Second Spear

De: Kerstin Hall

Narrado por: Michael Braun

A thrilling new standalone volume in Nommo Award finalist Kerstin Hall's Mkalis Cycle

After surviving the schemes of a vengeful goddess and learning some shattering truths about her former life, the warrior Tyn feels estranged from her role guarding her ruler. Grappling with knowledge of her identity, she unleashes her frustration on all the wrong people.

When an old enemy returns wielding an unstoppable, realm-crushing weapon and Tyn is swept up in the path of destruction, she must make a choice about who she is and who she wants to be.

©2022 Kerstin Hall (P)2022 Recorded Books

read it in text

I read the prequel to Second Spear and enjoyed it a great deal. Hall has built a diverse, sensual, highly textured afterlife of different universes and individuals.

I try to avoid giving negative reviews, but I have to do so here. The audio performance is flattened, with minimal variety and intonation. The hushed tone and steady, consistent cadence doesn't allow any sense of the action, personalities, and spaces in the story. I only know those things should be here because I have read the Border Keeper and been immersed in the same world before.

A livelier, more nuanced vocal performance could have brought this book to life, but that's not what I found here. Mr. Hall has a tone that I think would be great for a totally different book, but isn't a good fit for this universe or story.

I give the story itself high marks and I will read it in text where I can let the words carry it. Unfortunately, I have to give this audio performance low marks. I wonder what it would have sounded like from a voice actor rather than a reader.