Category: Reviews

Espresso Gear – Review #4: IKAPE V5 Impact Espresso Tamper

Manufacturer: IKAPE
Product: V5 Impact Espresso Tamper (58.5mm)
Current Price: 46 USD
Vendor: IKAPE

In the middle of March, IKAPE contacted me and asked if I would be interested in trying out one of their products. After initially being a bit skeptical that IKAPE would be reaching out to me directly, I confirmed that the offer was legit and told them I’d be happy to try out anything they wanted to send me. Regardless of the way anything I review is obtained, I of course will give my honest impressions of the product.

Tampers. Man. For me, they are one of the first pieces of kit that can make or break the espresso making experience.

My first machine was a Breville Barista Express. While it is a great machine for many, I immediately wished I had gone the route of a separate grinder from the machine itself and I soon rectified that. However, the first time I touched the machine, I knew I was going to replace the tamper. I hated it. While the idea of attaching to the machine via a magnet was attractive, the cheap, light, plastic tamp just ruined the whole thing for me.

With that in mind, I’ve gone through several different tamps. My budget doesn’t allow for expensive ones like the Force or others in that price tier.

One of my first tamps was the IKAPE V3 58.35 calibrated tamper with the Walnut handle. I liked the look and feel of this tamper, and was very pleased with it. If I remember correctly, this tamp also provided a “click” when the 30lbs of pressure was reached and the spring was released. While my initial reaction to this tamper was positive, over time, my satisfaction became less as I was consistently finding that it didn’t fit my 58mm baskets tightly enough and a ring of espresso powder was left creeping up the sides of my basket.

I have tried several other baskets, and my current daily is a the Normcore V4 with a wooden handle. To be honest, it’s the only product from Normcore that I have liked and didn’t feel was overpriced, so when the new tamp arrived from IKAPE, I admit, I was a bit biased.

Upon opening the outer standard brown cardboard shipping box, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the IKAPE packaging of the V5 Impact Espresso Tamper. It comes in a nice black box that is pleasingly branded and feels a bit more posh than some items I’ve received from other brands. Upon opening the box, and removing the tamp, I was immediately saddened that the tamper disk was ridged.

Every tamper I’ve had thats had a ridged base has been an annoying experience. Coffee powder fills the ridges and due to static remains in the crevices even after the tamp is complete. No amount of RDT or tapping the tool after tamping has ever worked for me, and I’ve always had to resort to using a small brush to clean the face of the tamper. I loathe extra steps like this. After using this tamp daily for several weeks during which I’ve experienced ever atmospheric anomaly my area is likely to get, I am happy to say my experience with the Impact tamper completely upended my expectations. In the picture above, you can see minute amounts of coffee on the base. This is all that remains after multiple uses! I don’t know what IKAPE has done to keep the coffee from sticking, but whatever it is, it’s fantastic! For the first time I would consider buying a ridged tamper! I also like that the tamp is not coated with any process and appears to be a plain stainless steel, ridged disk.

The construction of this tamper is solid. While I generally prefer wooden handles on my espresso accessories, the minimalist design and metal touchpoints on this tamper appeal to me. The tamper does come with three springs that can easily be swapped out to set your desired tamp weight. I left the 30lb spring in as that correlated with my regular routine. The reason (I assume) this tamp is labeled the Impact, is that it has an auditory and sensory “click” when the puck has been tamped to the preset weight. It works quite well and the user would never be in doubt that the puck has been fully compressed to the desired weight.

Not everything is perfect with this tamp however. Although the stated size is 58.5mm, this tamp leaves a bit more coffee on the side of the basket than my regular 58.5mm tamp. To be honest, it’s not enough that I would find this to be an issue on a daily basis, but I did find it interesting. While I was impressed with the design, I do love the warmness of wood and wish there was an option for wooden accents (to my knowledge, there is not, though I could be wrong).

Even with these caveats, I do believe the IKAPE V5 Impact Espresso Tamper is a valid option for anyone that is looking to upgrade their espresso game without breaking the bank.

