Fae Song

Ballads of Balahar, Book 1

By: Deonne Williams

Narrated by: Matthew Lyon

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Her music is magic, but power comes with a price. Can she defeat her own inner demons and the dark forces that have hijacked her past?

Gwynn has finally joined the ranks of the most prestigious guild of bards. Eager to explore the world and create her musical legacy, she heads to the dazzling city to impress with her skills. On the road, she encounters an elite warrior wounded in an ambush. She is forced to turn her peaceful journey into a dangerous quest.

Can she free her world from enchantment before she loses everything?

Fae Song is book one of the enchanting magical fantasy series Ballads of Balahar. A magical world of mysterious forces, splendid Celtic mythology, and a friendship stronger than time.

©2020 Deonne Williams (P)2021 Deonne Williams

Light Entertaining Read

I'm not clear what age the intended audience is meant to be, but this seems like a good junior high level book. I would say that it's pretty good if assessing based on this assumption.

As a purely adult-level book, it meets expectations in a solid "C" way. You may think that meeting expectations would make me rate it higher, but the world and character development were just "meh". Average. It was there, just really average and still kind of flat. I liked the characters, but everyone aside from Gwyn and Shae felt like they were props to support the two main characters.

I enjoyed the Emerald Isles influenced fantasy setting with musical-based magic. It was an interesting take on the Fair Folk, but as mentioned previously, they felt like props for Gwynn. I was hoping for more emotional development or some sort of increased maturity from her by the end, but Shae took the spotlight on that one. It felt like the whole story was about her musical ability increasing by several point

Overall, an interesting Irish and Scottish based medieval fantasy story with an interesting take on magic and the Fair Folk. It was just what I was looking for but overall felt "flat".

Musical Magic Fantasy

This was my first experience with Deonne Williams' work and I enjoyed it very much. I can't wait for the next book in the series. I found the world building and each character's development exceptional. I was often amused by the dialogue between the characters. I was entertained by this book and recommend it to others who like fantasy. Matthew Lyon's narration was great and he provided individual voices that helped to bring the characters to life. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

Fantastic story, Excellent Narration!!

I was apprehensive about a new author but Thoroughly Loved it!! Rich, complex characters, excellent descriptions without being too much, an engaging, original storyline; everything I had hoped for. I Highly Recommend this book!!!

The Fae Song

I loved listening to the music and storytelling as the music came out of it in the reading of the story.A wonderful story about a barb and her lifeguard companion. A wonderful story about love and music and life itself! I would recommend this book to anyone.

Amazing Narration!

This was a fun and whimsical listen, I truly enjoyed the world the author created. There was just enough fantastical elements to enhance the story but I loved how Williams kept a realistic tone throughout. The relationship between the main characters was fun and lovely to follow while they journey through the lands of Balahar. It was a wonderful story! Matthew Lyon did an amazing job narrating, seriously amazing! I am so happy I chose the audiobook version for this story

[Thank you Deonne Williams for the free audiobook!]