Vengeance

The Tainted Realm Trilogy, Book 1

By: Ian Irvine

Narrated by: Grant Cartwright

Length: 25 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

In an unjust land, the only law is vengeance. In Cython’s slave camps, it’s the timid and obedient who survive – and Tali is neither, for she has sworn to bring her mother’s killers to justice. Her dramatic escape precipitates Cython’s war on Hightspall and, when Tali is rescued by Rix, heir to Hightspall’s greatest fortune, they flee through a land in turmoil. But Rix’s subconscious is scarred by a sickening secret that links him to the killing, and before they can solve the crime and defend the realm, Tali and Rix must learn to trust each other. All the while, Tali is hunted by a faceless sorcerer who canonly be beaten by magic, yet the one person who can teachher to use her unruly magic is the sorcerer himself. As she unravels the conspiracy behind her mother’s murder, Tali’s quest turns to a lust for vengeance. But how can she avenge herself on a killer who died two thousand years ago?

©2011 Ian Irvine 2011 (P)2011 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

beautiful and brilliant

world building pulls you in and keeps you bewildered, as the story unfolds and builds up to a powerful cliffhanger!

Eh, never really felt right

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

Probably not. Book seemed haphazard and character development not clear and rushed, often seemingly changing. Lots of droning repetativeness that made me often lose focus on what was being said.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I think some of the aspects of the story were interesting, especially his attempt to create the world in which the story takes place.

Which scene was your favorite?

The most interesting scene was probably the opening one with Tali watching her mother being murdered.

Was Vengeance worth the listening time?

With nothing else to do, it was.

Any additional comments?

I think the story just fell flat. It read more like a poorly contrived D&D module than a story. Too many bolt out of the blue revelations made by the characters and the constant hand of fate style interventions to force everyone where they needed to be, etc really just detracted from the story.

Pretty good start to a series.

Where does Vengeance rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

Top 3rd.

Would you recommend Vengeance to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, if they were wanting something other than light reading and long.

What about Grant Cartwright???s performance did you like?

He did a pretty good job with the voices. I think the tone of his voice and his accent really helped with bringing the book to life.

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

The ending enslavement really got to me. With all that had happened in the book I was expecting to find some compassion...although the betrayal fit the character's personality in the scene, my heart went out none the less.

Must Read!!

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

Starts slow, incredible build up and worth the wait. I love the characters and story development.

What did you like best about this story?

Very witty and several intriguing plot lines that converge.

Any additional comments?

In the beginning, it was hard to follow (since many different perspectives and characters telling the story which hadn't yet been explained), but OMG amazing story overall and worth reading. I absolutely loved this book.

Awful storyline. Better narrator

Would you try another book from Ian Irvine and/or Grant Cartwright?

No

Has Vengeance turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, not in this genre, but definitely from this author

What aspect of Grant Cartwright’s performance would you have changed?

None. He was fine. His material was weak

What character would you cut from Vengeance?

Where should I start?

Any additional comments?

What a weak, weak book. A storyline full of holes, Mr. Irvine has let his too active imagination run completely away from him