Rod of the Heart

Celestine Chronicles, Book 2

By: Cebelius

Narrated by: Tess Irondale

Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

How much blood is one man worth?

Terrence Mack has succeeded in keeping his freedom, but at what cost?

The Vicereine of Florence is dead. The city she ruled has fallen to chaos, under assault by both Twilight Zone agents and a seemingly unstoppable dragon determined to claim the template's power for herself.

In shouldering responsibility for the crisis, Terry has taken it upon himself to break the siege or die trying. With the help of his friends and the women he loves he may just have what it takes to hold the darkness - and the obsessed - at bay.

Yet the power of a template is poorly understood, and for some it comes at a terrible price. As Terry forges ahead, dire consequences force him to question the value of one man's life, weighed against the havoc wrought for his sake. Moving from one costly battle to the next, he is left struggling to save not just the lives of the innocent but his own immortal soul.

Warning: This audiobook does not pan to waving curtains and fade to black. Those uninterested or under the age of 18 are strongly warned of explicit content.

©2018 Cebelius (P)2019 Cebelius

Such a great series

The harem fantasy genre in general is really taking off right now but this is definitely one of the standout series. The main character is likeable and flawed, which makes him more relatable. And all the other ancillary characters really flesh out the world. Narrator is top notch.

as good as the first one!

great story and great narration!!

buy it you won't regret it (assuming you enjoyed the first one). fun story well worth a credit

Reread Factor

I don't know if they will show I have edited this review so I will date this 3/13/2020. I can say for a fact that this book series is in my top 3. Every time a new book comes out I listen to the new book the re start from book one and I never get tired of this story. so thank you Cebelius and Tess Irondale. One for making a thrilling story that never stops giving me enjoyment and the other for reading the story in a way that brings it to life for me.

another great addition to my library

this is what happens when you give someone with great writing skill an idea like monster girl harem. a great story. gotta say im getting more and more invested in this series the more i read. i especially like the character development.

It was alright

The author needs to get an editor for two things, however. The word "smirk" and the word "shrug". Towards the end I thought I was losing my mind. I wanted to punch somebody.

Fun furry romp

While it had the occasional uncomfortable moment for me, this book is one of my favourites of the genre.

The story is well thought out and far deeper than your typical fare. A large save the world quest with some genuine thoughts about good and evil make for a great overall plot, while the much smaller save a city plot, lets you feel as thought the cast is achieving some change in the world.

The author also manages to add in the occasional funny moment that brings a bit of light to what is otherwise a somewhat dark adventure. My own personal favourite being the interaction near the end of the spider caves between a slime and a spider queen.

The cast is still the lovable crew from the first book and since it isn't expanded by a large amount, the author is able to flesh out each individual a great deal more. This novel goes for more of a quality over quantity approach for the cast which I appreciate.

I also greatly enjoy how the author manages to insert bits of Greek mythology here and there in the story with a small twist under the ocean being a happy surprise for me. These details are never ground breaking but serve to add a touch of realism by pulling from real world stories. I even found myself reading up on these bits of mythology whenever they popped up.

I only have two real gripes with the story. The first is the occasional references to milking which serve to be a catch all plot device for any food and water related issues, but maybe my hangups are just harder to overcome than the rest of the cast. While the second is the title which bears no real impact on the story. My guess would be that the author wanted to continue the current style of "noun of the noun" for titles but they could have easily called it something more applicable like "city of the lion" or "changes of the soul" just off the top of my head.

In the end, this is a fun, well written, and very adult adventure that I would definitely suggest to any fans of the genre who are willing to overcome their own hangups.

fantastic story

fantastic story pacing kept me at the edge of my seat character interactions almost believe they were real can't wait to listen to the third book

A Reallly Good continuation

Satisfying purchase!!!! I was intrigued by the stories turn. Narrator, being my all time favorite, is fantastic with the voices of the many characters. I can identify with all of them. Looking forward to the next installment.

Great book and great narrator

This was a wonderfully written book that was well just had me coming back for more and I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter. Tess is a fantastic narrator and probably my personal favorite. If you are looking for an exciting series that has some sex, some fighting and more than a few awkward situations then you will love this one.

just a good series

I find the idea of this world just completely enthralling, I expected a shallow throw away harem novel to pass the time and that's not what I got. These characters are interesting, have thoughts, motivations of their own and the longer you stay here the deeper and more interesting the world becomes. lots of lore and mystery to sort thru.

great continuation

book 2 of the celestine Chronicles is great, if you enjoyed the first, its definitely for you.