Vengeance

Written by Gail Z. Martin

Narrated by Will Damron

Fighting the monsters that killed their family and friends cost undertaker brothers Corran and Rigan Valmonde their home and livelihood and made them wanted men-but the worst is yet to come.

The city-state of Ravenwood is wealthy, powerful, and corrupt. Merchant Princes and Guild Masters wager fortunes to outmaneuver League rivals for the king's favor and the best trading terms. Ambitious and ruthless leaders use betrayal and assassination to gain their ends. Blood magic conjures monsters to further the goals of the ruling class, and the price of stolen power is paid for by the deaths of commoners. Now, the fate of Ravenwood hangs in the balance as rival city-states maneuver to gain advantage.

When Corran and Rigan and their friends became outlaw monster hunters and fled beyond the walls of Ravenwood City, they thought they had defeated the source of the abominations that killed so many of their friends and loved ones. But the more successful they become at destroying the creatures, the more they realize a greater evil is at work-larger and more monstrous than they ever could imagine . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Aug 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781541449916

Reviews for Vengeance

[dabofdarkness · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Note: While this is Book 2 in the series, it works mostly well as a stand alone. I stepped into it not knowing it was Book 2 and picked up the important backstory bits with ease.The Valmonde brothers remind me quite a bit of Dean and Sam Winchester from that TV show Supernatural, though they are quite a bit more serious and the story takes itself more seriously. Corran is the warrior and very protective of his brother, Rigan (who is a witch & much more sensitive in general). They are quite dedicated to each other and to the others in their group.Polly is 14 or 15 and has quite the bright, feisty spirit. I did laugh a bit though when she ends up time and again being the one in the group to nearly die while fighting this monster or that. Sure, she can take care of herself…. maybe. She’s also the groups main cook and sometimes she’s used as a sexy bait to lure a monster out of hiding.Aiden is the group’s main healer, though his magical efforts are supplemented by Elenor’s herbals and book learning. Aiden is struggling with some guilt ferrets over using his healing magic as a weapon from time to time (even though that has saved his friends & others from a variety of monsters). Elenor plays a love interest.Trent is another warrior… I think his name is Trent. Maybe it was Scott. I think there’s supposed to be 9-10 people in this hero group but I didn’t bond with all the characters so I have trouble recalling all their names. There’s also Myr, but he appears to be mostly comic relief and he drinks the most. Jora is another fighter but she doesn’t get much page time so I have no opinion on her.The world building is the richest part of this story. I expect there’s a lovely scribbled on map hidden in the author’s Den of Imagination. It’s got Ravenwood on it and all the hideouts our heroes have used in the past year. I bet is also shows all the known rifts and locations of reported beasties. The magic systems are well laid out too. The blood magic shows the most detail in this book, getting the most page time. Evil witches can use anyone’s blood (not just their own) to work big, evil magics. Then there’s also the politics. Merchant Guilds and town politicians all want their slice of power. Well, some want all the power & don’t play well with others.The ladies didn’t get as big a role as I expected. One spends most of her time as a love interest. Another wants to be a useful spitfire but mostly needs rescuing. Yet another dies early in the story when she was obviously talented & useful. Plus, there’s far fewer of them than the male characters, who outnumber the ladies 4 or 5 to 1.The action keeps the tale hopping, which was great. The main characters have small moments for reflection, emotions, etc., but the tale is always moving forward. I never felt it bogged down. 4/5 stars.The Narration: Will Damron provides a unique voice for each of the characters and, for the most part, his female voices sound feminine (though sometimes Polly and Myr sound like close siblings). His pacing is good. However, he doesn’t sound particularly excited during the more energetic or emotional scenes. I’d be wrapped up in the story, tension building, arrows flying, swords clashing, people possibly dying! So exciting! For me, for the characters, but not so much for our narrator. Anyhoo, there were no technical issues with this recording. 4/5 stars.I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author via Audiobookworm Promotions. My opinions are solely my own.