Rating: 1.75 out of 2 Ravens

Before you leave….
How would you like to own the IKAPE V5 Impact Espresso Tamper??

I am going to give one lucky reader the tamp reviewed above. I will send the tamp, free of charge, to anyone in the United States. If you live outside of the U.S., feel free to enter, but you will have to pay for the shipping to get the tamper to you. So, how do you register for the giveaway? Simply leave a comment! I will be choosing a name at random on Easter Sunday and will notify the winner via email in the week following.

15 April, 2025

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Espresso, Gear, Reviews
Espresso Gear – Review #3: Turin H40V2 Hand Grinder

Manufacturer: Turin
Product: H40V2 Hand Grinder
Price: Currently 99USD
Vendor: Espresso Outlet

This is my first go with a hand grinder. Like many other things in life, I approached my coffee hobby backwards to many. Rather than enjoy drip and then specialty, I started with espresso and am now working my way backwards.

I was looking for a good hand grinder for a couple of months as I started preparing for pour-overs. I own a DF54 electric grinder, and I know many people use them for pour-overs, but I simply did not want to have to make large adjustments daily to go from an espresso drink in the morning to a pour-over in the afternoon/evening. I looked at a lot of different hand grinders.

I knew I wanted a stainless steel burr. I personally prefer not to have things coated in teflon etc, so that eliminated a few. I wanted external adjustments (something I initially took for granted) and for whatever reason, I wanted one that catch cup was easy to remove, but wouldn’t fall off.

Enter the H40V2. To be honest, I know nothing about the first version of this grinder. If you own it, and would like to comment on any changes between it and the V2, I’d love to see that. For me, this hit the sweet spot of everything I wanted in a hand grinder.

The H40 not only has a 40mm stainless steel conical burr with no chemical coating. The body is machined aluminum (or, if you prefer, aluminium), the sleeve on the upper barrel is textured and truly does provide a nice grip. It is simple to disassemble the grinder to clean and to zero the burrs. The crank does not fold down, but that was a non-issue for me. The catch cup is held on by magnets! I LOVE this feature. It truly is a pleasure to simply pop off the bottom when I am finished grinding. One of my favorite features (and one I wasn’t looking for), is the built in blind shaker. Once you’ve finished grinding, give the whole thing a couple of shakes (I personally slide my hand down to hold the upper and lower portions of the grinder for this part, just to be safe) and pull the lower section off. Unthread the bottom cap, and dose directly into your pour-over filter or portafilter. If you’re not a fan of blind shaker (heathen), then simply leave it out of the lower portion to begin with. With the threaded base, it truly is simply an option.

Conclusion: As coffee and espresso gear is fun to collect (some might say an addiction), I can’t claim I’ll never own another hand grinder. However, I can state without reservation that as well built and fun as the Turin H40V2 is to use, I don’t believe I’d ever need another one, and that’s a huge asset. I can’t think of anything I’d change in the design or function of this grinder and give it an enthusiastic Two Raven rating. Huginn and Muninn agree, great grinder at any price, a steal as listed.

3 February, 2025

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Coffee, Espresso, Gear, Reviews
Espresso Gear – Review #2 – Turin Electric Pour Over Kettle

Manufacturer: Turin
Product: Electric Pour Over Kettle
Current Price: 99USD
Vendor: Espresso Outlet

Back in December, I was looking for an electric kettle. I had owned a cheap kettle I bought at Target for less than $40 dollars four or five years ago for making tea, but the heating element on it had died in less than a year. While I still enjoy a good cuppa tea, my primary reason for needing a new kettle was venturing into the world of pour over coffee.

My parents try to visit over the holidays in December, and my father enjoys a cup of coffee. I didn’t say a good cup of coffee. Really, I think he’d drink about anything. My grandmother would put on a large pot of coffee in the morning and drink it throughout the day, as it became more and more burnt.

