Michael Lesley

Sam of Wilds faced the Dark wizard Myrin and lived to tell the tale. Granted, the battle left him scarred, but things could be a hell of a lot worse.

It’s not until he reunites with Morgan of Shadows and Randall that he realizes just how much worse things could be.

Because the scars have meaning and hint at Myrin’s true plans for Sam and the Kingdom of Verania.

With time running out, Sam and his band of merry misfits—the unicorn Gary, the half-giant Tiggy, Knight Commander Ryan Foxheart, and the dragon known as Kevin—must travel to the snowy mountains in the North and the heart of the Dark Woods to convince the remaining dragons to stand against Myrin. Along the way, Sam learns secrets of the past that will forever change the course of the future.

A reckoning is coming for Sam of Wilds, and there is nothing he can do to stop it.

Title: The Consumption of Magic
Series: Tales From Verania: Book Three
Author: TJ Klune
Narrator: Michael Lesley
Release Date: April 30, 2018
Category: High Fantasy
Length: 18 hours, 18 minutes

Amazon

Audible

Dreamspinner Press

The Consumption of Magic is the 3rd third book in Klune’s The Lightening Struck Heart series. I can gush all day about how much I loved this series. It’s crazy, funny, endearing, thoughtful, and at times heartbreaking. Book 1 is really a stand alone, where we sample the delightful characters of Verania, and watch as our hero Sam of Wilds grows as a wizard (all right, apprentice) falls in love, protects his friends and generally shows us why he’s our hero. Finish that and you don’t have to read further and you’ll be so happy. But books 2, 3 and 4 tell the rest of Sam’s story, specifically how he fits into an ancient prophecy and what he can do to stop an evil force from taking over the world. So, you start book 2, you have to finish.

This time around, Sam goes on a few adventures, rounding up the remaining dragons he needs to help him win in his fight against Myrin, the dark wizard threatening Sam’s friends and Verania itself. Naturally, there are shenanigans which are as important as any plot points. You will laugh. But I’ma warn you now, you may also cry. Sam’s been warned for a long time that he will suffer a great loss, and he does. And it sucks. But this only strengthens Sam’s resolve, which sets us up for the 4th and final book in the series.

Book 3 is fantastic and I didn’t think I could love it more. Until I listened to the audio. I won’t lie. At first I was like “Wait… what? Not at all what I pictured Sam to sound like.” Not disappointing, just different from what I had in my mind. That goes for all the voices, except Gary and Ryan, I think. Anyway, Michael Lesley does an amazing job and after not a long time, I realized that’s totally what Sam sounds like. I even listened to him through all the credits. Go figure. When I saw the audio was 18 hours (18!) I couldn’t believe it but after the first few of Sam’s dramatic, pause filled inner monologues, the length started to make sense. Lesley animates the crazy/hilarious text with however many characters, all distinct, but he can also bring on the serious when Sam has his moments of introspection and analysis, whether he’s in some absurd situation or faced with heartbreak. The only downside is that I think I miss these books even more after hearing their wonderful voices.

Story: 4.5 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 4.5 pieces of eye candy

I started this series after last year’s GRL, when I heard Michael Lesley’s excerpt from book 2, and fell in love with the series immediately. I listened to all three books as soon as I was able (and am now waiting anxiously for book 4). This series is so well-written, has so many characters that don’t just touch your heart, but sneak in and steal it, as if these are real people and not characters that come to life from TJ Klune’s imagination. In some cases, it rips your heart out a little, and in this book, it truly breaks your heart, but is so well done, you know that what is ahead will bring Sam his happy ending, and restore Verania to its glory. Other times, you laugh so hard, you wonder where the heck he comes up with this stuff. Seriously, the scenes where Sam is captured, and somehow talks himself out of it, as Gary argues away are some of the funniest stuff I have read in a very long time.

However, when you add in Michael Lesley’s narration, these books just become something more. You truly feel like you are IN Verania, that you can see Ryan Foxheart’s blush when Sam says something completely inappropriate, that you can see Gary’s glitter being sprayed everywhere as he goes into a unicorn rage, and that Sam’s blue and green magic is swirling around you as he considers whether to turn someone’s nose into a penis. Michael Lesley truly takes these books to the next level, and I am so glad that I could spend the time with this book, listening to it.

