The Six and the Crystals of Ialana

The Ialana Series, Book 1

By: Katlynn Brooke

Narrated by: Katherine Leask

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Six young people are on the run, guided by a shared dream and driven by memories they can't explain: Jarah, an insecure 16-year-old, yearns for a different life; Adain, Jarah's popular friend, has a tendency to be too trusting; Tegan, an overly-sensitive girl, is betrothed to someone she doesn't even like; Djana, an entitled debutante, discovers a secret about her parents she wished she hadn't; Kex, a feisty and fiery huntress, fled her home to avoid marriage with an older man; and Tristan, a soldier, comes to realize his job may not be everything he expected it to be.

The Six come together along with a seventh, seemingly by accident, but in their world, nothing ever happens by chance. On a quest to discover their terrifying past before it catches up with them, they must cross a continent and a deadly mountain range, find a powerful crystal lost 500 years ago, and rediscover their original mission. Will they succeed this time, or will they, once again, be betrayed by someone they thought was a friend?

©2014 Karen L. Brooke (P)2018 Karen L. Brooke

A rich world

This book is an eventful adventure story in a rich world. I had a hard time keeping up with the various characters at first, but it came together nicely. The world history is well developed, and drives the plot. The book feels like it was inspired by authors I have read and enjoyed, but it is fresh and unique.

Captivating, Engaging, Thrilling

Struggle, Obastacles, magic, strength and more! Brooke composes a group of heroes you love to read, share their emotions, and root for until the end. a fantastic tale of the heroism and perseverance of youth. truly stunning story!

Great Story

I really enjoyed this fantasy adventure of six teens who end up together to fight evil. What they have in common are dreams.

I loved the characters and the deep world building. I love how much detail Brooke's writes. However, I felt it came at me super fast and I had a hard time keeping track of everyone, back stories, plus all the world building. I started to have an easier time keeping characters straight once they were all together. They each have super unique personalities, and it is interesting to see how they interact with each other.

The plot was constantly moving and changing. I have not read another book like this and love how unique the world and plot are.

I plan to continue on in this series in the future, as well as relisten to this book in the future. I think it is a book I will get more out of the second time. My favourite audiobooks are the ones I can go back to time and time again and get more out of it then I did the first time.

Katherine Leask does a great job with the narration. I wish some of the characters voices were slightly more defined. I like the pace she speaks at.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

makes it hard to turn it off and go to bed

I really like this narrator, she is distinct enough to keep my attention while not overly dramatic which would distract from the storyline. I wish i had a friend with a voice like this. Had read the book a while back and loved it, but it seems more alive listening to Katherine.

Thoroughly enjoyed

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The narrator has done a wonderful job bringing each character to life. There is a great combination of suspense, action and some mystery.

Couldn’t Get In To It

Despite excellent narration, this story never grabbed me. I bailed fairly early on because with all of the stories I have that I truly expect to enjoy in my queue I don’t want to spent fruitless hours hoping to feel a connection.

In fairness to the author, I ranked the story with 3 stars. If I don’t invest as least half of the time into listening then going lower is unjust. There are likely plenty of people who will enjoy this book, but not me.

The narration of Katherine Leask is excellent! She does a wonderful job of storytelling and her accent work is effortless and transitions seamlessly between character and narrative voices. Her performance is top rate.

Kept waiting for it to get better

….and it never did. The story line was too far fetched. The pace and backstory for the characters weren’t believable. Additionally, the explanations were far too scientific. Ultimately, a huge let down for me. I think I’m pretty reasonable too.