A Tale of Whispers and Rogues

Shadowborn, Book 1

De: Jordan Lee

Narrado por: Darcy Stark

Owen Greene must die.

Being Shadowborn, the Essence of a fallen god runs through Owen's veins. It gives him power, but it comes with a bullseye painted on his back, one the Legion is determined to hit once they learn he exists. Wielding such power comes at the cost of his life, and with the Legion close to finding him, Owen must leave his home to escape their hands.

Charged with protecting Owen, Colt O'Malley knows the dangers that might accompany them. He's been tasked with protecting Owen on their dangerous journey with the promise that he can go home at the end of it. But what Colt didn't count on was just how often that dimpled smile and tender-hearted Shadowborn would weaken him.

Fleeing the country to escape the Legion might have been their main goal, but neither Owen nor Colt had planned on falling for each other along the way. And with the Legion on their heels, falling in love couldn't have happened at a worse time.

A Tale of Whispers and Rogues is an M/M fantasy romance featuring a man gifted with the cursed power of a fallen god, the handsome rogue sworn to protect him, ruthless henchmen, a mysterious shadow, a slow-burn romance, and a budding romance with a HFN ending.

©2024 Jordan Lee (P)2025 Podium Audio

It’s Really Depressing

This was a good fantasy story, not so sure about the romance part. The vast majority of the book is spent with the characters on the run, filthy from sleeping in the woods, or captured. There is a moment or two of longing but it doesn’t seem nearly enough for just how miserable the story is. At multiple points, the characters come close to starvation.

I’m an hour away from finishing but don’t think I’ll bother with the next in the series. I prefer my fantasy a tad less existentially dire

Wow!!! Bravo Jordan Lee.

This book was amazing. Wonderful world building, well fleshed out characters, fantastic action, and an achingly sweet slow budding romance. This is high fantasy and it's beautiful. The world is tremendous. So detailed. The story itself is exciting. I held my breath during many scenes. I also laughed out loud a lot. Plenty of humor and also plenty of deadly seriousness. The romance is sweet and full. Jordan Lee has written an entertaining and emotional story and I'm very eager for the next book to be released.

Darcy Stark also gave a 5 star performance. He quickly became the characters, giving each their own voice and pouring emotion into every scene that required it. I truly hope he will be narrating the next books in the series. When a narrator disappears and the characters are there instead, you know you have a fantastic narrator. Stark pulled me into the story so I felt I was there.

Great job Jordan. It was such a great listen, for multiple different reasons. 😉

Entertaining and Compelling World

I was immersed. it's now 3:30 in the morning because I just needed to know what happened next. I found one character in particular to be a big cringe but would recommend despite it.

Very unpleasant characters

This is an uneven YA romantasy masquerading as MM fantasy. The two primary characters, supposedly in their 20s, spend most of the book bickering like middle schoolers. That’s really the focus of the book. Neither of the primary characters is likable or relatable or particularly interesting. Their interactions focus on snark, sarcasm, and lots of whining. The narrator amplifies these issues by emphasizing Owen’s dewy (and unrealistic) naivety and Colt’s “rough-exterior” rudeness that’s much older than his backstory justifies. It’s unfortunate, because there is promise in the concept. There is a magic system, which is unfortunately almost entirely undeveloped. There are other characters, almost entirely undeveloped. There is a political world, almost entirely undeveloped. Ultimately, I read this as a setup to sequels, where the characters and world-building will mature, but as a standalone novel I was not a fan.