The Knights of Betha (Volume 1)

McKernan’s performance is the standout here—she doesn’t just voice the characters, she *channels* them. The way she shifts between the gravelly growl of Commander Orlan and the eerie, whispery detachment of the time-broken mage Veyra is nothing short of hypnotic. The production quality is solid, with dynamic sound design that places you in the middle of the chaos without drowning out the dialogue. That said, the story’s pacing is *brutal* in the worst way—what promises to be an intricate dance of cause and effect instead feels like a drunkard stumbling through a hedge maze. The first act drags under the weight of excessive exposition, and the midsection collapses under its own ambition, asking us to care about a dozen underdeveloped threads before they’ve even been planted. Where the book shines is in its villain, the enigmatic High Chronomancer, whose cold, calculating menace is a refreshing break from the usual mustache-twirling antagonists. The combat scenes are visceral, with McKernan’s narration making every clash of steel feel immediate. But the ending? A masterclass in wheel-spinning. The cliffhanger does nothing to resolve the central conflict, and the audiobook’s runtime feels like a cruel joke when you’re left with more questions than answers. It’s ambitious to a fault, and while I admire the audacity, I can’t ignore how much it stumbles under the load.