Attack of the Aswang

Warden, Book 3

By: Kevin Hardman

Narrated by: Mikael Naramore

Part lawman, part tracker, and part magician, the Wardens are monster-hunters - tasked with protecting the people from the various, nightmarish creatures that have invaded the world of men.

For most of his life, 16-year-old Errol Magnus categorically rejected the idea of being a Warden. Growing up right next to the Badlands, he encountered enough bloodthirsty monsters in the ordinary course of events; he’d never seen much sense in assuming a post that required you to actively seek them out.

Recently, however, while competently and capably serving as Warden on behalf of his missing brother Tom, Errol’s had a change of heart. Now, for reasons of his own, he desperately wants the position. Unfortunately, being officially appointed Warden not only requires that Errol’s skills be tested by his peers, but that he also make a perilous journey to the city of Apolos in order to be examined by the high Warden himself.

Traveling with a group of colleagues, Errol thinks all danger is behind them once they reach the safety of the city. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Something has followed them out of the Badlands, and - one by one - his traveling companions are being viciously slain by something...inhuman. It’s up to Errol to find the creature and bring its killing spree to a halt, before he himself winds up the next victim.

©2019 Kevin Hardman (P)2019 Kevin Hardman

wonderful story

Mikael Naramore is a wonderful narrator I really enjoyed story line and character's I will definitely listen to this book again

Not JUST about monster-hunting

I got a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review, and I'm so glad I did!

Warden is a Teen/YA series about monster-hunting. But not JUST about monster-hunting.

In this third book of the series, we learn that young Warden Errol Magnus (Latin for “Great,” and do you not just tingle at the possibilities of that name?) might have a Prophecy attached to him, one that foretells a new peace in the land, a peace between Monsters and Wardens. Why me? he wonders. Because, his superiors say, you have defeated some of the greatest, wiliest Monsters in the land, and because you have a Foretold magical blade made of Wendigo bones. Hmmmm, thinks Errol. Shrugging, he goes back to work.

Work this time involves solving the mystery of and facing off against the Aswang, a shapeshifter that can look like a pig or hog, who seeks revenge for what she sees as the murder of her offspring, and what Errol’s compatriots see as just another campfire dinner. Errol senses, at the end, that he is looking at a grieving mother seeking justice, not just a rampaging, indiscriminate killer. And he starts to understand that sometimes the monsters are men.

This is not just a book about monster-hunting. It’s a book about protecting those who need it while refraining from unnecessary violence, about figuring out right and wrong regardless of species, and of understanding the pain of those who don’t look like us and can’t tell us what’s wrong.

Errol has a fine intuition about the feelings and motivations of the monsters he encounters, and tries to avoid killing them. He even helps them when he can, when it doesn’t endanger his charges. Who better than a compassionate Magnus to broker peace in the land?

I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Best book of the trilogy!

This book is more complex than the others and is super fun and interesting! The story is better, the writing is better, and I even think the audio performance is better. I really enjoyed this one a lot!

So much adventure in one book!

I am a huge fan of Errol and his Warden adventures! It's been interesting to "watch" him grow over these three books. Even though not a huge amount of time has passed, you can honestly recognize some maturity that the experience of acting as Warden has given him. He definitely seems a little less impetuous and quick to judge as he was in books one and two.

There is so much going on in this book! There are a ton of adventures and suspenseful situations throughout. We get introduced to some new, interesting characters and there are some really fascinating moral dilemmas we get to experience through Errol's eyes. I truly hope there are more stories set in this universe, especially with how this one ended!

I want more

I am hoping to hear more if these adventures. They have been well written and performed.