Dragon's Reach

The Keeper Origins, Book 1

By: JA Andrews

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Length: 22 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

The tale of how an orphaned thief escaped the slums, united a nation, and brought a mighty empire to its knees.

The truth is neither plain nor simple. Sable, a reluctant thief from the slums, can feel truth when people speak. For years she’s been using that skill to try to break free from the vicious gang boss to whom she's indebted.

Escape comes in the form of an odd set of companions: a dwarf running from the past, an actor with a magical, glowing tree, a too-helpful kobold, a playwright with a knack for getting stories out of people, and a man and woman with suspicious, magical powers.

But Sable’s freedom is short lived. On the edges of civilization, they discover hidden, terrifying lies in the offers of peace from the brutal Kalesh Empire. Now, she must return to the city she fled, and along with her companions, attempt an impossible task: convince everyone, including the powerful Dragon Prioress, of the truth.

Except the Kalesh web of lies has ensnared everyone.

With her land, her people, and everything she loves hanging in the balance, Sable is the only one standing between freedom and certain death.

The Keeper Origins trilogy and the Keeper Chronicles trilogy can be listened to in any order. They take place in the same world but are stand-alone books.

©2020 JA Andrews (P)2021 Podium Audio

Exceeded my expectations!

I like to listen to audiobooks while I work. Sometimes I miss parts of books because of that and can only effectively listen about ninety percent of the time. With this book, I didn't want to miss a thing! I felt like this book was very well written, and had some great storytelling.

Kate Reading is flawless as always. She is incredibly talented and by far one of the best narrators out there.

I can't wait for more books!

More Keepers please!

Before I get to the rest of the review I want to strongly suggest that you read the previous trilogy (The Keeper Chronicles) as well as the side stories first. The best part? You get all 3 books narrated by one of my all time favorites Tim Gerard Reynolds in a publishers pack so is there really any reason not to?

As a fan of the previous series I was super excited to get to see the events first hand that helped shaped the world I just enjoyed living in so much. It took me a little while to settle into the story, this is my first time listening to Kate Reading and I listen at high speed, but once things began to click I buzzed right along. Part 1 is really all about building up the relationship between Sable and Talia and their complicated relationship with Kiva.

Part 2 was where I really got into the meat & potatoes of the story, once the acting troop was introduced I really began to get drawn in by the characters, This is about where I got swept up in the first books and one by one I began to identify with each of them, getting drawn in by their stories just like I did in the first series with Ayda and Duglon. It almost makes me want to run off and join the circus...

As the book drew to a close I could feel JA drawing the lines of the story together, Through the subtle callbacks and little tidbits I could see the parallels between the characters in the story and the ones in their plays and even their antagonists. You begin to see magic being wielded more and more and are introduced to all kinds of new critters including an amazing little kobold. I have a feeling we will get some bloody vengeance in the next book or so and I can't wait to see the fireworks.

Its not as bad as the number of stars, but

So, first....the book ends horribly, its not quite a cliff hanger, but after all the time spent...it might as well have been. The prose and flow within each individual chapter are nicely done, but the plot is a plodding, awful mess. You spend a lot....and I mean a lot, of time sitting on the sidelines doing nothing....while nothing is really going on.

I had a real hard time connecting the MC with her age and experience....she just felt naive and younger than the 25 years she is suppose to be....I almost wonder if the writer changed her age(and her sisters) at the end.

Part I felt like it was stripped out of another novel and thrown in, while changing the MCs. Part II started to get interesting, flowing....and then it started to plod along again. Part III, was the worst parts of Part I.

The book ended and I just didn't care about the MC, her sisters, the troop.

Is the book really that awful...no....certain chapters and sequences are very much engaging....but as a whole its just not very good.

Is it worth a credit...if you like plodding plots(and let's face it, you are out there), yes its a nice a story....but I can not recommend.

A great start to a new trilogy

I recently got into the Keeper Chronicles not too long ago and while the books were good, they always ended short of an epic and always seemed to short, but they were pleasantly written books and took turns that few others did. This book is a good size and really brought out the backstory and growth of the characters. It was well written as the other books were, and it brought a nice range of emotions. In the end, this book built up all the way to the end, and had quite a bit of logic to it which made me not have to second guess many of the decisions. There was a twist ending which set up the next book, which I am now looking forward to, but it wasn't too strong, though the ending revelations were a bit...a bit forceful and not set up as well in my opinion, but it did not dissuade my desire to read the next book. Also, Kate Reading is a great choice for the narrator.

Excellent Story

Thoroughly enjoyable. A bit slow start as the characters and environment were introduced and fleshed out but the story definitely picks up. The main character, Sable, was outstanding and her character development and growth throughout the story was well done. I really enjoyed JA Andrews Chronicles series and look forward the next in this Keeper Origins series. The story ends with Sable in a "between a rock and a hard spot" situation and I look forward how it is resolved in the next book. Kate Reading was also outstanding. Definitely worth a credit. Some violence but overall a story that is suitable for a younger audience as well.

Story weaving at it's finest! Superb!

Dragon's Reach is the latest Podium Audio adaptation of JA Andrews' writing. This story takes place in the same world as the The Keeper Chronicles, which has exploded in popularly since the audiobook came out in September (The Kindle version has 2k+ reviews at 4.7 stars so I suppose it's popular everywhere). Anyway, I jumped on that bandwagon right when the audio came out and couldn't agree more with the hype! Therefore, when Dragon's Reach was released in audio, it skipped past several others on my list.

What struck me most about this story was the artful pacing, and the lore that Andrews weaved into the story through the acting troupe. As I listened to this book, I felt like I had leaned over to watch one of those Youtube DIY videos that my wife is always watching. You know the ones where it's filmed in semi-high speed, set to music, and for about ten minutes you watch a series of segmented steps develop, each unique and intriguing unto themselves, but then you begin to see the connecting lines as the artist or craftsman brings them together; it's mesmerizing. That's what this story was for me. As with The Keeper Chronicles, the magic in this story is unconventional when compared with most other fantasy—and not in a bad way. The bulk of the plot conflict rests upon the shoulders of the characters themselves, the interpersonal politics, and the desire to rescue people who don't necessarily know that they need to be rescued (battling a sort of Stockholm Syndrome).

I also appreciate the slow build of the story. The scope of events begins as a localized desire of Sable to obtain freedom for herself and her sister (a great story by itself), but as the story advances, we learn one of Sable's well-intended secrets, one that will propel her to take action that inadvertently uncovers something even greater. This progression increases the scale of the tension well beyond her immediate concerns. The incremental build of the story and conflict is expertly executed.

Lastly, Dragon's Reach boasts award-winning voice narration to the tune of Kate Reading. You might recognize her voice if you've ever listened to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series or Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archives, among many others. Trust me, you'll enjoy every minute of this twenty-two hour epic!

When’s the next one coming out???

Ugh! I made a terrible mistake in jumping on this right when it came out, but now I have to wait for the next installment! Oh my goodness! It ends on a terrible cliffhanger and I’m just devastated!

The book is excellent. Not at all straightforward. You never know who you can trust, which definitely keeps you on your toes.

The narration was just okay. I don’t think Kate Reading is British because her accent was not good and I’m not sure why she was using it in the first place. It was distracting in the beginning, but I eventually got used to it.

um well good for background noise

long winded, potential wasted. like an endless build up that finally falls flat flat flat