Eleventh Cycle

I had the pleasure of joining the Escapist Book Co book tour for this, and I was hooked up with an ebook for the event from the author. Due to time constraints, I decided to grab a copy of the audio anyway, and the two narrators did a great job. 
This is book one of the dark epic fantasy series ‘Mistland' and it's a chonky one. The author definitely smacks you right in the middle of a very diverse and deep world. Minethria is suffering from darkness and rot. The Elders remain silent, the eleventh seed may be too late, but there are mortals at play here as well. Will it be enough? 
Firstly, I loved how much is going on here. There are so many things mentioned that don't play out in this novel that it seems like the author really knows the trajectory they're on with this series. And with that, I'm impressed, because that's a fine line to dance on where it could easily be too much. It's not. There's some great diversity in this novel, with new and intriguing races, as well as a good balance of both strong female and male characters. 
Secondly, there is some phenomenal characterization here. The characters are dynamic and ever changing. They each have their own arcs and developing to go through, and it was fantastic to get to read through their journeys. I will say for the male and female narrators, they each brought a slew of different accents and voices to the table, and that definitely helped to sell the characters as well. So, although I absolutely would like one of these for my shelf now, the audio was an invaluable way to experience the storyline. 
I will say I was not a fan of the spice/smut, nor the like genuine chapter of phallic descriptions, but not everything is for everyone. 
Great action, fantastic descriptions, and a lot of fantasy fun (and pain). Personally a 4/5* for me. I look forward to seeing where this series can go.