Raw Power: An Urban Fantasy Novel

Demon-Hearted, Book 1

By: Ambrose Ibsen

Narrated by: James Foster

Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Howdy. My name's Lucian Colt.

I'm one of those disgruntled millennials you've heard about on the evening news. I've got a master's degree in art history, a mountain of student loan debt, and no job to show for it.

Wait, scratch that. I track down stolen pieces of art for wealthy clients and then beat whoever stole them to within an inch of their life. Say what you will, but it puts bread on the table.

Something went wrong with this last job of mine, though. I walked in on something I wasn't supposed to see and got murdered by witches. Yeah, real, legit witches. Never saw that one coming, did you? Neither did I, and the only reason I'm writing this is because some doctor working for an ancient secret society decided it would be a good idea to use me as a science experiment.

See, he implanted a new heart in me and saved my life, but it wasn't just any old heart. It was a demon's heart. Nifty, eh?

Anyhow, I'm back and better than ever, except that now and then the demon takes over completely, and I do awful things. Lose control.

But enough about that. This is a story about how I (mostly) rein in the demon's impulsive personality and seek revenge against the coven of witches that tried to kill me. Along the way I learn a thing or two about this secret society I'm apparently now a member of and find out that there's a lot of shit out there that goes bump in the night.

Mandatory disclaimer: Yeah, look, some people don't like the way I talk. I say words like f--k a lot. If you want to take this ride, then you should know there's going to be a whole lot of cussing and violence along the way. And if I'm lucky, there'll be some skin, too. But who knows? Maybe you'll like it, you filthy animal.

©2016 Ambrose Ibsen (P)2016 Ambrose Ibsen

Fantastic, inventive writing, Superb Narrator.

Would you listen to Raw Power: An Urban Fantasy Novel again? Why?

Absolutely! The writing is terrifically detailed and inventively creative. The characters have depth and you can relate to them. The narrator is absolutely amazing with voices for each character. His performance is the right pace and the story travels along with out dragging in any spot.

Great new series!

So what does a poor little rich boy do when he finds that he has always had choices? What happens when you realize that choice has been taken from you? What happens when you discover the choice that you did not have was the best choice for you to get revenge.
You learn how to deal with the demon the witches want so you can kick their ass.

Lucian wakes up in the hospital from an encounter with the witches while working. He finds that he is now part of a four person team set up to kill the witches. Now begins the fight to see who can be saved and who will go down in flames.

Lucian Colt's life is about to change!

Lucian Colt is a debt collector, who goes after one bounty too many and is killed by witches. His client who belongs to a secret society, who fights the occult, brings him back to life by way of a heart transplant. This is not just any heart, but a demon one!

James Foster delivers a good performance and brings the humour and banter to life.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

Good start to the series

This was an enjoyable listen. The narration was excellent and the book was well paced. The main character is an unlikable kind of person that comes to realize that fact as he battles the Demon inside himself. This was an good start to a series.

"This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobookboom"

Demons, Witches, and Witch Hunters...

Would you try another book from Ambrose Ibsen and/or James Foster?

Yes.

Could you see Raw Power: An Urban Fantasy Novel being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

The author has an interesting take on the supernatural world.

This book is about demons, witches, and witch hunters - secret society.
The plot was good, as well as the characters, the good and bad ones.

Lucian Colt, the main lead, has a job to do and he does it.
He finds stolen art items and returns the item back to its owner, while teaching the thieves a lesson, until he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Things don't go as planned and Lucian Colt finds himself with a "New Heart" and a whole bunch of problems.

I liked the sarcasm through out the story:
"I was alive and pissed off, probably what a new born baby feels like".

James Foster has a nice 'matter of fact" reading voice and he did really well with the narration. .

Note:
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

Get out of my way!

Would you consider the audio edition of Raw Power: An Urban Fantasy Novel to be better than the print version?

I can't answer this because I only listened to the audio.

What did you like best about this story?

Probably that the owner of the body and the heart put into it were a lot alike.

Which character – as performed by James Foster – was your favorite?

James did a great job. I could tell the difference in characters when he spoke. But I liked his take on Chief the best. Sorta surly in a good way.

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

When Lucy and Joe sorta started to be friends.

Any additional comments?

Raw Power. Boy they named this one right. What would you do with the heart of a Demon inside your body, and not just your ordinary run of the mill demon, No, this one had to be the Demon of War. And he was one Bad Ass Dude.

I regress. Ambrose Ibsen did a wonderful job at creating the characters in this tale. It has a lot of potential down the long run. Yes there is a few cuss words, but hey, we all use them at one time or another, so take it with a grain of salt and get over it.

I read so many of this genre, that it was a breathe of fresh air when I got into this one. One regret was there were not that many of the other side in this one. Seemed to be a bunch of Witches and that was it. Hopefully more creatures will arise in the next installment.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com."

got better

the story needed a lot more character development. I never liked any of the characters including the lead... Not many redeeming qualities. The reader is amazing and I'm hoping subsequent stories in the series get better

Good story even better writing

This is the first book I have come across by this author. If your cool with curse words and gore, this book is for you. The story is very well written with more description than I've read or heard in a long time. The narrator is very good too, has an interesting tone and gives each character their own voice.
The only disappointing thing is the 3rd and final book in this series is not on Audible which kind of defeats the purpose of having a series. I listen to books on my hour drive to and from work each day and to learn I'll only get 2/3 through this story sucks. Not sure I want to purchase the 2nd book because of this, will just be left hanging. This is why I gave 4 stars over all. I will change it to 5 when the last book is available.
Good story though.

Decent

First of all, this is not a book for children. It has some very gory scenes. I had to skip through scenes that felt like they were trying to be appalling. I get that some people like that, though.

It took me a while to get into it. It has a lot of simile, but when it started comparing bones breaking to cracking nutshells, I start thinking my car needed an oil change. Lucian kept doing things that threw me out of the story, like directly talking to the reader. I did like the writing and the story, and it had a great opening, but I wasn’t interested in the main character.

Lucian kept explaining his feelings and thoughts when it wasn’t necessary. For example, when he described the demon first taking over his body, it went on for many paragraphs, pretty much saying the same thing over and over. I couldn’t help but to think, everyone knows what it’s like to be possessed by a demon, so move on already. It did get better, but that was because I got used to it.

James Foster did a phenomenal job. The volume, the voices, the enthusiasm, and the tone were all spot on. He truly perfected the main character’s personality.

Overall, it was interesting enough to finish, but not one I would read over and over again. I would be willing to listen to more audiobooks by this author and narrator.

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.

Raw Power

A good read.James Foster voices Lucian and everyone nicely.Lucian tracks down art for a living.If he has to beat someone up to get it...all the better.Now something has gone wrong and he is murdered by witches and taken over ny a demon.Can he control what he's become? I was given this book free for an honest review.