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.

Bringer of Dust is the second book in the The Talents trilogy, picking up almost directly after the events in Ordinary Monsters. With the addition of a few new PoV characters and villains there will be a lot of tension, gruesomeness and obstacles to overcome for the characters. I would think of this as a mash up of Umbrella Academy, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children and His Dark Materials set in Victorian London.

I wish I read Ordinary Monsters right before starting the book as it would have helped the story be fresh in my mind and while I think I got the gist of it, with some of the recaps through character interactions, it took a long time to get there. When you have a book that is ~600 pages long, I think sometimes it is smart to do a "the story so far" at the beginning to set the reader up for success. Still the story itself is interesting enough with hints of the first book here and there that I don't think I felt lost and eventually was reminded of enough of the key points by midway through that I did okay.

Characters, they are the thing that make this story great. I love Charlie from the first book and his desperation to save Marlowe from the terrible fate that became him. Even if that means he has to go through a portal into a strange realm where most mortal people die. With the help of friends, old and new, he will try to find another portal to save his friend.

The addition of The Abbess and Cracker Jack as new villains with some horrible minions, the level of the gruesomeness and horror aspects of Bringer of Dust definitely surpass the previous book. In this world, there are some truly terrible people willing to do horrendous things. Charlie seems to nice to be in a world like this but he will reach to protect those he cares about. I loved the addition of the Bone Witch talent and how her storyline eventually connects to Charlie and his search for Marlowe.

The only thing in the story that threw me off was about the middle of the book shifts gears and get to spend time with Marlowe and Berghast's in the 'other' realm. This is a great way to learn about the prison created to contain the biggest bad in the book, but it seemed like it went back in time to when we started with Charlie and the other new characters. It took awhile to shift gears, but this was a great way to get some more of the backstory and find out some of the history of both the prison and the prisoner.

Overall this is going to work well for people who love horror and grimdark and don't mind a really long story if it is interesting. There is plenty of action and things that make you fear for all of the characters. Expansion of the lore behind the story along with some set up for the final book, that will be a pretty epic showdown from what has been hinted at. There are some end-of-the-world type of huge stakes at hand.

I think Bringer of Dust does a few things better than the first book. The pacing was actually a lot better, the characters and world better established and the twist just as intense if not more.

Narration:
Ben Onwukwe is a seasoned narrator and seems pretty perfect for this grimdark tale. His voice and cadence fits the tone of the story and builds on some of the suspense and drama of it. He has a great voice and did really well with the large cast of characters. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.

Bringer of Dust by J.M. Miro is the dark and engaging sequel to Ordinary Monsters, which picks up not long after where the first book left off. Miro takes everything he gave us in the first book and throws the door wide open, introducing lush lore and world building that has me eager for more. There are familiar faces and new ones, each with their own character arc in which they grapple with the events of the first book and must confront the fresh problems arising in the world around them. None of the characters feel cumbersome or overdone and each offers a unique perspective.

Bringer of Dust ends spectacularly. It had me on the edge of my seat, desperate for the conclusion of this exciting tale. The Talents trilogy is quickly becoming one of my favourites. It is so different from everything I am used to reading that I find it endlessly refreshing. I highly recommend this book and its predecessor to anyone looking for something different from the usual urban fantasy.

I listened to the audiobook version of this ARC, and once again Ben Onqukwe was a phenomenal narrator. His range is truly impressive, and I really enjoy listening to him bring each and every character to life.

Thank you again to Penguin Random House and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read and review this ARC via NetGalley.

We continue our gritty journey with what's left of the Talents of Cairndale. Not too much time has passed between the ending of the first book and this one, so we are picking up in the wake of the horror and loss of the events of the first. Marlowe is trapped in the orsine and Charlie is looking for some way to get him out of the orsine and find his friend.

I was kind of a mess after the first book. It does not end happily, and this book does not start out happily either. It is a gritty tale and only verges on the edges of YA because most of the characters are young and the writing style is more YA. However, the atmosphere is certainly more adult, and some of the theming when dealing with harder topics of loss and vengeance are a bit more adult.

We get some new characters and mourn the loss of some of the ones lost in the first book. We get some bigger baddies and we get some changes and shifts in the talents we may not have seen coming, so I think it's worth the read. Personally, I thought it was a little bit slow to start but it does pick up and the pacing gets much better after the first 15 %.

I have to give the narrator credit. He does a phenomenal job of giving each character their own personality and voice. I am so glad and thankful NetGalley provided me with an advance audiobook to enjoy the narration which I highly recommend for others who plan to pick up this book.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars--

As a story, this was a solid follow up to Ordinary Monsters. I enjoyed finally tying up some loose ends about some of the characters' histories. That said, I don't feel like the young children themselves or their relationships had the depth or character growth I was hoping for. I continued these books for the world and the plot, but it didn't move very fast in this installment.

As an audiobook, this one wasn't for me. The narrator puts on voices and accents that I had a very hard time taking seriously and really pulled me away from the dark, moody moments of the book. It's fine when the writing itself is injecting some humor, like Ribs' banter, but the exaggerated British accents teeter over into absurdity.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review this book.

I loved the first book, but this one dragged on a bit too much for me. Around 75-80% through I realized I had lost interest in the book. I did enjoy the creepy monsters and atmosphere. If the third book gets good reviews, I will probably still finish the trilogy.
I was a big fan of the narrator of this audiobook. He made the book come to life in a cool way.
Thanks to NetGalley for this audio ARC.

