This is a good old-fashioned adventure on the high seas story with just a touch of magic. It's certainly not inappropriate for any age of listener, but I was surprised to see that it is classified as a young adult story given that the main character is a grandfather and the audience for old-fashioned stories tends to be...well, older. The tone of the narration and inclusion of some sound effects gives it the feeling of a radio serial as well, further implying an older audience. None of that is intended as criticism - just things that may not be obvious from the description.

I believe this is the first installment of a planned series, so the lack of resolution to some subplots is likely intentional, as is the large number of characters. The only thing that kept it from five stars, in fact, was the volume and suddenness of the background noise sound effects - while it's not my favorite thing, I understood the intent of including things like ringing bells, clanking swords, etc. - but I'm fairly certain most listeners do not need an illustration of crowd noise every time it is mentioned.

But if you can look past that, this is a fun story for your next family trip...especially if you're going on a cruise. :)

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Set in the world of Eliorin, Zale “the Gale” Murdoch is at the top of his game. Even better, he is nearing the completion of his mastery, a fee required to reach the title of Grandmaster. When the mastery fee gets raised to $10 million, his only choice is to take a high-paying job to find the Grimstone. Wanted by the royal family, the reward will pay for his title and more. The problem is his rival is also after the reward. With the deadline for the mastery fee fast approaching, can Zale get the Grimstone before his rival?

Narrator, Ed Romanoff captures the listener’s attention with his unique narrations. His unique voices help distinguish the characters’ personalities and add depth to the story. The plot is well developed and the dialog is witty. The characters are likable, well-developed, and hold the listener’s attention. The world building is unique, magical, enchanting, and draws the listener into Zale’s world. Listeners who like fantasy adventure will enjoy this hilarious, epic adventure. Recommended for most library collections.

Please Note: A copy of this audiobook was given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. No other compensation was received.

I really liked this book while it was quite well-paced most of the time there were a few very long-winded conversations that the captain inevitably disregarded… they felt like page fillers just got the sake of introducing the crew.

I listened to this as an audiobook. The narrator was great and at first, the production quality was Awesome with music and sound FX but later during fight scenes there was this constant shrieking and metal-on-metal sword fight sounds. They would have been fine for the first minute or so but they persisted for the entire length of the battles, to really affected my ability to focus and overstimulate my ADHD in a big way.

The audiobook might not be the best choice for neurodivergent people, but the story is gripping so I would like to read it again in hard copy or ebook.