The Heir to the North

By: Steven Poore

Narrated by: Diana Croft

"Caenthell will stay buried, and the North will not rise again until I freely offer my sword to a true descendant of the High Kings, or until one takes it from my dying hands!"

With this curse, the Warlock Malessar destroyed Caenthell. The bloodline of the High Kings disappeared and the kingdom faded into dark legend until even stories of the deed lost their power. But now there is an heir to the North.

Cassia hopes to make her reputation as a storyteller by witnessing a hardened soldier and a heroic princeling defeat Malessar and his foul curse. But neither of her companions are exactly as they appear, and the truth lies deep within stories that have been buried for centuries.

As Cassia learns secrets both soldier and warlock have kept hidden since the fall of Caenthell, she discovers she can no longer merely bear witness. Cassia must become part of the story; she must choose a side and join the battle.

The North will rise again.

©2015 Steven Poore (P)2016 Grimbold Books and Steven Poore

A Telling of a story teller’s tale!

Would you listen to The Heir to the North again? Why?

Wow, I have to say up front do not judge this book by its cover! I know it sounds shallow, but I did not have high expectations when I first saw the book’s cover. I’m so glad I read it as it is right up there with some of my favorite fantasy books by authors like Brandon Sanderson. The author took me on an adventure I will not forget, and often felt like I was present within the story itself. Although it is somewhat a coming of age book, it is not another YA fantasy book like so many others recently released. I enjoyed the world creation and also would expect to see other material by this author in the fantasy world he created. When one thinks of “high fantasy” book one often thinks of dwarfs, elves, etc. This book keeps the fantasy theme without needing to include the standard tropes of others in the genre. It is a great adventure/fantasy story told by one who known how to weaves a great story. I enjoyed the story line, character creation/depth, and speed at which the story flowed. This is not just another fantasy book filled with sword fights, but instead includes some different weapons, various lands, and even a journey on the high seas. One can expect to find many different twists, turns, and shocks while reading the book, I was so sad when it was done. I wanted more. It is not simply a book filled with fights, but a true tale including deep magic, wondrous creatures, and great lands all described in great detail by the author’s ability to paint an image of the character’s surroundings.I want to make sure to callout the author’s ability to tell a vast and expressive tale without having to resort to using vulgar language as so many other authors seem to do for the shock value. Such words would not have been in this world and the author did not put them in. This story was so well done that it does not have to resort to the use of vulgar language. Because of this, I believe the book is one to consider for younger (teen) readers. I will note that the author in a few spots does discuss prostitution which often takes place around taverns, however this is not something the author focuses upon. This is more used to show the state of the town and environment. The seedier parts of a city are included, even some light drinking or people getting drunk, but again this is not something the author felt important to include in great detail.If I had one negative thing to say about the book, it would simply be the overall length of the chapters themselves. I often like to read a single chapter or two in a sitting, and with very long chapters in this book I had to leave a few of them to be completed in two or three setting instead of one. This is more a personal preference and not something that would prevent me from reading this book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I very much enjoyed each of the characters the author created along with the narration by the reader. I did not have one single character I liked over another.

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

As this review is for the Audiobook version of the book, I think it is important to talk about the narration. I believe Diana Croft complemented the story superbly. What I liked the most was her ability to maintain multiple characters, her normal European accent, and her narrative expressiveness. I can tell she knows the book’s material well and is able to add her voice to bring out the characters quite well.

I would gladly listen to other books by Diana if she continued to read books like this one. It would be an instant listen if she were to narrate the second book in the series. I was initially concerned when I saw that her other narrated book were mainly children books or rather shot books not in a genre I often listen too. This book is over 15 hours of narration and I could have easily listened to her narration if it were double that size.

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

If I were to make a film of this book, the tagline would be something like "The Epic Story Teller's Tale".

Any additional comments?

Disclaimer: This awesome book was provided to the reviewer at no charge by either the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for a non-bias review.

Don't Judge it by its Cover

This is an excellent book with a very unfortunate cover. If not for the good reviews I would have passed it right by, as the picture on the cover makes it look very amateurish. However, the story itself is masterfully done.

The premise is truly interesting and unique, with an evil warlock and a despicable traveling storyteller. The world is well-developed and whole, with a backstory that fascinates and pulls you in and makes you feel like you are living in this world and imagining a grim time from ages past. For some reason, I find that the fantasies I love the most often have the darkest and most detailed backstories. This one is great.

And of course we have a hero and an immediate goal in the present tense, but it just ties in really well with the entire history and world structure. This is epic fantasy at it's best. I highly recommend you give this one a shot.

