Child of the Night Guild

By: Andy Peloquin

Narrated by: Rebecca McKernan

Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

"They killed my parents. They took my name. They imprisoned me in darkness. I would not be broken."

Viola, a child sold to pay her father's debts, has lost everything: her mother, her home, and her identity. Thrown into a life among criminals, she has no time for grief as she endures the brutal training of an apprentice thief. The Night Guild molds an innocent waif into a cunning, agile outlaw skilled in the thieves' trade. She has only one choice: steal enough to pay her debts.

The cutthroat streets of Praamis will test her mettle, and she must learn to dodge the City Guards or swing from a hangman's rope. But a more dangerous foe lurks within the guild walls. A sadistic rival apprentice, threatened by her strength, is out for blood.

What hope does one girl have in a world of ruthless men?

©2017 Dragonblade Publishing (P)2018 Andy Peloquin

Fast Paced! Wonderfully Narrated! A Must Listen!

Any additional comments?

It's been a while since I've remained in my car outside my house because I just couldn't stop the book! There are no slow moments and the character development is superb. Never a dull moment with the plot. If you like Brent Weeks then you will love this book! Peloquin has done it again!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

You have to read this book!!!

All I can say is wow! Amazing! Fantastic! This novel grabbed my heart and soul and did not let go. I found myself listening at every spare moment. The characters are wonderfully developed and the story line is nothing less than unique and captivating. The characters have such depth and detail that you will simply just forget about everything else when you listen. What really got me was the emotion conveyed in the writing. Anger, sadness, fear, heartbreak, love. These powerful characters and emotions really hit you where it counts. Although my review may not do this book the justice it deserves, I can say this: This book is a masterpiece and I believe that future readers will look back and see this as one of the truly great classics. Spend the credit, pay full price, do what you have too but don’t pass this by. Andy Peloquin’s writing and Rebecca McKernan’s narration is the perfect marriage of writing and voice! I can’t wait till the next book is out on Audible so I may just have to buy the rest in paperback.

Even though this book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review, my review is honest and from the heart!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A Well Crafted Story

I had troubles with this book, but my first comment needs to be that it is a very well crafted story that is entertaining and compelling. 90% of this book is amazing and thrilling and really well thought out. What kept driving me out of the story is the constant cry of "I can't do it" , or "I will not cry" and the verbal portrayal of that with so much emphasis. I admit that it might be born of a parent of a teenager that just can't stand to hear more whining in my free time, but there it is. In the beginning, it is natural for a child of that age to be a little hysterical and her emotions are reasonable considering what she goes through, but it just wasn't enjoyable to listen to so much of that for me. This is part of what I mean when I say that the book is well crafted. She has a tragic flaw that she does everything to get rid of and can't. I am perhaps not evolved enough to enjoy that but I am at least able to recognize that it is literarily viable.


I was given a free copy of this audiobook and I have voluntarily chosen to review it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great begininning

This book takes you on crazy ride of how life will throw all sorts situations your way, and how you will deal with them. All in all, I hope that people will take a listen to this book because its enjoyable, and I look forward to seeing where the series will take the listener.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Birth of a thief

Great story about a child who is taken as collateral and trained to be part of the underworld element that seems to exist in many old world settings. The main character Viola is taken when she is eight and trained to be a thief. There are many great concepts here that progress the story along. Andy Peloquin does a wonderful job painting the surroundings and characters, giving them their own unique voices. This story is rich with details depicting the training and fighting, the rooftop escapes and the overall progression of the characters as they move to become masters of their craft. Rebecca McKernan does a wonderful job narrating this story making the listener feel the characters and their triumphs and failures. Overall they both weave a wonderful world of characters you will both love and hate.

Its darker than you expect

So, the positives...its better than average writing. The storyline is interesting for awhile, but breaks down quickly to move the plot along. Usually, I would give high marks just for those two items, but the constant whining makes you want to bang your head against the wall. Honestly, I wanted the main character to fall from the tower and die and then pick up with some other kid. The darker situations of rape, brutality, robbery, murder, unwanted pregnancy, abandonment...I am sure I missed a couple, but its pretty much the full spectrum of dark-etude.

If you can handle the whine, its probably not an awful book. I don't want my credit back, but I also have no intention of getting the sequel.

NOTE: I had some distortion(~8bit audio) in the audio during some of the early chapters....I tried different speakers, so I am fairly sure it was in the source I downloaded.

A Well Crafted Story and a Superb Performance

Once I started, I quickly found myself having to ration my listening time in order to prolong the enjoyment of the experience. Peloqiun created a well-built universe populated by fully fleshed characters and the story gripped me to the very end. As for the narration, Ms. McKernan's performance was perfect, and I was amazed at her range, and her ability to bring the characters to life. I earnestly hope that these two talented artists will come together again and bring us the next installment of this saga.

Stunning and Haunting! You won't be able to stop!

Let me start off by this review took me 2 days just to write. This was such an amazing book I had to really really think about what I wanted to say to really give credit to such a work of art. This book will catch you and keep you begging for more. I was captivated from the first few words and that never stopped throughout the whole story.

Andy Peloquin has created the most amazing world. By far it has quickly reached the top of my favorite books I have ever had the pleasure to read/listen to and one of my favorite authors. And what makes this even more absolutely stunning is the reader! Rebecca McKernan did an amazing job! Her accent really brought out the characters and added so much to this book by putting you in a different world and really bringing it to life.

This precious little girl, Viola, only 8 years old, is thrown into a world where they take her memories, her very existence and changes it all into a number. She is now number Seven. She is among several other young children being brutally trained for apprenticeship in the Night Guild. Because she is just a small thing and the only girl, she has to work that much harder and be smarter and faster than the rest. We see Viola/Seven at her weakest but see her rise to great heights (pun intended) and see her fall, struggle and become even better than before! The heartbreak and brutality Viola endures is amazing but it makes her who she is. We watch her grow into a young woman determined to be the best, determined to survive everything life throws at her. She has a new name now. A new home, a new world than when she started her journey. She has come a long way and made some great friends. To see how devastating this place is and all its beauty and secrets takes a genius and I am so glad Andy created such a masterpiece. I can’t stop thinking about everything in this story.
This is not your average story whatsoever. I honestly didn’t know what to expect reading this because the main character was so young in the description that I thought it may be a bit childish or not my type of book. GOSH WAS I WRONG. This is everything. Viola has a mind of her own and you are always guessing what she will do next or what will happen. And each time her name changes you can see her character grow. I wont say what her last name is because that is for you to find out. The ending to book two really got me, I cried and had to stop listening for a few hours but then I HAD TO KNOW what happens next. I was utterly invested in this story. I felt her pain, I felt her strength and determination. This is beyond words to describe that you NEED to get this. When I find a book I absolutely love I always buy the actual book to it so if I'm ever on a hike or out hunting or just have a moment where I can pick up a real book I have one of my favorites to turn to.
I listened to this every moment I got, getting ready for work, actually at work (I’m a Sales Manager at a hotel and I may or may not have left a few phone calls go to voicemail during some moments – I did call them back after!) and I couldn’t get enough!
I will anxiously await the next audiobook for book 2 and 3! This was one wild ride I can’t wait to continue! This is worth so much more than 5 stars. Out of all the books I've listened to over the past 2 years this is by far the best!

I requested and was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review with my honest opinion.