Dragon Badge

I’ll admit, I side-eyed *Dragon Badge* at first. Another ‘chosen one’ cop with a secret lineage? But Moon subverts expectations by making Prim’s heritage feel like a burden, not a power fantasy. His reactions to dragons and demons are refreshingly human—less ‘cool hero’ and more ‘tired guy who just wants his coffee.’ Morse’s performance nails this tone, especially in the early chapters where Prim’s skepticism drips from every line. His delivery during action scenes is less polished (a few awkward pauses during fight choreography), but his emotional beats land hard, particularly in the quieter moments when Prim grapples with his father’s legacy. The plot’s biggest strength—and weakness—is its pacing. The first act drags with small-town cop routines, but the payoff arrives when the supernatural bleeds into Prim’s cases. A mid-book reveal about his father’s past feels rushed, though, like Moon got impatient with the slow burn. The sound production is clean but unremarkable; no immersive effects, just Morse’s voice carrying the weight. Still, the audiobook shines in its refusal to romanticize fantasy tropes. If you’re craving a story where magic feels like an inconvenience and heroism is a side gig, this delivers. Just don’t expect polished prose or a narrator who’ll wow you with vocal acrobatics.