This book is just as good as the first one! I’m enjoying getting lost in this world, with the fascinating magical characters who are well fleshed out and so intriguing. It is a dark and macabre story, which makes my little spooky heart sooo happy.

If you like adult dark fantasy with exquisite world building and a medium paced plot, then I highly recommend this series!!

I loved Ordinary Monsters so I had very high expectations for Bringer of Dust. I definitely enjoyed it, but it wasn’t the same wow level for me as book 1. Part of my problem was the large gap between when I read the first and when I started this one. While there were some summary recap bits, I felt lost for a while trying to remember who was who and what their story line had been. This is another very long book and it had pacing issues which made it really drag at times for me. I split time between the ebook and audiobook which helped break it up for me. The narrator did a great job, but it was far too long for me to do only on audio. I’m still really looking forward to the trilogy conclusion but this book was more of a 3.5 star read for me and took me several months to finish.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ebook and audiobook copies!

Perfect Rainy Day Read


Sometimes, life demands a pause—a moment to escape the whirlwind of responsibilities and lose oneself in a world of fiction. That’s exactly what Bringer of Dust, the second installment in J.M. Miro’s gripping Talents Trilogy, offered me. For two days, I let go of everything, immersing myself in the hauntingly vivid and emotionally resonant world Miro has created. This time, however, I experienced it through the audiobook, and I can confidently say that the narration elevated an already exceptional story into something truly unforgettable.
Picking up seamlessly from the events of Ordinary Monsters, this sequel plunges us back into a world teetering on the brink of collapse. Agrigento, Sicily, 1883. The destruction of Cairndale has left the Talents scattered, their sanctuary in ruins, and their hope of salvation dwindling. Charlie Ovid, the series’ conflicted yet resilient protagonist, carries the weight of these losses as he journeys through a dark and treacherous world, searching for answers that seem to slip further from his grasp. A fabled second orsine may hold the key to saving his long-lost friend Marlowe, but the clock is ticking, and new horrors emerge at every turn.
Listening to the audiobook brought the story to life in a way that surpassed my expectations. The narrator’s voice deftly captured the dark, atmospheric tone of Miro’s writing while giving each character a distinct and memorable voice. Charlie’s inner turmoil, the menace of the Abbess, and the eerie presence of the drughr all felt even more vivid thanks to the immersive narration. The pacing of the performance matched the story’s rhythm perfectly—pulling you into the gripping action sequences while also giving space to the quieter, introspective moments that make this book so special.

Miro’s prose is nothing short of cinematic, and the audiobook amplified that quality, allowing me to feel fully transported to breathtaking landscapes and sinister underworlds. From the sunlit villas of Sicily to the shadowy depths of Parisian catacombs, each setting felt alive, steeped in foreboding, as the stakes climbed ever higher. The story’s central tension comes from the corrupted dust of the drughr, an ancient force that grows more malevolent with each passing moment. The Abbess, a mysterious and chilling antagonist, seeks to wield this dust for her own terrifying ends, while an even darker evil stirs in the realm of the dead.
What makes Bringer of Dust truly exceptional, however, is its balance between high-stakes action and profound emotional depth. Yes, the battles are electrifying, and the plot twists relentless, but it’s the quieter moments that linger—the reflections on loss, identity, and purpose. Charlie’s inner turmoil feels raw and relatable, his growth as a character grounded in a sense of humanity that resonates deeply. And he’s not alone in his complexity. Miro’s ensemble cast, both returning and new, is imbued with rich layers, their individual arcs intertwining in ways that feel both intentional and deeply satisfying.

The pacing is masterful. Just as the relentless momentum of the story threatens to overwhelm, Miro draws us into moments of introspection, allowing us to catch our breath while simultaneously deepening our connection to the characters. The camaraderie among the Talents—their trust tested but unyielding—is a powerful reminder of the strength found in unity, even in the face of despair.

For readers who loved Ordinary Monsters, this sequel does not disappoint. The stakes are higher, the world darker, and the characters more nuanced than ever. Miro raises the bar with every chapter, delivering a narrative that is both intricate and emotionally resonant. And for those who are new to the series, now is the perfect time to dive in—the richness of this universe, with its spine-tingling mysteries and unforgettable characters, is not to be missed.
Above all, Bringer of Dust is a testament to the transformative power of storytelling. Experiencing it as an audiobook reminded me how narration can heighten the emotional impact of a story, offering an even deeper escape while renewing our sense of connection and purpose. I closed this audiobook feeling lighter and more inspired, the characters and their struggles lingering in my mind long after the final words were spoken.

