Max Abaddon and The Crystal King by Justin Leslie is the fifth audiobook in the Max Abaddon urban fantasy series narrated by Luke Daniels. Leslie brings us another fun adventure as we travel the Plane to fix magical misfires. Along the way we learn more, find danger and enjoy shenanigans.

Max Abaddon and The Crystal King
by Justin Leslie
Series: Max Abaddon #5
Narrator: Luke Daniels
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate

Rating:
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.3x

Max always knew he would end up on the Plane one day. What he didn’t expect were the circumstances. Since finally putting an end to the Soul Dealers, the crew finds themselves once again in the middle of a larger-than-life problem.

With the magical misfires growing more dangerous, the Council sends Max to the Plane with a simple task. Fix it… This time Max, Petro, Phil, and a mixed group of hopefully new friends set off on a crash course with destiny. Not only will Max and the others have to be careful, but also figure out how to handle the Queen of the Fae Titania, without getting themselves killed.

Between Max’s newfound responsibilities and knowledge of a certain someone still being alive, things are about to get messy…

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This series is such a blast from the world-building to the delightful narration provided by Luke Daniels. He brings this motley crew to life with his unique voices and allows Max to shine.

The tale takes place in northern Florida, and on the magical plane reached by doors and portal keys. The Plane is Petro’s home and we get to meet his brothers. He also gets to pick up some of his things, as well as a boon that will help him fix wings. They will also have to meet the Queen and spend time in the castle.

Court politics, a cryptic message about time Max is missing and his daughter proved interesting. The message was filled with foreshadowing, but I think I’ve figured it out. Maybe I am wrong, but I would have liked to prolong it. We shall see. At this point, Max still doesn’t know.

Leslie has created a fun world that fans of Ilona Andrews, and Kevin Hearne will enjoy. Max continues to grow and find himself. I think as far as the series goes, this was my favorite to date. The gang is familiar, and I enjoyed the blending of humor and intense moments.

There is still much to discover, but this wrapped up nicely enough while still leaving me craving more. The series is available in Kindle Unlimited, but it is totally worth the upgrade to audio format. Luke Daniels brings these characters to life.

Amazon* | Audible

*Available in Kindle Unlimited

Max Abaddon and The Crystal King by Justin Leslie delivered another adventure for Max and his team. #LukeDaniels #audiobook #MaxAbaddon #UrbanFantasy #audiobookreview
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2023/01/max-abaddon-and-the-crystal-king-by-justin-leslie.html

The Unsealing by Robert Brighton is a riveting story that takes place from the 1880s to the early 1900s, around the earliest part of the twentieth century, in northern New York. It’s a quickly evolving period that involves coal mining, labor unrest, widespread protests, and a significantly different legal system that includes the electric chair. It’s an intense era that centers around an attorney, Arthur R. Pendle, and Terry Penrose, a district attorney. Together, they face a mounting level of criminal activity, corruption, shady practices by wealthy individuals, and many other challenging cases in court.

I found the story to be exciting, quick-paced, intriguing, but not too complex. The characters are unique and well-developed, with strong personalities that I could relate to. The further Terry and Arthur delve into their surroundings and the wealthy, upper-class society, the more they encounter corruption and a stark contrast between various members of society. Despite the dreary state of legal work, the author brings the fascinating world of hidden gambling dens, brothels, and shady building developers into vivid reality.

I really enjoyed the plot development, society, and how the characters’ lives adapt to unexpected changes around the turn of the twentieth century. The narration and dialogue are impressive, realistic, and colorful. It felt like I was present, in the room or scene with the characters, experiencing the intensity and stress of a situation. The author’s ambitious writing style captivated me, and I found the book easy to read and follow.

The Unsealing is a thrilling story that will keep you turning one page after the other from start to finish. I highly recommend this excellent book for the historical legal drama that weaves a bit of film noir into the theme. With a fantastic atmosphere and strong characters, this is a sensational story that fans of thrillers and well-drawn mysteries will surely enjoy.

Pages: 416 | ASIN: B0BQP4K93G

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/09/the-unsealing-love-lust-and-murder-in-the-gilded-age/

In Alexandra Almeida’s Unanimity, screenwriter Thomas Astley-Byron and his partner, AI specialist Henry Nowak, have created a simulated reality allowing people to live an alternate life with the benefit of benevolent AI manipulation of this reality. The two essentially are gods in this new world and are referred to as such, but their own flaws lead to Thomas’ death, replacement, and revival by the young and beautiful Estelle Ngoie. Unlike Thomas, though, her benevolence is only skin-deep, and much of the novel goes back-and-forth between Thomas navigating this new world under its new goddess and looking back at the events that led him to this point.

Unanimity is an epic science fiction novel with multiple layers of depth. The setting of the artificial world (in fact, multiple worlds) is complex and takes many chapters to fully grasp and appreciate. The book also hops back-and-forth between past and present, characters’ relationships change, and their intentions are revealed gradually over a story that spans decades. It can be overwhelming, but if you enjoy full realized worlds with a deep backstory and solid lore than this is the novel for you. Unanimity rewards readers who do put in the effort to follow its many threads and, by the end, Thomas feels like a real person – emotional, not always predictable, but with a consistent personality. The same goes for the supporting characters as well.

