Deus Ex Machina

Broker, Book 1

De: Derelict Presence

Narrado por: Hollie Jackson

To save the world, Sonya must become its greatest hero—and its darkest villain.

The opening of Pandora's Box changed the world, giving rise to an age of superhumans and monsters. Yet mankind was not safe from its own hubris, and in the end, it destroyed itself.

Sonya Chernovna returns to the past with a mysterious new ability that lets her absorb powers, combine them, and even bestow them onto others. It's a power with near limitless potential.

She must manipulate heroes and villains alike, playing both sides while keeping her identities secret. As her power grows, so does the weight of her decisions—and the line between her identities blurs.

She'll do whatever it takes to rewrite humanity's ending—even if it means being the most heinous villain that ever lived.

©2024 DerelictPresence (P)2025 Podium Audio

Wow just wow

This is written just so very well. The story comes alive and a characters are flashed out perfectly.

Amazing Book

Love the story and content of this book. Has an amazing plot and characters. I like how the main character plays both villain and hero roles.

Amazing

I normally don't write reviews, but I felt compelled to write this one. This book is well written and Hollie Jackson brings this story to life. Excellent characters, and a refreshingly exciting plot. I am all too excited for the next book.

Evil Genius Energy—And I’m Here For It.

This was an amazing novel—and it's over 26hrs!
I was a little worried it would be another action-packed, nonstop fighting story (I’m getting pretty burnt out on those kinds of tales), but this—oh, this—was perfection.

The story isn’t about being the hero fighting monsters; it’s about the manipulation going on behind the scenes—the organizations controlling superheroes, supervillains, corporations, and governments. I love it. I love how the main character feels like Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, and Tony Stark all rolled into one.

If I had to nitpick one thing, it’s that whenever the MC wears her helmet, the narrator tries to mimic a synthetic voice—which for me, sounds like nails on a chalkboard. I wish they had used an actual synthetic voice effect instead. Still, to be fair, the author did describe her voice as unsettling... so, top marks? Either way, I love this story!

A wild ride from start to finish

A perfect blend of action, intrigue, humor and trauma. Can't wait for the next book to show up in Audible.

A true gem

I am glad i took a chance with this title. It was only a great progression lit story. it is also one of the better regression stories out there. I love the MC. No Carebears here. There are stakes and tough choices are made. The powers and world building are also excellent. I can't wait for the next one in the series

One of the best novels within the Regression Genre

This story is utterly fantastic. I love how the power system works and the motivations of the characters. The story appears simple at first, but it gradually becomes layered with multiple moving parts. The shifts in POV never felt unnecessary which was refreshing to experience. Lastly, the narrator was great and her male voices sounded quite good. I highly recommend it!

character depth

the over arching reason behind Sonyas character development is amazing and I can't wait for more

loving this series

A story about revenge, redemption, and being the penultimate martyr. This to my knowledge is a one of a kind story, relative to everything going on in this book.

So much better than i expected!!!

As a general rule, I have never really liked Villain stories or even particularly dark anti hero stories. To much edge lord crap and not nearly enough substance. So when i read the synopsis of this story i kind of expected to hate it, but i had some time i needed to kill so i figured i would listen get anoyed, quit, and then write another scathing review about another anti social sociopath who thinks playing video games makes them some kind of secret super genius or what ever. INSTEAD of all of that i got probably one of the most compelling and nuanced MC's i have come across in a VERY long time. The characters are smart, the world building is extensive, and the plot is nail bitingly intense. I was truely shocked by this story, so much so that i listened to it twice in a row just to see if i was hulicinating or something. Thankfully i was not and this story is so much better than i expected. Looking forward to seeing more.