Harbinger

Fate's Forsaken, Book 1

By: Shae Ford

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Seventeen years ago, a long and bloody rebellion wracked the six united regions of the Kingdom. Now the new King wields the vast and unvanquished army of Midlan with his right hand, and with his left has granted a small group of thugs, the nobles he calls his Sovereign Five, unbridled rule over the other regions. As if this weren't bad enough, the King has also outlawed the practice of whispering - which is a problem for Kael.

It's not like he asked to be born a whisperer: He didn't ask for his strange healing powers any more than he asked to be the village runt. And when he rescues a wounded girl from the perils of the Unforgivable Mountains, his luck only gets worse. She couldn't have been just any girl: She had to be Kyleigh - the sword-wielding renegade knight with all of Midlan on her trail. Then one miserable, snowy evening, things go from bad to worse, and Kael is left with no choice but to follow Kyleigh down the mountains and into the tumultuous lowlands. She leads him on one mad quest after the next - eventually pulling off an act of such mischievous proportions that it threatens to change the Kingdom as they know it.

©2012 Shae Ford (P)2014 Podium Publishing

Average Hero's Journey

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

It would depend on the person. If they love the YA demographic I would recommend this book. As for a Epic Fantasy reader no I would not.

Would you be willing to try another book from Shae Ford? Why or why not?

I don't think so. I really have no interest in reading the second book. I almost turned it off near the end but I dredged through it.

Would you be willing to try another one of Derek Perkins’s performances?

There are a couple books that are on my wish list with this narrator. I didn't like him for this book. I felt that it was a bad pairing and would tell Derek to try and stay away from young characters. The whine in the protagonist voice just starts eating at you. It could be the writing as well. I am going to give Derek another chance.

Do you think Harbinger needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It has a couple more books in this series. I will not be partaking in that adventure.

Any additional comments?

My vote is to pass on this book. Its just so average I cant really say anything nice about it. I mean, I tried to like it.
I think I might have liked this a little more if a different narrator had read it. Might be a better book to read in print.

Glad that I found it.

I was looking for a good book/series to get into and stumbled on to this one. Overall a great book. Looking forward to the next book to see how everything progresses.

Performance wise, I have heard better and worse. Many of the characters sound the same but overall great reading.

Fine book for the tween/young teen crowd

I came into this book thinking it was a reasonable adult read based on the reviews.

The book and I expect the series seem written for the tween/young teen crowd and should be marketed as such. This is not just fantasy elements, but the basic interactions, motivations, and story elements that strain adult credulity in an eye rolling fashion but would likely play fine with a younger audience.

I did finish the audiobook out of a completionist sense but was relieved when it was over. I won't be purchasing the sequels unless my 11 year old listens to this and begs me to.

I don't mean to say that the story is not an admirable effort or that I myself could write anything approaching it; only that a middle age reader is probably not the right target for this work.

My last audiobook prior to this one was Lord Valentine's Castle by Silverberg, which I haven't read since the 1980s, a good example of a book that might appeal to a younger reader while also offering a great experience for an older reader. Admittedly that book was a classic and Hugo and Nebula award winner.

Derek Perkins did an admirable job narrating.

Good

Any additional comments?

Based on the picture art I was a little skeptical. I know, "do not judge a book by its cover", but sometimes I can't help it. The story was fun and had some fun characters. There are some predictable points to the plot, but I still liked the book.

Oh yeah - that’s a keeper

I was sucked in and never let go - while this is a classic orphan discover destiny plot it is great story telling, rich characters and produced well in this Audio.
I enjoyed this and will be getting more of both Shae Ford and Derek Perkins respective works.

Great Character development.

I really enjoy becoming friend with the characters. very enjoyable listen and great pace. I highly recommend.

Truly epic, with great writing!

Loved this book, perfect pace, suspense and intrigue. I truly enjoyed every minute and am so glad there's more to come in a sequel.

Worth a listen

Sample does not give a good example of the maturity level of the book. I found it difficult to identify with some of the main characters. I think it was the mix of the over simplistic description of teen emotions while alluding to a complex maturity of characters. It's hard to put my finger on it exactly but I felt in some places it did not work while at other times the author pulled it off. Over all I enjoyed it enough to listen in one sitting and purchase the sequel. It is a light read/listen.

wondering

this book left me wondering in the end but of course curious enough to purchase the second installment. I really only had a hard time with the first couple of chapters. the middle and the end of this book work terrific. I felt like the author was at a loss or may be rushed with the beginning because it seemed juvenile. however, the ending was very strong.

3 ½ stars. I enjoyed this. No major problems.

It’s a fantasy/adventure story. Creatures include mages, shape shifters (dragons and wolves), and whisperers. Whisperers do things with their minds like telekinesis. Kael is in his late teens (I think). When the story starts he doesn’t know that he is a whisperer, but he soon learns he is. When he shoots an arrow it goes where he wants it to go. When he sets an animal trap the animal he wants comes to the trap. He can heal by picturing body parts coming together.

This is a four book series. There are five evil governor types and an evil king. Kael and his friends travel and plan to kill or stop the evil leaders. During the story Kael makes friends with various types who accompany him on these quests. In book 1 Kyleigh (a dragon shifter) has a major role.

There is a happy ending for book 1 with good guys winning against an evil ruler, but there are more evil rulers out there to be dealt with in future books.

THE SERIES:
This is book #1 in the four book series Fates Forsaken. I read the first two books and part of the 3rd book. I lost interest - partly due to other things going on in my life. One of my friends rated books 3 and 4 the best. Give it a try if you’re in the mood for this genre.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Derek Perkins did an excellent job.

Narrative mode: 3rd person.
Genre: fantasy, young adult.