Amid Twisted Chaos

Darkened Skies, Book 3

De: H.E. Bauman

Narrado por: Brielle Rose

An enemy's foe makes a dangerous friend....

With the Paragon’s target on their backs, Astrea and Varojin find themselves temporarily exiled from Talmaris for the safety of its people. Not content to wait until trouble finds them again, Astrea convinces Varojin and their guards to trek with her through the Novarian mountains in search of answers that will avert destruction.

Arriving at an abandoned Paragon site, the group finally gets a lead on the question that’s stumped them for months: what does Emperor Aelius want with the meteorite he found in the Badlands, and what does it have to do with void magic?

But upon returning to Talmaris with news of their discovery, Astrea and her friends receive an ultimatum from the Emperor. If they refuse to halt their investigation, they’ll suffer the consequences. So, with few choices and fewer allies, Astrea’s only option is take the conniving Victor Nazarov up on his nefarious offer of support.

But thwarting the Emperor’s evil intentions means breaking into the Helosian Empire and stealing an elusive artifact. And Nazarov’s help will cost Astrea dearly....

©2023 H.E. Bauman (P)2025 H.E. Bauman

The journey continues

Yay:
-learning and unraveling more of the Parogon's story, just to have more things to unravel thrown right back in. Never ending mystery
-Astrea's journey. She isn't instantly all powerful, she has to work to be strong and man does she work for it. I love that the work she has to put in is both mental and physical.
-just Jin, really. All of him.

Meh:
-the series is getting closer to being over and I do not want it to end

Just keeps getting better!

This series just keeps getting better and better. Az shows up and shows off in this one and learns new secrets and travels all over the empire with the team. The ending was mind blowing and I’m so looking forward to continuing this series!

So good!!

So much is happening! Az is struggling a lot but finds herself and her strength. Relationships evolve, new layers to side characters are added in! Prophecies and books and secrets....oh my! This one kept me on my toes for sure. Exciting read with a lot of development. Can't wait for the next one. Wonderfully narrated by Brielle Rose!

Secrets at every turn, tastefully done trauma

Amid Twisted Chaos is the third book in the Darkened Skies series. This book picks up with Az dealing with PTSD after her last encounters with the Paragon and Nazarov. They start off in hiding as they try to unravel the mystery of the Paragon and the prophecy that is tied to Az and Jin. This book is packed with romance and high stakes that just keep getting higher. Their quest for knowledge turns out to be a rather dangerous one full of ultimatums.

The book starts off slow with touches of what happened in the past so if you didn't read the books all at once it helps connect the dots which I find absolutely fantastic as I've going through the Audio Books myself.

there is always tons of Worldbuilding so you truly feel immersed into the world the author has created. Her touches on PTSD and Anxiety are truly relatable and I feel are represented accurately and tastefully. The character trauma and growth are phenomenally done.

Since I am listening to the audio books Let's touch on the Narrator:

I think Brielle Rose has done an excellent job at portraying the characters, their emotions, all while weaving magic of their own into such an amazing story. I think they narrate at a good pace and speak clearly, while they are understandable they don't just drone on or feel like you are being lectured which is excellent! My only complaint is on occasion the accent and characters do get lost in one another But overall I enjoy this narrator and their voice.

Stunning Book in the Series

H.E. Bauman continues to impress with this series. The character development, the plot, and the world building hit just right.

Astrea and Varojin head on an adventure through Novarian mountains, where finally get more insights into why Emperor Aelius is so bent on tracking down certain sites.

The characters:
H.E.'s superpower truly is character development. Astrea's journey from book 1 to book 3 has truly been wonderful to watch. She goes from this shyer character to one willing to challenge even a prince. I also think she has done a lot of working on how she treats herself personally. She feels the weight of the world on her shoulders, but she doesn't let it stop her in ways she has previously. Her character's development truly has been amazing to watch as it feels so realistic.

As for my boy, Jin, we are watching him really move in sync with Astrea. He is a green flag MMC at its finest. I love watching Jin and Astrea's relationship grow over the course of this series.

What is even more is that H.E. ties their development so well into the plot that the story moves so naturally. Their struggles really move in align with the political plots they uncover over time. Their actions and responses are also a response to that.

Everything about this book drags the reader on a fast pace experience before dropping them at the end of the book and leaving them begging for more.

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I also listened to the audiobook so I have to say...Brielle Rose does a stunning job throughout this book. She is engaging, her voices provide extra personality to the characters as she reads, and it makes for just a truly wonderful audiobook experience from start to finish.