As I don’t own a drip machine, I’d decided to broaden my experiences to incorporate pour overs before my folks arrived. I settled on the Hario V60 for several unimportant reasons. But I needed a kettle I could control my pour with. I watched James Hoffmann’s comparisons, and I spent hours looking at the Fellow Stagg EKG and others, but I just couldn’t justify the cost when I didn’t even know if I was going to use the thing more than one month a year.

Enter the Turin Electric Pour Over Kettle. Turin’s Kettle debuted in late 2024 (well, at least as far as I know it did. If it was available before, I just somehow missed it). Having a respect for the brand, I assumed it would be well made and knew before long I’d end up having it as part of my collection.

When it arrived, I was indeed impressed with the quality of the construction. The kettle itself is stainless steel and wood. I love the feel of the handle in my hand. The finish is very even and more matte than gloss. The base is plastic. The adjustment wheel protrudes from the right edge and is easily assessable. The LEDs are a nice bright, without being too bright, blue and easy to read. Even in the morning without my glasses. This kettle heats up fast. I have not timed it, but I use cold filtered water from the refrigerator, and the kettle usually is ready before I am.

It’s not a large kettle, standing just over 26cm tall. I believe the capacity is around 600ml, which I’ve found to be just enough for a V60 without a lot of left over water. It also fills my small teapot very nicely for a several cups of tea.

The controls are intuitive and easy to use. I believe most users would be able to have their first kettle of water ready within 10 minutes of opening the box.

There are two things I would change if asked. The “I/O” button is hard to find before the power is turned on. This isn’t a big deal because you can also wake up the kettle by turning the adjustment wheel. The second issue is that while the kettle can be set to maintain a given temperature, when you remove the kettle from the base, the base goes back into sleep mode and no longer recalls the temperature to keep the kettle at. Since I regularly use the kettle in one sitting, the also hasn’t been a deal breaker for me.

Since obtaining this kettle, I’ve become a huge fan of V60s myself. I am a bit backwards in that my coffee journey started with espresso based drinks. The V60 is allowing me to taste all of the fruit flavors I never understood in the descriptions of coffee. To get the best flavor out of your beans, of course you need a good grinder. I paired this kettle with the Turin H40v2 hand grinder. More on that in a separate review.

Conclusion: This is a truly fantastic kettle. The price is extremely reasonable at 149, but is quite often on sale at 99USD, which in my opinion is a steal. The build quality and feature set are remarkable and I am extremely glad I was able to add this to my kit. If you’re looking for a pour over kettle, I highly recommend you add this one to the list.

Rating: 1 and 7/8 Ravens (don’t feel badly for Huginn.. he was off his feed)

27 January, 2025

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Coffee, Espresso, Gear, Reviews
Call for reviews!
Greetings all. I’m wanting to try something new. For most of it’s time in existence, View from Valhalla has been dedicated to finding stories of interest and trying to bring them to a wider audience. Occasionally, I have reviewed something other than a book, for the same reason.

Life has a way of getting busier than we’d like. I’m finding it harder to make time to create reviews these days and have been giving a lot of thought about what to do about it. I’d prefer to keep VfV alive and on mission, but I’ve decided I need a bit of help from the rest of you Asgardians.

Do you have a book, an album, a painting, a series of photos or anything else art related you’d like to help gain exposure? Then I have a deal for you.

I’m looking for guest reviewers. It can be about anything you have found interesting, or even had hoped to find interesting (not all reviews need be positive).

So, let’s talk about the rules and how to go about this:

If you’re reviewing something that has a beginning and an end, you need to get to the end before you review. Yes, even if it’s painful.
Try to find at least one thing positive (if possible). This isn’t mandatory, and if something is totally without merit in your opinion, you’re welcome to share it in a professional way.
No politics. This is hard and fast. If you’re wanting to review Tucker Carlson or Hilary Clinton’s newest books, please find another outlet.
Independent and less well known authors, artists, and artistic types have always been my preferred targets of review. This is not a hard and fast rule, but more of a suggestion. However, if you’re wanting to review the latest SuperHero movie, bring a fresh take on it if possible.
Provide a short bio. Each reviewer will be given (or you can choose for yourself) a Norse deity’s identity for the reviews. You can choose to identify yourself in the bio or not, but give us a bit of your personality. No, we are not playing 2 truths and a lie. I don’t care if any of it is truth. It’s a blog for Valhalla’s sake.
Please do not review something you had a hand in creating. If you’re the artist, author, publisher, agent, son, daughter or best friend, try to find someone that will give an honest review for you. But feel free to review someone else’s content!
Please email all reviews to Valhalla.
I, as the All Father, reserve the right to refuse any review for any reason. Yes, that does mean if you try to post positively about Twilight (in either book or film iteration) it will be denied.

