The Scars That Bind Us

The Magi Accounts, Book 1

By: Michele Notaro

Narrated by: CJ Storm

Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Sometimes the worst scars are the ones you can’t see.

World War III broke out 130 years ago when humans found out that magi and shifters were real. Humans have been imprisoning and enslaving the two species since. But now humans need their help protecting the world from the strange monsters they let cross the veil between realms. All three species have been at odds for more than a century, but can Madeo—a mage—and Cosmo—a lion shifter—put aside their differences to work together, and maybe even find comfort in each other’s arms?

©2022 Michele Notaro (P)2022 Michele Notaro

More YA than romance but fun story

This is a good story with interesting characters and great world building. Like other reviewers I was thrown by the MC, Madeo’s, personality. He seemed much younger than his age, especially combined with the narration and word choices. It was strange how often “prick hole” or “dick hole” was used for people in their 30s. And it’s definitely a slow burn and very low heat. But the characters were very good and it will be interesting to see how the story develops.

Unique Shifter Magi Story!

This story is one you have to check out if you liked urban fantasy stories. This series kicks off with a bang and the action never stops. It follow Madeo and Jude, two magi, who are assigned to a new team that protects from dragon like creatures who come through tears in the reality called a veil. Their new shifter team is said to be different and the Ono-Nais are in the best possible way. It can be a bit of a difficult story as Mads and Jude grew up in a very hostile environment and definitely have some resulting trauma. Cosmo, the pride alpha, is a very patient and kind leader. The relationship between him and Madeo is very well done. If you're looking for an instalove high steam story, this one won't cut it. It's one of those that is about the long journey which isn't to say there isn't any heat, it's just on a simmer. I love these characters and the world building that is truly unique and detailed.

It took me a second to settle into CJ Storm's voice for this narration but I ended up really enjoying his take. To me, he did a great job of voicing the characters and trying to make them unique. While it's certainly a great narration, I think there were maybe some scenes that could've been read with a touch more emotion and a handful that felt a touch stilted. Overall though, it's a really enjoyable listen!

Great listen!

I absolutely enjoyed listening to this story. This is a great start to this new series. I love the world building and the characters in this story. CJ Storm does a great job with the narration. I like the voices he does for each of the characters. Can't wait for the next one.

An Amazing & Magically Purrfect Story & Listen🎧

This is an amazing paranormal urban fantasy novel, the story grabbed my attention right from the start and captivated it straight to the end. I am not sure how this is my first book written by Michele Notaro, I can only say it will definitely not be my last. She is a gift author with a brilliant mind, I enjoyed her writing style and the fascinating and imaginative characters and storylines she created, as well as the equally imaginative and fascinating world and the world building is absolutely phenomenal. The characters are easy to relate to and connect with, they are easy to care about too. I adored the lead and support characters, starting with the Magi, “Mads” Madeo and Jude who are magically connected dyads, they live in a world where they are the lowest of classes and have little to no freedoms. They work for the humans to battle the monsters who infiltrate their domain alongside the shifters, who have more freedoms in society than the Magi do. On one assignment they meet Logan a young Mage who is not built to battle the monsters, not the real ones or the ones who run the team he is on. Madeo makes a deal to get Logan a better assignment, but it costs them and they reassigned to work for a new team, a shifter team, cat shifters and Madeo loves his cats. Cosmo, the alpha of his pride, is new to the area, originally from a small town and not used to, nor does he have, the same hate and prejudices of most people in the city, it is quite eye opening for him and his pride. He takes a liking to Madeo, not only for his work ethic and how he protects his pride while on assignments, but as a person, too. When they stumble on information about missing shifters, they have to keep it to themselves because they are not authorized to investigate, but when a human is killed, it opens the door wide open for an investigation and what they find it magically evil. I loved how everything played out in this cleverly plotted story, there is a perfect balance of drama, mystery, action, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions, witty dialogue & charm to lighten things up and a wonderful romance. Michele Notaro, thank you for this amazing story and wild and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the fabulous narration, CJ Storm did a great job bringing these characters and their story to life. He had a complete understanding of the characters he was portraying, gave each a voice that suited that character’s persona and was believable in every role he played. Storm set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and projected them into his performance and had you feeling every single one. This entertaining storyteller is a versatile voice artist and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for the great listen.

Nice start to the series

Ok. This book moved a little slow for me and was more of a slow to medium burn. However, the story is great and it's a good listen. I admit that it has a little tiny bit of understandable angst that I don't really care for but the book is good. Any angst annoys me but I recognize that some is required in some stories so it's cool.
All in all this was a good listen and I can't wait for book 2 to come out on audio. In the meantime I will grab the Ebook for it and enjoy.

Where do they find these narrators

The narrator was terrible. Can’t pronounce L’s, turns almost every line into a question, and has trouble working the punctuation into sentences, so they often don’t sound right. Not the worst I’ve listened to, but definitely takes away from the experience.

The writing is juvenile at times, but I really enjoyed the story. It’s predictable, and kind of pandering at times too, but if you’re looking for a story to make you feel good, this one has a lot to offer. I plan to continue with the series, and look forward to the future of these characters.

So good!

This is an exciting story. I couldn't put it down. I love magic that Mads and Jude have and how badass they are. This story is heartbreaking and sweet at the same time. It gave me all the feels. Cos is super romantic and just so cool! I love him and his pride. This is really well written.
I borrowed the ebook and bought the audio. I love the narrator. CJ Storm is perfect for this book. I can't wait to learn what happens next.

Awesome start to a new series

I absolutely loved it. So, we have Mads who is a Magi & they are not even treated like second class citizens. What they put the children Magi through is heart wrenching. They are not raised by their parents; they are raised in compounds where they are tortured. As adults, they are not permitted to own anything, at all & they are never free. Shifters are a treated a little bit better. The humans are at the top of the chain & they do not let you forget it. A very long time ago, a bunch of humans wanting power, attempted to harness the magic by doing unspeakable things, caused rifts in veil between worlds. The teams that fight the Taragorians, who come through the veil, are comprised of shifters (they are the only ones that can kill these beings), a Magi & a human who of course is in charge. We also meet Jude who is Mads focal point. They grew up together. Jude has very little magic of his own, but he can enhance Mads' magic. They are closer than lovers. They need each other & need to be near each other. We have Cosmo & his pride who have moved to the area after the deaths of the couple that raised them. They are not ready for the hostility that they run into when they meet Mads & Jude since where they come from, Magi are treated completely differently. Slowly though, Cosmo shows Mads that not all shifters are out to hurt them & he starts to warm to Cosmo. Even through there is horror and heaviness to the story, it is balanced by snark & banter and the development of close friendship/family. Mads and Jude learn that not all shifters are the same & they finally get the family they never had. I so can't wait for the next book in this series. I hope that by the end, things for the shifters & Magi completely change for the better.

Great

This book was great, from the world to the characters. From the very beginning I was hooked

Take a chance.

I am glad I took a chance on this book. Can't wait to see what happens next.