Under Darkened Skies

By: H.E. Bauman

Narrated by: Brielle Rose

Length: 16 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

A librarian with a secret. A prince looking for redemption. A dark discovery that will force them to confront their truths.

Astrea Sovna is destined to die. As a Lightbringer, she’s expected to serve the Helosian government as a battlefield healer; but when the court seer—Astrea’s uncle—has a vision of her being killed in the line of duty, he forbids her to reveal her powers.

Until now, Astrea has gone unnoticed as a junior librarian. But when she gets reassigned to a diplomatic project to strengthen ties between Helosia and one of its neighbors, she finds herself saddled with her past, in the form of returned war hero and her ex-best friend, Prince Varojin Auris.

Forced to work together, Astrea soon learns that although Varojin has been out of her life for years, he’s still the kind, patient friend she remembers. As they navigate old friendships and imperial politics, the pair discovers that the mysterious shadows stalking the city are leaving a trail of murder victims in their wake. And when Astrea becomes a target, a dear friend gets caught in the crossfire…

As Astrea and Varojin begin searching for answers, they realize there is much more to the emperor’s project than political niceties. If the shadows aren’t stopped, Astrea’s future—and the security of the entire continent—hangs in the balance.

©2023 H.E. Bauman (P)2024 H.E. Bauman

Simply spectacular

Between the wonderful story and Brielle’s excellent performance of narrating it, I thoroughly enjoyed Under Darkened Skies and will be eagerly awaiting book 2!

Excellent story and narration

I was so excited to listen to this book. A librarian with a secret, and in need of some serious mental health help? Yes please, can relate. A sweet, handsome,and patient hero? Give me more. Supportive friends and family willing to lie and die for you? Here for it. The characters are not perfect, which makes them even more lovable. I am excited to see them grow and change.

So far the plot has seemed a little slow for my attention span. But I think it's intentional to give us the slow burn and build up that we need to see us through the action. There is definitely an air of mystery about the plot instead of fast-paced, actioned-packed adventure.

The world building has been awesome. A wonderful mixture of magic and modern technology. The history has been very interesting and I can see it getting more in depth as the story is continued. I'm excited to see where this goes in book 2!