The Half-Assed Wizard by Gary Jonas Narrator: Joe Hempel
Series: The Half-Assed Wizard #1
Published by Denton & White on 09-11-17
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Narrator
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Overal Rating:
A couple of jerks wake me up at the crack of noon. Seems my klepto uncle stole an ancient deck of Tarot cards from a high-powered wizard, and too many losers want to ruin my day to get them back.
The cards are cool, so I check them out, but my magic-happy cousin, Sabrina, tells me I'm not supposed to touch them. Oops. Too late. Now the damn cards are tuned to me, and if someone else wants to use them, I have to die. Why couldn't she have led with that information?
Magic was never my scene, but my dad is one of the most powerful wizards in the world, so I've got unrealized potential if I ever bother to apply myself. I'd rather power nap, but with wizards, gunslingers, and cannibalistic shark dudes coming at me, that's not gonna happen.
They say I'm a half-assed wizard, but if I don't play my cards right, I'm gonna get my whole ass killed.
Brett’s father is one of the most powerful wizards in the word, but Brett is just not interested in magic. He likes the easy life that comes with family money, and his expectations in life are none beyond playing with his band. One day Brett receives a mysterious package that will get him of of his comfort zone and in great danger. He will either have to change his ways or die.
As a fan of Jonathan Shade’s adventures, I was looking forward to this book. Among all the epic fantasy books, finding gems like this urban fantasy book is simply refreshing. It is not that I don’t like epic fantasy, I love it, but sometimes characters and situations we can easily relate too are welcome. Gary Jonas writes very vivid and down to earth characters and great dialogs. His books have that fresh humor so difficult to find in fantasy books, and this is what makes them amazing and original.
Brett is not an especially likable character, and that means that he will have to undergo an evolution, apart from using his cheecky techniques, to be able to save his bacon. This will make Brett an interesting character.
The ending is somehow predictable, but I still enjoyed the ride. I was a funny and light listen, ideal for a lazy day. I wish the next book was already available.
I really enjoyed Joe Hempel’s narration. He has wonderful character interpretation skills, giving the right amount of emotion, irony, and sarcasm. Hempel has a decent voice range and knows how to use in a subtle way, something important when narrating audiobooks. The best part is that he makes you forget that you are listening to a book, to the point that you feel part of the story.
I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.| Story (Plot) |
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My name is Elena. Since I was a little child I loved science fiction and fantasy, and I can’t resist a good novel. In 2015, while wait I started to listen to audiobooks and I discovered the pleasure in being able to read while doing my daily tasks, so there’s always an audiobook playing on my phone. If you see me with my Bluetooth headphones on, please be gentle, I get easily startled.
I live with my boyfriend, which I met during my six-year stay in Belgium, four cockatiels, eight lovebirds, and a hamster in Madrid, Spain; and I like to spend my free time knitting and sewing while listening to audiobooks.
