Blood of the Stars by Karyne Norton - Introduction [Epic Fantasy Audiobook]

Blood of the Stars is the first book in an epic fantasy series full of magic, intrigue, found family, reluctant royalty, and descendants of Stars on the brink of war. Join us on an epic journey over the coming months as we release a few chapters each week of the unabridged narrated novel. 

Karyne  (00:00:14) Are you a fan of epic fantasy? I assume so if you're checking out this podcast. And I think this new podcast is going to make you very, very happy. Because you're about to get over 27 hours of epic fantasy delivered to your ears.

My name is Karyne Norton, and I'm an author, narrator, and podcaster. Blood of the Stars is my debut novel, and it's the first book in an epic fantasy series full of magic, intrigue, found family, reluctant royalty, and descendants of Stars on the brink of war. As of July 2024, it was chosen as a semi-finalist in the 10th annual Self-Publishing Blog Off competition. Want to hear more about it?

Harnessing the power in her blood could turn the tides of war - if it doesn't, destroy her first.

It's been 14 years since Prince Gaeren lost Aeliana, the childhood friend he'd sworn to protect. Haunted by the unfulfilled promise, he searches for a way to bring her home. But with threats against the kingdom from both a rebel faction in the south and Mayvus, a power-hungry priestess in the east, he only has time to follow one last clue across the seas.

Kidnapped as a child, Aeliana is desperate to be rid of the chaotic magic in her blood. Magic her captors use to ravage the land. When she's found by Gaeren's rebel enemies, she joins their fight to rescue her mother from Mayvus. But her unwieldy power only serves to attract Mayvus' attention.

Aeliana must learn to control her magic before they reach her mother or risk becoming the weapon Mayvus needs to take complete control of the kingdom.

The book is narrated by Paeter Frandsen, my brother and host of the Christian Geek Central podcast, and by me. In addition to being an author, I'm also the host of the Finding Fantasy Reads podcast, where my brother and I narrate fantasy short stories to help connect readers and authors. I've always loved writing, but I didn't anticipate loving narrating so much. When my brother and I decided to take the plunge and narrate the audiobooks, I decided I wanted to podcast the first one as a serialized audiobook so I could share it as widely as possible.

I'll be kicking off with the first two episodes on August 30th, 2024. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter or on your favorite podcasting platform to make sure you don't miss it. And if you're looking for something to listen to in the meantime, I highly recommend checking out Finding Fantasy Reads. I'll have a link in the show notes for the episode where Paeter reads the prequel short story to Blood of the Stars to help you get a sense of whether or not you'll like the full novel. I hope you decide to join me on this epic journey over the coming months, and I hope you enjoy every minute of it.