I really am hoping I’ll get some people that will come play in my sandbox. I’ll try to keep the bullies from knocking down the castles made by others (in comments, etc). Hope to see you’re review soon.
28 March, 2022

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Reviews
Book Review #138: Oblivion (Rakkan Conquest Book 1) by Andy Blinston

Title: Oblivion
Author: Andy Blinston
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2020
Located: Amazon
Formats Available: Audiobook, dead tree and ebook
Rating: PG for disturbing scenes of violence with several involving children

It’s been a while since I’ve added a review to the blog. It isn’t that I haven’t been reading, it’s just that I haven’t been reviewing. To be honest, many of the books that have existed on my iPad in the last year are from big name authors that have budgets for advertising and much had all ready been said about them. I mean, who really needs another Dresden review? (But seriously, if you do, let me know.. I guess I can write them up too.)

What I haven’t done lately is follow through on my inclination to read more indy published or self published authors. I believe Mr. Blinston falls into this category and I am aware that he is currently publishing on Amazon through their KDP program.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis:

Once a god.

Now a target.

They stole the greatest part of him, and he damn well wants it back.

Waking confused on a still battlefield, Darius knows he must be a great fighter, because all around are the bodies of lesser warriors. As he gathers himself up, he has but a singular memory that haunts him.

There’s only one more thing he knows.

He wasn’t just a god…

…but an assassin of gods.

In the midst of a centuries-old war between the human empire and savage invaders, Darius finds his name uttered with terror and curses by both sides.

How do you fight when you don’t know on which side you belong?

Follow Darius, his loyal panther, and the secretive Alexandra in this dark fantasy series as they’re hunted by a sinister enemy who wants to finish what he started. (Stolen from the Amazon listing for the book.)

Review: I am a subscriber to the BookBub listserve. Once a day, I get an email from BookBub with book titles that are currently on sale, free or drastically reduced. The recommendations are based on my preferred reading types on their site. I was made aware of BookBub by my favorite author, (who also happens to be self published) Nathan Lowell. Mr. Blinston’s novel was suggested to me and, I admit, the cover immediately grabbed my attention. A good cover is hard to deny, and Mr. Blinston’s novels do indeed have extremely professional covers. Once I read the above synopsis, I figured it was worth the loose change in my pocket to give it a shot. I’m glad I did.

Characters: Darius is hard to peg. Without spoilers, it is safe to say, that Darius quest for identity initially makes him a bit of a blank slate. He has no passions and yet is easily angered. Initially, he’s not a sympathetic character, but regardless, I found him intriguing. Lyra, his panther, needs to have a larger role in forthcoming books, and I’ll leave it at that. Lex (Alexandra) has many secrets making it something of a chore to know whose side she is really on.

Suffice it to say, that singularly, I don’t know if any of the characters from Oblivion would rank highly with me, but as a cast, taken as a whole, I became very interested in where the story was going, and found myself routing for Darius as the novel unfolded.

Plot: I’d characterize Oblivion to be a quest driven book. However, it isn’t your normal quest, and it isn’t your normal questing party. As you travel with Darius, you’re unsure who is the hero, and whom is the villain. I truly dislike anti-heroes, so I admit to being a bit concerned at different points along the way. Darius’ quest is to find himself. The part of himself he woke up missing. I will state that I was a bit surprised with how Mr. Blinston found an ending to this first book in this series.

Recommendation: I really enjoyed Oblivion and found it read very quickly and left me wanting more. Let me speak just a bit about the “more”.

