Malum

By: Stacy Bender

Narrated by: Theo Holland

Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

A dark, forgotten demon is freed to stride the city streets once more, taking lives as it burns through one body after another. 

Josephine Chattoway, recently sold into marriage by an absent father, is escorted by her bohemian Aunt Sylvia to meet her erstwhile suitor. Along the way, she discovers the visions which have made her doubt her sanity for so long are real. They are also the key to unlocking powerful ancient protectors which will stand between a demon and countless innocent victims.

With a plucky batch of gargoyles and a not-quite mad scientist, Josephine and Sylvia must fight for a city that doesn't even realize its plight, knowing that if the demon finds Josephine, hell will reign on Earth.

©2018 Stacy Bender (P)2020 Stacy Bender

Gargoyles, dragons and demons oh my!

This is the first book I have ever read by Stacy Bender and what a book to start with. Josephine has been sold in marriage by her ever so distant father. She is to wed Mr. Whitlock, Unfortunately he already has a long time love but in the 1800s it is illegal for them to marry… Let alone be together. Josephine has always seen things, when holding someone’s hand she can see the past and the future and that is always made her different. Her aunt Sylvia is the one she is closest to in the one she traveled with to the big city to meet in Mary her intended. In the big city Josephine will meet more than her betrothed. She will meet a gargoyle named Toby and many other gargoyles a dragon name Liza and with her help she is needed to defeat the demon that is killing people across the city. She will eventually meet her one true love, but will they both live claim their true heart desire? Should she have just eloped? This book was so good and it reminded me of books by Theopolis Monroe who I love. I can’t wait to read more by Stacy Bender and I must say the narration was really good and I had to laugh when he did the female voices. He did have a good character distinction and I could tell who was talking when they talked, but at first it sounded like he wasn’t used to doing female voices. In any event Long before the middle he found his groove and it was awesome! I recommend this book to anyone who loves the quirky, paranormal and just plain fun! Please forgive any grammatical punctuation of errors as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions or my own.

Great audio book

I very much enjoyed this audio book. A very different take and very interesting. Narrator did a good job bringing it to life.

Demons Dragons Gargoyles

It is enchanting interesting quite a picture. This is an adventure in fantasy. You will love it.

I love a good fantasy book.

This book was very captivating. There were times that I felt like I had missed something or was trying to figure out how we had gotten to the current situation but that may have been distraction on my part. I really enjoyed the book and will probably listen again to see if I can figure out what I thought was missing.

Difficult Listen

There are several reviews already posted with the reasons this is not a very good book, so I'm not going to beat a dead horse. Story is just too jumbled and there is no clear story line or path for the main character.

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Jumbled characters need clarity.

Stacy Bender brings the reader into an interesting world of Elizabethan mentality. There is magic hidden in this world and more than most people know. Join Josephine Chattoway in expanding your knowledge about how this world really works. You will find demons, gargoyles, science and magic abound behind every corner.

While the setting is intriguing the characters feel flat and jumbled. Strangely enough the gargoyles are the clearest characters in the book.

Imaginative

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

This is an imaginative story with gargoyles, psychics and a bit of mystery all set in the Victorian era. And that's not all, there's lots of action as well. Somehow it all works, making it a very enjoyable, fast-paced read.

The narrator, Theo Holland, did an excellent job. He does various voices for all of characters and creatures - making it very easy to differentiate them. His narration made the story even more engaging.

A Great Listen

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request, and have voluntarily left this review. Josephine finds herself in her aunts company as she travels to me her betrothed, a man her father basically sold her too. To Josephine's shock, she realizes that her aunt and herself have a similar ability and things just start getting strange, once the gargoyles show up. A highly entertaining demon hunting tale with quirky characters and an interesting plot. It was a great listen that ended too quickly.

Very Interesting Concept

Josephine can see visions. And gargoyles are alive. And they talk to her. Malum is the story of a young woman who awakens the gargoyles who are charged with protecting the world from demons. The concepts explored in Stacy Bender's novel are very interesting and the descriptions of the gargoyles and the world they inhabit are rich and inviting.

I received this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Kind of disjointed

The story was intriguing to be sure, very Victorian with an almost steampunk flare. The language I would put as PG13 and there are brief references to homosexuality but nothing crude. I felt the storyline a bit long winded yet disjointed and the narrator did decently with differentiations between characters but it took some getting used to.

Overall an enjoyable read but it’s not something I’d come running back to.


—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Enjoyable story, Narration OK

I liked this story a lot, my main issue is with the narration. For a book where the main character are women a female narration would have worked a lot better. Theo Holland does not do a bad job but he struggles to give Sylvia particularity a decent voice and the story any tension. . Demonic possession, friendly gargoyles, visions and a not quite mad scientist. The book is enjoyable with some excellent touches of both horror and comedy I felt the ending could have worked better but that could have again been the narration. I Loved the gargoyles especially Sir Richard and the overall ideas were excellent and well written. I Received a complimentary copy from the author and am leaving a voluntary honest review

Enjoyed it

Audible: I found the narrator hard to get used to and by the end I was still not fully comfortable with it. As the main character was a woman I think it would have been more enjoyable the the narrator was a woman.
The story was enjoyable. I liked the plot and there was a good mix of serious abs humour. I wasn’t bored and the story was wrapped up well.
However, the main character lacked a personality. I was so desperate for her to develop and gain a sense of self. Some independent thought from her would have been good but even by the end the only development was that she knew that she liked someone.

Fabulous book

Brilliant storyline enjoyed this audio book very much
Love every minute for the storyline
Must buy