The First Ancestor

Ranger of the Titan Wilds, Book 2

By: J.D.L. Rosell

Narrated by: Imogen Church

Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

She avenged the fallen, rebelled against an empire, and commanded a titan itself. Now Leiyn must win a war against death incarnate.

Oathbound to a deceased shaman, the ranger Leiyn ventures north with her comrades to fight alongside the Gasts in their ancestral war. But this enemy is like none other Leiyn has faced. Ancient and malevolent, the very world bends to their dominion.

To overcome them, she seeks to rediscover a secret lost to time, a magic that even dryvans fear: the true power of titans.

Leiyn must prevail, for the Gasts’ war reaches far beyond the Veiled Lands. Should she falter now, the Gast nation shall fall, and all of Unera will soon follow.

The First Ancestor is the second book in Ranger of the Titan Wilds, the best-selling epic fantasy series. Continue the tale of adventure, wonder, friendship, and magic in this next installment today.

©2023 J.D.L. Rosell (P)2023 Podium Audio

JDL Rosell Continues to Impress!

This second book in the Ranger of the Titan Wilds series continues to build a unique world through the experience of protagonist, Leiyn, a Ranger who has spent the better part of her life hiding more than just her magic from those around her.

The story picks up where 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 left off and moves along at a steady pace. We stop off to hone in on her training as a shaman, learn more about the true enemy they all face, and even get to spend more time with my favorite beings in this world, Dryvans. And the villainous cousins, so-to-speak of the Dryvans are just as interesting as the Dryvans themselves. I want to know more!

The pacing varied as did the severity of the tension, ebbing and flowing like the composition of a well-designed song, each piece transitioning into the next in a meaningful way, the right way. Everything fit. And unlike many, Rosell still takes the time to let you breath. To soak in the world around. Like a hike where you reach the peak and stop to bask in the glory of the view it provides instead of simply snapping a picture for Instagram and moving on. Rosell brings you to the perfect place to hear every note balanced perfectly with the other instruments from vantage to view the performance as well.

The below passage stuck with me as I listened and I think it captures the essence of what I’m trying to say. It’s a little over half way through the story after a pretty intense crescendo:

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Leiyn dismounted at the edge of a cliff and stared toward the sunrise. The horizon smoldered in pastels of pink and orange. Light streaked across the desolate landscape, painting it like the colored bands on the cliffs spread around her. Shadows stretched from the stones, further striating the ground. The sand and stone that remained in the light glowed golden with the coming day.
The Barren's beauty was subtler than that of the Titan Wilds she knew best, but just as sure and present. It was a wellspring that ran deep and emerged with water clear and cool to drink.
𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟, she told herself. 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝐼'𝑚 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒. 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑠. The Ranger's Oath hadn't changed, nor her duty to uphold it.
𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒. 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒. 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡.
But she had one more duty to add to the list: 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒.
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Suffice it to say, this is a classic fantasy written as it should be and I highly recommend anything written by this author.

Great story

Great characters with an unexpected story. Would make a great movie. Favorite character was Obil.