I received this book for free at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

is a ok book but a bit slow

it feels like the mane caracter have no agency and just go with watever wat the newest ceracter is telling her. it hase cind of a point in the end but i would still say its a problem. the maine twist is so predictable i knew wat it was in the first therd of the book (maybe i reed to much fantasy). all in all a ok book but a bit slow and predictable.

Skip the first 2 hours... Then it turns into a wonderful tale...

I actually really ended up enjoying this book a lot. It's not groundbreaking fantasy. But it's a fun tale set in an epic fantasy world.

The beginning is dreadfully slow and slated with description. It's totally different from the rest of the book. It should have been edited or cut. I almost gave up on the book.

But after getting through the blunt world-building the story begins and it turns to more dialogue rather than description.

Throughout is lots of overly flowery description. And not enough dialogue until the second half where the story finally begins to drive the book. And the story gets good.

The narrator did an excellent job with the material, and the characters. If not for her I wouldn't have finished the book.

The story really began getting good when the main character earns her passage on a ship. I truly enjoyed that part of the story, and I began to care about the main character until it had a brief,confusing and abrupt ending that was frustrating. I checked my time on the book and noticed I had less than 30 minutes left and no hint at an ending. Not a good sign. Then, the last 20 minutes of the book slam into an unsatisfying ending.

I'm going to get the next book because I want to know what the heck happened.

I received this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Enjoyable start to a series.

What did you love best about The Heir to the North?

Relatable characters and good world-building.

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

Exceptionally good with character voices; narration was crisp and clear throughout.

Any additional comments?

I received a free copy of this audio book from the author, narrator or rights-holder in exchange for an honest review courtesy of audio book boom.

It's clear this is the jumping-off point for a more substantial series. I thought the plot and world-building were very solid and the pacing was good. It has the feel of a young adult fantasy, but is still enjoyable for other readers. The big plot twist at the end isn't super hard to guess, but that doesn't detract from the quality of the book. Over all, a very enjoyable read.

An excellently detailed book, slow to start...

If you could sum up The Heir to the North in three words, what would they be?

Hmmmm..... Excellent Kings Fantasy

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Heir to the North?

The trip to the north, out of many that were very memorable, this one caught my attention the most. It is them on the trail while the old leader is giving back story/history on the scenery which gave the world a sense of a full and complete development.

Which character – as performed by Diana Croft – was your favorite?

This is a tough one..... I would have to say Cassia. She goes through a great arc of character development and progression throughout the journey as she tries to help reestablish the king of the north. She overcomes great diversity and is portrayed in a way that many women are not portrayed in stories about King's.

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

There were definitely parts that made me laugh out loud and the fact that they have a character that doesn't quite get sarcasm makes for a fun environment of humor in what is a hard journey.

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for my unbiased opinion

Brilliant Story

The Heir to the North is an epic tale about a girl, Cassia, a storyteller's daughter, who's biggest dream is to become a storyteller herself. A quest isn't what she wanted, but a chance meeting with Baum, a solider, and Lord Meredith, seems to change her mind. As she grows into a woman, she learns to be strong and brave and becomes fierce. The best part is that she doesn't realize how incredible she is. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can't wait to get into the second one!
The performance by Diana Croft was flawless. She had me mesmerized throughout all of it. I will definitely be rereading this book in the future.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.

Rooting for the underdog.

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

The narrator did a fantastic job expressing both characters and emotions.

The story was predictable, but I still enjoyed it. At times it is somewhat slow with subplots, but that's normal for epic fantasy. I was a little annoyed by the sexism, which I felt was unnecessary, but I dealt with it.

Compelling, but slow

I sincerely enjoyed this book, but I must admit that it took a bit to get hooked. Though the characters were really quite relatable, the simple fact is that the names of people and places made it hard to follow up front. After listening for a few chapters, I was able to assign names, which made things much easier.
The story itself was compelling and I look forward to the next part of the story. Likewise, the narration was excellent. It really made the characters and story come to life. Thanks for the entertainment.
This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

adventure

Would you listen to The Heir to the North again? Why?

Maybe. It was pretty good a true fantasy story

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Cassia

Which scene was your favorite?

The fight scene at the end with Baum and Melasser

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

It was about 15 hours. I am not sure i could do it in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

I receive this book from audio boom for an honest review. if you love fantasy then this book is for you. The start was a little slow but once it got started it was WOW. The story is about Cassia, who wants to be a story teller and she gets involved with Baum and Meredith who's mission is to bring back the North and the High King that was destroyed by an evil warlock, named Melasser. But things are not always what they seem. This book has a surprise ending to this adventure. But the adventure is not over. I look forward to reading the next adventure in this tale.