The Call of the Void

Shadows and Crowns Series, Book 3

By: S.M. Gaither

Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky

Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

War is building. Blood is spilling. And the gods are not pleased.

Casia has survived her brother's attempts to crush her and her growing army, but the battle for their empire is just beginning. Bitter and wounded, carrying the curse of a dark and dangerous upper-god, and desperate for more allies, she charges northward to seek the elves who once walked alongside the divine beings.

The elven Court of Moreth holds knowledge. Secrets. And power. The kind of power that could shift all of Casia's wars in her favor. If she can survive the dangerous politics and treacherous magic of the elf-kind.

While these outer battles rage, so too do the ones within. Elander is losing what remained of his divinity. His court. His powers. His grasp on what he once was and what he once knew. But he's determined to keep fighting, gathering his own ancient allies, and working to aid Casia in her wars. He lost her once. He won't do it again.

But his devotion to her may be the very thing that destroys him.

And when that destruction comes, it comes with a twist—one that could change their entire world.

Forever.

©2021 S. M. Gaither (P)2022 Tantor

"Precisely"

The only thing that consistently bothered me was the overuse of the word, "precisely." It started with Elander, but then every character started using it, and it got annoying real fast.

Can’t stop…. Won’t stop…

I have been mercilessly dragged into this world, and I don’t want to leave! I love the way this author has created this world and the characters have so much depth. It has spice, it has humor, it has sorrow… it has it all. The narrator has become one of my favorites. Every character has their own voice and I can tell them apart so clearly! How does she even keep up with all the different voices? I do wish some of the fight scenes were a bit more detailed to make them feel more realistic, but this is about my only criticism. Next book starting… now!

Amazing narration

Enjoyed the story, it had progression and the usual plot twists. Some expected, some not. But the narration is superior; each character has a unique sound and lilt. Makes listening enjoyable even times when the story dragged a bit.

Obsessed!!

Love how unpredictable and deep this story is!!! Love the characters and the world. Cannot get enough! Thank goodness it's more than a duo/trilogy!!

I nearly wrecked my car

The fact that I almost slammed into a parked car, walked into work with the reddest face, and couldn’t look anyone in the eyes for two hours is a testament to how steamy this book got.

Also I was literally screaming in the shower at the end- can’t wait for the next one!

Enjoyable read with Interesting magical landscape

I enjoy the series. It has great character building and a fun take on “the gods “and human interaction. The story moves along at a good pace with a captivating romance.

Wonderful

This is one of my all time favorite series. Great narration. Strong characters. Intriguing storyline.

This series has me in a chokehold

Jesse Valinsky has done an absolute bang up job of bringing one of my most favorite series to life. I never thought I could love it more, but hearing Elander and Cas, Zev and the rest, has just been next level.

This book had me in a chokehold from beginning to end! The swoony moments, the tense, the spicy, the battles, just all of it was <chef’s kiss>. As always, S.M. does the most spectacular job with her banter and the found family is just as strong in this book as it’s been thus far, and I can never get enough of it!

I’m so obsessed with this, that I will immediately be diving in to book 4!!

His voice….

I love this series. After reading the first few I decided to listen to the rest. The narrator isn’t bad but the accent she gives the other characters, Elander’s specifically, is so so wrong. Maybe I missed that they had accents but it made it so hard to finish.

Enjoyable but Distracted

I enjoyed this read. I like the magic system, I like the tropes, I LOVE the narration, and I enjoy the characters. However, I found myself distracted through much of the middle of this book. It just seemed to take a while to get to where we needed to go/be. The last 2.5 hours were where things really picked up and then it was a race to the finish with several loose ends remaining. Will I continue the series, yes. Will I do it immediately, no. The narration is superb though!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Story: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Narration: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️