Thorfinn and the Witch's Curse

Forerunner Series, Book 1

By: Jay Veloso Batista

Narrated by: Ulf Bjorklund

Viking legends, unforgettable characters, and authentic history combine in an exciting series starter! Vikings and Saxons, ghostly curses, witches and soothsayers, dangerous were-creatures, and a young boy who must find his courage! Danelaw life is good! Practicing martial skills, grumbling over chores, listening to scary stories, and shadowing his brothers everywhere, Finn is a normal boy of 10 in the Viking Kingdoms of ninth-century England. A bit timid, his father plots his apprenticeship while the family prepares a grand wedding. Off to the North, his uncle sails home after years of exile. And unbeknownst to all, the ghost of an ancient mage sits sentinel over his clan freehold.

But when a witch’s curse comes alive, a mishap turns young Finn into a vardoger, haunted by his own forerunner ghost. Suddenly thrust into a new realm beyond Midgard, Finn struggles to be a boy by day and a ghost at night. His own clan fears him, he overhears murder plots, he learns the truth of giants and the hidden folk, and the witch still hunts for revenge....

Will Finn find the courage to defeat his enemies, save his uncle, and accept his new half-ghostly existence? Don’t miss Thorfinn and the Witch’s Curse, first book of The Forerunner Series by Jay Veloso Batista.

©2019 John Veloso Batista Jr (P)2023 John Veloso Batista Jr

Critic reviews

The 2020 Wishing Shelf Bronze Medal Winner

Vikings meet paranormal

Thorfinn is a young boy of 9 years and coming of age under the historical Viking lore. Along with magic, ghost's, witches and paranormal events. He may be young, but his knowledge is powerful. Now he needs to grow long before he is ready. This is a very interesting story. I don't care to read historical novels, this one caught my interest. The story is well written and pretty easy to follow. As well as educational if you are interested in this genre. You can tell the author is knowledgeable in Viking history and paranormal characters, as is clear in this story. This audible story is fun to listen to. This would make for long driving trips. As the story builds, so does your heartbeat. This is a great story all together. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I look forward to the next book in this series.

great adventure

This is my first audio book by this author which I enjoyed listening to. It will take you on an adventure that you won’t soon forget. I enjoyed how the narrator used different tones to make the characters come to life. I enjoyed being pulled into the story from the start. The growth of the characters is great and I enjoyed how supportive they are of each other. A story that took me on an adventure that is full of action. It is a journey of an emotional connection that made the story hard to stop listening to. I look forward to picking up another audio by this author. I highly recommend this audiobook.

Fascinating

Thorfinn's family was cursed by a witch down three generations. Two generations have succumbed to the curse before Thorfinn's story began. A young boy of 10 Thorfinn must overcome people plotting to unalive him. His own clansman fear him and he is now an enemy. He must also accept his new fate of being a boy by day and ghost by night. This was a fascinating book. I enjoy history but have never really gotten into Norse culture aside from the Hollywood version. I'm sure the author did a lot of research to describe things so wonderfully. It was like a movie playing in my head as I was able to visualize everything. I can't wait to see what the next adventure holds in this series.

Looooved the narrator’s voice and accent! So perfect for story telling!

Such a fun book to listen to! I did not read the book first, so this was my first experience with it, but I loved it! I’m not big history buff, but listening to it read by a narrator with an awesome accent that feels like old time story telling really captured my attention! Crazy story! Good characters, totally worth the time!

entertaining with a great narrator

I really like the story. The character development was strong, the characters each had a crucial role, and the ending wrapped everything together nicely. Listening to the book was challenging as at times I had a hard time figuring out who was talking as first person as it was told in different characters point of view but once you learned the narrators voices, it was much clearer. The narrator for the book was fantastic and was the perfect choice for this genre. I really felt like I was with the characters. Transition music was also nice as it set the tone for the next passage. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

Finn's Story

This is a story of Norse Mythology and the history of Finn and his family. When a curse is put upon Finn when following his brothers he is now having to deal with becoming brave. The narrator was difficult for me to understand at first until I got used to the accent. An interesting story overall.

Even more entertaining on audio

A fun Viking tale that you will enjoy listening to as you follow Thorinn on his adventure. He and his family have somehow irritated a witch who cast a curse on them. Talk about craziness. I read this on ebook. I really enjoyed it in audio. the soundtrack and narration really make it nice to lay down or sit back and just close your eyes and picture as you listen. The author does a fascinating job with details in his story and really brings out the details. I hope to see the rest of the series come out in audio.

Wow…. Great Story!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a gem!! Thorfinn and the Witch’s Curse is Book 1 of the Forerunner Series and this was a fantastic audiobook. This story gave me Vikings, witches, curses and drama. I can say I’m looking forward to diving into this series more!

Told in multiple POVs…. This story is a about a family that is cursed and Finn is the main focus of this curse. Trying to navigate and learn the ways between realms.. will Finn be able to be courageous to save uncle…

Secrets and plots… definitely listen to find out. Great start to this series!

The narrator was perfect for this story and I loved the music that was added. It really brings the story to life.

Awesome Fantasy

Thorfinn and the Witch’s Curse by Jay Veloso Batista
Narrated by Ulf Bjorklund
5 Stars
This is the first book I have read/listened to by this author and he is an awesome storyteller. The detail in the characters was amazing. It had me wondering what to expect next. I was just the right length. The music accompaniment was wonderful. I usually don’t like must in my audios but I really enjoyed it in this book. This is my first time listening to this narrator. He really brought the characters to life. Loved, Loved, Loved It!

Thorfinn and the Witch’s Curse- Review by Laura J

Thorfinn and the Witch's Curse is book 1 of the Forerunner Series written by Jay Veloso Batista. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I was not disappointed. This book really had something for everyone! Vikings, gods and goddesses, paranormal beings, magic...a little bit of everything! The story was told from different perspectives, so you got to see different individuals' points of view. The story covers Thorfinn and his encounter with a witch that caused his life to take a very different turn. The book included musical interludes which really added to the story. Also, the narrator could not have been any better, it's like he was MADE to read this book to us. His voice provided a warm and whimsical air to the book. I highly recommend this book and look forward to continuing the series.