The Beginning of Everything

The Rising, Book 1

De: Kristen Ashley

Narrado por: Liz Thompson, Dina Pearlman, Stella Bloom, Joniece Abbott Pratt, Esther Wane, Gemma Dawson, Robin Miles, Clara Francesca, Lance Greenfield, Jakobi Diem, Ralph Lister, John Hartley, Rupert Channing, Sarah Coomes

Once upon a time, in a parallel universe, there existed the continent of Triton....

The land was filled with beauty, but it was also splintered by war.

Out of the chaos grew a conspiracy to reawaken the Beast, a fearsome creature who wrought only tragedy and devastation. The only way to stop him is to fulfill an ancient prophecy: Triton’s four strongest warriors must wed its four most powerful witches, binding all nations together and finally bringing peace to the land.

This is the beginning of the story of their unions: the quiet maiden Silence and the savage King Mars. The cold warrior Cassius and the fiery witch Elena. The steadfast soldier True and the banished beauty Farah. And the pirate King Aramus and his mysterious Queen Ha-Lah.

Their unions will not be easy, but each couple must succeed....

The fate of their world is at stake.

©2019 Kristen Ashley (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

A big fan of K.A., but...

I'm going to preface what I have to say by stating that I've followed Kristen since she published her first book. I own all but a handful of her books and have never given her such a bad review; it's usually an automatic four or five (only given to books I've read more than once) stars.

Kristen historically writes about women who are smart, independent, multidimensional dynamos! It's a welcome change from the dim-witted, emotionally inept women so often portrayed in most romance stories. I also appreciate that she takes her time in world/character building no matter how long that makes the stories.

It's because of the above that I'm writing this review. I initially read the first two chapters and made a hard stop. Truth be told had it been any other author I would have requested a refund. I started all over the next day with the determination to get through the whole book before passing judgment.

On the positive side, it's a great start to a new book (sans my negative comments below). Huge kudos for developing a series that follows four couples, and ancillary characters, concurrently through a series of four books. That's a huge paradigm shift to Kristen's normal writing style, and I don't know too many writers that could pull that off and keep the readership engaged. Also, I'd be remiss in not mentioning the addition of different cultures, races, ethnicities - this makes made characters even more dynamic!!!

Spoiler alert*

What I don't like about the book:
* a ritualistic gang rape and murder at the very start of the book, with a high probability of more to follow in subsequent books as that's how they feed the beast,
* an exorbitant amount of sodomy and orgies (m/m, m/m/f) among more than one culture, and among the priests. I don't mind a bit of this, but there was far, far too much for my comfort. Ick!
* Men using sex as a tool of manipulation/control.
*multiple narrators - I see the need for them, especially in this book with so many POVs, but I found so many to be distracting. I wasted a lot of time trying to place the accents as many didn't sound authentic (i.e. one of the accents was either Italian Spanish or Hindi).

While I don't consider myself a prude, I would never go out of my way to purchase a book with so much sexual violence unless it was based on reality and I wanted to expand my horizons.

DISAPPOINTED

This is a spinoff of KA's Fantasyland series, but that series managed to have a continuing storyline and still give a HEA to each couple at the end of each segment. This series is more like a serial with no resolution to anything at the end of this first installment. I would recommend waiting until all four segments have been released before starting this. Hate it when authors publish only one part of a book at a time, and I'm VERY disappointed that KA has joined their ranks.

The beginning...indeed

Kristen Ashley has created a world and characters that have become as real as you and I. Four fares couples, danger at every turn, and a rising evil to make even the staunchest quake. The all star cast is exactly that....stars.

Can’t wait for the next one!!!

Totally awesome . . Had to rewind a few times to catch things I missed . . Will re-listen to it again before the next one . . Lots of characters and what a story line. Took me a bit to get used to the cast of character’s but once I figured out whose voice was who it was awesome!!!

Just couldn't get into it.

I tried listening to it twice and after reaching chapter 8 decided to bag it. lots of violence and I could not make a connection with any of the characters to make me want to continue.

Great story, character build, left eager for next chapters

This would have been easier for me in print for the first few chapters due to so many locations, tribes, and character names being mentioned. Some names are similar. Maybe it’s me. I would have loved a cheat sheet. I did end up writing some in a chart that I will save for the next in the series so I can pick up the story right away. I can’t wait to see what happens.

Thrilling and epic tale! I loved this!

What an incredibly thrilling and epic tale! I am blown away. Kristen Ashley did an amazing job creating an elaborate and detailed world for me to get lost in. It was phenomenal! The narration was incredible with such distinct voices and different dialects. It was extremely well done. I loved this!

Fantastic start to the series. There was a wonderful build as everything was laid out. All the pairings are fascinating and I love all the different dynamics and politics taking place. The focus is on all the couples equally and what's going on in ever-growing hard times. I loved the overall storyline and the conflict presented and all the different forces at work as well as the smaller stories woven in. There was emotion, intensity, drama, and heat. Some parts are raw and violent, it was gripping. From good guys to bad guys, alliances, and loyalties I was mesmerized by all the interactions. There is a very full cast of characters, I suggest downloading the glossary from the authors website. It helped me keep people and countries straight when needed.

I loved the pairings of each couple, they each have such diverse and unique personalities. I really liked watching them learn about the other and all the nuances taking place. Attractions grow, trust is formed, and bonds are happening. All the men are strong-willed and definitely alpha males, I loved seeing them soften towards their women a bit. Each woman is strong in her own right and all bring something different to the table. I am absolutely fascinated by all their different traits and beliefs.

The story was exciting to listen to and I was on the edge of my seat. The narration was stellar! It flowed so well from one voice to the next and each narrator did such an outstanding job. The different dialects and voices within their chapter were perfection. The voices alternated each chapter and sometimes within the chapter but each person was identified so there was no confusion. I thought it was really well done.

This was an extremely clever and well-crafted story. It’s multilayered and multifaceted with an awesome cast of characters that’s intricate and rich. Killer ending too! This is a serial so this story does end with a cliffhanger. I cannot wait for the next story in The Rising series!

I need the 2nd book NOW!!!

Loved it! The story is told so well. It was confusing in the beginning but still keep my interested. The more I listened, the more I loved. Sadden I have to week a couple more weeks before the 2nd installment is release.

Enjoyable Experience

I really enjoyed this book. I was a little lost at first because of the many stories going on all at one time but once I figured out who was who I was able to follow along. The story started of slow for me but towards the end it became better. I'm looking forward to listening to the next book.

Fun fantasy story

I’m so glad I didn’t listen to the negative reviews. Was this book confusing in the beginning? Yes. But I went back and listened to the early chapters once I sorted out who all the many characters were. I found all 4 books combined to be one fun epic love story. I enjoyed all the different characters and the switching of perspective as the story progressed. Many of the narrators were outstanding. A few were a bit annoying, but there were so many performances that it didn’t distract at all. I loved the series and will listen again.