Under Darkened Skies

By: H.E. Bauman

Narrated by: Brielle Rose

A librarian with a secret. A prince looking for redemption. A dark discovery that will force them to confront their truths.

Astrea Sovna is destined to die. As a Lightbringer, she’s expected to serve the Helosian government as a battlefield healer; but when the court seer—Astrea’s uncle—has a vision of her being killed in the line of duty, he forbids her to reveal her powers.

Until now, Astrea has gone unnoticed as a junior librarian. But when she gets reassigned to a diplomatic project to strengthen ties between Helosia and one of its neighbors, she finds herself saddled with her past, in the form of returned war hero and her ex-best friend, Prince Varojin Auris.

Forced to work together, Astrea soon learns that although Varojin has been out of her life for years, he’s still the kind, patient friend she remembers. As they navigate old friendships and imperial politics, the pair discovers that the mysterious shadows stalking the city are leaving a trail of murder victims in their wake. And when Astrea becomes a target, a dear friend gets caught in the crossfire…

As Astrea and Varojin begin searching for answers, they realize there is much more to the emperor’s project than political niceties. If the shadows aren’t stopped, Astrea’s future—and the security of the entire continent—hangs in the balance.

©2023 H.E. Bauman (P)2024 H.E. Bauman

Fantasy romance post industrial

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook, the narrator brought the characters to life. I had a great time listening to this audiobook: highly recommended!

A Magical Adventure You Don't Want to Miss!

Book review:
HE Bauman's post-industrial society filled with elemental magic was such a fun world to dive into. I loved getting to follow Astrea, our FMC and resident librarian, as she is tasked to not only worked a diplomatic mission for the crown, but do it with her estranged childhood friend (ouch). H.E. does a wonder job of taking this plot and taking the reader on a twisty tale of shifting politics, murder, secrets, and romance. Honestly, it checked all the boxes for me. The book is a wonderful split between H.E.'s realistic character development and twisty plot.

I love love love the developing relationship between Astrea and Jin -- childhood friends to reluctant allies (well, on Astrea's part) to maybe more. H.E. Bauman has a way of writing these delicious tension-filled and emotional couples that I just cannot help but root for. I also a huge fan of the side characters that make up their found family crew from Jin's sister to Cress to some others we meet along the way.
I also love the diversity of the characters from Astrea as a neurodiverse FMC to H.E.'s queer normative society.

This series truly kept me on my toes as I followed Astrea and Jin on their mad dash to unmask a killer -- though by the end you'll start to realize that there is much more going than a simple murder mystery. And you will happily follow these to over the steep drop that is the cliffhanger at the end. But don't worry, book 2 is already out and you can feel free to binge it.

Audio review:
I listened to the audio of this book, so I couldn't not shout out Brielle Rose, the narrator. Brielle did a wonderful job giving each of the characters distinct voices and as well as making sure the voices and accents were discernible. She really does an amazing job delivering a lively performance that keeps the reader engrossed in the story and the characters.

Great book 1 to start the series!

The narrator did an amazing job! It was easy to know which character was speaking and her voice is so soothing to listen to. The story itself has such an interesting premise. I also really enjoyed there being some modern-ish things like old school phones (but not smartphones, like home phones) and sci-fi things like an air ship, but other aspects felt a little historical/old school. Excited to see where both the romance and plot go in the next book!

Immersive & Adventurous

I’m immediately hitting play on the next book after this. What an incredible journey!! The story was so immersive and the narrator’s voice was very soothing to me. There’s so many twist and turns that I didn’t expect, and the characters are so lovable!

Easy to get lost in!

This story was so easy to slip right into and it effortlessly captures and holds your attention the entire way through. There's mystery, romance, political intrigue and secrets, found family and strong friendships, action, spying, tension, and so much more. The flow is perfect, the characters are realistic and not whiny, the worldbuilding is top tier, the narration is amazing and the writing is great! Overall this is a just a really good fantasy romance book, with dystopian and steampunk vibes!