The Rebel Mages

By: Laurie Forest

Narrated by: Amy McFadden, Jesse Vilinski

Length: 18 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Journey to the magical world of Erthia in these two exciting prequels to The Black Witch by critically acclaimed author Laurie Forest.

Wandfasted

Twenty years before Elloren Gardner enrolled at the illustrious Verpax University, Erthia was rent asunder during the devastating Realm War. When Tessla Harrow is driven from her home by the fighting, she discovers a depth of power she never knew she had...and an irresistible draw toward Vale Gardner, the son of the most powerful mage her people have ever known - the Black Witch.

Light Mage

Before Elloren Gardner came to possess the White Wand of myth, the wand was drawn to another bearer: Sagellyn Gaffney. Sage’s affinity for light magery, a rare skill among Gardnerians, makes her the perfect protector for the one tool that can combat the shadows spreading across Erthia. But in order to keep the wand safe from the dark forces hunting for it, Sage must abandon everything she once knew and forge a new path for herself...a dangerous course that could lead to either triumph or utter ruin.

©2019 Laurie Forest (P)2019 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

The WORST narration EVER

I really enjoyed the other books with different narration. My husband even started to listen with me and getting emotionally involved in the books, wanting to know more... so when we downloaded this , we were excited. BUT!!??! This is the worst narration ever. Her voice is so ear piercing , it is painful. The voice she does for the little brother sounds like a dieing cat mixed with what I can only think putting silverware in a blender and turning it on would sound like.

Good stories but awful narrations.

why is it that producers try to fix what isn't broken? The narrator (Whelan) from Black Witch and Iron Flower did a superb job of bringing both the world and protagonist to life. So, why did they change to these terrible narrators for this novella?

The narrator they used for wand fasted was so bad that I had to lower the speed to .90. she whines, she cries, she turns statements into questions ("I'm Ron Burgandy?") in such a way that is jarring and abrasive.

At first it was a relief when I finished Wand Fasted and the narrator changed but it soon became apparent that this was a marginally better performance at best. once again, the weird statement into question, bad pacing, and whining.

The stories were good enough to bear the poor performance. Hang in there. It is worth it.

Sometimes a little fantasy is a good thing.

Sometimes a little fantasy is a good thing, even if a bit duplicative of previous works.

Wandfasted Narrating

I liked hearing this side of the rebellion and appreciated that these stories were combined into The Rebel Mages. I was especially intrigued by Sage’s story.
However, the performance rating suffered immensely because of the narration in Wandfasted by Jesse Vilinsky. I don’t know if Tessla was just not a likeable character, the narrator was just horrible, or both. I highly recommend skipping over everytime she narrates Tessla crying or her little brother talking. Cringe. The narrating in Light Mage by Amy McFadden saved this from having 0 stars for performance, and I feel bad that they are being rated together.
If you love the Black Witch Chronicles, you’ll want to read both of these stories! You may just have to read the actual book or just mentally try to get through the horrible narrating in Wandfasted like I did to save money.

Great

I absolutely love these books they are exciting and interesting. You can relate these to reality with some of the drama the characters face.

The backdrop of elloren's world.

Loved it all and can't wait to read the next book
I am waiting for the rest of elloran's story

Two great stories

Two great stories, that add a lot of background information. should have a higher star rating but people didn't read the summary and reviews before the got it and they are mad about it. the stories are good though.

amazing

I love this series so much, and was so happy to see other stories along with Ellorens. :) I loved both Light Mage & Wandfasted. the narrator's were both amazing. (I've never heard anyone say noodles so cutely. :) I hope we get to see more short novels from Other character's points of view. Edwin's would be so much fun! Can't wait to listen to book 4 when it comes out!

Essential listening in the Black Witch series

Wandfasted: An excellent prequel to the Black Witch Chronicles, which I highly recommend. It kept getting better and better. The anxiety of the opening was a bit much for me, but I understand completely why it was there. The author does an outstanding job of demonstrating the horrors of prejudice, xenophobia, racism and sexism, without beating it over our heads and enveloped in a fantastic story.

Light Mage: Exceptional...I normally am cautious about novellas and have lowered expectations for prequels...but this is simply superb and essential reading in the Black Witch Chronicles, following book one. What a talented writer! And the narrator of the Audible recording is superb. I love reading about this world Laurie Forest has created.

Narrator is a bit grating but I love these stories.

The world building and deep dives into every aspect of prejudice from every angle is breathtaking. Covers indoctrination, the pendulum swing prejudice can create, the anger of the oppressed and fear of it returning or of losing your place or doing the wrong thing and the shock of learning what you were taught was wrong. No one is always the good guy. You’ll be rooting for someone and then go “wait what???” If you allow it to it really puts you in the shoes of everyone these type systems can hurt and the beauty and love it holds hostage. The villain doesn’t turn into a savior. Everyone is flawed. They are all just people. Often but not always trying to do the right thing and figure out what that is. Their wrong actions aren’t explained in a “poor me” way. It is a deeply flawed and sometimes broken person who does a terrible thing and occasionally comes back from it. It’s complete fiction but most people can likely find themselves in a character or twenty.

The narration though… I TRY hard not to comment. I’m thankful people do this and I will persevere but… it hits a sensory issue. The inflection and tone of every single sentence is the same. Like a song repeating the EXACT same short melody with the EXACT same timing yet different words for ten hours. I’ve made it through a book with this narrator before I think and I have to take breaks just for relief but I want to hear the story so bad. I’d just read it but my eyes get tired and blurry after only a few pages thanks to a neuro thing I have. I LOVE reading and this is how I keep doing it.