Empress

Godspeaker, Book 1

By: Karen Miller

Narrated by: Josephine Bailey

Length: 20 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

In a family torn apart by poverty and violence, Hekat is no more than an unwanted mouth to feed, worth only a few coins from a passing slave trader. But Hekat was not born to be a slave. For her, a different path has been chosen. It is a path that will take her from stinking back alleys to the house of her God, from blood-drenched battlefields to the glittering palaces of Mijak. This is the story of Hekat, slave to no man.

©2007 Karen Miller (P)2009 Tantor

Good but Bad

The narrator is awesome and fit the characters perfectly. Books should evoke some emotion and this book did so ... so much so, that I won't be reading the rest of the trilogy. The main character became so despised, I don't want to continue.

Disappointing

I was intrigued and eager to see where The Empress would go just after reading the first chapter. The ideas are original and the world development is well-thought out (easily the biggest reason i stuck around til the end). But there's so much that i had to wade through just to find enjoyment. The story began as something new and interesting, but quickly degraded into just another fantasy story. I'm sick and tired of stories that treat female characters like garbage. I thought Hekat had a promising start and, while i still like her character (as warped and cruel as she had become) I cannot stand her. She's the main character and the only female that contributes to the story. The rest of the female characters that appear in the story are slaves, whores, or godspeakers/warriors who have little to do with the story. It's upsetting and ended up making the entire story cheap and not worth reading. I don't regret listening to this on audio, but I could have lived without ever picking up this book.

Tolkien this is not.

If you're looking for a safe, Tolkienesque fantasy world, this is not for you. If you like the clear fight between good and evil, this is not for you. If you like your characters to be perfect, with minor flaws that are easily overcome, this again isn't for you.

However, if you're bored with the all too frequent tropes of genre fantasy, enjoy a more gritty world, and are willing to feel uncomfortable, then this book is stellar. The reason I'm writing this is because I was going back through my library to see if there were any series with a new release, and noticed the 3 star review. This is wholly unfair. It's akin to hating an actor because they played such a brilliant villain, you can't help but hold a grudge.

While I was perusing my library, I often had to play excerpts to remember what the plot even was for many of the books (one as recent as only a couple month prior). Not this book. You will remember this book.

It's not safe, but it is brilliant. You will feel... something.

The performance is fantastic, and I can't think of a book that has lingered in my thoughts more than this one.

Distressing and Amazing!

Although this story is painful on SO many levels, it is brilliant. I have never read such a different, but so well thought out belief/religious system. It is truly frightening in its brutality, but so believable and consistent throughout. The writing itself is clear and descriptive without being filled with endless unnecessary trivia. The characters are multi-faceted and engaging. I was driven by a need to know where it was going in the next two parts of the trilogy. Finally, Josephine Bailey is truly one of the very best narrators I have ever heard!

Gore with and without purpose

I struggled to grasp much of Hekat's motives, but the world building that created this bloody, sacrifice-driven, society was artfully crafted. Will definitely read the next book!

Easily one of the best books I ever read.

This book is not a light hearted story, it is not an easy thing to listen too either. It is dark gritty and brutal at parts. However it is hands down my favorite trilogy. I have yet to find a book I like more.

WOW truly a wild ride

I was so anxious to start this story, there are so many negative reviews and I completely understand why, but I loved it.

I'm going to try and keep this review as spoiler free as possible but I will be clear about one thing: This is not a happy tale, and I think that's why this book has so many negative and on the fence reviews. You start out really hoping the best for Hekat, and then slowly begin to hate her as the book goes on. It's jarringly violent at times and subtle at others.

The thing is, not all stories have to have the same format; Although it can be pleasing to be led along on a journey with relatable, likeable characters (which Karen Miller did for us in Kingmaker, Kingbreaker and Fisherman's Children), it is not the only good way to tell a story. If you're on the fence about reading this because you liked the author's other books, I seriously advise you give it a try! It's violent, unsettling, and outright horrifying at times but the story itself evokes such emotion and I think that truly speaks to the skill of this author.

great book awful narrator

the narrator ruined the series for my girlfriend and I. we barely made it through the first book due to several issues with her. firstly the accents seemed a bit racist, but all in all we probably could have lived with that but much worse was the fact that she would get really quiet causing us to have to turn the volume up but then within a few minutes she would scream (called for in the book but...) causing our speakers to be sad and our ears even sadder. an equalizer is necessary for listening to this book

Couldn't stop listen - exciting sci-fi

Great fantasy/sci-fi book! Fully developed characters - I could distinguish each central character and found them all unique. Wonderful storyline and subplots - kept my attention; it was exciting and fresh (couldn't compare it to anything I read before). Wonderful reader - great dramatization by reader!

I recommend this book if you love strong female characters and science-fiction/fantasy.

one of my favorite series

This has been a favorite series of mine for years and is one of the first I looked up after discovering Audible. When I found this I was curious if the narrator would be able to do it justice. She does. She's quite impressive with her range of voices and even accents. The book is raw, primal, full of blood, arrogance and strength. I'm about to get book 2.