Finneas Grey and the Vial of Nech

The Chronicles of Nesteryia, Book 1

By: Trevor Darby

Narrated by: Fred Wolinsky

Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Finn knows one thing....

…trying to be popular can be scary.

What will he do when he meets an ogre?

At school, Finn is a typical nerd. He wears glasses, loves fantasy games, and excels at science. But he has one flaw, a selfish streak that sometimes gets him in trouble. Trying to be cool has its price, especially if you make fun of your best friend, Audie, to try to impress the jocks.

She is mad and hurt.

Audie thought they were BFFs.

But friends don't do that.

In a world of magic, elves, dwarfs, and fantastic creatures, a struggle rages on. When Finn and Audie, who is still mad at him, find themselves thrust into this alternate reality, they are unprepared for what comes next.

Who will help them?

What is the secret to the world of Nesteryia?

You'll love this YA fantasy, because Trevor Darby creates a magical world with wonderful characters and real dangers.

Get it now.

©2020 Trevor Darby (P)2020 Trevor Darby

Great book with awesome life lessons

This is a great book with some awesome life lessons in it! Even though it is a book mostly targeted for younger readers, it can be enjoyed by the whole family. If you are going on a car trip with the whole family, this would be a great book to listen to and teach the kiddos a few things about how to treat people as well! It's such a fun and adventurous book! Fred did an amazing job with this book!! He really transports you to Nesteryia and makes you feel like you are there with the characters. He amazes me more and more with all of his different voices!

Darby does it again

In this sequel to his other books Finneas once again finds himself running for his life. Looking for the reward of friendship. Well wrote and well read. Give it a listen but check out the other books before you do. You won't be disappointed.

Great story

I had a bit of a slow start because the main character is not a very likable person to begin with and the narrator has an odd cadence. But the story kept pulling me along all the way through the end and it was very rewarding to see the changes and adventures the character went through. I got used to the narrator after a while. He does some good voices, it's just the way he draws out words that is odd. I ended the story very satisfied. The author sent me this audiobook for free as offered through his newsletter.

Finneas Grey and the Vial of Nech

Finn is finding out how hard it is to be popular, he can't play certain games, or do certain activities, some of which he really likes to do with his best friend Audie. But he knows she is really mad when he breaks a promise to her to do something more popular. Best friends don't do that to each other. But when they are sent to a magical world and separated, all they want is to be back together again, but who will help them navigate this new world.

This is a fun book, with lots of action, suspense, and lot of growing up. It is wonderful in the fact that it points out how not to treat a friend, even though you might be growing apart. But it is also a great book of bullies from both worlds and how to help during these times. It is a wonderfully written book with awesome characters made even better by the wonderful narration of Fred Wolinsky, a man of a thousand voices, and he does have a different one for each character. His voice will also transport you to the land of Nesteryia and you can be there with Finn and Audie as they go through all their trials. I really can't wait for a book two and a chance to go back to Neseryia.

MC becomes more likable over time

4.5 stars

This was a great start to a series and although I did not like Finn at all at first (but this was deliberately done by the author), I liked how he changed as he traveled through Nestyria to rescue Audie. I think Finn's attitudes at the beginning are not too atypical for a middle school kid trying to be more popular and while some of his efforts of trying too hard made me cringe (and made me want to shake him for hurting Audie), it was also pretty realistic. Ultimately, Finn learns through his adventures that he wasn't really a very nice person to his friends, and he takes ownership of his own shortcomings. I ended up really enjoying the adventure and I even had some teary-eyed moments at the end, although I'm kind of a sap. My only quibble with this was that the narrator has an annoying way of delivering his sentences that stretch out the words. Speeding up the narration helped and the author's diction is very clear, so I had no trouble following the story. It was just the inflection that was a bit weird. Overall, I would give the narrator a 4 because I was able to speed up the narration and despite the odd inflection, it was very easy to follow without much backtracking, which is my biggest requirement for a narrator.

I definitely recommend this to middle school readers of all ages, especially those who enjoy adventure and fantasy.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

review

Quite a good coming of age story. Solid characters, good worldbuilding and leaves you wanting to read more stories about Nesteryia. I was not thrilled with the narrator. Just something off. Not sure just what it was, but didn't care for his reading. Aside from that, a very nice beginning to this series.

Great Story

Great story about a teenager named Finneas Grey, who's main focus in life was to be popular no matter who he hurts along the way. Unexpectedly, Finneas and his friend are transported to a magical land named Nesteryia. While in the land of Nesteryia, Finneas goes through many trials and tribulations which help him to grow and mature and this helps him to realize what is truly important in life. Although the story is geared toward younger readers, it is one that everyone can enjoy and appreciate. Fred Wolinsky does a great job as the narrator creating different voices for each of the characters portrayed in the story. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.