Through the Last Door cover art

Through the Last Door

Sacred Guardian, Book 1

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Through the Last Door

By: J.A. Jaken
Narrated by: Dan Calley
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About this listen

When Kaori Sansa’s father dies, he is forced to return home to claim the throne as the rightful heir of the country of Kazure. In the aftermath of his father’s death, he learns that the country he loves is riddled with corruption, and is hovering on the brink of war.

Will he be able to hold the kingdom together despite the odds that are stacked against it and, somehow, unlock the buried powers of Shinja, the Sacred Beast of Kazure?

Sacred Guardian, book one

©2018 J.A. Jaken (P)2021 J.A. Jaken Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Literature & Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy

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This book was a real surprise. The blurb got my interest, but the story is much deeper and more complicated than I have expected.
It starts when Kaori is forced to return to Kazure. Soon he walks a tightrope. He has to face political intrigues and other problems.
I enjoyed Kaoris character a lot. He has learned and studied a lot but he still feels unsecure in his new position. With the death of His father his whole world changed. His character development is exciting. Fortunately he is not alone. Hunter, his Guardian and a few close friends support him.
They All have to face difficult situations and all their skills are needed.
Hunter is very supportive towards Kaori and his story is touching.
I loved the way Hunter and Kaori interact with each other. There is a slow building tension between these two men. But the romance is a minor matter compared to all the breathtaking problems they have to solve.
The next two books in this series have already been published and I hope the audiobook will follow soon. I can't wait to meet Kaori and Hunter again.
The narrator Dan Calley is a very good choice. His slightly soothing voice carried me away easily.

An adventures fantasy with a slow burn romance.

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This was a new to me author and I must say that I am pleasantly suprised by the book, this is thefirst in a series. I was quickly swept up in the story , also due to the great narration. This story has all the twist and turns of a proper world building . I really enjoy the fact that there is a good storyline with the romance simmering on the side. I am lookibg forward to read or listen to the next volumes in the series.This audiobook was given to me to leave an honest review.

4,5 stars

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The blurb of this book totally appealed to me as a fantasy fan and I became really curious about this story. "Through the Last Door" surprised me with a wonderful writing style and a fantastically described fantasy world.

You have time to become familiar with the world and its protagonists. You get to know Kaori, who interrupts his studies to return to Kazure after the death of his father, the king.
Kaori is an incredibly sympathetic character, who is supposed to take over the rule of Kazure and now has to find his way around in his position. In doing so, he performs some tasks quite differently than expected, and so Kaori sets out to get his own picture of the borders of his realm.
He is assisted by his equally brave and strong Guardian Hunter, as well as other companions. The secondary characters were created as lovingly as profoundly and you quickly take them into your heart.

Both the main protagonists and the secondary protagonists have many character traits that bring them to life: they are intelligent, brave, gentle, sometimes funny and sometimes insecure, yet loyal and honest.
The friends get into difficult situations that they have to overcome and that do not leave the listener untouched. On the contrary, I was rooting for them, fighting along with them, and suffering along with them.

I was absolutely captivated by both the development of the story and the development of Kaori and Hunter's relationship.
The descriptions of the lands, the people who live in them, the myths, and the political power plays and machinations, are also masterfully done by the author.

The audiobook was narrated by Dan Calley and I admit it: it took me a few chapters to get into the audiobook, because I had to get used to his British pronunciation. But that's because English is not my first language. Dan Calley has a talent for bringing the story to life with his great voice. He gives each character their own voice and pitch, which I really enjoyed.

I received a review copy from the author, this is my honest review.

I highly recommend "Sacred Guardian, Book 1" for lovers of epic fantasy and look forward to seeing what happens next with Kaori and Hunter!

Epic Fantasy

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A truly first class fantasy story. It is well thought out and truly creative. I really enjoyed the development of the main character from student to King - Oh !!! To have a leader like Kaori is becoming.!!! I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series.
The whole experience is enhanced by an excellent narrator.

Brilliant !

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The concept is interesting and well written. The characters are likeable and the narration is good.

Enjoyable Story

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A fantasy adventure story of a young man who suddenly becomes a king and his loyal guard. Reeeaally slow burn romance. I did enjoy the story and the fantasy setting but I would've liked more love scenes. There's lot of action, magic and fighting with evil and a satisfying HEA.
Dan Calley had a good voice for a story like this, even if he does sound bit too old for Kaori.

Good adventure

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Loved the story but the narrator leaves something to be desired. He's great when he's voicing other characters but his voice lacks a certain something between speach. You could definitely fall asleep to his voice but, I'm trying to listen at work!

Great story

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Readers interested in fantasy historical adventure stories on epic scale are in for a real treat. The time of events is not clearly defined but as horses are main method of transport and swords and arrows are the weapons of war we are definitely going back in time to land ruled by Shogun like warlords who swear fealty to High Lord and king of Kazure. The story opens with the death of the king and his son and heir Kaori Sansa has to interrupt his studies at the university and return home to take over the rule of Kazure. On his return everyone expects him to keep things going as they have before but the new young king has ideas of his own and decides to visit the border lords to see for himself how his kingdom is faring in reality and why there is a new feeling of gathering threat from the neighboring lands. He travels with his loyal retinue of servants who are more like friends. The closest is Hunter, the bodyguard since childhood who has personal experience of organised child slavery that plagues the borderlands and whose fighting skills as a lead member of fearless Assassins Guild are put to test time and again on their quest to find the source of corruption and criminality.
This first installment in what doubtless will be an epic series is beautifully written with intricate world building both in terms of the lands, customs and people; but also the inner thoughts of the main characters. The political plotting and powerplay lay rich setting for the culminating events for this book but it is clear the extensive groundwork is made for following episodes in this fantasy tale of magic and monsters - both human and bugs.
Dan Calley did a great job in bringing the characters to iife with different accents and voices. His voice is well suited for this style of story and I hope the subsequent installments will be narrated by him to keep the unity.
I highly recommend this book for lovers of epic fantasy where the detailed world building and rich description is essential part of the enjoyment.

Fantasy on grand scale

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Amazing world building in this Sacred Guardian series book 1. I loved the slow burn relationship of Kaori and Hunter but there is so much more to the story! Love and loss, getting over the past, politics, adventure, mysticism. I was particularly caught by whether kaori would learn how to summon Shinja and also the analogy of exploring the rooms of the mansion inside in us in order to grow. The narration using various British accents was unusual but won me over and became seamless, adding to the colour of the plot. I can’t wait to see how Kaori and Hunter continue their love and lives and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!

An awesome new world to explore!

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