Emerald: The Talisman of Eldon
World of Samar, Book 1

by ML Hamilton

An Epic Tale of Romance, War, and Choices

Emerald: The Talisman of Eldon: World of Samar is an action-packed adventure with a heavy leaning toward fantasy and science fiction.  Kai, a young sheltered man who leads a life of privilege is faced with an impossible decision.  Either choice will limit him and knock his world out of kilter.  Kai’s magical abilities and a mysterious talisman can give him the power to strike back at the invading army who destroys everything.  The only problem is, will Kai get his power under control and learn the secrets of the talisman in time?

Kai is unsure, fearful and stumbles in his mission until his new friend gives him the support, he needs to succeed but there is a terrible price! 

As with an epic tale such as this one, there are many characters that help move the plot along and we are given many characters with a host of qualities that are captivating.  Each character, whether a main or a side one, is given detailed background and interaction.  Each character is important to whichever story line they are involved.  This is not just a single story about one man’s quest, but it is also a romance, adventure and a finding of oneself.

In the beginning, listening to Kai and his King father argue made me smile as I remember having similar conversations with my son and my father.  Those arguments and discussions that leave the child feeling inept and less than worldly by the end.   Those conversations that end in a huff of anger and the “do as I say, not as I do” moments. 

The dialog in Emerald is realistic and heavy with power that helps keep the story line moving forward.  There are a lot of moving parts and characters but the author, ML Hamilton keeps the stories flowing smoothly. Like a weaving a tapestry, ML Hamilton follows a pattern but then throws in an unexpected development that leaves the listener wide-eyed as they were not expecting that particular action.

Hamilton keeps her listeners guessing until the very end.  The listener will feel the pain that Kai experiences because Hamilton richly describes each emotion, action and experience in rich detail that invokes vivid images.  She does this with each character slowly and completely.

This is a carefully woven story and one that the narrator, Kelley Hazen does expertly.  Her performance is amazing.  Her range of voices is overwhelmingly perfect and each voice she performed fit each character to a T.  Her delivery is smooth and filled with the appropriate level of emotion.  I could sit and listen to her for hours.  She never stumbled or failed to deliver.  She kept the high energy throughout the entire book.  I have had the pleasure of hearing Kelley perform other books and she has never failed to deliver an excellent performance.  She assumes each character and makes them her own.

I completely enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one in the series. 

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.  The dream sequences took on an echo to distinguish them from non-dream action – this was different but did not detract from the book or it’s audio quality. 

It was everything I hoped it would be!

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.