Chosen

Rune Gate Cycle, Book 2

By: Mark E. Cooper

Narrated by: Mikael Naramore

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

Alexandra Yorke, witch and clairvoyant, is in a lot of trouble.

Together with her friends, she has managed to track down the man killing people in her county, but when Douglas tries to capture him, things go wrong and Alex finds herself forced through the rune gate.

Marooned on the magical world of Othala with Douglas and their friends, Alex journeys toward the capital of Inari to warn the queen of treachery, but the goddess has her own plans for Alex, and sends one of her chosen to intercept her.

©2014 Mark E. Cooper (P)2014 Mark E. Cooper

Brilliant Second Book.

Would you consider the audio edition of Chosen to be better than the print version?

Yes. Mikael Naramore adds that something special to the story and brings it to life.

What other book might you compare Chosen to and why?

I don't compare books to other books because every book is different.

Have you listened to any of Mikael Naramore’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes I have and he does an amazing job on Chosen just like his other books. His voice is very crisp and concise and really easy to listen to. He changes his tone to match the situation and has a melee of different accents.

Any additional comments?

Once again Mark E Cooper delivers a great read. In this edition of the Rune Gate Cycle the guys are stranded in Douglas world and need to adapt to survive. There is magic, mayhem, action, adventure, fights, deception and more than enough of everything to keep you reading. Chosen for me was the best book in the series yet and it was made even better by the audio book.

I could feel the tension and it was like I was apart of the story while listening to the book. I loved that there are more characters and I loved Alexs' Chosen. That cat was awesome!!

I can not wait to read more in this awesome series and would highly recommend the audio edition.

Prepare yourself for a great fantasy read!

The story summary is provided by the publisher, and you won't find any spoilers here. The story is active, engrossing, and moves you right along with it. While you can tell that it's part of a series, there is nothing lost by starting with any one of them. Go on, take a risk, and enjoy the ride.
MN is perfect in this audio performance. He is skilled at giving depth to the characters' personalities and enhances the written word superbly.
Recommended by Audio Book Blast.

Very different from Book 1

Book 1, Rune Gate, left us with a bit of a cliff hanger, wondering who was forced through (or chose to go through) the rune gate, a gate between our Earth and the world of Othala. Our heroine, Alex Yorke, is one of those who was forced through the gate. Douglas, who is from Othala, manages to get through, along with some of the folks from the Silver Mist coven. We also have a few bad guys who make it through too. Now, the Earthlings have to learn the rules of Othala, as well as the language. There’s plenty of hidden trouble for them to get into.

I really, really enjoyed Book 1. It had this great mix of the paranormal and detective work. In Book 2, we totally lose the detective work. At first, I was a bit sad to see this gone, as Alex is trained in police work, so we no longer have that aspect to her character. My second issue with this book was that women were second class citizens. This made me sad. All the ladies who came through the gate aren’t taken seriously in Othala, by the Othala men nor by the Earth men who came through the gate. They get to cook, constantly need protecting, are given little belt daggers that are for show. Douglas (and later other men) give the Earth men lessons in sword fighting. Yet no lessons in any kind of self defense are given to the ladies. And they are all OK with that – the Othala men, the ladies, and the Earth men! Ugh!

This bothered me for two reasons: 1) It’s inherently ridiculous for women, who generally make up half the population, to not be armed and trained. This is fiction, so the rules of gender equality can be bent any way the author sees fit. 2) The Earthlings are fighters, even the ladies. So it really seemed to be against their personalities to accept this change in status without a roll of the eyes or a huff over crossed arms on breasts. 3) And why wouldn’t the Earth men speak up and insist the ladies get some training in? Again, another break in character.

As the story unfolds, there are more instances of gender inequality. Men can fight and do magic, but women are stuck with laundry and magic. Squared off, one on one, a male magic user will always be stronger than a female magic user. Sigh…..You get the picture.

