Asunder Audiobook By Kerstin Hall cover art

Asunder

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Asunder

By: Kerstin Hall
Narrated by: Alyssa Appleton
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Buy for $28.58

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WE CHOOSE OUR OWN GODS HERE.

Karys Eska is a deathspeaker, locked into an irrevocable compact with Sabaster, a terrifying eldritch being—three-faced, hundred-winged, unforgiving—who has granted her the ability to communicate with the newly departed. She pays the rent by using her abilities to investigate suspicious deaths around the troubled city she calls home. When a job goes sideways and connects her to a dying stranger with some very dangerous secrets, her entire world is upended.

Ferain is willing to pay a ludicrous sum of money for her help. To save him, Karys inadvertently binds him to her shadow, an act that may doom them both. If they want to survive, they will need to learn to trust each other. Together, they must journey to the heart of a faded empire, all the while haunted by arcane horrors and the unquiet ghosts of their pasts.

And all too soon, Karys knows her debts will come due.

“Immensely enjoyable. Kerstin Hall’s writing is simply awesome.”—Ann Leckie, New York Times bestselling author

©2024 Kerstin Hall (P)2024 Recorded Books Action & Adventure Fantasy Epic Haunted Scary
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The world building in this book was fenomenal. It was able to have a compelling magic system and world history yet still have the otherworldly beings and their logic unknowable. It was also able to make the two major cosmic power factions distinct despite how similar they can be. While I did have some gripes with how side tracking it can be and how unconnectable the main character could be, the story overall was enjoyable.

Weird fiction and fantasy blended prefectly

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Well done except, Im sure there is about 4 chapters in the middle by another voice actor. Author loves deep storylines and buildups that get foiled by some plot twist every-time. New characters pop up out of the blue which keeps the story interesting. Great world building prose that keeps you wanting more.

As soon as you are comfortable, BAM, an event that changes everything

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I was unsure if the story at the beginning but it ended up sucking me in and I found myself listening to it at every free moment. The story has pretty good pacing and the premise is very interesting. I liked the world it was set in—it felt new in a lot of ways. I liked how there was a lot of plot and action but also a lot of character development.

There were parts that made me hesitate. Times when the writing felt a bit clumsy, things being revealed in awkward ways. But I still enjoyed the story.

I struggled with the narration. It was okay—felt almost like a parent or teacher reading to me: nice but not stellar. I found the pauses and gaps to be confusing and sometimes dialogue was at odds with the description (e.g. “she whispered” following dialogue that was not a whisper, “he sounded desperate” when nothing sounded desperate). I think the voices struggled a bit because the narrator only had a few clear accents/voices to use. And there were times you could clearly hear a change in audio recording. That said, it was still listenable.

Unrelated complaints that don’t factor into my rating: the title “Asunder” feels like such a misnomer that it might as well have been called “Untitled”. The book cover also feels so indistinct and unrelated to the book that it might as well just be blank.

Story drew me in but narration flagged

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I need her to give me book 2 you can’t leave it like this… what am I supposed to do know?? You can’t leave me like this! 😫

Asunder

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