But history is full of falsehoods. The five elders only managed to imprison the dragon, and Asagoroth had cast his own spell—one of releasement. It only needs the blood of an angel to liberate him from his cage….
Asagoroth, enemy of angels, conqueror of realms, is free. But even as the angels prepare for war, the great dragon surprises them with an ultimatum: hand over the angel who awakened him or face annihilation.
Listening Length: 5 hours and 26 minutes
Narrator: Pavi Proczko
If you’ve got a hankering for a fantastic tale of angels, demons and dragons, then this story is definitely for you. While the idea of an abused character who’s lived without love and then another character comes along and goes all alpha on his angel bunz and shows him his worth is not unheard of, I really liked the way the author weaved the world building into the relationship between Trystan and Asagoroth. The balance between the fantasy and the connection between the two MC’s was a great balance for those of us who come for the fantasy and stay for the romance.
Poor Trystan broke my heart from the get go. He’s an unchosen angel and is basically shunned by his society and most of his family. He gets picked on mercilessly and spends his days attending pointless lessons, avoiding bullies and drifting along lonely and sad. And, while he’s sad and lonely, he’s got a strong personality and so much to give if anyone would give him a chance.
Enter Asagoroth . . .
He’s a dragon that’s been caught in a caging spell for many, many years and an accidental encounter with Trystan in the garden frees him to make Trystan his again. Wait, what? Again? Yes, there are supernatural shenanigans afoot and Trystan and Asagoroth are meant to be together on more than just a horny level, this is spiritual forever and always stuff here and the story woven around them is unique and fun to listen to.
When I first heard the narrator’s voice (and this is the first story I’ve listened to by him) I thought he sounded a bit . . . stilted. No, that’s not it, just slightly clipped in his words. But, the more I listened the more his tone worked for the story. The fantasy element leads to some very proper speech in contrast to a contemporary tale and his voice was spot on for both MC’s as well as the supporting characters.
The angle with Asagoroth, his lost love and now his relationship with Trystan was handled realistically (I mean, as realistically as a relationship between an angel and a shapeshifting dragon can be) but the feelings that Trystan had about being a replacement and wanting to be loved for himself were legit and weren’t glossed over or solved with magical peen. I had a lot of respect for how the author explained things to Trystan and to the reader/listener. Bits like that gave the story more depth and gave focus to the romance on a more personal level than just saying it was meant to be and everyone being happy with it. That drives me nuts when I’m reading and props to the author for giving this story and the characters more substance.
For a pretty all-world-encompassing story line, the book is easy to listen to and follow. There’s a lot going on but it was never overwhelming because the author keeps the focus on the characters and their relationship to their world and the narrator gave each player a distinct voice. I liked the story and while I’ve read M.D. Grimm before, this story reminded me that I need to read more.
**a copy of this audiobook was provided for an honest review**
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