Compared to the first book, I was much more into this second one! It delves deeper into the characters and is far darker and more intricate. This time, I thought we truly got to know them better. The other youthful talents are attempting to return to their friend Marlowe, who has become trapped in the afterlife. They quickly discover that the world of talents is much larger than what they were exposed to at Cairndale. They move around the continent in search of solutions.

TBH, this has been on of my favorite audio listens this year. The narrator, Ben Onwukwe, has such a theatrical voice, that it feels like an immersive experience. The amount of voices he can do for this very full cast is crazy impressive.

I’m feel fiercely protective for these fictional characters. 😩😅 So I’m grieving with that bittersweet ending.
I’m hoping J.M. Miro handles are hearts with care in the next and final book.

My thanks to @Netgalley & @Macmillan.Audio - So happy to confirm, there is no book 2 slump, here.

Recommended:
- When you are looking for a long read.
- When you want are looking for fantasy x thriller
- If your Fall/Winter TBR vibes need a solid win.

Due out 17 September 2024
Book 3 Release date TBD, but don’t sit on this series.
4.25/5

Book two in J.M. Miro's Talents Trilogy is just as long as the first. Is it necessary for it to be so long, you ask? No. The first one didn't need to be and neither did this one. Will I read the third book, you ask? Yes, I will put myself through another 24 hours of audio again. While the execution and pacing leave a little something to be desired, the story is so, so creative. Do not attempt to read this without reading the first one, as it picks up immediately after book one and you will be epically confused. If you didn't like the first one, I do think the second one was slightly better. I would say 3 stars for the first, and 3.5 for the second. Part of this is because at times I was able to totally space out and still not have any trouble following along. There are key scenes were you get important info, and oh, what a fascinating and rich backstory Miro has created! But the entire book is not like that, there is a lot of nothing that happens also. There are so many characters and overlaps and interweaves and it can be quite confusing at times, but it all ties together at the end. I appreciate the ARC!

This is the second novel in the Talents Trilogy and if you haven't read Ordinary Monsters, please go do that before even attempting this novel. Otherwise, you will have no understanding about what is taking place inside this novel and it is A LOT. (The audio was literally one whole day long.)
Bringer of Dust picks up where Ordinary Monsters ended. Cairndale is destroyed, along with its orsine and Marlowe is missing, maybe never to return. His friends all have their own journeys to complete before getting him back and it seems like the First Talent is rising. (This is not a good thing.) Monsters, Talents, Glyphics and unholy terrors are all crammed into this novel and of course, there is a crazy epic battle at the end of the book and we lose still more beloved characters. BUT, there is one more book coming from this trilogy and hopefully, a beautiful ending.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this e-arc.*

Oh my. I didn't want to start this, because it would soon be over, and now I am sad to have to leave this band of magical kids once again.

I am a huge fan of J.M. Miro's Talents Trilogy. I loved Ordinary Monsters and was so captivated by the next chapter of this saga in BRINGER OF DUST, out on September 17th by @flatiron_books and, luckily for me, the audio by @macmillan.audio via @netgalley!

At seconds shy of 25 hours, this next installment will be as beefy as the first, but rest assured, it will fly by. I have spent the last 2 days immersed in the world of the Talents (kids with a specific magical ability), magical dust, adventure, and a journey that uncovers secrets and changes the story!

I loved the continued world building and character development. The friendship and care of Charlie and Marlowe, the leadership and confusion of adult influences, the struggles against darkness all deepened my investment in these characters. I loved the complexities brought into this novel, and already cannot wait for the next, though I may have to reread it, just to keep from letting go!

The audio was a way to keep me working in a fog while I kept rapt attention! Narrated by Ben Onwukwe, I was easily able to disappear into each character. I did feel like my ideas of what they sounded like as a bit different, but it was easily overcome with the strength of the story! I will have to grab a physical copy of this one since I never won any giveaways of the ARC!

I absolutely loved the first book in this series and the second did not disappoint. I have to say that this narrator has perhaps one of the best voices I have ever hear for narration and is perfectly suited to the material, He's amazing. Highly recommed and. cannot wait for the thid book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the second book in this series. I read the first one and listened to the second one so I think some of my perspective is affected by that. The start of this book was really confusing, there were so many characters and the perspectives jumped around a lot. This isn’t marked by new chapters so in the audio it is hard to differentiate. Once I got used to it, I was able to follow the story a lot better.

For me, this book was more gruesome than the first one. There were parts that were hard for me to listen to because it was so descriptive as to be disturbing. I think listening to someone describe horrible acts is also harder than reading about them because I could skim over any really brutal scenes in the first book. I like the magic and the ideas in this book but I would only recommend it with the caveat that you need to be ok with violence and gore.

This second book really had me more than the first book! It’s so much more dark and twisty and it goes more in depth on the characters. I felt like we really got to know them more this time around. The other young talents are trying to find a way back to their friend Marlowe who is stuck in the land of the dead. They learn quickly that there is so much more to the world of talents than just what they saw at Cairndale. In order to find answers they disperse across the continent.

There were a couple sections that I really had to concentrate to figure out exactly what was going on. Overall though it was really good and there were a lot more twists in this second book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this book.

This was a decent installment in the series. Continues on where the first book left off. If you enjoyed book one you will enjoy the second books as well.

I listened to this on audio and Ben Onwukwe was amazing. His narration brought this to life for me. I was there. The writing was richly detailed and had a lyrical haunting feel just like the first book. The audiobook is 19 and 30 minutes and eagerly took in every minute.
It’s lengthy but did not drag and I flew through it. This book was about rescuing Marlow and it took me on quite a journey.
The talents (all of them) are unique and precious. The world building was incredible and I could clearly see it. Believe it.
I highly recommend this.
Thanks Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.