Knight Awakened

Circle of Seven, Book 1

By: Coreene Callahan

Narrated by: Suzan Crowley

Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Warlord Vladimir Barbu has seized control of Transylvania, but his claim to the throne remains anything but certain. The king of Hungary opposes his rule, his people despise him, and the high priestess needed to crown him has vanished without a trace. Refusing to see his ambitions thwarted, he hires an assassin to hunt her down.… Killing is the only life Xavian Ramir knows. But now the elite assassin wants out, vowing to start anew after one last job.…

High priestess Afina Lazar is running for her life, desperate to protect the magical amulet entrusted to her care. When Barbu’s hired killer finds her, she knows her only chance of stopping the warlord’s rise to power is to convince this enigmatic - and handsome - hunter that she is more valuable alive than dead. Together, they will undertake a dramatic adventure through a magical world where love and redemption come at a terrible price.

©2012 Coreene Callahan (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Loved this book

A lot of people are complaining about the narrator but I loved her! People say she was slow but I though she was perfect. The story was wonderful, I listened twice because I wanted to refresh before I started the second book. I hope the next book is recorded soon I hate jumping between authors. I'm looking forward to all the books and know I will listen to them more than once I like them that much.

Good story, reading to slow

Liked the storyline and the different characters with various motives. The reading was too slow at 1.25 speed. Anything more than that makes it unpleasant to listen to. Overall pretty good book.

Exciting Series Starter

I hesitated starting this story because of the length of this first installment- glad I finally committed! It’s a very exciting series starter!

Narrator ruined it

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Pick a better narrator

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something with a better narrator

What didn’t you like about Suzan Crowley’s performance?

Boring voice!

Any additional comments?

I think if the narrator was different I maybe could've enjoyed it. The narrator has such a boring voice that I literally fell asleep. I'll try it again in book form maybe one day.

Didn't work for me

Audiobook: Narrator - Suzan Crowley
I really struggled with this narration. I can usually adjust to an accent after a bit of time but not so in this case. I think Ms. Crowley's tone was too low and completely opposite what I’m used to listening to. I tried repeatedly to make this work, even adjusting the speed, but I finally gave up and turned to the ebook instead.


This was recommended to me by my book buddy because she loved the intensity of the hero. And oh my, yes! Xavian is hotly intense in every way. When it comes to protecting Afina, he’s front and center. He also believes that he is not worth her so he fights to protect her from himself. It all makes for some angsty moments.

Afina is quite a unique heroine. I was excited to see what was going to unfold for her as she is responsible for her young niece while hiding from what her mother has set into motion. Within the first few pages of meeting her I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to learn more.

This started with a lot of promise but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations. It felt as though the author was constantly cutting things short rather than giving us the full picture while other times giving too much in areas where it wasn’t needed. It just never felt rounded out. The language didn’t fit the time period and the little girl did not speak as a two year old but that of a much older child. This held so much promise. I was hungry for an epic story filled with romance and adventure and while it gave me some of that, it just never reached the top of my expectations.

Knight Awakened

Any additional comments?

I am disappointed as i hoped this book would be much better. I could not stay focused with the story and kept drifting away elsewhere in my mind while listening. I listened to the fist few chapters then gave up.

Narrator ruined the rhythm of the story

I do not know if it was deliberate for drama or a way for her to control her breathing, but this narrator kept making long pauses, at the end of sentences and even half way through.It was just distracting and totally ruined the rhythm of the story. I could not even make it forty minutes before throwing in the towel and choosing another audiobook by a different author and definitely a different narrator.

too slow

I tried several times to listen to this. I could not get even one fourth of the way through and it is a very long book.

Worst book I have ever listened to.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

People who are foolish enough to like 50 shades of grey.

Would you ever listen to anything by Coreene Callahan again?

Nope, the use of the English language was weak, She clearly has never heard of a thesaurus, and always used the same phrases again and again. It was literally painful and frustrating to listen to. Not to mention it's borderline pornographic. Well actually more than that it was full-on pornographic.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She was slow and kind of boring sounding. But mostly it was just a poorly written book.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Nope.

Any additional comments?

I honestly don't understand how anyone can be feeble-minded enough to enjoy this literary tragedy. Not to mention it was miscategorized by audible as a fantasy book when clearly it is a romance novel. Is this honestly what passes for literature these days?

hard to listen to this narrator

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The monotone of the narrator's voice quickly drove me nuts, and the nasal quality of her tenor isn't one I find relaxing. She slurs some phrases, and I didn't catch some of the words spoken softly. Because I kept thinking about the voice, I had a very hard time focusing on the story itself.