J.M. Miro has solidified this trilogy as a modern masterpiece, and I can’t wait to see where this journey leads next. If the series so far is any indication, the final installment will be nothing short of extraordinary. For audiobook lovers, this is a must-listen—you won’t regret a single moment spent in this dark, mesmerizing world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

In this gripping second book, Charlie is trying to find our lost Marlowe while the other talents attempt to find a second orsine after the destruction of the one at Cairndale. With our full cast of characters, along with some new faces, we are thrust back into the world of Talents as our young heroes attempt to save a friend, fight an enemy, and keep from dying.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! I love the atmosphere, I love the horror, I love the thrill! This book had my heart POUNDING every chapter. It was definitely a step up from the first book and it was amazing every second. I love the characters so much. I want the best for them after every bad hand they’ve been dealt. I don’t know what else to say about this book other than I just need to stare at a wall for the next 24 hours in attempts to process what in the world just happened. UUUUGGGGHHHH. Read this book!!

The narrator was amazing in this audiobook edition! My only rub is his voice for women characters. They all start sounding a bit similar. Other than that, his voice REALLY amps up the emotions and overall feel of this book!

I enjoyed this audiobook, the narrator was great, and the story was enjoyable. J. M. Miro does a great job at keeping the reader captivated and entertained throughout the entire story. Thank you for the opportunity!

We are back where we left off in Ordinary Monsters. I found this book to be a decent installment of the franchise. I wished it wasn't as long as it was. I Though I found the reveals to be satisfying it was way to slow-paced for me. I can't wait to see what the last book will bring.

I enjoyed the first book despite its flaws but this one had way too much breadth to make listening an enjoyable expeirence.

Overall I liked the narrator, but his southern accent is terrible.

I have been waiting for this book since I finished Ordinary Monsters in 2022...it did not disappoint! This book didn't do so much introduction of characters, as we met most of the cast in the first book, but it did expand the world building and magic system which is greatly appreciated.

I enjoyed this sequel much better than the first book in the trilogy. Where I felt the first book was slow and took too long to build to the plot, this book picked up right away and we were immediately engaged with the characters.

I really like the world that Miro has created here. His characters are interesting, the theme of found and chosen family, a layered plot, and the atmospheric experience that is heightened by the dark and sinister forces that are cosing in on our favourites. This is a chunky read, but the twists and the world and the characters that Miro writes kept me turning the pages. We are rooting for the good guys but we also want to learn the backstory of the villains. What is motivating their actions and can our little family prevail? Be prepared for loss and some body horror, but also keep an eye out for the tender moments between our favourites. We all need someone in our corner and the family we choose to make can give us hope in dark times.

This series is so much more than meets the eye. It has an intricate story full of characters that are as unique as their talents, aka their gifts. The world building as well as the story itself keeps you entranced in this world that is gritty, dark and unforgiving. There is action, heartbreak, monsters and profound grief that leaves you gutted by the ending. I cannot wait to see what happens in the last book!!

Also worth mentioning is the narration. Probably one of the best narrated book series that I have listened to. Ben Onwukwe does an amazing job and brings all of the characters to life.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint. I was especially happy to be approved for the audiobook because I adored the first book in this series in audio format. The narrator, Ben Onwukwe, truly deserves all the praise for this amazing narration. One of the best aspects of The Talents Trilogy is the eerie, gloomy atmosphere, which Onwukwe captures perfectly with his sonorous voice.

I was worried that I was going to be lost without re-reading the first book, and although there were times I was a little murky on details, for the most part I was able to follow along with no problem. However, I definitely plan on re-listening to both the first and second book before the third book publishes, but that’s simply for the pure enjoyment of seeing how well this trilogy is developing.

Fans of Ordinary Monsters will not be disappointed by this next installment.

Author J.M.Miro expands the world of the Talents by introducing more characters, taking us to the Land of the Dead, and deepening the history of the Talents.

The first previous book of “The Talents” series ended in tragedy with various Talents harmed or dead, Marlowe vanished into the land of the dead, and the Charlie, Komako, Alice, Miss Davenshaw, Lymenion, Oskar leaving Cairndale behind them to find a safe haven where they could regroup and determine how to retrieve Marlowe.

Alice and bbb go to France looking for another orsine, while Charlie, who has lost his talent as a result of events in book one, investigates when a body full of corrupted dust is found at Cairndale. He comes into conflict with a stranger, a Talent, Jeta Wajs, who is there for the same reason. Jeta can sense bones, and manipulate them; she injures Charlie and he ends up infected with the corrupted dust.

Charlie seeks help from Caroline Ficke, and the two, along with several glyphs, head to London.

Jeta heads back to London empty-handed, to her boss, crime gang leader Cracker Jack. He’s protected her from his Talent-hating minions, but he’s not impressed with her, as the Abbess, a mysterious, powerful figure, wants the dust, and he can’t deliver.