There are many storylines introduced in Oblivion that are not tied up by the final page. I sincerely hope that they are addressed by the end of the series. However, since only the first two books (Oblivion and Viridian Legion as well as a prequel short story) currently exist, I have a feeling that it might be awhile until I find out. (Yes, Viridian Legion is currently on my iPad.)

There is a feeling of the Roman Legionnaires being dropped into a fantasy world with this novel, though there is not a lot of world building. I do hope for more character study in future novels in the series, but am comfortable giving Oblivion a two out of two raven recommendation. Both Huginn and Muninn enjoyed it, though Muninn was a bit more pensive.

You can find out more about the author of Oblivion, Andy Blinston at https://andyblinston.com

12 January, 2021

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books, Reviews
Book Review #137: Imager

Title: Imager
Author: L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Genre: Fantasy
Released: 2009
Located: Chirp, Amazon, Apple’s Books
Formats Available: Audiobook, dead tree and ebook
Rating: PG for suggestive content, mild violence, explosions and mischief.

As I’ve mentioned before, I love books, but hate subscriptions. Audible was a no go for me, I just couldn’t justify the cost for the return (not meaning to demean anyone that loves it. If you find it a good value, good for you!). Chirp just works better for me, especially since I limit myself to the “deal” sections. A month or so back, I picked up a book by Modesitt. I’ve enjoyed a book or two of his in the past, but was unfamiliar with the Imager series. I purchased it (at the time) for less the $5 and gave it a listen.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis:

Although Rhennthyl is the son of a leading wool merchant in L’Excelsis, the capital of Solidar, the most powerful nation on Terahnar, he has spent years becoming a journeyman artist and is skilled and diligent enough to be considered for the status of master artisan-in another two years. Then, in a single moment, his entire life is transformed when his master patron is killed in a flash fire, and Rhenn discovers he is an imager-one of the few in the entire world of Terahnar who can visualize things and make them real.

Rhenn is forced to leave his family and join the Collegium of Imagisle. Because of their abilities (they can do accidental magic even while asleep) and because they are both feared and vulnerable, imagers must live separately from the rest of society. In this new life, Rhenn discovers that all too many of the “truths” he knew were nothing of the sort. Every day brings a new threat to his life. He makes a powerful enemy while righting a wrong, and he begins to learn to do magic in secret. Imageris the innovative and enchanting opening of an involving new fantasy story.

Production/Narrator: The production of this audiobook is topnotch. The narration is fair.

The narration is done by William Dufris. I’ve never listened to anything read by him before. He has a surprising range and capability of doing multiple voices. The only problem I had is that I enjoyed the voices of the supporting character much more than I did his actual voice, which of course is the main character’s and the one used to narrate the story. Since voice is a personal preference, I can’t and won’t mark it down. The quality of the production from Tantor Audio is top notch and the story lasts a respectable time, coming in just four minutes under 18 hours.

Grade: A

Story: I really enjoyed Imager. More than I’ve enjoyed a mass market fantasy novel in a good long time. I don’t know what it was, the characters, the storyline itself, or the way Mr. Modesitt used the supporting characters. I’m guessing it was a bit of all of the preceding. I very much enjoyed the take on magic he uses, which he calls imaging, and the geopolitical ramifications of the nation he has created on his characters.

Grade: A

Verdict: I really did enjoy Imager and feel comfortable giving it my highest two raven rating!

4 March, 2020

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audiobooks, books, Reviews
Book Review #136: Cape Grace

Cover art

Title: Cape Grace
Author: Nathan Lowell
Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera
Released: 2020
Located: Amazon
Formats Available: ebook, paperback coming soon
Rating: PG-13 for violence and abuse

I would be willing to bet that Nathan Lowell has been reviewed more on View from Valhalla than any other author. It isn’t because he pays me (he doesn’t) or because I count him as one of my few true friends (I do). It’s because he writes amazing stories. It is through his stories that our friendship began, but I can honestly say that if you have the chance to talk to Nathan, you’ll want to count him as a friend as well.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: When Otto Krugg’s daughter follows in his footsteps, he’s faced with the task of changing a century long rule that will force her to make decisions no one should have to make.