So, how was the rest of the book? It was OK. There’s some politics going on that Douglas was entwined in before he left, and he gets re-entwined in upon his return. I found these interesting. Douglas also has to figure out how he feels about Alex and what he will do about her. Meanwhile, Thomas the sheriff from back home and Alex’s past lover is trying to find his niche in this new world. He is use to being in charge. Now he isn’t and he’s a novice with the sword. I really enjoyed his character arc.

And there’s betrayal and redemption (hopefully)! This was the most engaging plot line for me. It was unexpected to have one of Alex’s party commit betrayal. But this individual quickly decides an error was made and works towards redemption. This character’s growth was excellent to watch.

Alex herself does some growing as a character. First, in Othala there are folks who can teach her about her powers. Second, her powers are strong here. In this world, magic users are sometimes gifted by the Goddess with a companion that helps to keep them grounded, their Chosen. By the cover art, I am sure you can guess what form Alex’s Chosen takes. I really enjoyed the dynamic between these two and the surly remarks often made by the Chosen.

So, over all the plot and individual characters were entertaining and engaging. However, the Earth characters’ lack of comment or action concerning the gender inequality on Othala felt like a huge break in character for most of them. I really wanted them to comment or, for the more opinionated characters (Alex, Thomas), to rail against the social norms of Othala. Yet they didn’t and this seemed to go against their characters. Also, do we need yet one more fantasy novel that places women in ‘traditional’ roles? It made some of the plot and some of the choices faced by our heroes predictable. On the other hand, the ending was very well done and satisfying.

Narration: Mikael Naramore gave another good performance. Some of his bad guy voices were a little over done. Other than that, he had a lovely voice for Alex, and a wonderful accent for Douglas. I liked his big surly cat voice too.

Some details not well tied off

First example was, when did Douglas get his cast off? Seemed to me he still had it in in "Innerly", riding horses with a full leg cast on :) No way.

Similarly, Alex is supposed to have been dressed in a mini skirt when she went through the gate? So she was riding a horse in a mini skirt? I don't think so. Should have at least thrown a blanket over her lap or something, and those stirrup straps can really pinch bare legs...ouch!

better than the first

Alex and her friends are now trapped in Douglas' world after trying to help him stop a man killing people. So now they are all traveling to the capital city in hopes there is still a way back to their own world, and to warn the queen of the man killing innocent people to cross between the worlds, but the queen has her own plans.

This is another action packed, wonderful book in the Rune Gate Cycle series. This book is just as fast paced and suspenseful as the first book. Mikael Naramore is also back narrating this book showing off his wonderful voice talent as he brings this book to life through his awesome narration.

Strong Finish

It's my opinion that these should be listed as one book as the first half of these stories is more akin to the first half of a book. I am not surprised they are sold in an omnibus edition and have since made Sure to get this authors books in omnibus edition where available.

I tried but was unrewarded

What disappointed you about Chosen?

The concept for the story was good but the narration was painful - everyone was either angry or stupid when in fact the characters had the potential to be interesting. Also it's rare that men can narrate a woman's role well and this is an example of that.
The narrators voice was good when simply reading but when moving into character - awful!

What was most disappointing about Mark E. Cooper’s story?

A number of things - it was a man's perspective of a woman's response - it didn't work for me.
There were descriptions that you would expect in a teenage boys adventure novel not a para-normal historic genre e.g. the sound of bullets not just once but often ... really????

How did the narrator detract from the book?

as above

An excellent followup.

I was given a copy of this book by the author free of charge in return for an honest, unbiased review through audiobookblast dot com. ok, legalese over, on to the review. This is the second book in this series, and it continues right after when book one went off, when the main character was kidnapped through a Rune Gate from our World to a world where magic works. She manages to escape, and has a series of adventures in the fantasy realm. She is bonded to a battlecat, basically an intelligent saber tooth tiger, she find a place where her witch powers are appreciated and respected, and she finds love, all while helping to defeat the forces of evil. Sounds pretty easy, but it is actually much more complicated than that. This is a well rounded book, with some fun, well thought out characters. The magic realm is interesting, and has a lot of potential if the author decides to make sequels.Mikael Naramore's narration if top notch as always, really bringing the characters to life. I would recommend this book to any fans of Patricia Briggs, Faith hunter and Carrie Vaughn.

