Protector of the Grove

The Bowl of Souls, Book 7

By: Trevor H. Cooley

Narrated by: Andrew Tell

Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Jhonate's reprieve from her father has been cut short. She is forced to return home to Malaroo, bringing Justan along with her. The journey she has avoided for so long has become all the more difficult because someone wants Justan dead.

The rogue horse Esmine, a mythical beast of remarkable power, has been captured by a troupe of dwarf smugglers. Tarah Woodblade must gather a group of warriors and rescue Esmine before she is sacrificed, her soul bound to make a weapon of mass destruction.

Evil stirs. Darkness is building. But can anyone trust Xedrion, The Protector of the Grove?

©2015 Trevor H. Cooley (P)2016 Trevor H. Cooley

Not good as Bowl of Souls, but still enjoyable

What does Andrew Tell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Andrew Tell is able to "Tell" the story in a way to immerse you into the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The climax at the end especially w/ Tarra and Jhustan. This serious has not been funny in general. There is some sadness at the end.

Any additional comments?

Magic of the world explained further. I think this Book was to set-up next two books in Jharro Grove saga.

A Deep Fantasy Epic Journey

Due to other life activities it has taken me longer to finish this book then the first in this sub-series, however this allowed me the opportunity to soak in all of the story goodness. Let me say up front, if you have enjoyed this series in any way, do not hesitate to pick up this book. If you have not yet experienced any of the books in this series, go now and start your journey in this epic world. Trevor Cooley (Author) and Andrew Tell (Narrator) once again take their readers on a wonderful and exciting journey into this deeply defined fantasy world! You will not be disappointed.

The story continues the great adventure of Justan and Tarah along with a large band of new characters in search of the rare and mythical rogue horse. This trip is filled with excitement, emotion, light romance, and even humor. I did want to say that I have not read any other books in the “The Bowl of Souls” series except for “Tarah Woodblade” the first in the Jharro Grove sub-series; book #6, so this review is based only on my knowledge of these two books. This book picks up closely after the previous book, however the book adds many new characters, items, and adventure than its predecessor had. Just like with any good Role Playing Game (RPG), this book built on top of what previously existed plus more.

The author weaves a grand and believable high-fantasy story that leaves you wanting more; which is a good thing. The world created by the author thus far could be used to create a vast number of additional books based on the various characters and adventures without repeating. I like that the author, as with his previous book in the series, uses many of the standard fantasy tropes so I can better visualize them while he also creates new fantasy creatures that I would love to see on the big screen. It makes me want to say. “Mommy, I want a rogue pony for my birthday.” How much fun would that be! I could easily see this series being made into a motion picture or TV series because of how engaging it is. You feel for the characters and experience the journey along with them.

In this book we learn more about Tarah and her “red” magical staff along with additional background and details about Justan and others. The characters themselves are well developed and I like that the author releases bits and pieces about them over the entire book instead of doing it all in a single chapter or at the start of the book as other books often do. If you start to read the books in this series, be prepared to read them all.

Although the book does contain some light romance, I would recommend it for young adult and adult readers. The author is able to tell the story without having to resort to vulgar language, overly graphic violence, or adult material. I can’t speak to the other book in the series, however based on the two I have read, this seems to be the case in both of them.

Let me take a moment to say that the book, for audible listeners would not be as good as it was without the wonderful narration done by Mr. Andrew Tell. He is the same person who narrated the first book in this series and I find his narration top-notch. He is able to capture the characters, events, actions, etc. all in a way that seems smooth and effortless. He is able to voice many different characters without being confusing. He does a great job of voicing female characters (such as Tarah) without using a falsetto or unnatural voice. The book flows well and the narration follows this fluid nature making an already good book even better in audio form. I will be listening to additional material by this narrator as I enjoy his style and presentation. The audio is crisp, clean along with consistent volume throughout the book.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an honest and non-bias review.

awesome book and good reader

for those who have been following the series. the dreaded day for justan has come. lol you wanted the pretty girl well you have to deal with her dad. and tarah's race against time to save esmine from the smugglers. i love the story so far and kudos to the reader i cant wait for the next one

it was a very good story

it was so good I wish they would make a movie out of it and hopefully I wish they would do it right because it's a good book keeps you in suspense

Keeps getting better.

The only criticism I have is that the narrator had trouble pronouncing certain words correctly which was a little distracting.

Love the whole series of Bowl of Souls

Where does Protector of the Grove rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As far as I am concerned the series of Bowl of souls has been among the best series listened to in along time. I am looking forward to the Orge's Apprentice.

Have you listened to any of Andrew Tell’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not. I like the way he tells the story. He gives the books a life of their own.

Any additional comments?

Wonderful author. To just take control of his life and have faith in his books, is an admirable trait. Good luck with future ventures and hope next book is picked up be Audible..

so good

loved the book the story gets so much better as the story go's on

more of an interlude between stories

It's good that he brings the stories from his other books together but he never really gets done with a story here it's more of an interlude and build up to the next book

I understand what hilt meant

but both him and the author of the book over stated the protector of the Grove abilities both in the beginning and near the end of the book let's just say logically the protector of the Grove gets a 8.9-9 out of 10 instead they make it seem that he's 100/10 like some Demi got that our recently empowered MC couldn't possibly beat and that all the rootan get to be assholes in other countries because no reason other than that they said so and everyone must now to there wishes. I say all this because I love this series and I've read all the books that our currently out which is at this moment the next saga past this one and I almost didn't get here because as the reader your gonna be pissed off for a little bit but don't worry it will work out

Such a great story

I can’t wait To read the next book in the series!!! What an awesome story line!!