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A Touch of Poison

Shadows of the Tenebris Court, Book 2

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A Touch of Poison

By: Clare Sager
Narrated by: Sarah Sampino, Liam Price
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About this listen

In Elfhame, bargains are currency, lies are weapons, and your heart is your greatest weakness.

Reeling from Bastian's revelations, Kat wakes from her dire illness wanting nothing more than to sever all ties with the man who betrayed her. But fate has a different plan—she's trapped in Elfhame, the fae realm where nothing is as it seems. And worse, she's trapped with him, reliant on his touch to stave off a poison that threatens her very life.

Thrust into the center of Dusk and Dawn Courts, they must balance the two in order to maintain a delicate peace. But in a world where alliances are forged and shattered in a heartbeat, danger looms. A mysterious group infiltrates the city, and spies whisper of an ancient artifact powerful enough to destroy an entire court.

As enemies close in from all sides and attacks on the city escalate, Kat and Bastian must unearth deadly secrets and their own complicated feelings to survive—or risk a war to destroy faekind itself.

Full of betrayal, bargains, and broken hearts, A Touch of Poison is the spellbinding second book in Shadows of the Tenebris Court, a searing romantic fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and A Court of Thorns and Roses. Intended for mature listeners.

©2023 Clare Sager (P)2024 Podium Audio Dark Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Romance Royal Romance Royalty Heartfelt

Continue the series
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A Promise of Lies By: Clare Sager
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I have mixed feelings about this series. Beautifully written and interesting story but it dragged on at times. Narration is great but some of the female narrator’s pronunciation was jarring and I am British so it did stick out when she mangled the vowels.

I probably will read the third book but I’m not counting down the minutes to its release. Not sure I recommend it exactly but it wasn’t the worst books I’ve ever purchased.

Great but…

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I loved the character progression and plot development in this book after A Kiss of Iron. It was great to see Kat really come to know, accept and embrace who she is - and to see Bastian start down that path for himself too.

As in A Kiss of Iron, the female narrator was fantastic. However, the male narrator really took me out of the story. The fact that almost every sentence/phrase ended on an upward inflection was really distracting. It actually made me think his voice could be AI generated.

In this book and in A Kiss of Iron, the female narrator’s range, tone, pacing, breath control and consistency all enhanced my understanding of Bastian’s character. Her delivery matched the words and character on the page.

On the other hand, the male narrator’s delivery (flat and at times whiny) seemed completely at odds with Bastian’s character.

Personally, I’d love to see the female narrator deliver all the lines again for the next book.

Great story, not so great male narrator

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Good story, shame about the bl**dy awful male narrator: his strange inflection of ending every sentence with a raised tone as if a question, and yet monotone everywhere else spoiled the book for me. A shame when the female was brilliant, and even did a better job at the male voices! Ug

The male narrator is DIRE

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The first book? Absolutely amazing. The female narrator? Incredible.

If the first book had included a male POV like this one, I probably wouldn’t have finished it nearly as quickly — and that’s saying something.

This is, hands down, one of the best-written books I’ve read in its genre in a while. I genuinely want to finish it, and that’s the only reason I’m willing to make pauses.

But here’s the problem: I keep finding myself taking long breaks during the male-narrated chapters. And during one of those pauses I thought: I should just write the review now.

The male narrator’s voice? Let’s just say it feels more suited for reading historical documentaries or solving math problems aloud. (“Two plus two equals… ahem… four.”) It’s clear, sure — I’ll give it that — but completely void of the emotional cadence the story calls for.

I’m baffled. How do you cast someone so perfectly for one POV and then completely miss the mark with the other?

A wonderful book with a painfully mismatched male narrator

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Whilst I enjoy a female/male narrator split I'm afraid the almost AI sounding Bastian voice spoils the book, made me often drift off and found me scrolling to see when Kats next chapter began. TBH if I hadnt already invested in the storyline and was considering listening to the audiobook id pass, read it & let my imagination do a better job.

THE MALE VOICE MATTERS IN AN AUDIOBOOK

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