Audio Book Tour Atoned The Wardens Book One by Steven J McHugh

Introduction

I was given a copy of the audiobook as part of a book tour by ZooLoo Book Tours and the Author. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. #AtonedTheWardens #ZooLoosBookTour #ScifiFantasy #SteveJMcHugh #BookTour #AudioBookReview #Podium #FreeReview #AdPR #Gifted

Blurb
Civil War tore across the Union Empire, leaving countless dead in its wake. It was a war started by one man, once beloved by the Empire. His betrayal still lingers in the memory of those who lived through it.
Decades later, his son, Felix Drake, is a Warden tasked with both protecting the ruling members of the Union Empire and its Council, and bringing those powerful and influential people to justice should they break the law.

Drake protects the very Empire his father sought to destroy.

When two members of a Council family are murdered, Drake and his team investigate, only to uncover corruption, resentment, and yet more death.
As the case deepens, Drake is forced back into a life he’d left long ago, bringing with it the same disdain and anger from the very people he’s sworn to protect.

However, he’s no longer a helpless child, and the people who try to intimidate him now are about to discover that Drake is so very much his father’s son.

Review
Below is my original review of the book with the addition of the Audio review below.
Do you enjoy action movies, particularly those of the 80’s variety? Perhaps you love Blade Runner or just a good action sci fi? Well Atoned is the book for you! Despite being a hefty 400 pages I devoured this book in a couple of days (actually over a weekend and by staying up much later than I should!). It is full of action, twists and turns and superb world building. Best of all it has a host of memorable and believable characters to boot.

Felix Drake is a brilliant, although perhaps flawed, protagonist. I adored the way he fights to try and protect the Empire and people his father sought to destroy and the complexity it builds in his character. While I loved all the characters I have to say my favourite was Bokk and I absolutely adored how they were written. It was an android done right but I adored how Bokk had their own personality developing but still maintained the logic side. I could go on for hours about them but I won’t. Beyond the main characters, side ones are also well built and developed. You really get a clear picture of all the characters, not just from description but how they act and feel and I loved it.

This is in part down to the writing which I loved. McHugh is a master at bringing his world to life and best of all fleshing it out in such a way that we don’t get large information dumps and learn about the workings, politics, people etc as we go but in a way it doesn’t break your immersion. On top of that the fighting and action scenes are so real it’s insane. In terms of genre it’s definitely science fiction with a undertone of urban fantasy and perhaps a touch of cyber punk which I loved.

The characters coupled with the writing and genres create an unforgettable, action packed adventure that you cannot help but get hooked into. If you love sci-fi with action, twists and turns, a bit of violence and swearing, realistic and interesting characters and a vibrant world you NEED to get a copy of Atoned as soon as you can!

Additional Review of the Audio Book
What can I say about the audio book version? Well first of all I can say that I loved Tim Gerard Reynolds narration. As you can see I adored the book originally but upon re-reading (or re-listening) I was reminded just how amazing this book is. Reynolds brings the characters to life and I loved each voice but I have to say Bokk, once again, was my favourite!
Podium and Renolds have really done McHugh’s work justice with this audiobook. If you are more of an audiobook lover than this is perfect. Even if you generally aren’t I am sure you will love this one (assuming you love the genre of course).
Very good indepth please remove

About the Author

Steve is a bestselling author of Urban Fantasy and Science Fiction books. His novel, Scorched Shadows, was shortlisted for a Gemmell Award for best novel. He was born in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, but now lives with his wife and three young daughters in Southampton.

Author’s Links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevemc79/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/hellequinchronicles
Twitter : https://twitter.com/StevejMchugh
Website : http://stevejmchugh.wordpress.com

Book Links
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/197452731-atoned

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