Escape from Media

Where Magic Is Forbidden and Love Is Dangerous (Echoes of Aloria, Book 1)

De: Brandy Stoker

Narrado por: Laura Horowitz, Walker Williams

In Media, magic is a death sentence. Can love help their escape?

In the totalitarian city of Media, magic is outlawed and enforced with deadly precision. The walls are high, the rules absolute, and freedom a distant dream.

Single mother Dr. Malin Neldoreth never imagined her daughter, Ellie, possessed forbidden powers. When rogue smuggler Will Hawkson witnesses Ellie's magic, he knows the danger—his own sister died for less. Determined to protect her, Will devises a plan to gain Malin’s trust and get them both to safety.

Malin must sacrifice everything to save her daughter. Will must face his past to forge a future. As their slow-burn romance deepens, they race against time, hunted by enforcers who will stop at nothing. Together, they must defy the city, survive the odds, and find hope in one another.

With vivid world-building, emotionally rich characters, and edge-of-your-seat action, Escape from Media blends the dystopian danger of An Ember in the Ashes with the raw vulnerability of found family and forbidden powers.

This is Book One in the Echoes of Aloria series.

If you like this... Journey to Aloria, book 2 in the series, is already published, and Welcome to Aloria, book 3, is scheduled for July 2026. A dystopian fantasy romance that will pull you in and an emotional story that will hold onto you.

©2025 Brandy Jones (P)2026 Brandy Jones

Extraordinary Beginning

This was my first experience with this author's work, and I was riveted by the story. The story held moments of intense danger, flashes of humor, and sweet times of joy. I liked the characters, and I appreciated that I learned more of their pasts as the story unfolded. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I thought Laura Horowitz's and Walker Williams' narrations enhanced the story's entertainment with their performances. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this audiobook.

Dystopian is back, and I'm here for it

“Dystopian Fantasy Romance” was all I needed to hear to pick up this fast paced story! It has found family, magic, romance, and all the things that makes dystopian such a great genre. This story follows Malin and her daughter Ellie, as they navigate a world that persecutes those with magic. Will, a member of the resistance, is determined to insert himself into their lives and get them to safety. But as the story progresses, he finds that they mean more to him than he anticipated.

Although this story is described as slow burn romance, I do think it was a bit faster paced. But it made sense, because the story also progressed quickly and had the built in pressure of living in a dystopian society. Will’s instinctual inclusion of Malin’s daughter made this accelerated timeline feel natural as well.

I loved how the narrators brought this story to life. Laura Horowitz (Malin & Ellie’s chapters) and Walker Williams (Will’s chapters) did an excellent job of providing the necessary emotion and nuance to each scene throughout the story. I would highly recommend listening to it, if you are able.