The Dividing

The Adamic Trilogy, Book 1

By: Devin Downing

Narrated by: James Simenc, Heather Masters

Length: 18 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Adamic is the language of the Gods. When spoken, it has the power to create worlds, to raise the dead, to make man as God. Fortunately, no one has spoken it in thousands of years.

The only remnants are the written spells. The people of Cavernum depend on these spells. They’re etched into the city walls, fending off the feeders—dangerous creatures with a taste for human blood. They’ve hunted the Cavernic people nearly to extinction, feasting on the magic in their veins. Yet for the lower class, Cavernum isn’t much safer. They’re beaten and oppressed, dying of starvation and disease. Only the Elite have access to magic, and status must be earned. One's class is determined by a single competition: The Dividing.

Princess Roselyn Malik has trained her entire life for The Dividing, but Equalist rebels seek to topple the entire system. To secure her crown, Rose must acquire the power and prestige only Dominion can bestow. Meanwhile, in Colorado, Matt will do anything to help his terminally ill mother. For now, that means poaching to pay the bills. Until one day, Matt is attacked by a feeder and plunged into the world of Cavernum. There, too, Matt must compete, striving for a magic strong enough to save his mom. But danger lurks beyond the walls, and Cavernum won’t be safe for long.

The Dividing is dual-narrated, offering a unique voice for Matt and Rose's perspectives.

©2020 Devin Downing (P)2023 Devin Downing

Loved it!

Awesome story! I loved the explanation of the magic system. I feel like the characters are my friends so I’m sad it’s over 😔. I ❤️ Antai. I will be eagerly awaiting the second audiobook!! 10/10 recommend!

Loved this book!

I enjoyed every minute of this book. It starts off immediately compelling and suspenseful, while also managing to have great character development at the same time. A great balance of action and plot building, while also getting you totally absorbed in the characters personal lives. I got very attached to several of the characters. I also was super impressed with how creative and unique the basis of the story is and how the magic system works. Awesome book, would highly recommend.

I'm not sure...

I listened up to the last 3 hours.
I couldn't like any of the characters. I tried, thinking that maybe the story would push them to change... but even until the end, it was them wanting to do something, or thinking about taking action, buuuuuut doing nothing.

Performance was solid. Characters are just garbage people... and maybe that's the goal? Not my jam if it is.

Captivating!

Devin created an amazing new world and described it in such an enthralling way.
There are themes that are relatable such as friendship, heartache, struggles with personal identity and familial or societal expectations, unbalanced power, and political unrest.
Would highly recommend!

COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN

Like many other fantasy books, I was expecting the story to start off slow and then gain traction the further I read, but I was dead wrong. From the first minute, I couldn’t stop listening. The author did an incredible job of alternating perspectives and leaving the reader with one cliffhanger after another. I found myself loving the characters and creating a number of theories in my head. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those with a love for adventure and mystery. And for anyone who loves literature, Downing uses literary devices so naturally that it could inspire anyone with a dream of writing. If it’s up for debate, just read/listen to the book and you will not regret it!