When Jimmy Pirano gets tasked with enforcing that rule – no matter what – he goes down the rabbit hole to try to find out who established the rule. And why they can’t let it go. (Stolen from Amazon)

Story: This is a sequel and a prequel of sorts. Nathan is most well known for his Golden Age of the Solar Clipper stories. Ishmael Wang lives and breaths in many of our hearts. If you haven’t read these books (or listened to them) I recommend you stop what you’re reading now, and go obtain a copy of Quarter Share. The rest of the series will be waiting for you. The second book in the series (Half Share) introduces us to the character of Sarah Krugg as a young adult and shares with us some of the tragedy she’s all ready experienced. Many readers I’ve conversed with have been haunted by Sarah’s story since they first encountered her.

Mr. Lowell many years ago wrote a story centered on the planet of St. Cloud, South Coast, in which we met the Krugg family, and watched the boy, Otto, that would grow to be Sarah’s father become a young man. Cape Grace finally tells us the story of the previously lost years of Sarah’s childhood.

Setting: Cape Grace takes place predominantly on St. Cloud, a company owned planet where all inhabitants either work for the company or are married to somone that does. If one of these two conditions are not met by the time you’re 18, you are expelled. There is one exception to this rule, and this exception drives the story. Both South Coast and Cape Grace are centered in fishing villages along the coast of the planet. Life on the coast is comprised of hardwork and hard people.

Characters: The story revolves around Sarah and her father Otto. Both are complex beings and are dealing with issues and trials that reduced me to a quivering mass on more than one occassion. Mr. Lowell excels at writing complex characters. His characters are almost always beautifully flawed in all the right ways.

Verdict: Cape Grace is truly amazing. It’s painful in a way that you know it has to be, but that knowledge still doesn’t really prepare you for the reality. There will be a third book in the series, but Mr. Lowell has indicated that Sarah’s story is complete. Anyone that has read Mr. Lowell’s books can verify when I say, he never has promised us a happy ending, and this one was more bittersweet than most.

Grade: A+
Just buy it.

Disclosure: Alhtough I did beta read this story for Mr. Lowell, I did not receive this books in return for a review, and I did purchase a final copy.

Obvious self promotion: As a reminder, I will review books (in ePub or audio) provided for review, but they will be noted as such.

13 February, 2020

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books, Reviews
Review #135: Agents of the Crown (The Complete Series: Books 1-5)

Title: Agents of the Crown, Books 1-5
Author: Lindsay Buroker
Genre: Fantasy
Released: 2018-2019
Located: Audible, Amazon, Apple’s Books
Formats Available: Audiobook and ebook
Rating: PG for suggestive content, mild violence, explosions and mischief.

So, for my first review after years away from the game, I settled on the series Agents of the Crown by Lindsay Buroker. If you’re a longterm reader of View from Valhalla, you might recall I had initially discovered Ms. Buroker due to her Emerpor’s Edge series (which I do recommend). The original version of those books were released as a podcast serial and were read by someone I was familiar with on Twitter. Boy do times change. I am no longer on Twitter (sorry, it’s morphed into something I don’t enjoy), and I am not part of the same reader/author community I was before. To say I am rusty, well, that doesn’t even remotely describe how I’m feeling. However, I am still an avid reader, and when I can afford it, still love a good story being read to me while I drive.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: In a far away kingdom, an immensely powerful soul is trapped in a jewel called a dragon tear. Whoever holds it has access to great magical power, but, as in all times and places, power is seductive and dangerous.

And, as with all trapped souls, this one wants to escape.

~

Orphaned at a young age, Zenia Cham has fought and scraped her way into a position of honor as an inquisitor for one of the city’s temples. But an even greater destiny awaits. Impressed by her deeds, the king offers her a prestigious position as one of his elite Agents of the Crown.

The missions will be dangerous, and she’s not sure she wants the partner she’s being assigned—a cocky noble lord from a wealthy estate—but she has the opportunity to distinguish herself as she serves not only the city but the entire Kingdom.

