Firestorm

The Sword of Light Trilogy, Book 2

By: Aaron Hodges

Narrated by: David Stifel

Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

*The Gods have fallen. The Three Nations are in chaos. Archon is coming.*

Enala is surrounded, trapped on the blood-soaked sands of Malevolent Cove. Desperate and alone, she faces the sky, watching as the Gold dragons circle. Yet it is not the beasts she fears – but the men and woman encircling her. They promise their protection, but they are only words, and she has already lost everything to betrayal. Swamped by grief, she teeters on the edge of madness.

Meanwhile, Eric is close to mastering the curse of his magic. The perilous force writhes within him, desperate for freedom, but he refuses to bend to its will. Instead, he is determined to wield it for good, to right the wrongs of his past.

©2016 Aaron Hodges (P)2016 Aaron Hodges

Interesting!

Took a bit to get wrapped around it, but good book.

This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost.

No book 2 letdown!

The story continues as Aeric and his companions deal with the death of the gods as they struggle to find the only weapon that can help them possibly hold off the Dark Lord Archon and his army of dark monsters and demons. With plenty of intrigues, setbacks, reunions and revelations, this book never lets you rest for a second. The characters are all further fleshed out, and the story has a lot of twists, turns and surprises in store for you. Any fan of epic fantasy or coming of age stories will really enjoy this series.
Ass's always, David Stifel does an outstanding job narrating, really bringing the characters to life and keeping a good flow to the narration.

I was voluntarily given a copy of this book by the publisher, author or narrator through Audiobookboom.

A World Unraveling

Any additional comments?

The familiar, yet unique, world of Stormwielder expands seamlessly in this second book of the trilogy. With expertly crafted storytelling weaving the reader into the backstory so well that understanding of the characters, who are in the throes of a deadly and virtually impossible quest, this book could stand alone; in fact, having had to wait for the second installment, this listener (who is addicted to audio books and is always on to the next one) was delighted to find out that no refresher was necessary. All of the elements of the adventure flew back into place, supported by the skill of the author, and the concise, vivid style of the narrator, David Stifel, who serves the material to its greatest advantage. A wonderful gift for the lover of high fantasy.

Captivating From Start To Finish

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

Yes, I think the fact that the listener is brought right into the heart of the story

Which character – as performed by David Stifel – was your favorite?

He did a great job on all characters. He just has that voice that you can imagine comes from a wandering storyteller from the middle ages, roaming from town to town and telling stories in front of a crackling fire

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Captivating From Start To Finish

What made the experience of listening to Firestorm the most enjoyable?

Besides, the context, I think the fact that the listener is brought right into the heart of the story is what made listening to this audiobook so enjoyable. Firestorm picks up immediately after where book one last left off, following Eric and his team's bittersweet victory of finally locating the sole surviving descendant of Aria, Enala, but at a great cost for all of them. This small victory seems to dim in the realization that the growing darkness unleashed by Archon and his followers is only just the beginning and is more deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of once thought to be trusted allies then any of them realized.

And with a soul stealing, possessed, zombie-demon-king in hot pursuit, Enala, Eric and their small team struggle even more to get to the Sword Of Light in time once they're forced apart. And with the gods gone, it makes the narrative seem and feel even darker as their world begins to crumble around them in this foreboding wave of darkness.

What did you like best about this story?

I think what I liked the most about this book was the way in which Eric takes lead on his mission which much less reservation or hesitation.

In comparison to Stormwielder, his maturity and character growth is apparent. I also really liked that this book is essentially Enala's story with some noticeable parallels to Eric's story as the reader sees her come into her own and learn a few hidden truths about herself she never knew before.

Lastly, I loved seeing Gabriel's path of redemption of sorts in Firestorm, as his character finally begins to works his way through his pain and grief since Oaksville and starts to make amends with Eric. I did have a few questions regarding the details behind Eric's history revealed in this book and his connection to the sword, as it opens up a few questions about other possible wielders.

What does David Stifel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Overall, I found that I liked this book a bit better than the first. Having this book as an audiobook this time around also made the story a bit more exciting. The narrator's baritone/alto voice was perfectly suited for this story filled with magic, demons and gods. The pacing was easy and I never felt lost or distracted listening to the story and it was easy to get sucked into from start to finish.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, there were a few jaw dropping moments while listening to this book, but all in a very positive, suspenseful way.

Any additional comments?

Just that I can't wait to see what happens in the final book of this trilogy!

So tense

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I think this book was more intense than the first book. I'm glad this book didn't suffer from the second book blues. I can't wait for the next book. Nice twist with Eric and Enala. I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

Twisty-turny continuation of a solid epic fantasy

Aaron Hodges Sword of Light Trilogy is pretty classic fantasy. The stakes increase a little more with each book, and this one has quite a wicked cliff-hanger. That said, you'll want to read the first book of the trilogy before diving into this one. Hodges gives enough backstory so you won't get lost, but some of the character arcs can't really be summarized adequately.

I found myself quite taken with the main characters in the story. Their plight drew me in during the first book and Hodges' characters continued to be engaging and intriguing in this book. For the most part, Hodges' avoids any annoying, unrealistic plot twists (the deus ex machina help at the last minute to save the day). Every surprise and twist is foreshadowed or hinted at earlier, so for the observant reader/listener one knows something is coming, though how that twist is executed still remains to be experienced. Hodges doesn't shy away from the consequences of one's actions, nor the common-sense actions of any character, good or bad. This is one thing I enjoy about Hodges' writing, because it lends the tale a sense of realism and makes the consequences of the characters' actions seem to have a real 'weight' about them.

So, all in all, I enjoyed the story quite a bit. Some of the plot points seem to be borrowed from classic stories (here's looking at you Star Wars), but they're woven together in a fairly original way, so I don't fault Hodges for that. The magical system is intriguing and seems mostly thought out.

David Stifel continues with his consistently solid narration. I went straight from the first book to this one and didn't notice any real deviation in character voices or anything. Some reviewers have complained about his speed or pacing. I ended up speeding up the the recording and didn't have any problems. That may have to do more with personal preference.

[Note: I received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review.]

Invincible? I'll Show you invicible!

If you could sum up Firestorm in three words, what would they be?

Toughest.... Baddies..... Ever...... (Ok maybe not, but they are pretty stinking tough!)

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that no matter how extreme and how often the odds were against the protagonists (and it was often), they always gathered their courage and did the best they could and never gave up. ( It sounds cliché, but it's really what happens. )

What about David Stifel’s performance did you like?

He just has that voice that you can imagine comes from a wandering storyteller from the middle ages, roaming from town to town and telling stories in front of a crackling fire.

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

There were a few, but in order for me to tell them I would have spoil some of the important parts of the book and I definitely don't want to do that. Let me just say that the tenacity of some of the characters when it comes to a particularly difficult moment is astounding.

So good I had to read it again!

Firestorm (The sword of Light Trilogy #2, my tenth read/listen from author Aaron Hodges is a re-read of an excellent book. I'm on an Aaron Hodges binge It was attention-grabbing and enjoyable as is all Hodge's writings.

Interesting

Although I did not listen to Book 1 I was able to understand this book. This journey was filled with twists and turns. The narrator suited the story. I got this ARC via audiobook boom.