Bonds

Ignited Galaxy Series, Book 1

By: Drew Goodman

Narrated by: Michael Lucio

Phaidros and Charon, sons of a respected member of The Order of The Ignited, find their lives forever altered when tragedy strikes. As the threat of exile looms and avenging their father's death becomes their desperate mission, the brothers embark on divergent paths.

Phaidros, determined to protect his cindered brother, reluctantly joins the Order. Bound by loyalty and a ticking clock, he navigates the treacherous path of following in the footsteps of his father, risking his life and soul in the process. Meanwhile, Charon's affliction takes a surprising turn when he stumbles upon a hidden power, a power that may hold the key to defeating their father's killer and saving his brother from the same fate.

Join Phaidros and Charon on their perilous journey, and discover the extraordinary depths of strength and loss between siblings trying to find meaning in the chaos of their lives. Endure the heat of battle, witness the clash of wills, and lose yourself in the breathtaking turmoil of Bonds.

©2023 Drew Goodman (P)2023 Drew Goodman

Fantastic Sibling Drama

One of my new favorites. The worldbuilding, magic system, and prose are all top notch; but the core of the story is the relationship between the two main characters. Phaidros' and Charon's personal quests dance around each other as both brothers go to extreme lengths to safeguard the other, providing a rock solid foundation upon which Goodman constructs his universe. Can definitely recommend!

Great story

Easy to listen to predictable but fun all the same. Looking forward to book 2

AMAZING!

The story is interesting, but it's the characters' personalities will really pull you in. This book has a rich, expansive world that is a cool mix of fantasy and sci-fi. I can't wait to explore more of this universe!

A wonderfully unique fantasy story in a fantastic sci-fi setting.

The world of Bonds is incredibly unique. From one of the coolest magic systems, to dragon people, beetle people and space necromancy, there's a lot here to love if you like fantasy.
I really cannot over state how cool/fun/unique this setting and magic system are, clearly a lot of time and effort has been put into it. That said, the book to me feels like it could have used another round or two of developmental editing. There is a noticeable frequency of repeated words that the average reader probably won't be bothered by but that stuck out to me. Additionally, for this 8 hour audiobook it felt like 6.5 hours of it were spent on exposition and telling rather than showing. I love world building, but so much of that here felt purely for the audiences benefit and didn't make sense for the characters of this world to be so ignorant of.
I will also say I really enjoyed how small scale this story was despite being part of an expensive sci-fi universe. 3/5, this isn't a bad book, it just wasn't quite there for me but I really enjoyed the world and magic system.