Nefarious people are hellbent on acquiring the dust, while back at the estate, Komako and Miss Davenshaw are increasingly alarmed, as something is outside the gates, leaving eviscerated bodies nightly. The two rightly fear that someone, likely a drughr, will attack them, and begin training everyone to fight.

Meanwhile, Marlowe is alone and scared in the Land of the Dead, and has only Charlie’s word that he’ll come for him to keep him from panic. He suddenly meets a familiar, and now weirdly not totally unwelcome figure, who does their best to protect Marlowe, while educating him about the history of the Talents, and what Marlowe’s role is amidst this large conflict with its roots in the past.

Miro keeps his focus mostly on these characters this time:
-dear, sweet Charlie, hellbent on finding Marlowe,
-Marlowe, as he makes his way through a nightmarish landscape,
-Jeta Wajs, whose eerie hand graces the cover of the book, and who has been manipulated and hurt by most of the people in her life,
-Miss Ficke, who has protected the former Cairndale Talents, the glyphs, whose bodies appear the least human, and
-Komako, wrestling with her power and responsibilities.

There is never a dull moment in this well-paced door stopper. People are traveling after clues, having violent encounters, and gradually converging on a particular location, the second orsine. At the same time, Marlowe is not sitting on his hands, and despite all he learns, remains the kind, stalwart person he was in book one, but does mature, as he comes to better understand what he is.

Jeta cuts a tragic figure, used by everyone, and rarely seen for who she is beyond her frightening ability. Her confrontations with Charlie show her the possibility of a different path, and even friendship, something novel and unexpected in a life of violence and loneliness.

Miss Ficke proves to be much tougher than everyone around her expected, including me, and finds important and usefi; information that proves incredibly helpful in their mission to rescue Marlowe.

And Komako exemplifies the turmoil of someone who was harmed, and is full of fury consequently, but is also somewhat ambivalent about the power she and others have.

Over both of these long books, I’ve come to care deeply about Charlie and Marlowe, and Miro has given me more characters to care for: Jeta, and Miss Ficke. And the history between the drughr and the Talents is also fleshed out, and much darker and horrible than I expected.

And though there is a little peace achieved by the former Cairndale inmates by the end of this novel, the epilogue leaves us with new Talents, and hints at the complex conflict to come. I, for one, am looking forward to it.

I both listened to and read my way through this story, and narrator Ben Onwukwe does a fantastic job of inhabiting all the characters, and infusing humour, dread, horror or happiness, as needed, to the text to make the listening experience great.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my review.

4.75 stars, shinning brightly and blue.

Disturbing, unforgettable and wild second installment of the CREEPY AF Talents Trilogy!

Yes, I loved it and insist that this book should absolutely be experienced in the voice of Ben Onwukwe!! The 🎧audiobook🎧 narration adds levels of emotional dread to an already magically-fabulous script. In fact, I am deeply saddened that I no longer have access to the Audio-ARC of the first book (and my local library's hold line is astronomical), so that I couldn't revisit that installment before diving into this second.

This (audio)book, like the first, is L O N G - it is a true commitment. It's also one of the best ways that you could spend creepy-reading-season in autumn!

Personally, once begun, I am nearly unable to break free until the mad international dash to rescue a friend lost to the Land of the Dead, keep magically talented children safe, and fight against all that oppose this wholesome outcome are undone. But throughout, more fragments of the whole mystery unfold. Each of our dearest mains come to realize that everything is far, far bigger that any one of them can conceive. Some of the most nefarious characters are playing out only portions of the story, willfully denying that anyone else could possibly have less to lose or more to gain than themselves!

There are a few little tidbits that rang incredibly predictable/campy. But as these were few and so neatly interwined into sweep of the story, I am only docking 0.25 stars.

As we step into the continued story that began in *Ordinary Monsters*, several of our beloved main characters grow through the terrible traumas that they have faced. Each is deeply touched, and yet they continue to work desperately towards a hopeful future. Each damaged but resilient in the face of ever more, and trying to make choices to affect change. Not only is the world-building absolutely exquisite, but it too contains so much emotional punch. Raw. Wild. And all of this is so familiar to me personally, and I guess to those drawn to this sort of literature. The lasting after-affects of reading screaming to each of us to make choices that bring about am ultimately better world for everyone.

Fair warning that this book reads a lot like a graphic novel, inclusive of heart-wrenching developments and gore alike. Though, it is fantastical horror at it's best, with most of the true horror being psychological -- very akin to the works of T. Kingfisher, but different (if that makes any sense).

I will personally be revisiting this world again, and very much look forward to a time where the trilogy is complete. Until then, this audiobook is an absolute gift to reader kind!

