Bastial Energy

The Rhythm of Rivalry: Book 1

By: B. T. Narro

Narrated by: Nigel Patterson

By using the energy of the land, some humans have found they can develop extraordinary abilities. At the age of 17, these warriors, magicians, chemists, and psychics are allowed the opportunity to train at the Academy, increasing their opportunity for a well-paying career. But there's a catch. They must fight beside the Army if requested by their king. Most aren't concerned by this, as the current treaty has prevented battle for nearly 70 years...but that's about to change.

Of four roommates with interwoven stories, Cleve Polken takes focus as a hostile warrior who feels more comfortable in a duel than a conversation. Never getting past his parents' death, Cleve has developed a crippling fear of psychics, for some may have the power to resurface the torment he buried within himself upon his parents' passing. Cleve's forced to face this fear head-on when he discovers that not only is one of his roommates a psychic, but that he has an overwhelming attraction to her, which he quickly attributes to a psychic spell, nothing more.

By the time an army of savage, reptilian men called Krepps become involved in the war, all hope of resolution without battle is shattered. In this powerful army, one born with the inability to smell doesn't have the same feeding urges as his fellow Krepps and is outcast because of it. He finds himself with an unlikely ally in the middle of a crossroad, trying to find a way to reunite with his sister. Little does he know how much his choices will twist the fate of the war and alter the lives of the four human roommates forever.

©2013 B.T. Narro (P)2014 B.T. Narro

Great adventure story, looks like a great series!

What made the experience of listening to Bastial Energy the most enjoyable?

I thought it was well written and enjoyed the characters as well as the narration.

Any additional comments?

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Blast."

small regret

I love this series. I only wished that knew to listen to this first instead of the first 5i listened to when Cleave is a 3rd year. All and all I love it

great read

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

enjoyed listening

Love it!!!

I started with kin of kings and needed to get to the beginning. I was not disappointed. This book is both captivating and intriguing. It also gives me the back story I needed to understand the kin of kings series.

good listen.

story jumps between characters and is sometimes annoying. but the stories are good and descriptive.

Really loved this

Like his other books I really love this one. I will be continuing with the series

Slow start

But it got better the Hume juvenile behavior was rather tedious. But character development helped.

"Epic" would be appropriate for this...

Where does Bastial Energy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best books I've listened to this year. The story is laid out in an easy to follow structure, but is engaging. The characters are believable. Basically, all of the standards that need to be met to make a fantasy story good are met.

What did you like best about this story?

There are two things that I can say without spoiling the story: 1) I like the slow world-building. You learn about the different parts of the world and magic and energy when it is necessary for you to know, and it's easily and gracefully handled. 2) I like that the characters who are exceptional at their talents are just... exceptional. There is no discovery, they simply are that good. This allows the story to continue and develop easily.

What about Nigel Patterson’s performance did you like?

At times, it can get to the point where you forget that the story is only being read by one person. Mr. Patterson has a talent in changing inflection, tone, and accent in such a way to make each character unique. Combine that with perfect pacing and pronunciation, even for words that don't exist, and you have a really enjoyable read.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

At fifteen hours, one sitting would have been a little much, but the story is engrossing, so a long listening session is not unbelievable.

Any additional comments?

I am supposed to say:
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

Great start for a long epic?

Would you listen to Bastial Energy again? Why?

No, it's better to break this one up.

What other book might you compare Bastial Energy to and why?

Not a book, but the first season of Heroes because this has a similarly fascinating world with unique talents. There is a good amount of world building here that was executed well.

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

Nigel Patterson, in my opinion, did a fantastic job. A great narrator really takes an audio book to amazing heights, and Nigel really helped this book soar. This book wasn't great, per se - there were parts where it seemed to ramble on, and parts where it seemed to rush through and it really needed to take more time. Nigel helped to bring these together so as not to detract from the overall experience.

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

I am looking forward to the next in the series, I want to see where this is going. I think this is the mark of a good book, it leave you wanting more. So while I didn't have an extreme reaction, my reaction to the end is the desire for more, and for the next book :)

Any additional comments?

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

Not bad at all!

Bastial Energy: The Rhythm of Rivalry: Book 1 is not a bad first first attempt at a book series! Saying that is something, and i am looking forward to next book in this series! The Rhythm of Rivalry is a series i will return to! I am also going to say that B. T. Narro is a name i never heard of before!

Nigel Patterson is fantastic in other books. I love when he reads Iain Rob Wright. I feel he does as great a work here as always! 15 hrs and 34 mins is never loooong with Nigel Patterson saying that is saying something! i love his voice!

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