An Arbiter's Gift

A Ronin Saga Story

By: Matthew Wolf

Narrated by: Matthew Wolf

Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Ezrah is 16 and a rapscallion denizen of the Citadel - a school of magical wizards called Reavers - and unfortunately, failing his studies miserably. On the verge of being kicked out, Ezrah has little hope but to pass a final test of magic. However, the test soon becomes the least of Ezrah's concern, as a nefarious woman kidnaps his childhood friend in a plot to seize immeasurable power. At the same time, the city is slowly dying of thirst, the people abandoned by those meant to protect them. Ezrah, untalented and far out of his league, must find his hidden spark of magic within himself in order to conquer a mythical maze of elemental magic, save a dying people, rescue his kidnapped friend, and become the legend he is destined for...or will fall to ruin.

Return to the magical world of Farhaven in An Arbiter's Gift, a riveting, fast-paced novella taking place in the best-selling series The Ronin Saga.

©2021 Matthew Wolf (P)2021 Matthew Wolf

Ah-maz-ing, better than the last!

I wasn’t sure what to expect with an author narrating… I also don’t always read fantasy. But I started listening to it on my break from work, and I literally couldn’t stop. So here we are, and now I’m writing a review. Little slow to start, but once he got into the real “trials” I was completely hooked. Fun story, very likable characters, as another reviewer said superb action, and lots of fun twists. Oh, and I always like some tongue and cheek humor here and there. Best part of my day so far, now unfortunately... back to work. Highly recommend to any fantasy fans who like "losing themselves" and coming up for air later. Enjoy!

Loved it. See full review

Full disclosure, I’m already a fan of the series and got to Beta Read and then Beta Listen to this… but I promised an honest full review.

AAG is about Ezrah, a young “threader” of magic who is a troublemaker and lacks power. Yet as we know him in the series he’s quite different. In this, Ezrah encounters nefarious characters, an elemental maze (so cool), and fascinating magical creations, all to save his friend and stop an evil woman. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, to save a dying city.

Story 4.9/5.0: loved it. Started a little slow, but loved how it all panned out, some full circle moments, and tons of action. Action scenes were great. Very riveting.

Characters 4.5/5: rich character development between Ezrah and Fera. Loved Callas, won’t spoil but didn’t know I could care for a char in and short story that much. Also a sucker for rags to riches, and severe underdog, stories :) This scratched that itch beautifully.

Writing 5/5: great writing, truly think Matthew Wolf is developing as a writer and growing his writing muscle with every book. I loved b2< b3<b4 and this is no exception. Great pacing, direct prose, believable, often clever dialogue.

Narration 4.5/5: I didn’t know what to expect. Often an authors narration falls short but this one really surprised me. Lots of dynamic character voices (Grimwal!) and even the female chars were done well and easily differentiated. This might be just me, but I could feel the authors passion as I listened. It’s hard to compare to TGR but still amazing job!

Overall 4.9/5: amazing story, highly recommend, easily worth the credit - get it now and have a blast, you won’t be disappointed. And the check out the rest of the series!

-Another happy fantasy reader

Very nice fantasy book

Best short story ever! You will love all the adventures and challenges Ezrah faces throughout his journey through the magical maze. Also the narrator was great 5 stars, would recommend.

Great Listen!

I've listened to hundreds of Audible books and loved this little tale. I often don't enjoy when an author narrates, but, Matthew Wolf is the exception! I would listen to him again and again.

Packed!

There’s a lot packed into this story. Matthew’s performance was very good. I enjoyed it!

Great self-narrated short story

Disclaimer: I received a free audiobook code for this from the author.

I haven't read the other books in this series, but I still got a good sense of the social disparity around the world's magic system, which I certainly enjoyed

I also have to commend the author for doing the narration himself.