Eye of the Moonrat

The Bowl of Souls, Book 1

By: Trevor H. Cooley

Narrated by: James Foster

Justan was raised on the outskirts of the Dremaldrian Battle Academy. He watched his father ascend the ranks within the academy to become one of the most respected warriors in the kingdom. The only thing he has ever wanted is to become an academy student and follow the path of his father. Unfortunately, only the best can enter the academy and Justan is a horrible fighter. Everyone tells him that he is more suited to scholarly work than swordplay. In desperation he hurls himself into training, eager to overcome the doubters and walk into the academy triumphant, unaware that secretive powers plot to disrupt his plans.

Meanwhile, an evil wizard of immense power is using magic to twist the bodies of the creatures of the land and transform them into monsters. With these creatures and the peoples of the wilds, he is building an army . . .

Ogres and dragons, warriors and wizards are destined to clash, their fates guided by The Bowl of Souls.

©2012-2014 Trevor H. Cooley (P)2014 Trevor H. Cooley

one hell of an opening novel!

Wow....the first chapter or 2 took a while to get going but then it just blasted off from there. I love mr. Cooley's interpretation of sword and sorcery in his novels. There are some elements of Dragonlance, King Arthur and his round table Knights but what an amazing amalgamation of the two. Very well done by the narrator and author.

Don't let the title fool you!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. The title "Eye of the Moonrat" was originally somewhat off putting to me. I'm glad I jumped into this series!

What about James Foster’s performance did you like?

James Foster brings this novel to life. All the characters have interesting accents and dialect that suck you right into the world.

Great start to a series

I love books that draw me in from the beginning and I fall right into their world and forget all the previous books on my mind. This is one of those books. There are a lot of different characters that you follow, many of them non-human, and I am looking forward to seeing how they all get tied together.

The lead character, although likeable and interesting, makes pretty stupid decisions throughout the book. Of course it always turns out ok in the end. Sometimes I enjoy listening to books that are more YA in that sense, so I'm ok with it.

I am starting book 2 right now!

Entertaining story, well paced

This is my first book by Trevor Cooley and was not disappointed. Justan, our young protagonist, deals with the typical angst of the young and untried within this genre. While somewhat predictable, it is a fun story nonetheless. I enjoyed the parallel story lines of three different characters and their exploits knowing at some point their paths must cross. They don't in this book but with the really bad wizard raising an army of really really bad creatures, I am pretty sure they must eventually join forces. How Justan deals with adversity and gains friends during these trials is well done if not heart warming at times. Definitely geared towards YA but a fun read for all ages. Look forward to continuing with the Book of Souls series.

1st person four star

Any additional comments?

I lost interest at book 6 and did not like the change of the protagonist.