The World Apart Complete Box Set

By: Robin D. Mahle

Narrated by: Cris Dukehart, Graham Halstead

Length: 28 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

All four books in the World Apart series plus an extended prequel AND Exclusive Bonus Content!

Can two broken souls fix a world that's been shattered?

Clark and Adelaide think their lives can't get any worse. Until they meet each other.

Adelaide—heiress to the wealthiest man in the Ceithren Empire—has felt a void since her sister's death. Just as she's resigned herself to the empty life her father chose for her, a relic from a world that shouldn't exist plunges her into chaos.

Clark—son of the greatest terrorist the empire has ever known—is still reeling from his father's death. Since then, his life has boiled down to two things: his brothers and his next mission. When his mission to bring back a mystical artifact goes awry, he's forced to choose between getting the job done and saving the life of a spoiled socialite.

But Clark isn't the only one after the artifact. He and Adelaide must work together to survive . . . if only they can manage to avoid killing each other before their enemies have the chance.

The World Apart series will make you question everything you thought you knew about life, humanity, and the choices we make for the people we love.

©2018, 2020 Robin D. Mahle (P)2023 Tantor

One of my favorite series!

This is my third time reading the series but my first time as an audiobook. The narrators weren’t my favorite, but I got used to them after awhile.

Great story

At first I thought I might be annoyed by the MC but I fell into the story and loved both the character development and world the author created. Action, new worlds, conflict, love..... not spicy but I didn't mind with this one at all because of the more realistic build of romance and relationship, set in a fantasy world. Palpable emotions throughout the story and actually enjoyed the ending. Would definitely recommend.

Great Story

Loved the bonding of the key characters and their sacrifices in this series… great narration as well.

The plot is very good. It’s engaging aging and it has a lot of surprises. It’s a sci-fi -fantasy/magical tale..

I liked the plot, although at times it was a little difficult to follow. There are a lot of organizations, good guys/bad guys that sometimes turn into good guys. I was expecting a lot from this book because I have read other books by this author, along with her partner. But this one did not delight me as much as the others. The narration was just OK. And I think that’s why I could not really get fully into the characters. The women especially just did not connect. their parts were read very matter-of-factly with not much real emotion. Rowan and Charlotte in the other books written by this author are so much more intriguing & interesting. In this series of books, most of the time Addie really annoyed me. The men in the other stories just seem so much stronger, so much more romantic in a rough way. You know they’re going to get together and you just can’t wait for that to happen. However, in these books, yes you know they’re going to get together, but their trials and tribulations just do not seem as serious as they should have. Even though there was kidnapping and violence, none of it could compare to what happens in the other series. i don’t know if it’s because of the accents, but I just felt like the people reading these books didn’t do an outstanding job. I just didn’t really feel that attached to the main women characters in this story nor the men. There was just something lacking. I think perhaps it was the humor in the other books which is not forced. There were attempts at humor in this book, but they just did not quite appear spontaneous and clever like they do in the other stories. I appreciated the books because it’s a nice long read and being able to listen to it kept me very entertained for a couple of weeks. But unfortunately, I can’t give it a high rating.

The characters and their depth.

It was a good story with many turns, even though at the end it was a bit predictable.

Emotionally Charged with Action & Swoon-Worthy Moments

I’d previously read this series. Listening to it adds a whole new level of love for the characters. The storyline is intriguing and captivating.

Great series

Fairy Tale Meets Tech: A Mixed Bag of Magic and Mayhem

This series presents an intriguing blend of fairy tale, fantasy, and modern technology, creating a unique world of queens and corporations. While the concept is captivating, the execution leaves something to be desired. The character development is generally solid, but certain quirks become repetitive to the point of distraction - most notably, the main character Addie's frequent bouts of nausea, which occur so often it could inspire a drinking game.

The author's stylistic choices, such as pluralizing words unnecessarily (e.g., "rooms" and "decks"), and the puzzling use of "merde" instead of its English equivalent (whene there isnt anything French within the story), detract from the narrative flow. These oddities might have been less jarring with accented narration, but as is, they stick out like a sore thumb. The use of "merde" feels particularly out of place given the otherwise American-English terminology, creating an awkward linguistic mismatch that the narrators struggle to deliver naturally.

The audiobook experience is further hampered by inconsistent voice acting. Despite having both male and female narrators, the lack of distinct voices for different characters - especially in later books featuring multiple perspectives - leads to confusion and missed opportunities for richer storytelling.

While the author attempts to add depth through subplots, such as the recurring veterinary visits, these elements often feel like filler without meaningful payoff. More frustratingly, the main characters seem to lack significant growth over the course of the series, making the same emotional mistakes even after supposedly becoming battle-hardened.

In conclusion, while this saga offers an exciting premise and some enjoyable elements, it's bogged down by peculiar writing choices and stagnant character development.

Good Storytelling

The narration was good as was the story. I only wish more detail had gone into the world building. The variety of characters and the ending was perfect.

So good!

I loved the story. The narrators really brought the characters to life. I cried a lot. I felt Nell's & Addies pain. I understand Clark's abandonment issues. There is a lot of action, love, thrill, and headache sections, which keeps the listener engaged and enthralled. This was my first time listening to anything by this author, and I was very impressed by her creativity. This book is so worth it, I never wanted the story to end. When the story did end, the ending was so powerful and well written. I adore happy endings, and I got one with this book.

Great Story, wish the female voice fit better

I loved this story, but was sometimes pulled out of the story because of the way the female reader said things with the wing emotions and mumbled at times. Not my favorite reader.
But I still loved the story!!