Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: A (Non) Comprehensive Guide to Sea Serpents
SERIES: Sorcerer’s Grimoire #1
AUTHOR: AJ Sherwood
NARRATORS: David Lee Huynh
LENGTH: 9 hours and 51 minutes
PUBLISHER: Podium Audio
RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2024
BLURB:
Two new apprentices. One charming engineer. A potential battle with both sea serpents and evil sorcerers.
When Sorcerer Adrien Danvers takes on a job that leads him into the slums of England, he never imagined he’d end up with not one but two apprentices. Despite his doubts about himself, he’s the only chance the two pre-teens have to escape their hellish life.
When Sir Hugh Quartermain contracts him to deal with the mysterious circumstances surrounding his home on the Isle of Man, Adrien finds the more time they spend together, the more his walls come down around the beguiling engineer—an unusual occurrence and a terrifying prospect.
As it turns out, this case is about to take a turn—a battle with both beast and man, the ultimate test of Adrien’s willingness to accept help. When he does, Hugh proves to be a fierce protector and friend, more so than Adrien could’ve ever bargained for, and he finds himself longing for something he shouldn’t.
Falling for his new friend is not a complication Adrien needs. (His matchmaking apprentices disagree.)
REVIEW:
This is an excellent start to what I’m hoping will be a long-running series from AJ Sherwood because I just love the world and characters presented here in this new book!. There are Sorcerers and sea serpents and magic, oh my! And there are engineers and street urchins and found family and some surprises. And dark magic and bad guys and a potential relationship for two men who have been alone for a long while. And the more adorable matchmakers of all time!
Our intrepid sorcerer Adrien appears to be prickly on the outside – and he certainly is with those who have done him dirty – but he’s really a teddy bear with a tender heart. When he saves, healds and takes in the young unrecognized sorcerer Julian, and MacMallan, Julian’s brother of the heart, well he’s in a bit over his head. He’s never had an apprentice and these two have been working as underage prostitutes 🙁 He certainly cannot leave them to their fate. He has no idea how to raise children and these kids have been fending for themselves on the streets for far too long. They are uneducated but clearly they are both intelligent. He really needs to train Julian in his magic. Adrien who is a sorcerer of wide renown realizes that someday his charge may be more powerful than he is and he wants to make sure that he is well trained and cared for. MacMillan has a penchant for “fixing” things. It’s clear he has an engineering bent, but he’s loathe to leave Julian and Adrien so he’ll act as Adrien’s valet – which Adrien doesn’t really need.
The boys take to their education and training like ducks to water. Julian’s affinity for magic is quite shocking – not only to Adrien but to his best friends, twin sorcerers Cynric and Anastasia. THey help him with the boys – who are quite smitten with “Miss Stacey” and Cyn – and his dog 😉 They agree to help the boys as well and they make a sort of found family.
When Adrien is asked to help with a VERY big problem with potential Sea Serpents around a mind by one Sir Hugh Quartermain, the boys get a taste of what magic and really do. Hugh happens to be an engineer of some renown as well and he is happy to let MacMallin tag along to his factories and see what troubleshooting is really about. But to the battle at hand – get into the mine that Sir High needs to get raw materials from – Adrien is going to have to call on all his magical powers. He lets Julian assist, but then has to call in the big guns – his besties.
Hugh is quite taken with Adrien and wants to at least be friends. Adrien has been rejected by his family though because of his orientation and he’s hasn’t put himself out there. His young charges want him to be happy though and so they set about making it clear to Hugh that he’s going to have to make the first move 🙂 Even Cyn and Stacey get in on the act to try to persuade these two to maybe be more than friends 😉
This is such a good story! I loved every second. Adrien and Hugh are really a good match. They are so different and het both are such good men. They bond over the task in front of them. Hugh clearly trusts Adrien. And the more he knows him, the more he wants to know. He is so impressed with how Adrien has taken in Julian and MacMallin and he genuinely wants to help – especially when he sees MacMallin’s natural skills and curiosity about how things work. Adrien realizes that Hugh is not at all the stuffy man he though he might be given his title. He’s a hard worker and he’s not out to screw the little guy at all. There is dark magic afoot and a giant surprise when they “storm the castle” with the help of the locals who all have Hugh’s back – which also says a lot about his character. This is a VERY slow burn – like maybe just a match 😉 Not even a kiss to be had here, but it sets the stage for what I hope is going to be an enduring series and build on a relationship of friends to more.
This audio is outstanding. I’ve never heard Mr. Huynh before but he is a great talent. His accents, his inflection and emotional deliver were perfect for a wide cast of characters. Young, old, male, female. all were distinct and appropriate for the time and place. I thought both MCs were just pitch perfect. I loved his interpretation for Julian and MacMallin as well. Cyn and Stacey are interesting side characters and I loved their sense of adventure. Just a really complete performance. Highly recommended. CANNOT WAIT for book 2!
RATING: 
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