How could she say no?

There’s just one problem. The king gives her a mysterious dragon tear that’s nothing like the other magical gems she’s seen. She may need its power to stay alive in this perilous new job, but dare she rely upon it?

Production/Narrator: The production of this audiobook is topnotch.

The narration is done by Ms. Vivienne Leheny. I’ve never heard Ms. Leheny read a book before, but she does an admirable job. She does a good job of making good use of inflection rather than voice modulation in making the characters unique. What I mean by that is that Ms. Leheny does change the pitch of her voice to a degree, but leans more heavily (in my opinion) on making each character’s word pacing and diction a bit different rather than relying on pitch. I much prefer this because it is always jarring to me to hear men trying to sound like women, or women trying to sound like men. I enjoyed Ms. Leheny’s voice work quite a bit and wouldn’t hesitate in buying another book narrated by her.

The rest of the production shines as well. I don’t recall a single artifact being heard during the roughly 45 hours of audio the five books entail. (I didn’t add each one, but rather took an average of 9 hours per book. If someone wants to do that which I was too lazy to do, I’ll gladly update the review.)

Grade: A

Story: So, if you’re a fan of Ms. Buroker, you know she’s somewhat prolific. I’ve probably read 15-20 books by her in the last year (okay, listened to some too). Yes, her Emporer’s Edge is what starting me down this path, but I’ve enjoyed several of her series (not to be mentioned yet, they might be reviewed later ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). When I discovered Agents of the Crown on a severe discount several weeks ago, I went ahead and bought all five. (If you’re an Apple user, it looks like the audio version is still cheapest at Apple’s Books.) Since then, I’ve been looking for excuses to be headed down the road, as that’s when I listen to audiobooks.

Setting: The setting of the book is a fantasy world of Ms. Buroker’s creation. One issue you have when listening to a book is you’re never sure of the spellings, and in my case, even remembering the names of places is more difficult without the word recognition. However, it really doesn’t matter to me because this is my favorite kind of world. One with dwarves, elves, orcs, unicorns, trolls, ogres and (yes) dragons. Magic is not easily assessable but not necessarily rare. Firearms are used alongside swords, maces, and hammers. I very much enjoyed Ms. Buroker’s world and would love to visit. At least the human settlements.

Characters: Ms. Buroker might be faulted due to the fact that many of her characters through multiple books share many of the same characteristics. There is often an insecurity that is characteristic of at least one of the main players. Here, it is somewhat apparent in both. There is almost always a love story waiting to jump out of the pages, and Agents of the Crown is no different in that regard. However, I maintain this is only a fault if you don’t like Ms. Buroker’s characters. And this is a situation that has not been an issue for me yet. Zenia and Jevlain, Cutter and Lornish, and the ever present Ree (spellings are mine, sorry) were exceedingly fun and I enjoyed the many hours spent with them.

Plot: In the five stories told in making this series, there truly are five unique stories. Yes, they are connected in a very convincing and important way, but it isn’t one long continuous story. Each of the stories was very good and enjoyed them all. Did I have a favorite? Hmmm… I don’t know. The last, Dragon’s Tear, I enjoyed quite a bit, but it might be standing out the most because I finished it this morning.

I can say this: If you try book one, and it isn’t for you, I don’t feel you have any need to progress. However, if you enjoy it, boy howdy, you’ve got some good hours of reading/listening ahead of you.

Grade: A-

Verdict: I really did enjoy Agents of the Crown and, along with finding my old review files, these stories were tantamount in making me decide to begin reviewing again. If you like a good fantasy/romance that is well told with sarcastic and fun characters, I have no trouble recommending Agents of the Crown.

Thanks.. and don’t forget to choose joy!

Disclosure: I did not receive these books in return for a review. I purchased them from Apple’s books at a time when they were nicely discounted.

As a reminder, I will review books (in ePub or audio) provided for review, but they will be noted as such.

24 January, 2020

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audiobooks, books, Reviews