, insecurities, and past abuses/traumas. Previous books might have better balanced the danger and the introspection, but this book in particular tackled the emotional growth of these children (they have aged two years since we first met them, and we should all know from experience that that age range is a tumultuous time even under mundane circumstances!) Three of the four main protagonists are emotionally damaged and even the well-adjusted one has very real and relatable issues, all of which gets tackled here. So, as my title suggests, your enjoyment of this book will be determined by your expectations going in. We get to see our future heroes unwind and act their age, flirt and fumble and grow from experience. I enjoyed every minute, and I appreciate that their personal growth doesn\’t get glossed over as it helps me connect with and get invested in their lives. Next book will be a day one purchase without waiting for reviews, I almost let the reviews of this book sway me. Glad I didn\’t listen.

My God this book is boring. I read the first 2 and was optimistic about this one. I have listened to about 8 hours of it and its just ridiculous relationship drama over and over again. Not sure what happened with the author. Its all about feelings and everyone being concerned about each other\’s feelings… Please spare me.

While reading the previous novels my favorite aspect has been the consistent growth shown by the protagonists. The slow unveiling of the magic system is consistent and well timed to the plot as well as the setting expansion. I\’m pleased that the character development established in previous novels hasn\’t been forgotten. Simultaneously, it is built on in a way that throughout the novel I was gently coaxed into noticing that they\’re not the children they used to be. They are being groomed by the best to be the best yet dont seem OP in an unsatisfying way. I continue to enjoy how the main characters unique circumstances allow the author to sneak in more details about the magic system. There is plenty of action and most of the larger battle scenes were easy to follow and give a closer look into more powerful character\’s true abilities. To me, this paired with the more slice of life interactions of the cast produced what I believe is a well balanced installment of the series. Questions I have had from the beginning have been answered and actual story progression has left me feeling uncharacteristically satisfied after the end of the novel. Foreshadowing to the future of the series is strong yet vague enough that I can hardly wait until book five. As a whole, an outstanding audio performance to a series im quickly falling in love with. Thank you to John Bierce and Ralph Lister and congratulations to Podium on another job well done!

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