Fans of hard science fiction will find much to dive into with the multiple worlds setting. This is only the first in Almeida’s Spiral Worlds series of novels, but the relationship between the worlds is clearly something she plotted out carefully, and which lends itself to interesting stories. The plot moves at a steady pace, as Almeida takes plenty of time for each scene to breathe and fully develop, with rich descriptions of the people and places involved, though not so much so that the reader is burdened with overly elaborate descriptions. Unanimity isn’t for those looking for a quick read, but I highly recommend this thrilling sci-fi novel to those looking for a novel that rewards attentive and fully engaged reading.

Pages: 442 | ASIN: B0B1TGN5FM

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/09/unanimity/

Lewis Kempfer’s storytelling is incredible. How the author chronicles his early days, relations with friends, the family encounters as an adult, and everything in between is thrilling. In 120 Seats in a Boiler Room: The Creation of a Courageous Professional Theater, Lewis Kempfer narrates his and others’ stories about this beautiful theater in Nashville, how it came to be, and the impact it had on the community.

The author’s storytelling aside, this book is an exciting read because of how descriptive Lewis Kempfer is when recounting events, locations, objects and even people. You get the real picture just by reading the text and get the appeal of being part of the story. This exciting book will inspire individuals in the arts and those who dream of owning a theater or something similar.

In the book, the reader is transported to Nashville. There is a rundown boiler room filled with waste and unpleasantness. What to do with this boiler room? Enter four ambitious friends who could use the boiler room for something else. Lewis Kempfer and his buddies have a theater company looking into making this boiler room a theater. Converting this old, unused boiler room into something locals would treasure was beautiful. I enjoyed reading about the strategies the friends took, the brainstorming process, completing the whole thing, and how it served the people. 

This fascinating book reads like a memoir, except it is not your typical memoir, as the author shares vital tips and also has guest authors chip in to tell the story. One moves from enjoying Lewis Kempfer’s personal stories to reading the how-to guides he shares to engaging with the letters to the editor. I appreciate having other individuals tell tales from their perspective, as it balances the author’s narration. 

120 Seats in a Boiler Room is unique, the storytelling and narration are remarkable, but the lessons readers will take from this book are invaluable. Sharing lessons on subjects like learning audience demographics, casting, licensing, production, media and public relations, staffing, and other crucial matters are all included. This is an entertaining book for readers that love semi-autobiographies fused with how-to guides. 

Pages: 418 | ASIN : B0BDKPG6JX

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/09/120-seats-in-a-boiler-room/

He Charged Alone by John R. Strasburg is an expository, comprehensive, and captivating biography. It documents the pains, joy, struggles, and triumphs of World War I Medal of Honor Recipient, Private First Class Frank Gaffney, who wrote his name on the sand of time after his heroic performance during World War I. Whether you are a student or teacher of history, an entrepreneur, or whatever field you may belong to, you will find He Charged Alone an exceptionally helpful and insightful read. This fascinating book becomes extraordinarily helpful for everyone as it documents a significant period in the history of the world.

Though the book is written about seven decades after the demise of its hero, who is flaunted as the “second bravest man of the war,” Strasburg utilizes copious materials and resources to write an objective account of the life of Frank Gaffney. This is not the product of hasty research, and the reader can expect to get a detailed narration of Frank Gaffney’s life and struggles.

He Charged Alone is not a military biography that weighs down the reader in its military content alone. Instead, it is a page-turner that makes use of detailed narration to keep the reader hooked until they suddenly arrive on the last page. In addition, carefully chosen pictures enhance his life story, making it more engaging.

This book does not only recount the experiences of Private First Class Frank Gaffney during World War I, but it also gives insights into what occurred during the war and what it means for anyone to be involved in such a war. He Charged Alone by John R. Strasburg is an eye-opening biography that will show you how you can also employ grit to win whatever you set your mind to in life.

Pages: 249 | ISBN : 1387855921

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/09/he-charged-alone/

This story begins with Jim going on his hike through the canyons. He’s excited about this trip and wants to make the most of it. As he was settling to sleep, a howling sound could be heard around him, coyotes. He examines where the noise comes from and discovers the strangest ancient ritual, the coyotes stood around a fire, their howls sounding tuneful. This wasn’t a ritual meant for human eyes; Jim begins to back away and run to his car. He can feel the coyotes all around until he meets the coyote, who wears a blazer, and a hat and smokes a pipe. Jim escapes, but not entirely – he is plagued by this coyote every single day. He feels unsafe and on edge no matter where he is.

Coyote by Charles Combee is a fascinating story about a coyote dressed smartly in a red blazer and black hat, which is powerful and not of this earth. This story depicts a coyote who has an unusual but deadly power. Jim escapes narrowly, but the same could not be said for Audrey and her family. Audrey and her family were just as unaware of what was ahead for them as Jim. The coyote tears this family apart, as well as causes the strange phenomenon of certain areas of land becoming ‘dead’ and generating a feeling of knives if you enter. Audrey attempts to escape but is caught and trapped alone in the darkness until Jim frees her. However, when Audrey is free, they discover she is still linked to the powerful coyote, and they must break the link for Audrey to get her life back.

This book is excellently written with interesting and unique characters. The world-building and the scenery are described so well that the reader can clearly imagine the surroundings and feel like they are there with the characters. Charles Combee successfully creates suspense throughout the story, and the reader can feel the uneasiness of the characters. This book is dramatic, exciting, and has a unique storyline, which is thought out and completed perfectly. I’d thoroughly recommend this book to anybody who loves suspenseful stories. Readers will be fully emersed in the world created in Coyote.

Pages: 178 | ASIN : B0BM52CT25

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/09/coyote/