Huge gratitude to the Canadian author J.M. Miro, the publisher Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an Audio-ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

I was provided an audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This picks up shortly after the events of book 1, so I don't recommend reading this as a standalone. You really need to read Ordinary Monsters first to gain a foundation on the characters and what is going on. As a forewarning, this does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I am loving the series so I am anxiously looking forward to the next book in the trilogy.

This follows several different characters that we met in the first book as they recover from the destruction of Cairndale and the loss of Marlowe. We also meet some new characters that play a large role in this installment. We learn more about the origins of the Talents and the drughr and the roles each of our characters is to play in this gothic story.

As with the first book this contains a multitude of genres. It is a nice mix of of horror, fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction with wonderful world building and great characters. You won't love all of the characters but you will be invested in all of them and their storylines. The chapters focus on different characters, but at its heart Charlie and Marlowe are at the center of the story and everything that happens. This book is on the long side and there are quite a few characters to keep track of, but the author does a good job managing the pace and the storyline so that you don't forget what is happening and who everyone is. There is plenty of action throughout to keep you on your toes and plenty of expansion of the world and characters to keep you invested. The author describes the setting and the fantastical and horror elements with the perfect amount of detail so you aren't overwhelmed but you can visualize what is going on in your head. This book is dark and has some violent scenes, that was also true with the first book. It leans a little more into the horror aspects than the first book but I would let my 14 or my 16 year old read the series if they wanted. I think it would appeal to readers of any age.

The narrator is wonderful. Ben Onwukwe does different voices for the different characters, and is just a pleasure to listen to. This book clocks in at just under 25 hours, so you are going to spend alot of time with him, so having a good narrator is key. He narrated the first book as well, and I was really happy to see him return for book two, and I expect he will be back for book three.

I love this series and I can't wait for the final installment. If you enjoy epic fantasy novels that marry historical fiction and horror give this a try.

This was an absolutely fabulous next installment in this series by J. M. Miro. I truly feel like this is a unique story with a unique magic system and I was enthralled the entire story. I thought the narrator did a great job in bringing the characters to life. I felt each unique voice of the character matched the text and added an extra layer of dimension. I will definitely be reading more of Miro and waiting patiently for the next installment.

"Bringer of Dust," the second book in *The Talents* trilogy, takes everything up a notch with more tension, horror, and action than its predecessor. The characters continue their journey to rescue Marlowe, facing darker and more twisted obstacles. New villains like The Abbess and Cracker Jack add an even more gruesome layer to the story, keeping readers on edge. Fans of dark fantasy will appreciate the world-building, shocking plot twists, and the way the lore expands in this book.

The audiobook, narrated by Ben Onwukwe, is a standout. His voice perfectly suits the grim tone, and his range for the large cast of characters makes the listening experience feel immersive. His narration adds depth and suspense, making the long read feel engaging and intense. For fans of dark, epic fantasy and great narration, this is a must-listen.

*Ordinary Monsters* truly lived up to the hype for me so I was excited to see if *Bringer Of Dust* would be just as good and yet again the audiobook was an easy five-star listen for me. If you're a fan of historical fantasy, these books will be perfect for you.
The story is a multi-layered, epic historical fantasy that explores the blurred lines between heroes and villains.
an exploration in psyche, a narrative that spans not just across time but entire worlds. With Cairndale gone and Scotland no longer safe, the characters are scattered.
Some, along with Miss Davenshaw, have fled to an abandoned villa in Italy. Meanwhile, Ribs and Alice venture to Paris, and Charlie is left with the daunting task of locating and rescuing Marlowe. Along the way, they each face escalating dangers and powerful enemies, all while battling other gifted individuals and encountering the undead as they try to prevent the opening of one of the last orsines—a gateway between worlds.
*Bringer of Dust* is a sweeping epic, filled with new and fascinating talents and characters. As the original cast matures and sharpens their abilities, they come across forces and powers unlike anything they've ever faced-like a bone witch, for example. It's an exhilarating, unpredictable adventure from start to finish.
The narration is simply perfection - I loved my listening.

This audiobook was beyond my wildest dreams!

Bringer of Dust is the sequel to Ordinary Monsters, and continues the story of the Talents who are trying to rescue their compatriot Marlowe by seeking a fabled second orsine to travel between worlds.

The audio narration was fantastic, and set the tone really well. However, the pacing was tough to follow with the audiobook. Since the book is so long, its hard to feel like you’re making progress by listening.

The story itself is wildly horrifying: the author doesn’t pull any punches. He makes it clear that the world is a terrible place where people do terrible things. Its a bit more intense than the first book but the character development is amazing.

This was an amazing follow-up to the first book, and I’m excited to see how the story continues!

This was a little too horror for me, but I listened in the car during the day. I still give it 5 stars because it was beautifully written with well realized characters and a great story. I am sure I will read the next.