That being said…book 4 isn’t out on audio yet, although I know Michael Lesley is working on it. I could not wait, though, I needed to see how Sam saves Verania and gets his happy ending, and I was not disappointed. What a great finish to this part of the series. And the best part! I heard Michael Lesley’s voice in my head the entire time I read that book. I can’t wait to hear how he makes it even better than what I heard in my head.

Amazing work to both TJ Klune and Michael Lesley.

Story: 5 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 5 pieces of eye candy

Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City Of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident.

Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam’s pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the King’s Wizard, Morgan of Shadows.

When Sam’s fourteen, he enters the Dark Woods and returns with Gary, the hornless gay unicorn, and a half-giant named Tiggy, earning the moniker Sam of Wilds.

At fifteen, Sam learns what love truly is when a new knight arrives at the castle—Knight Ryan Foxheart, the dreamiest dream to have ever been dreamed.

Naturally, it all goes to hell when Ryan dates the reprehensible Prince Justin, Sam can’t control his magic, a sexually aggressive dragon kidnaps the prince, and the King sends them on an epic quest to save Ryan’s boyfriend, all while Sam falls more in love with someone he can never have.

Or so he thinks.

Amazon

Audible

Dreamspinner Press

I’ll start this review with, I was so dang wrong!!!! I didn’t read this book two years ago, because, well, I don’t know…cause I don’t read “fantasy” books. I don’t read “wizard” books…whatever the reason. I was wrong, just so wrong. And honestly likely would not have still, except for about five minutes that happened in October. At GRL, Michael Lesley read for about five minutes from A Destiny of Dragons, and I was hooked like a crackhead. It was instantaneous. I laughed so hard, that I knew I was going to need that book. Well, if I was going to need book 2, then of course I was going to have to listen to book 1. So, I was wrong, so very wrong. I have been corrected. Okay, moving on.

I really don’t even know where to begin with this book. The story, while not something I would normally read, hooked me from the very beginning, where Sam and Gary are trapped in the cave, and the epic banter and confusion (for the monologue-ing villain at least) begin, and carry you through to their inevitable escape. This book is so brilliantly written, and the characters so unique, that I can’t think of another book I’ve read to even compare it too. It was so damn funny, I am sure my co-workers think I am insane from all the laughing coming from my area. Don’t care! Every character that was introduced was so well rounded, so different, and brought so much depth to the book, I was hooked. It was my crack for several days at work. (And to give you an idea, it normally takes me at least a couple of weeks to listen to an eight hour audio book at work, this took me three days, and it was 19 hours!!!!)

Sam may be my favorite character of any book, ever, of all time, even better than that knight in that book I read as a teenager, that…anyway. Read this damn book!!!! And Gary, the hornless gay unicorn, he is the best friend you want to have with you whenever you are having a hard day, or an easy day, or just love hornless gay unicorns. Gary was A-Mazing. (But don’t tell him, he’ll get a swelled head…oh!)

And as much as I loved the book, the story, the characters, etc. I f***ing (and I rarely use f-bombs in my reviews) LOVED the narration. Michael Lesley was nothing short of brilliant (will he be getting a swelled head too???) with this book. I am in awe of what he did. There were a few times, when I wasn’t listening, but thinking about it, where I wondered how he could have done such an amazing job with the sounds, the different voices, and the cohesion of it all. And then I didn’t want to know, I just wanted to turn the book back on and listen some more. If I had had a voice in my head for these characters from reading the book, I could not have even come close to what I heard. He took a world that was so brilliantly created by TJ Klune and gave it life, color, and a heartbeat.

Since I started this blog, almost four years ago, there has only been one book that I have given 10 out of 5 stars to. Because books that are that amazing do not come along very often. This is the second book. I think I easily would have given the book itself five out of five, if I had read it, but the narration took the book to an entirely different level for me. I will now hear those characters in those voices in my head when I do go back and read the book (which I will be doing).

Of course, I will be listening to this again…however, I just started A Destiny of Dragons this morning (the blind date scene…so funny, I was glad I was home when I was listening, because snort laughing with headphones on is usually frowned upon), and I’ll need to get through that before I go back. Then I need to decide if I will wait for audio on The Consumption of Magic (book 3), or jump right into it. That’ll be a tough decision!!! I do hear there is a book 4 coming next year. So yeah!!!

The awesomeness of the team of TJ Klune and Michael Lesley on this book, and the audio narration of it gets 10 pieces of eye candy (out of a possible 5), along with all my admiration and fan-girling. I will spread the word to anyone who will listen.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have more ear crack to get back to, Sam is just about to head to his latest capture. 🙂

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