Dawn of Wonder

The Wakening, Book 1

De: Jonathan Renshaw

Narrado por: Tim Gerard Reynolds

When a high-ranking officer gallops into the quiet Mistyvales, he brings a warning that shakes the countryfolk to their roots. But to Aedan, a scruffy young adventurer with veins full of fire and a head full of ideas, this officer is not what he seems.

The events that follow propel Aedan on a journey that only the foolhardy or desperate would risk, eventually leading him to the gates of the nation’s royal academy – a whole world of secrets in itself.

But this is only the beginning of his discoveries. Something is stirring in the land, something more ominous than the rising threat of hostile nations. Fearful travellers whisper of an ancient power breathing over Thirna, changing it, waking it. In the very heart of these stirrings, Aedan encounters that which defies belief, leaving him speechless with terror – and wonder.

©2015 Jonathan Renshaw (P)2016 Jonathan Renshaw

Instant Favorite

I can't say enough about this book! Before I even got halfway through this book I knew it would be one of my favorites. The thing that glues me to this book most is the character development. I felt emotionally attached to the main character Aedan, I found myself screaming out loud in some situations routing him on. Jonathan Renshaw has a natural ability to set up tension in a scene. One key thing that I really like is the fact that the character development feels very realistic and natural. It doesn't seem forced or stiff if that makes any sense. People react to situations as you could imagine they would in reality which is something I look for in a book. Some authors like to use coincidence far too much, to the point where it takes you out of the immersion. And some authors like to take the character to a knifes edge and then some miraculous event saves the day. Which is OK sometimes... That certainly doesn't always happen in this book. Sometimes the characters in this book have to go through some really rough things not always being saved at the last minute.
Jonathan Renshaw REALLY did allot of research for this book and you can tell. He goes into detail about the making of weapons and fighting techniques etc. I very much enjoyed these parts of the book. You can very much tell that the author was a school teacher before becoming an author and likely a very good one.
Another thing which stood out about this book is the solid morality which goes against so many adult fantasy books that are popular right now. Too many authors these days feel as though in order to make the world feel more real and the characters more believable you have to add questionable morality harsh language and obscene over the top sexual situations. This book proves that this is not the case. In fact, this is a book I will be reading with my children when they are a little older as there are allot of life lessons and virtues I want to teach them which I find scattered throughout this book.
In summary, this book is a must read for anyone who likes fantasy. I wish I could give more than 5 stars. One more thing of note Tim Gerard Reynolds did a spectacular job of bringing this story to life! What an amazing performance!

Great story, great narration

I spend a lot of time listening to audio books and it is dream to find one like this that kept me listening hour after hour. Definitely worth the listen.

kid can't catch a break

the biggest thing i came away with after listening was pity for the main character. every time he has a little bit of luck, something even worse comes along to knock him down and rub mud in his wounds. it was consistent enough that i'm surprised he managed to hold on to his friends. the novel does end on a hopeful note, but after the rest of the novel, all i can think is that it certainly wont last.
i don't necessarily find our MC all that likable. pitiable, yes, likable, not so much. he's certainly no kvothe. there were quite a few times i wanted to reach into the story and either smack him upside the head, or to help him remove said head from his a**, (since he seems incapable of doing it himself).
i think this is a decent self-published novel, which is very rare. there is a lot more character depth and plot development than most of those i've had the misfortune of coming cross.
this is one of those books that is better as an audible version rather than the written one and once again i am reminded of how important a good narrator is to the story. i have yet to listen to a story where this narrator was anything but awesome.
over all impression; i both pity and dislike the MC, but the world and the story itself is interesting enough that i will probably buy the next book in the series if/when it comes out.

dawn of an amazing series

it was a very intriguing story. in some ways it felt like 3 separate tales stuck end to end. excited for the next book

What a great story!

Where does Dawn of Wonder rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Dawn of Wonder is certainly in the top 10 books of all time in my personal library.

Who was your favorite character and why?

They were all great characters but i love Peashot! His personality made the book so fun!

What does Tim Gerard Reynolds bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brings life to the book! he makes every character more relatable.

Any additional comments?

First let me say that this book took me on a very emotional ride. The characters are well developed and the story is amazing! There are times where i was Frustrated with characters in the story and there are times where i felt my heart ache with sadness and then happiness. I would recommend this book to anyone!