Silvers

Quest Academy, Book 1

By: Brian J. Nordon

Narrated by: Daniel Wisniewski, Rebecca Woods

Length: 20 hrs

Publisher's summary

A world infested by demons. An academy designed to train Heroes to save humanity from annihilation. A new student's power could make all the difference.

Humans have been pushed to the brink of extinction by an ever-evolving demonic threat. Portals are opening faster than ever, Towers are bursting into the skies, and Dungeons are being mined below the last safe havens of society. The demons are winning.

Quest Academy stands defiantly against them as a place to train the next generation of Heroes. The Guild Association is holding the line but is in dire need of new blood and the powerful abilities they could bring to the battlefront. To be the saviors that humanity needs, they need to surpass the limits of those that came before them.

In a war with everything on the line, every power matters. With an adaptive enemy comes the need for a constant shift in tactics. A new age of strategy is emerging, with even the unlikeliest of Heroes making an impact.

Salvatore Argento has never seen a demon. He has never aspired to become a Hero. Yet his power might be the one to tip the odds in humanity's favor.

©2023 The Legion Publishers Ltd (P)2023 Podium Audio

For a certain audience, but very good.

If you are a fan of the “kid goes to an academy” trope, you'll probably like this, even though it has been done many times before.

However, there are some things you should be aware of before you dive into it.

First, the main character is very much a “Mary Sue”. He comes from a rich family, excels at everything he does, gets prestigious opportunities right away, impresses every teacher, and attracts every woman. It’s not too overbearing, but it’s noticeable.

Second, don’t expect a lot of action and fighting, as you might find in other books of this genre. Most of the book is about the main character’s inventions, appraisals, and achievements. The setting is a world under a demon invasion, but you will rarely see any of that, and I assume it will be explored more in the sequel books.

Third, if you are not a fan of time manipulation, you might not like this book, as a lot of the plot is influenced by a very OP scrying ability that one of the characters has.

Fourth, there is no real antagonist or conflict in the book. The main character faces very few problems, and the ones he does encounter are resolved quickly and easily. The teachers are all supportive of him, the headmaster looks out for him, and anyone who tries to be an ass to him is dealt with swiftly and becomes a joke. The only real threat at the end is handled off-screen. It’s just a series of boons for the main character.

On the positive side,

The best thing about the book, by far, is the amazing voice acting. I love listening to Rebecca Woods. She is very expressive, and made me grin ear to ear many times. The same goes for Daniel Wisniewski. I say this as someone who doesn’t pay much attention to voice acting, unless it’s particularly bad or really good.

This is one of those times where the voice actors are astounding, I could listen to them narrate collage lectures. and I would be hooked on every word. They are a 10/10 for me.

Another good thing about the book is that it satisfies the power fantasy, with LitRPG elements but without boring you with many long stat sheets. Again, the main character is a Mary Sue, but the author does a good job of making the other characters underestimate him, so it’s always satisfying when he proves them wrong. I know it’s a cliché, but I personally love it.

The supporting characters are also very likable and none of them are deadweight for the story. I would like more variety, instead of having characters who are either useless and meant for the main character to show off, or helpful and loyal to the Sal without question, loving him within 5 minutes. But these types are done well. You like the supporting characters a lot, and you love to see the characters who belittle the main character get dunked on.

Overall, if this is your scene, I'd recommend it. It’s a fun listen, with amazing voice actors, a cool setting, and a lot of moments where the main character shows how awesome he is. I had fun and will be looking for the next one.

Worth the credit

This was an entertaining listen, I appreciated the author's character development and making the book long enough to feel like a whole school semester. Looking forward to the next installment.
As to some of the other reviews, there is a bit of teen aged angst but I've seen a lot of fried watching in books for adults too, but overall it didn't detract from the story and this is what you would find on a college campus.
The narrators were excellent and the place was perfect for me.

Great start to a new series

Loved it and honestly didn’t have anything that’s a downside. Kinda an OP MC but not in combat.

Great book

Probably one of the best books I’ve heard in a long time. I am stoked for the next book in the series.

really good not as much litrpg as I was expecting tho

excellent pacing good narration I am much more interested in Divinity's perspective on things so adding some more of that would go far

It's Great

This is like the Iron Prince somewhat but not as good as. Characters development was great and the narration great to listen to.

Nice Start to a Series

Pretty compelling plot, personally I would’ve preferred a less op MC but since I was warned and still enjoyed it 5 stars.

Story

Narrator was phenomenal and the story and plot was very well explained and detailed and overall amazing and great characters and development. Can't wait for the second one!!

Good, But A Little Horny for My Taste

The voice actor was great, his laugh is loud, and he's one of the more expressive ones I've heard here.
There are points in the book where things get erotic or the characters act uncharacteristically for what I'm assuming is fan-service. It's a bit of a nit-pick, but it just feels kind of out of place. It also kind of starts out as a story where every girl "falls" for his abilities, and every guy hates him for it. It changes pretty quickly, and most of it is peripheral.

Exciting new series!

haven't been this excited about a new series in a while. quality story, weird he hardly has any male friends but maybe I'm just jealous.