Review copy was received from Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Narrator: Greg Patmore
Series: Passage to Dawn #1
Published by Podium Audio on June 30, 2020
Genres: Fantasy
Length: 20 hours, 19 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Author
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible





Winner - Pinnacle Book Achievement Award.
Runner-up - Independent Publisher Book Awards.
Finalist - Foreward INDIES Book of the Year Awards.Darkness stirs in a world that is ill-equipped to confront it.
A prophesied king is born, but not all will benefit from his foretold conquests. In a realm where only clerics are permitted to practice magic, Kibure, a mere slave, draws the attention of much more than just his master after wielding an unknown force in a moment of desperation. In a twist of fate, Sindri, the priestess hired to strip Kibure of his power, defies the law, revealing designs of her own. But trust is in short supply in a land ripe with deceit. This wayward pair will have to work together if they hope to evade capture at the hands of the Empire's most potent wielders.
Halfway around the known world, Aynward's knack for discovering trouble drives him deep into conspiracies within which he does not belong. Too arrogant to accept counsel, he will have to learn the hard way that some actions have consequences that cannot be undone...
The Other Magic is the debut novel by Derrick Smythe and the first book in the new epic fantasy series Passage to Dawn. To be honest, I agreed to review this book because the authors name reminded me of a character in Confessions of a Shopaholic. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.
Like most Epic Fantasy, the reader is going to need to be patient, there are a lot of characters, PoVs and places to visit so it will take a little time to get everything set up and the story moving but don’t think that means it isn’t interesting.
We have a few classic type characters to give us three very distinct PoVs:
Aynward, the spoiled Prince, who is a nice guy but just needs to grow up a bit and stop making foolish decisions. Even though he has some people trying to help him gain some perspective he is reluctant to give up his devious ways.
Kidure, the reluctant chosen one who has no idea how special he, why he has magic he doesn’t understand or how to use it to get out of the slavery bonds he is currently in. His best friend is a Raven that isn’t really a raven but some other magical creature.
Gorbennar, the wizard took me awhile to figure out if he was going to be on team good or team bad. I think I probably should have known earlier, but I was holding out hope that it would be different than it was. He works for the King of prophecy who is about to purge the world and eats the souls of people. I really should have guess what side he was on from that.
There are a few chapters from one other character to help round out a few things about the past and when the action was happening. Sidri is looking for answers and thinks that Kidure can help her get them. She is willing to bend some rules to be able to figure out more about the other magics of the world and what might be possible with them.
Overall, not a lot really happened, I mean that in the main plot arc for the series, there is stuff happening during the 600+ pages. There are sea battles with creatures, magic battles in a dream world, kidnappings, a strange school that teaches both nobility and merchant students alike with a few weird customs. There was plenty going on to keep one entertained and engaged, it just takes awhile to get to part of the story when characters start to meet up and really move the plot along.
I read quite a bit of fantasy and this was a really good first book with a lot of interesting people and places. I liked the glimpses we get of the magic system and the set up of some friendships I believe should last the entire series. I also liked that most of the characters have some nice flaws to overcome. They weren’t all likeable all the time but that just made them feel a little more real.
There are many questions I have at the end of this and it was exciting at the end to be sure, but I’m eager to see where the story goes and meet some of the supernatural type beings that are hinted at. The war against the prophesied king will be interesting and I hope that Kidure finds both the answers and friends he needs.
A very solid first published book from an author.
Narration:
Greg Patmore is a new to me narrator. He has a great voice for Epic Fantasy and I did like his narration of the story. He did well with all different PoVs and helped to keep the story engaging.
Listen to a clip: HERE
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Robin Audio20
I’m glad that it was worth the long reading. I do find fantasy like this easiest in audio format.
I really enjoy Epic Fantasy in this format too. 20 hours of audio might seem like a lot to some but I can generally listen to that in about 3-4 days. Much faster than ebook reading time.
love the cover and reading a magical book. great review
The only thing better than magic in fantasy is Dragons. Just kidding you can have a great fantasy book without dragons but the best thing about fantasy is that one could always show up.
oh yeah. i’m always up for a dragon. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed. Thank’s for the review and you’re honest thoughts. I might have to check out this audio.
Thanks Angela. I enjoyed it but like I always say Epic Fantasy is for the patient reader. That said I always feel like the payout at the end is better since you are more invested in the story.
I agree with you on Epic Fantasy. It takes patient and time to develop.