Raw Power: An Urban Fantasy Novel

Demon-Hearted, Book 1

By: Ambrose Ibsen

Narrated by: James Foster

Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Howdy. My name's Lucian Colt.

I'm one of those disgruntled millennials you've heard about on the evening news. I've got a master's degree in art history, a mountain of student loan debt, and no job to show for it.

Wait, scratch that. I track down stolen pieces of art for wealthy clients and then beat whoever stole them to within an inch of their life. Say what you will, but it puts bread on the table.

Something went wrong with this last job of mine, though. I walked in on something I wasn't supposed to see and got murdered by witches. Yeah, real, legit witches. Never saw that one coming, did you? Neither did I, and the only reason I'm writing this is because some doctor working for an ancient secret society decided it would be a good idea to use me as a science experiment.

See, he implanted a new heart in me and saved my life, but it wasn't just any old heart. It was a demon's heart. Nifty, eh?

Anyhow, I'm back and better than ever, except that now and then the demon takes over completely, and I do awful things. Lose control.

But enough about that. This is a story about how I (mostly) rein in the demon's impulsive personality and seek revenge against the coven of witches that tried to kill me. Along the way I learn a thing or two about this secret society I'm apparently now a member of and find out that there's a lot of shit out there that goes bump in the night.

Mandatory disclaimer: Yeah, look, some people don't like the way I talk. I say words like f--k a lot. If you want to take this ride, then you should know there's going to be a whole lot of cussing and violence along the way. And if I'm lucky, there'll be some skin, too. But who knows? Maybe you'll like it, you filthy animal.

©2016 Ambrose Ibsen (P)2016 Ambrose Ibsen

Fantastic, inventive writing, Superb Narrator.

Would you listen to Raw Power: An Urban Fantasy Novel again? Why?

Absolutely! The writing is terrifically detailed and inventively creative. The characters have depth and you can relate to them. The narrator is absolutely amazing with voices for each character. His performance is the right pace and the story travels along with out dragging in any spot.

Great new series!

So what does a poor little rich boy do when he finds that he has always had choices? What happens when you realize that choice has been taken from you? What happens when you discover the choice that you did not have was the best choice for you to get revenge.
You learn how to deal with the demon the witches want so you can kick their ass.

Lucian wakes up in the hospital from an encounter with the witches while working. He finds that he is now part of a four person team set up to kill the witches. Now begins the fight to see who can be saved and who will go down in flames.

Lucian Colt's life is about to change!

Lucian Colt is a debt collector, who goes after one bounty too many and is killed by witches. His client who belongs to a secret society, who fights the occult, brings him back to life by way of a heart transplant. This is not just any heart, but a demon one!

James Foster delivers a good performance and brings the humour and banter to life.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

Good start to the series

This was an enjoyable listen. The narration was excellent and the book was well paced. The main character is an unlikable kind of person that comes to realize that fact as he battles the Demon inside himself. This was an good start to a series.

"This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobookboom"

Demons, Witches, and Witch Hunters...

Would you try another book from Ambrose Ibsen and/or James Foster?

Yes.

Could you see Raw Power: An Urban Fantasy Novel being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

The author has an interesting take on the supernatural world.

This book is about demons, witches, and witch hunters - secret society.
The plot was good, as well as the characters, the good and bad ones.

Lucian Colt, the main lead, has a job to do and he does it.
He finds stolen art items and returns the item back to its owner, while teaching the thieves a lesson, until he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Things don't go as planned and Lucian Colt finds himself with a "New Heart" and a whole bunch of problems.

I liked the sarcasm through out the story:
"I was alive and pissed off, probably what a new born baby feels like".

James Foster has a nice 'matter of fact" reading voice and he did really well with the narration. .

Note:
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

Get out of my way!

Would you consider the audio edition of Raw Power: An Urban Fantasy Novel to be better than the print version?

I can't answer this because I only listened to the audio.

What did you like best about this story?

Probably that the owner of the body and the heart put into it were a lot alike.

Which character – as performed by James Foster – was your favorite?

James did a great job. I could tell the difference in characters when he spoke. But I liked his take on Chief the best. Sorta surly in a good way.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Lucy and Joe sorta started to be friends.

Any additional comments?

Raw Power. Boy they named this one right. What would you do with the heart of a Demon inside your body, and not just your ordinary run of the mill demon, No, this one had to be the Demon of War. And he was one Bad Ass Dude.

I regress. Ambrose Ibsen did a wonderful job at creating the characters in this tale. It has a lot of potential down the long run. Yes there is a few cuss words, but hey, we all use them at one time or another, so take it with a grain of salt and get over it.

I read so many of this genre, that it was a breathe of fresh air when I got into this one. One regret was there were not that many of the other side in this one. Seemed to be a bunch of Witches and that was it. Hopefully more creatures will arise in the next installment.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com."

got better

the story needed a lot more character development. I never liked any of the characters including the lead... Not many redeeming qualities. The reader is amazing and I'm hoping subsequent stories in the series get better

Good story even better writing

This is the first book I have come across by this author. If your cool with curse words and gore, this book is for you. The story is very well written with more description than I've read or heard in a long time. The narrator is very good too, has an interesting tone and gives each character their own voice.
The only disappointing thing is the 3rd and final book in this series is not on Audible which kind of defeats the purpose of having a series. I listen to books on my hour drive to and from work each day and to learn I'll only get 2/3 through this story sucks. Not sure I want to purchase the 2nd book because of this, will just be left hanging. This is why I gave 4 stars over all. I will change it to 5 when the last book is available.
Good story though.

bring on the power!

More power please!

this was a GREAT book! very different then the others I have read about demons and witches etc.
I love that the book is told from the main characters point of view. He tells it so well. I like how he is telling it to you as if your old friends, and he is telling you about something that happened in his life. it just made it seem more real to me.

Raw Power has a very interesting storyline. Lucy Colt was making a living by beating people up and returning stolen goods back to their rightful owners., until he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Walking in on a coven of witches doing something evil so they kill him right there on the spot! instead of willing to die, he agrees to transplant his heart with that of a demon to keep alive.
he learns quickly what this little deal intakes, and is now part of a secret world against good and evil!
great book! and Lucy is funny, and easy to understand and seem like a very real person.
The narrator does a amazing job putting this all together!
I am VERY excited for part two of this book.




I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator for an unbiased review via Audio Boom..

Dark, but Humorous Adventure

The story begins introducing Lucian, a debt collector and art recovery specialist. He's over his head in debt from his worthless education and doing whatever he can to pay back his exorbitant student loans, even if it means hurting people to do his job. He gets in a little over his head when a client asks him to complete what is supposed to be an easy retrieval mission. It isn't and things go very wrong.

He luckily (or unluckily) is saved from death by a heart transplant...from a demon. A super secret society arranges the transplant and recruits him to help in their campaign against evil...in this case a coven of crazy witches who are seeking to raise a demon.

Lucian is quite a character. He is often snarky and sarcastic, which lends humor to the character; although sometimes you just want to tell him to shut up, as his teammates often do. The pace of the book is mostly quick, with lots of action built in. At times the fluidity of the story is halted by Lucian addressing the reader directly or flashing back to something, which distracts a bit. This book is graphic and violent, so be aware that there are some gruesome scenes. I thought the narration was pretty spot on with the character voices. Job well done by the narrator.

Overall, a solid 4 for great action and a unique perspective of the world of fantasy and magic. I received this audio book at no cost via AudioBookBoom in exchange for an honest review.