The Heirs of Eldon
World of Samar, Book 2
An Amazing Fantasy World!
As twins, Tav and Tash, are about as opposite as possible. Tav is the more scholarly type while Tash is the fighter seeking to be hero. As with all things in life nothing is ever what we hope, and it was no different for the twins. Faced with protecting a new king, living up to their parentage and facing pure evil, and the likelihood of a war, the twins overcome a lot with an ending that will surprise the listener!
The author, M.L. Hamilton, does an excellent job of creating the World of Samar and continuing it through accurately in this second book in the series. Hamilton provides rich descriptions and dialog that is realistic and smooth. The storyline flows evenly. She develops the characters in such a way that the listener cannot help but grow attached. It is an experience to vividly “see” the story through words alone. Hamilton is a very talented crafter of worlds and lives. She also captured the feelings of frustration and bigotry well also.
I thought Hamilton did an excellent job of consistency with the series moving from book 1 to book 2 as all flowed smoothly and with a high level of accuracy – there were no errors or plot holes. She took her time to develop the characters and plot. The twists were well done and executed perfectly.
Kelley Hazen, the narrator, performs the book with ease and passion. Hazen is a rare talent that assumes each character easily and projects the passion and emotions accurately moving the story along with just the right amount of tone inflection. Listening to Hazen is energizing and exciting – her energy is apparent but not over the top. Her voice is lilting in the right places and forceful when needed. Hazen is one of those rare narrators that I enjoy listening to and find comforting regardless of the genre; in other words, she could be reading a manual and I would still listen to her.
This is an epic novel; it is 31 hours in length, but it is so worth it! Between the flawless writing of the author and the performance of the narrator, the story comes to an end too soon. It is definitely a book and a series that is hard to put down once you start.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and series, I cannot wait for the next one.
Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.