Esther's Innocence

De: Benjamin J. Boswell

Narrado por: Cheryl-Annette Parker

In an age of sail and cannon, where airships ply the skies instead of oceans, the Barbarian Kingdoms of Madraus are poised to start a war the likes of which the world has never seen, but they’re in for a surprise when they raid 16-year-old Esther’s village. While it’s a bad day for Esther when she gets captured after helping her family escape, it’s worse for the Madrausans, because now they’ve unwittingly unleashed a force upon the world that just…won’t…stop!

Esther is thrown into the middle of a plot to assassinate a King and she must decide what she is willing to sacrifice to try and save him, because when no one believes you, the fate of nations really does ride upon your shoulders.

The days of innocence are over. The days of hardship have begun.

©2018, 2021 Benjamin Boswell (P)2024 Benjamin Boswell

Good story, great narration!

Esther's Innocence is a fast-paced fantasy adventure following a young woman's heroic journey as she battles to protect her life, her family, and her town. Much of the action takes place on an airship, and the listener is drawn in not only by the atmosphere but also by the vivid detail in each scene. Along the way, Esther faces formidable villains, processes grief and trauma, and ultimately makes difficult choices for the greater good. The story effectively explores Esther’s personal resolve, her struggles, and her triumphs. That said, readers should be aware that the book includes a rape (not described in detail) and, later—unrelated to that event—a pregnancy. While neither is graphic, the latter felt at odds with the FMC’s arc. Her choice to “settle” for the greater good is followed by pregnancy, undermining some of the strength and independence the story had been building.

Cheryl-Annette Parker’s narration is clear and engaging. She skillfully uses distinct voices, accents, and tones to bring each character to life. The pacing of the narration matches the story’s rhythm perfectly, making it easy to stay immersed. Ideal for fans of fantasy with a strong female protagonist.

YA steampunk adventure

TW - SA
Esther is a 16 year old young woman who is preparing for an annual festival in her town at the same time the merchant airship has arrived 2 weeks early. Sneaking into the meeting, she overhears that the neighboring town has been raided and the airship is on course for their town. During that meeting, the enemy airship arrives and Esther must find a way to save what family she can from being kidnapped, even if it costs her freedom. From that moment on, Esther's life was a wild adventure aboard airships and traveling to new lands to try to save a king.
Esther is still a child, but close enough to adulthood in the times this book is set. She still enjoys the frivolous things children do but also has a thirst for knowledge. She will read any book she can get her hands on and that quality ends up saving her life on several occasions. She is put through so many trials but manages to stay afloat (literally in some cases). She's just an average girl who must do extraordinary things to survive.
The first part of this book was action packed and never a dull moment. She was aboard several airships, one being the enemy airship taking prisoners which likely included some of her family. The latter part of the book was more subdued. She had discovered a plot to assassinate a neighboring king and has taken it upon herself to stop it. This part of the book was filled with more planning and travelling. After the excitement of the beginning, it was a little tougher to get through, but it was very well written. I am not sure how I feel about the outcome at the end of the book. While it fits with Esther's character, I was surprised.
I enjoyed the narrator and think she did a wonderful job with all the different voices and accents throughout the book. It was an enjoyable listen.

Great World-Building and Narration!

This is quite an epic tale! The world created by the writer has many lands and includes prejudices, treaties, and shifting loyalties, all explained in a clear manner. I am usually wary of books with a main female character written by a man, but this one has done a good job and I'm very glad a female narrator was chosen! (More on her later).
There is a rape that occurs in the book so be aware of that going in. It isn't graphic per say, but it is detailed in the trauma response.

Cheryl-Annette Parker, the narrator, is brilliant! It looks like she doesn't have many audiobooks out on Audible yet, but having this 12 hour book with many characters and different accents as one of her firsts is an astounding feat! She is absolutely one to watch and I can't wait to see what she puts out going forward.

exciting and challenging

Trigger warnings: The main character is only 16 and had to kill people. She was assaulted and raped once (nothing too graphic, but she deals with the trauma throughout the rest of the book).
This young adult, coming of age fantasy was an incredible story of resilience in spectacular circumstances. Though the book starts out slow, once the action starts the pace stays steady, and included twists I didn't see coming. The narration made it immersive and brought the world to life.
After her town is raided and she is captured by the enemy Madrausen, 16-year-old Esther uses her knowledge to sabotage their ship and narrowly escapes onto an Ardmorran vessel. She earns the respect of the crew with her abilities and knowledge. As the battle rages on, they find themselves shipwrecked and are rescued by an Easternly ship where they find mostly allies, that teach Esther navigation and fighting skills. As their journey continues they must reach the King of Hadiq, and try to thwart an assassination plan against him.
Will they choose to return home before their mission is complete? How far will they go to save a kingdom that isn't their own?
I received a free narration and ebook copy with no expectation of a review.
All opinions are my own.

powerful feminine lead

I was worried throughout the story, as the lead character kept being menaced in a sexual fashion by the men around her. She stood up for herself, though, all the way through. And at one critical point in the story where things got very bad and looked very bleak, she was supported wholeheartedly by those around her. Kudos for writing a strong lead & giving her a supportive community.