Virtuoso

Drazoen Heralds, Book 1

De: Jules Peacock

Narrado por: Amber McCulloch

The survival of our universe depends on a music-loving librarian and a thousand-year-old alien. He’s got wings, she’s got a flute. What could go wrong?

This debut novel will take you on an adventure to the middle of the universe with humor, sci-fi, and a little romance. For everyone who wished they could bring McCaffrey, Asimov, and Douglas Adams together in one story, dive into Virtuoso, Book 1 of the Drazoen Heralds series.

"Humans learned they were anything but alone in the Universe on a Tuesday morning. Millennia of thinking themselves rulers of their solar system, shining examples of sublime evolution near perfected, gone in an instant. Not only were humans not the best species on offer, they barely cracked the top fifteen. Out of a possible sixteen." In a universe where ancient prophecies can come true...

Djilbay jo Bikajo, seeker at your service. For a thousand years, he has scoured the stars in search of his herald, the one destined to awaken a primordial power long lost to time. His quest brings him to a Seattle bar where Katy Phelan, an ordinary woman with an extraordinary love of music, may hold the key to his mission. But how does he convince her to come with him, leave her planet, and travel millions of light years to wake a dragon?

Katy Phelan is 28, with a degree in music (a useless one, according to her family) and trying to figure out where to go with her life. A career as a librarian in Seattle doesn’t scream destiny to her, but what does she know? She just dreams of a debut playing first flute at the symphony. When Bay crashes into Katy’s mundane life, she learns dragons and ancient powers are real, aliens exist, and—oh yeah—dark forces want her dead. No big deal. Now, Katy must decide if she’s ready to leave her normal life behind and face off with intergalactic chaos, assassins, dragons, and a prophecy that demands she perform miracles.

Adventure, danger, and maybe waking up some gods? The universe is about to get wild.

©2025 Jules Peacock (P)2025 Jules Peacock

Entertaining

Virtuoso by Jules Peacock is an excellent Sci-Fi adventure. Amber McCullough did an excellent job with the narration. Virtuoso is the first book in Drazoen Herald series. The story is witty, adventure, entertaining, interesting, a little romantic, and more. Can a music loving librarian and a thousand years old alien save the universe? I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. Highly recommend.

Enjoyable

Great book, very well done and easy to follow and understand. Very well done by the author and narrator. Excellent book to listen to. Definitely recommend this book.

Stunning performance for a great story

I think the standout here is the performance. Amber McCulloch brought poignant emotions to Katy and Bay's whirlwind romance among the stars. She dealt admirably with the more humorous parts of the book, handling Katy's internal sarcastic monologue with a deft hand.

The story itself has a lot to recommend it. Worldbuilding is a personal favorite, and Jules Peacock seems to have built a world...universe that begs to be explored. Social Justice seems to be buried in the heart of the spanning story, if some of what is talked about in the conclusion is to be built upon, which is much needed in the world of today. The romance is achingly familiar for anyone who has found themselves swept up in a crush that leads to something stronger...all happening in a matter of weeks. The spice rides the line of being enjoyable...spicy, but not vulgar in a cringy way. My favorite part of the romance is how Peacock uses the dual narratives to highlight what one character dislikes about themselves, only to focus on how that is something their partner enjoys about them, showing how the one who loves you will love your imperfections because they make you uniquely you. Love that.

My only complaints on the story are that I wish Katy was a bit more active. I can't say I wouldn't allow those older and wiser than me to suggest my plotted course in a story if I found myself at the center of a prophesy from tens of thousands of years ago, but I still like my main characters to be a bit more active. A lot of this is vindicated at the end of the story when Katy takes a more solid hand at the wheel, but I would have liked it sooner. I have hopes for Paul in book 2!

Good Narration and Start

Amber McCulloch’s narration is excellent and really adds to the experience. The story is interesting and easy to follow, which made for a smooth listen. That said, I found myself expecting a bit more from it overall. Still, it held my interest enough that I’ll definitely be picking up book 2.