The House of Midnight

The House of Midnight, Book 1

By: Ben Hale, Kel Kade

Narrated by: Kevin Kemp

Magic. Artisan. Combat. Crafter. Epic.

These are the Fates that define us.

And the Fates we sell to survive.

Atlas: a sprawling city governed by four Great Houses more powerful than kings, where Fates are bought and sold, and Fateweavers trade in futures. In the fog-drenched streets of the Narrows, three friends are bound by a terrible truth and the loss of one of their own.

Zuri, a fateless girl with a talent for cons and nothing to lose.

Tryder, a charismatic thief willing to die for his sister.

Jarek, a gifted fighter hunting a mysterious killer.

Their search for answers uncovers a secret war that has been brewing for centuries, where kidnappings and murder point to a group of fanatics desperate for the return of a long-dead king. But when their game of intrigue draws the attention of the rumored House of Midnight, the trio from the slums must learn a single truth to survive.

There is no House of Midnight.

©2026 Ben Hale (P)2026 Podium Audio

Complexity of story weaving and character development

I’ve been hooked on Kel Kade’s series and anticipation of book 8 but tried this whiling waiting. Very clever author partnership. Excellent!

Didn’t want this one to end

Amazing start to a series and stand alone in its own right. I love the world they created. Another masterpiece by Kel Kade. Now I’m excited to read more by Hale as well. Probably the best single-person performance I’ve ever listened to as well. Fantastic all around.

Took a long time to pick up

But once it did, it was excellent as I've come to expect from Kel Kade. Will look more into the other writer's work now too!

Clean Title- Solid Storyline

Coming from Ben Hale's Chronicle of Luminea universe- I have enjoyed his dedication to a clean storyline, and the ability to speak to the morals character.

Kel Kade is a good author - fun writing but was a bit crude for my family shelf.

Putting the two together brings out an excellent mix of clean and morale driven writing as well as wit and entertaining dialogue.

This was a completely unique story set with solid characters and timelines and a brand new system of powers that we haven't seen in the fantasy genre yet.

The Narrator Kevin - absolutely nailed the performance as well.

Overall- well done to all involved in this work. Thanks for a good read.

Great characters!

Loved the storytelling and it was clean! No sex no language. Just great characters and the plot. Can’t wait for the next!