Circle of Reign

By: Jacob Cooper

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Lands die.

The Living Light fades.

An Ancient Darkness awakens.

The Living Light that sustains Arlethia is dwindling.

An unknown, vicious enemy approaches in stealth from beyond the northern glaciers, a wasteland of ice that spans hundreds of miles. A clandestine brotherhood of assassins, held in check by the Light for millennia, seeks to break their maledictive shackles and unleash their bloodlust upon the world. Those that should stand with Arlethia clothe themselves in betrayal, desiring her secrets for themselves, leaving Arlethia to stand alone.

The rebirthing of lands ceased decades ago. The world of Valeira is dying. Only Arlethia, the Western Province of the Realm, remains untainted by the Ancient Dark's Influence. Reign, the young daughter of Arlethian Lord Thannuel Kerr, becomes entangled in a perilous web of deceit, greed, and assassination plots after witnessing something horrific - something that will destroy all she knows and loves. As threats culminate, she and her twin brother, Hedron, must battle demons on every side - both external and internal - in their efforts to save Arlethia from extinction, as they simultaneously reach for their own personal redemption. But they have become pariahs to their own people. There will be few that dare to stand with them in the dimming Light - and even fewer that will survive.

The world of Valeira cannot endure without Arlethia. And the Living Light is fading.

©2016 Jacob Cooper (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Great from start to end

There's a new world here, with good and evil, loyalty and betrayal, and "magic" (not its name). Wonderfully narrated with many distinct voices, this is an audible page turner. I eagerly await the second book.

Absolutely incredible

What made the experience of listening to Circle of Reign the most enjoyable?

A fantasy novel that truly evolves the genre, the pace of the novel and its characters move more swiftly than others of its kind. I found this to be an incredible blend of character and world development while introducing us to a magic system. This novel could have gone another 20 hours of listening or just as easily been split into 2 separate books with more than enough depth and story. It read like a stand alone novel, the pace rewarding you all along the way with plot changes and definitive ends. I cannot wait until the next installment from Jacob Cooper!

What does Michael Kramer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The emotional depth that Michael brings to this story is amazing. I was excited with a few new "accents" in this novel compared to past novels Michael has read.

Excellent non-grimdark epic fantasy

Full disclosure: Jacob's a friend of mine. However, I don't write these type of reviews unless I feel passionately about the work. For instance, on my website and a few other places, I interviewed indie authors whose books I found to be fantastic, as good as anything published by the Big 5 out of NYC. This includes authors such as Jonathan Renshaw, Phil Tucker, and John D. Brown aka The Man. All of them award winning, bestselling authors, and Jacob's books belongs on this list.
I've previously reviewed Circle of Reign in its previous iteration and loved it. This current version was updated with a great deal more information to further enrich the world. I've always envied Jacob's world building. There's a depth he brings to his world, a mystery and myth that's almost as interesting as the story itself. With this updated version, that strength is only richer.
But the book isn't just a recitation of historical events. That could prove boring. Instead, the strength of the story is still the characters. Good or bad (and they're mostly good people), they remain the focus of the story. Those characters live, whether it's Reign and her brother trying to find their way, or the sorrow of what they lost. It impacts them. All the characters have that quality of loss, love, and striving. Some are even humorous, which is a welcome change from the grimdark pathos of some series or the biting, acidic sarcasm in others. There's obviously a large market for grimdark, but I tend to like the softer books, the ones with good people trying their best, and again, this is a key element to Circle of Reign.
I haven't touched on the action. The last half (at least it seemed that way) of the book is frenetic with absolutely gobsmackingly cool action scenes. I would love to see the anime version of those scenes.

Master at work!

Michael Kramer is a master narrator although the novel seemed to drag on, bit repetitive.

Outstanding!

This book was excellent, it's the first time I've come across this author and both the writing and the storytelling were incredible. Perfectly crafted plot-twists, interesting characters, and a fully-realized yet mysterious world.