Castle Town 8

By: Anya Merchant

Narrated by: Giancarlo Herrera, Hannah Schooner

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Prince Makoa has achieved what he once could only have dreamed of. Twinfalls is now under his control. The heralder throne, of course, is now his, one among many spoils of war, though the title of heralder king itself still just alludes him.

But power is only powerful within context. Underqueen Avina, his beloved mother, has her own thoughts on both his rule and the path forward. Sparks fly between her and her son as he attempts to navigate defending his new prize from the threat of a reformed Estorian army. The path to victory leads Koa to gather his allies, including his trusted companion Verity, his esper love Petra, and of course, Zaratafenia, his betrothed.

NOTE FROM AUTHOR: This book contains adult themes and sexual situations

©2023 Anya Merchant (P)2023 Anya Merchant

Epic Fantasy Series

Review is for the series as a whole.
Anya Merchant is known for her pseudo-incest stories with fantastical elements, although it isn't as prevalent in this series as some.

The prince (adopted) is on a quest to become more powerful and become king, so his mother won't have to service whatever slob is in charge. He also has relationships with women he's known since he was a child and an aunt (by marriage), but frankly the adopted mother is the only relationship that feels incestual.

I had low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. The sex isn't as huge a part of the story as you might think. Instead, this is an epic tale of a naive (but privileged) young man who gains supernatural powers and allies and goes through incredible trials and tribulations in his quest to become king. There are huge, continent-spanning plot developments, and the author isn't shy about killing off characters at times. There is some humor to lighten the mood here and there.

One of the magic systems used in the series is interesting and a little different - it consists almost entirely of opening portals to other realms. You don't cast a fireball, you open a portal to a realm of fire, and the same goes for other magical effects.

I will say that I found the protagonist hard to like. Yes, he's the hero, and there are reasons to feel sympathy for him, and he does in some ways mature emotionally a little, but still... he's kind of a jerk and is overall selfish, impulsive and immature. On the plus side, props to the author for not having an overly perfect and flawless hero. Still, maybe he has a few too many flaws.

Overall, the series was pretty good, although I still prefer the "Domestic Decay" series.

Note: the 8-book series is complete.

Great

Loved it. More from this author please. Great author. I wish others would write this well.

The culmination of the series was fantastic

A great adventure with all its defeats and victories. The principal was likable but flawed making it a roller coaster of an adventure.

5 stars

🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞What a great ending to this series! The MC is great along with a really good supporting cast! The story is captivating! The narrators also do a good job of bringing the story to life! Great job Anya Merchant!