The Dark Levy

Ten Tears Chronicles, Book 1

By: Alaric Longward

Narrated by: Kristin James

Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

In this epic dark fantasy adventure story, Shannon and Dana visit their wise old grandmother in Wales, and finally learn why their lives have been strangely tormented and cursed. There is a family secret, old as time itself, and that secret might kill them if they try to ignore their destiny. They also learn that there is a dangerous way to embrace that secret, because on that day, a harrowing creature of an alien world calls out for the few and the special, talented humans of the tenth world. Our world.

Dana performs an irreversible murderous deed that opens the gate to the Jewel of the Nine, the world of Aldheim, and they meet the strange creature calling for them. In this world they find their true calling, their special talents, the truth of the gods and also a world of mystery, danger, and adversity. Shannon and Dana struggle with their previous relationship as one grows cruel and power-driven, while the other learns to value friendship. Much is demanded of Shannon, who struggles with her loyalties.

Despite the many dangers and their apparently hopeless situation in the brutal, mage-filled world of monsters and dragons, there is hope, for Shannon has special, coveted powers of healing, reserved for the chosen of the gods. If she perseveres, she can change the past and bring back the gods.

But the price will be great.

©2015 Alaric Longward (P)2016 Alaric Longward

The Dark Levy

Any additional comments?

3.5 stars

Interesting, creative and entertaining story. For me this was not one of those stories that grabs you right away. It took me a while to get really interested and while I enjoyed the story, at the same time I could not listen to it all at once. Especially in the beginning it didn't hold my attention. As the story progresses it pulls you in slowly until your hooked. By the end you are ready and can't wait to jump right into the next book.

A great mixture of fantasy, magic, myth and legends all set in another/alternate world. A world full of death, betrayal, violence, creatures, battles, rivalry and slavery and more. You are never quite sure what is going to happen next. Overall a very enjoyable story.

Kristen James does a really good job with the narration. Great character voices, and there are a lot of characters. Accents for characters were good. Smooth even pace. Clearly spoken. She brought the characters and story to life. Very enjoyable listen

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom

good begining, fast paced and colorful

Where does The Dark Levy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

in great company. the Wheel of time ... Sword of Truth..

Who was your favorite character and why?

Shannon.. She's the hand

Which scene was your favorite?

well read story ..

Any additional comments?

Enjoyed the performance of Kristen James

Great Dark Fantasy

What made the experience of listening to The Dark Levy the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the development of Shannon's character. This kept me wondering, especially when she starts questioning about the past.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, for me it was easier to follow if I took a break from the listen. I had to figure things out and try to put them in order. This is a great dark fantasy with many different elements, but I couldn't sit in one sitting. It had too much information to follow along.

Any additional comments?

This listen has great moments, bad moments, and just moments. I couldn't listen all at once because it got complicated at times. I enjoyed the complication of following this god did this and that one this. How Shannon was going to do this to do this, but took a while to get there. This is one I will certainly listen to again, just slower this time. I like the author and narrator. Sometimes too much detail or explanation isn't good. I would recommend and will listen to the second one. It is overall a good book.




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

Captivating magic and myth!

I love this book and it's captivating characters and the surprising way the story goes! Great fantasy!!

Hunger games. With magic and monsters

Forget president Snow. He's just a white-haired wimp compared to the main antagonist of this piece!

Thank goodness it was a bank holiday yesterday. I put this audiobook on in the afternoon and lo and behold, it's 1:00 AM the next day!

To tell you the truth, the first few pages into this book you'll find yourself in a diary of a sulky, depressed teenager. But the reasons for her moods will be explained shortly - and no, it's not hormones. It's something far, far more sinister. And magical.

What's going on? We have two sisters that don't quite fit into their 1815 era. They wouldn't fit in ours either, to be honest. So their grandmother presents a new path to them. A life in a different world no one knows much about. Hoping they'd find themselves, they attempt the crossing...

What do they find? Beautiful spring country and good folks waiting to take them in? Nope. This ain't that kind of book. There are monsters, incurable diseases, unbreakable pacts, treachery... and in the midst of that a bunch of youngsters with magical abilities being cruelly trained to serve a purpose. But dear captors, you should never underestimate humans...

This book is written well. Wonderful concepts, very good exploration of the main character's feelings, lots of great supporting characters. The only thing that bugged me was a bit of anachronism - the girl from 1815 thought in very contemporary English and even mentioned a shower after camping. Maybe Alaric (wow, what a name!) first put the Earth-side of things more into our present, and then decided to move it back to the Napoleonic era, because that presented less complications for the plot.

This book has a wonderful narrator with a range of accents, and beautiful cover art. All in all, great, gripping piece of literature.

I'm not sure I'm going to read the sequel, because, man, this Dark Levy journey ain't for the faint of heart. There are extreme obstacles and little hope for a total happy-end. But if you want to see the very, very disadvantaged humanity pull through, this is the series for you!

You'll be hooked, even if you don't want to be.


This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

A Very Dark Fantasy

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! This book is unlike anything I've read or listened to before

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, Shannon, finds a book that she isn't supposed to read

Which character – as performed by Kristin James – was your favorite?

Her performance blew me away. Along with the background narrator voice that carries the main story, each character has such a unique voice and accent that you know who is talking

Any additional comments?

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

A Dark Fantasy!

If you could sum up The Dark Levy in three words, what would they be?

Strange Days indeed.

If you’ve listened to books by Alaric Longward before, how does this one compare?

First time listening to a story from Alaric....He did a good job carrying the story.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Yes, although he did a fair job, I think more emotion would have made the story better.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.....It had moments of excitement and then it had moments that was slightly boring.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this story....I did receive this book for free, with AudioBoom, in exchange for a unbiased review.
Thankyou!!

a good fantasy book

i enjoyed this book very much. it was detailed and I loved the characters. but it dose end with a lot of things unfinished so I guess there will be a second book soon I hope. the narrator did an amazing job with the different characters.

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

A welcome dark epic fantasy

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.


The narrator was fantastic. I'm not Irish, but I really enjoyed her character accents. She did a great job portraying all the emotions, anger and grief and passion.


The story starts off a bit slow, but once you get into it it becomes worth it. The only downside is the sudden ending. It feels like the author might have written one really long book and had to pick a spot to separate them, as opposed to writing a one-off story then struggling to come up with an idea for a sequel later. After listening to a few books with shallow characters, this book was refreshing. I haven't read anything else from this author before, but I'm looking forward to it now, especially if his stories are paired with this narrator.

Not the right story for me... But the narrator...

She is fantastic. Truly.

I often struggle with female narrators. The men's voices often feel forced and awkward and not nearly deep enough to capture the mood or tone. And often the tonal range is higher in pitch and begins to hurt my brain after 5 or 6 hours straight listening. I have this same issue with male narrators who have higher pitch voices as well.

But Kristin James is wonderful. So now I have two female narrators to follow. Kate Reading, and Kristin James.

Both K names... Hmmmmmm... ;)