The Shape of Monsters

Audible Originals are proud to present, The Shape of Monsters by CL Hellisen, narrated by Omari Douglas, star of Black Doves and It's a Sin.

In a world where power is everything, Aleks and Vaira Kercheval have rejected their magical heritage. The lives they have carefully constructed for themselves are torn asunder when they inherit Aubrey House, their family's ancestral home. When the siblings cross the threshold, a long-dormant magic awakens, thrusting them into a world of ancient feuds and twisted powers.

As Vaira embraces her magical heritage, determined to claim her rightful place among the Mage Houses, the powerless Aleks accidentally summons Ilea, a monstrous prince from the Void, thereby binding himself to a creature of immense power and insatiable hunger.

Aleks and Vaira find themselves on either side of a magical divide. But dark forces are at work, threatening to tear apart the fragile peace between the ancient families.

When Vaira's quest for power leads her into the depths of the Void, Aleks must make an impossible choice - betray his sister to save her from corruption, or watch as she becomes something monstrous and inhuman. As the lines between human and monster blur, each must decide how far they'll go to survive in a world where even gods can fall.

The Shape of Monsters is a treasure trove of dark magic and family blood, where the price of power is paid with the ultimate sacrifice.

©2025 C L Hellison (P)2025 Audible Ltd.

Messy Characters

It's been a while since I've read anything with characters that actually have depths deeper than a teacup. This story is one of those. The main characters are very much shaped by their life circumstances and that is a major theme of the story. You can see the way they are also subsequently shaped by the narrative as it goes along, and their actions make sense to who they are as people. Low bar I know, but it seems like a lot of writing today doesn't bother to make their chars feel more life like.

This is not a happy story. But it is absolutely one worth listening to and it brings up a lot of things to think on. And for me at least it was pretty gripping.

suspenseful till the end

gad no clue how this would end. till the end. probably first in a series.

Really good

Loved the book, just sad I have to wait for the next one if there is one.

brilliant

the prevailing theme of darkness was haunting. I found my self thinking about different choices the characters could have made and wondering how it could have turned out differently. brilliant from start to finish.

Wonderful story, great narration!

I really enjoyed this story! I surely hope there will be a sequel with the same narrator! Kept me listening.