Author: JMD Reid

Narrator: Zachary Johnson

Length: 112 hours 31 minutes

Series: The Storm Below, Books 1-5

Publisher: Dreaming Between Worlds Publishing LLC

Producer: Audiobook Empire

Released: Jan. 12, 2022

Genre: Epic Fantasy

The Stormriders approach, certain to leave death and destruction in their wake. Can one young man find a way to defeat them?

Ten years after his father’s death, the memory of the attack still haunts 19-year-old Ary. On the eve of the draft, he faces his greatest fear: being sent to join the marines.

He knows the cost of war.

Ary dreams of marrying his childhood sweetheart, building a farm, and starting a family. But the Stormriders threat of war puts his loved ones and his plans in jeopardy.

Wishing for peace won’t make it true.

For love, for his people, and for the life he desires, Ary makes a decision that will change everything. Thus begins The Storm Below.

This bundle contains the complete Storm Below Saga – that’s five audiobooks of epic fantasy! Listen to:

  • Above the Storm
  • Reavers of the Tempest
  • Storm of Tears
  • Golden Darkness Descends
  • Shattered Sunlight

The Storm Below is a beautifully creative fantasy epic. Action-packed, dark, and intense, this fantasy series features characters you are certain to love…and others you will love to hate.

J.M.D. Reid has been a long-time fan of Fantasy ever since he read The Hobbit way back in the fourth grade. His head has always been filled with fantastical tales, and he is eager to share the worlds dwelling in his dreams with you.

Reid is long-time resident of the Pacific Northwest in and around the City of Tacoma. The rainy, gloomy atmosphere of Western Washington, combined with the natural beauty of the evergreen forests and the looming Mount Rainier, provides the perfect climate to brew creative worlds and exciting stories!

When he’s not writing, Reid enjoys playing video games, playing D&D and listening to amazing music.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads⎮Amazon

Lover of mathematics, devourer of science fiction, and connoisseur of the dad joke. When he’s not doing math for business or fun, he’s devouring science fiction and fantasy, reading up on scientific advancements, going for a jog, or, on all too rare occasions, taking a refreshing swim at the beach. At your service, you shall have an able storyteller and gifted conveyor of information. Experienced in narrating fiction, from the romantic to the post-apocalyptic, and nonfiction, from the historical to the corporate, and armed with the tools to make it all sound great, Zachary promises that, no matter the job, you’ll be read-iculously pleased!

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

At Audiobook Empire, audio reigns supreme, narrators are hailed as heroes, and headphones are worn with pride.

Marrying pomp and circumstance with quality you can count on, Audiobook Empire is a full-service production house that produces and promotes audiobooks with gusto.

Give your audiobook the imperial treatment by producing it with Audiobook Empire.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

Overall: 4 out of 5
Narration: 4 out of 5
Story: 4 out of 5

Overall: An interesting series, with fun characters that I grew to love. My only real complaint about the narration is I wouldn’t listen to it with earbuds in as there were some volume differences, and it could become uncomfortable if you adjust it with earbuds in.

Narration: I thought Johnson did a great job bringing the characters and stories to life. It was easy to distinguish between the individual characters, and with a listen this long that’s extremely important. I would absolutely listen to more books narrated by Johnson in the future. As I mentioned above, my only complaint was some volume issues, but that might be a backend editing issue.

Story: 

Book 1 – Above the Storm: Great start to the series. Wonderful world building, a bit of steampunk plus magic. I loved Ary from the start, and enjoyed following his character arc. The characters were complex, and I enjoyed the depth they had to them. Everything was very descriptive, and for the most part moved along smoothly.

Book 2 – Reavers of the Tempest: Although this is part romance (a love triangle is an undercurrent of the story), there was also plenty of action and magic. Characters we’re already familiar with return, and we get to watch them grow and change anymore. We do get to learn more about the belief system of this world, which adds some nice depth to the setting.

Book 3 – Storm of Tears: I’ve really become attached to Ary at this point. My heart really went out to him with some of the things that occured in this book. I’m really fascinated with how much depth the world has, and I have to applaud Reid for continuing to grow it in each subsequent volume. There were plenty of twists to keep you guessing throughout, and it’s a great addition to the series.

Book 4 – Golden Darkness Descends: I know I’ve mostly talked about Ary, but I’ve come to realize I’m also kind of attached to Chaylene. They make such a perfect pair, and although the romance isn’t a focal point, it certainly adds to the story. I spent the entire story cheering them on as they faced down such a big task. Definitely looking forward to book five!

Book 5 – Shattered Sunlight: A great way to end the series, with many revelations, and things get neatly wrapped up by the end. I finished this feeling a sense of closure, which is always nice when reaching the end of such an epic story arc spanning so many books. Absolutely start with book one, but don’t be daunted by the length of book five when it comes to finish reading the series.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Audiobook Empire. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Click here to view the full tour schedule!

Plugging you into the audio community since 2016.

Sign up as a tour host here.