Burdens of Blood

Legend of the Dawn Child, Book One

By: Crystal Matthews

Narrated by: Courtney Feiman

Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Starlyn DeTousan was always an odd girl. An only child raised on her family’s farmstead, she never felt as if she belonged. Her peaceful, mundane life is suddenly turned upside down when she is summoned to stand before the Elders, old gods imprisoned for thousands of years by a curse. She is sent a Guardian escort, where Starlyn must travel through dangerous lands full of vampires, demons, and bandits in order to reach the Elders, who believe she may be the key to their salvation.

But there are more dangers than just monsters on her quest. A mysterious Mistress from the North wishes to stop Starlyn from freeing the Elders and sends her personal pack of Night Runners—a special breed of werewolves, to intercept her. On her journey, Starlyn discovers abilities far beyond her own understanding and enlists the help of an unlikely friend to learn how to control them. It’s a dangerous race against the Mistress and her Night Runners to reach the Elders in time. If she fails, the future of the Elders will be lost forever. But not all may be as it seems....

©2020 Crystal Matthews (P)2023 Crystal Matthews

A gripping coming of age tale

I fantastic coming of age tale about a young woman named Starlyn and her adventures she has on her way to meet with the Elders. I first read this book when it was released and I decided to listen to the audiobook before the release of the next book in the series. I’m so happy I did because the characters have been brought back to life as I listened to this story. I’m excited for the next installment!

Team Trust!!!

Narration was fantastic, no complaints there. now for the story... it feels like the building of possibly a love triangle. I know Stone Wolf will win just based on the story line, but I'm still team Trust 😂 can't wait to see this all unfold!

Excellent fantasy series start!

I’m not normally a fantasy fan, but Crystal Matthews has done an amazing job with the characters, world-building, and storytelling here. The ending of this book left me satisfied, but also immediately interested in picking up the next book in the series!

A Fantastic Fantasy Story

This is a great story that leaves you wanting more! It can be kinda slow at times, but that's because Crystal Matthews does such a good job in describing all the scenarios and painting a full picture for you. With that, I think that Courtney Feiman's narration is truly what brings this book to life and had me on the edge of my seat for what was going to happen next. Courtney did a FANTASTIC job at narrating all of the characters so differently that it sent shivers down my spine a few times! I'm excited to get Crystal's next book to see where the story goes!!

For Fantasy Lovers

Can’t recommend enough! If you like fantasy, you’ll love this book. But the ending is killing me… I can’t wait for book two!!!

What a Great Debut Novel!

I want to start by saying that I am extremely picky about narrators and I LOVED Courtney's narration.

This is such a great debut novel! I'm excited to read the rest of the series. Crystal did a great job at making me want more. I can't wait to see the character growth from Starlyn, Stone Wolf, and Trust as this series grows. The world building was done very well and without being confusing.

Crystal is a rising star and I CANNOT WAIT FOR MORE!!

A Fun YA book

I admit it's been a while since I've read a young adult book but Burdens of Blood was very enjoyable. Overall I do think the story was a bit rushed, but this being the author's debut novel, I have hope the rest of the series she will find her rhythm. The narration was superb, Courtney Feiman has an engaging and animated voice, one I've never heard in audiobooks before, that keeps the listener rapt the entire book. The story is just starting, but I do really like all the different fantasy creatures Crystal introduced here. My one criticism is the book ended so abruptly and amidst such chaos that I'm unsure what emotion I'm supposed to feel!