AMAZING!!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK!! THE Narrator did an Excellent Job & The book was so good!! I don't leave spoilers but I would definitely recommend this book to my friend, family & EVERYONE!!
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

Great Book!

Any additional comments?

This is a great book, this is the second book in the Rune Gate Cycle series. This book picks up where the first book left off. Alexandra Yorke is a clairvoyant and a witch. She has managed to find the killer who was killing witches. He somehow manages to escape, so Alexandra ends up going to the magical world called Othala to warn the queen of the danger. Once I started listening to this book I didn't want to stop, because I wanted to see what was going to happen next. The narrator Mikael, did another fantastic job with this book. He is very easy to listen too and does a great job with all of the different characters.

not as good as book one

What made the experience of listening to Chosen the most enjoyable?

see additional comments.

Any additional comments?

AUDIO REVIEW

Thank you to Mark E Cooper for my audio copy, in exchange for a review.

Chosen follows on immediately from Rune Gate. I mean IMMEDIATELY. They are falling through the Gate at the end of Rune Gate and the beginning of here. You really SHOULD read/listen to that first, for you to get the full benefit from this one.

Alex, Thomas, Doug and the others all land in Othala, Doug's homeworld. They immediately secure the one who has been killing on Earth, binding his hands, mouth and fingers to ensure he can't cast any runes. Things have a way of going awry when plans are made, and he is aided in his escape, ALex and Doug are seperated, and Alex finds herself bound to a familiar, a massive battlecat. The Goddess has plans for Alex and her cat. Finding out the plans to assassinate the young Prince mean that Alex and the others must rush to the palace to save him.

I din't quite enjoy this one, as much as Rune Gate and having slept on it, and am writing the review this is why.

1. we didnt get much world building on Othala. I would like there to have been more.
2. (using Mr Cooper's words) its a little too questy for me. This is the first I have LISTENED to as such,. I love READING about quests, but maybe listening to them is not for me.
3. I woudl also have liked to know more about ALex's reaction to Othala and the Daughters of the Mothers. And her place in that world.

All in all though, a very good, highly recommended read. And I should like to catch up with ALex an Doug some time soon :-)

Mikael Naramore narrates again. I found that, listening using the Audible app on my phone, you can adjust the speed! It made for a much better listen, and I take back what I said about Mikael reading slowly ( in my Rune Gate Review) It wasnt him, it was the app! Beautifully narrated again,a very pleasing voice to wile away 9 hours.

Thank you, again, to Mark for my copy.

Annoying heroine

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I do not understand why the author decided that the female lead character gradually degenerated from a troubled woman into a whinging eleven year old who worries about her interaction and relationships with men / man like a school kid.
By book 3 will she have disintegrated so far she is drawing hearts on notepad.
Such a shame this character started off troubled but intelligent the story was a bit different and looked promising. Then we went to hobbit land with dorothy from Oz via excerpts from cheaper romantic pulp fiction.

Would you ever listen to anything by Mark E. Cooper again?

no

What didn’t you like about Mikael Naramore’s performance?

its okay

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

no

Any additional comments?

will not buy the next one.

Chosen,Rune Gate 2

Any additional comments?

This is the sequel to 'Rune Gate'.It starts immediately where the other left off.I believe it would have been better had it just been added to the first book,or maybe I should have listened to it right away.Alex and her friends have fallen thru the Rune Gate into the world of Othala.Now she needs to learn the ways of this world.I had a hard time following a lot of this one.There seems to be TOO much going on.
Mikael Naramore is wonderful,as always ,as narrator.
"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com"