The Halls of Magic: Volume 2

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the premise at first—*another* ‘plucky underdog vs. the magical elite’ story? But *The Halls of Magic: Volume 2* won me over in under an hour, thanks to its razor-sharp narration and Hawthorne’s knack for subverting tropes. **Melisandre Verte** is the star here: her delivery of the protagonist’s internal monologue (think *‘Oh great, my fireball just set my own sleeve on fire’*) had me laughing out loud on my commute. Meanwhile, **Patrick Dubois**’s velvety villain voices make the antagonists feel like genuine threats, not cartoonish baddies. The production quality is flawless—no awkward pauses or volume jumps—just seamless immersion. The story’s pacing is where things get interesting. The first act hums along with a mix of heist-like tension and sitcom-esque misfortune (a cursed teapot subplot is *chef’s kiss*), but the middle drags slightly during a lore-heavy interlude about mage guild politics. That said, the payoff—a climactic duel where our ‘hero’ wins by exploiting a *loophole* in spellcasting rules—is worth the temporary lull. My only real critique? The romantic subplot feels tacked on, like Hawthorne wasn’t sure whether to lean into satire or sincerity. But when the focus stays on the magic system’s creative brutality (teleportation with *nausea* as a side effect? Genius.), this audiobook is pure gold. If you’re burned out on grimdark or saccharine fantasies, this is the palate cleanser you need.