The Heart Thief

The Rhapp's Barren Triptych, Volume 1

By: S. Lee Benedict

Narrated by: R.C. Quartermaine

Ezra Keene is an artistic 16-year-old who wants nothing more than to settle in at his new school and put the tragedy of his brother's death behind him. He awakens one night, reeling from a hazy dream, to find his fingers blackened with pencil lead and a new drawing in his sketchbook - a drawing that depicts the grisly murder of someone he knows. The next morning he is shocked to learn the picture has become a reality.

Ezra has reason to believe the father of a classmate, an eccentric German scientist, is somehow involved in the slaying, but he needs something tangible to bring to the police. He sets out to discover the truth, but what he finds instead is that something much more sinister than murder lies at the heart of this mystery. Monsters exist, magic is real, and sometimes there are worse things than death.

©2014 S. Lee Benedict (P)2015 S. Lee Benedict

The Heart Thief

This was an awesome book!This story has a 'Neil Gaiman' feel to it.Ezra is new to town.He befriend a strange foreign boy.They also have a girl in their friend group.As it turns out everyone will be needed to fight the bad magic that has come to call.A necromancer in need of hearts has been following Ezras friend for many years.RC Quartermaine was the perfect narrator.
I was given this book for an honest review.

Young Adult Paranormal Thriller

This was an unique young adult paranormal thriller. It had a touch of Frankenstein and much more. An evil necromancer is trying to open a portal to another dimension to gain power. To erase the seal that keeps the doorway closed requires human sacrifice.

Ezra is a gifted artist and also has a psychic gift which he is just now coming into. Through the efforts of a dedicated detective, Ezra, his girl friend and the necromancer former mentor and now adversary and his family will the necromancer be stopped?

There is a lot of action and there is a question at the end regarding one of the heroes and if he actually died, leaving way for a sequel.

This was an action packed suspenseful horror/thriller and I am eagerly awaiting the next book of the series.


“I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot come”

Great Combination of Real and Fantasy Worlds

This was a really interesting book! The mix of real world and the world of magic/supernatural, was different, and I really liked that. There were also supernatural elements that aren't seen as much as witchcraft and magic in books.

The narrator, R.C Quartermaine, did a wonderful job giving each of the characters a signature sound or "voice". Some of the more sinister characters were especially well done.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.

I enjoyed it very much!!

If you could sum up The Heart Thief in three words, what would they be?

Action, Suspence, . . .Magic

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the journey that Ezra takes in the book. He is new in his school which is hard on anyone, especially hard on someone dealing with a death. To find that the nightmare that you drew actually happened and all the other oddities including one of his classmates. It would ruin the story to give out many details. So I will say I found the book engaging and satisfying.

Have you listened to any of R.C. Quartermaine’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't believe I have ever listened to R.C. Quarter wine before. I was happy with the narration. The characters were easily identified by his voice changes.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

There are monsters in the shadows! Beware!

Any additional comments?

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher, and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Magic, mayhem, and mixed thoughts

What made the experience of listening to The Heart Thief the most enjoyable?

Per the author's request, I will include the following statement at the beginning of this review. Disclaimer: I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher, and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

I will say this book is not what I had expected from the description and was somewhat surprised from start to finish. I had believed it would be more a YA coming of age story with some form of fantasy elements with the potential of some time travel, etc. Boy was I wrong and will say up front that books of this genre are not of the type I would listen too if given the chance.

With that said, the author did a good job of telling his story. The ability to describe the locations and action was very well done. I felt engaged within the story along with his characters having body and depth to them, they were not your typical cardboard characters found on other books like this. A few of the more minor characters felt flat to me, such as the detectives, but the main characters overall were likable and had some good back stories keeping me wondering what would come next. The more you learn the more strange and bazaar the book becomes.

I was a bit confused as to how I would classify this book if asked. In most cases I would place it in the Horror category geared more towards adult readers. I do have to give the author credit for not having to stoop to using vulgar language or overly done gore to shock readers as your normal horror book may. Even the points where there was gore, it was not the central point of the event and used more to describe the scene. I can see the authors influence of many of the great authors of the horror genre such as Steve King and Lovecraft. The book for me was a mix of the Shining, Adams Family, and Frankenstein with a smattering of crime drama elements. Sounds strange, but in many ways it worked.

There also seemed to always be an element of creepiness throughout the book, and much of this is resolved at the end; always with an opening for more in the series. At times you say a normal family and then the author would throw in something, without telling you why, that would make you wonder how or when you will learn why. More that anticipation of the Shining.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

If I had the ability to change the story to make it more enjoyable for me, I would remove some of the more stereotypical "kid" or pop-culture language found in a small number of places. For example when two kids were talking to each other, they spoke in a way that seemed unnatural or stuck out when it was read. It just did not fit. Another place where there were references to Jeopardy (the game show), etc. These seemed more forced and often would take me out of the storyline. I'm unsure if the book needed them at all, and maybe the author was using such as a way of releasing tension from the reader.

What about R.C. Quartermaine’s performance did you like?

In relation to the narrator of the audiobook, I will say I enjoyed his ability to bring the book to life while also keeping that creepiness that runs throughout the book. The narrator was able to voice the many different characters well and did not attempt to do the female voices in an unnatural voice. The tension level was held and in times of excitement or action the narrator was there to support it using his voice.