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A Forest of Vanity and Valour
- The Levanthria Series, Book 1
- Narrated by: Aaron Smith
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
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Publisher's Summary
An aggressive debt collector banished from the kingdom. Now his life depends on his ability to help the less fortunate....
Vireo Reinhold relishes collecting his monarch’s proper dues. Working hard to prolong and fund the king’s never-ending war, the self-centered official revels in the perks of luxury that come with his unorthodox role. But his world upends when he unearths an ancient spellbook that promises to unlock a shadowy, forgotten magic. Embroiled in a secret affair with a fellow noble’s wife, Vireo is mortified when he’s forced to commit an unthinkable act. Driven into exile, no longer able to coerce the vulnerable, and with the powerful tome in his enemy’s hands, the fallen agent’s only shot at survival hangs on his skills at saving others.
Can Vireo redeem himself as the people’s champion before they all fall to a sinister fate?
A Forest of Vanity and Valour is the dark first book in the Tales of Levanthria fantasy-retelling series. If you like fast-paced action, evil-to-good transformations, and classic stories with a twist, then you’ll love A.P Beswick’s ominous tale. Buy A Forest of Vanity and Valour to fight for what’s right today!
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What listeners say about A Forest of Vanity and Valour
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-27-22
Great telling of a classic tale
This is an amazing story and read even better. The author takes the story of Robin Hood and flips it on its head. You can see the forest of the Robin Hood sorry in the trees. But it is told in a completely different way. All the elements are there, but you will be surprised at the way the tale twist and turns. I’m so happy I found this story and can’t wait for the next two books.
1 person found this helpful
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- Jurgon66
- 07-15-22
It was one of the worst books I've ever read
It was terrible, poorly written and hastily slapped together. The author pulled way to much from Robin Hood and King Arthur without creating his own environment or world or really anything. He had a decent idea and sloppy execution. Overall I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who enjoys literature or stories in general.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-10-22
This book reads like polished Robin Hood fanfic.
The premise of this book is great. A modern retelling of Robin Hood is a great idea for modern fantasy readers. Aaron Smith does a fantastic job narrating and his performance as every character is convincing and enjoyable. However, this book as it is right now is in need of a serious rewrite and another pass through an editor. In short, the main protagonist, Vireo, is the source of nearly every single problem in this book, but the book itself is written in a way that tries to convince you he's the good guy. If you value books that aren't full of deus ex machina tropes, characters that are interesting, or stories that are just well written, pass on this book. If you want to know more of what I think, keep reading.
*Spoilers ahead*
The book bounces back and forth between two characters, Vireo and Jareb, the "protagonist" and "antagonist" (I'll get into why I put those words in quotations later). Jareb is the steward of a kingdom who is trying his best to care for his people of his kingdom while his brother, the king, is off fighting a war. Vireo and his two companions (I forget their names) are debt collectors sent out to take from those who haven't paid their dues to the kingdom and fund the king's war. However, Vireo is secretly having an affair with Jareb's wife, Alana. Vireo and Alana plan to run away and start a new life. but Jareb discovered their betrayal. Alana, in a desperate plea for mercy, tells Jareb she's pregnant with his child, but plot twist! Jareb's sterile and can't have children. That's Vireo's child, baby. Jareb is quite reasonably pissed off and forces Vireo to kill Alana. In short, Beswick fridges Alana because he needs the two main characters to hate each other.
Vireo and his companions then flee to an enchanted forest where four of the aforementioned deus ex machina tropes are pulled over and over, back to back three or four times where they're attacked and miraculous saved by fantasy wolves or by someone arriving at the last second with some elixir to save someone from imminent peril. Vireo basically sulks about "how his one and only love Alana was murdered by the terrible Jareb" and barely does anything to prove why in the hell he's worthy of being the protagonist at all. Meanwhile, Jareb (an interesting character at the beginning of the book) meets a dark sorceress named Morgana (Seriously? Morgana? Everyone else has a new, made up name and you named your evil sorceress Morgana? 🙄) and slowly turns from a monarch doing his best for the people to such a boring, one-note villain only interested in getting revenge on Vireo for sleeping with his wife.
In summary, Viero is a P.O.S and not worthy of being the main hero. Jareb is a far more interesting character (one I was rooting for throughout the book), but is transformed a mustache twirling villain from an 80's cartoon. The side characters have interesting beats here and there, but this book is so poorly written that it's not worth your time. If Alana was originally Vireo's partner and murdered by Jareb for some reason, then this would be an okay book. But as it is right now, Vireo is the main source of every single problem in this story and does absolutely nothing to redeem himself. He let's his friends and allies do that for him while he reaps the benefits. He never changes, though A.P. Beswick wants you so desperately to believe so.
Bad book. Don't read.
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- Gartjack
- 06-29-22
Good listen!
Good book, interesting retelling of a classic tale. I will definitely listen to the next books in the series!
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- DYLAN JOHN
- 06-23-22
better than I could have hoped for
first audio book ever. found myself trapped in the story ignoring phone calls as they were interrupting. my new favorite story. best version on a robin hood/ Merlin ish wizard tale, since the originals! instant classic deserves a movie right away
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- Robert E.
- 06-19-22
amazing twist on tales of stories already told
was amazing from start to finish only issue was it was shorter than I liked... I was left wanting more
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-01-22
this is very good
easily finished a novel retelling very worth your time I look forward to book two
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- ShaneB88
- 07-26-22
Easy listening
Great story, a retold tale that we all know with a fresh new twist. leaves you with questions, without feeling like you are strung along and trapped to buy the next in the series. can not wait for the next one to be released on audio book.
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- Ricky Turnbull
- 06-06-22
Fan of classic storytelling.
Being a fan of classic stories like Robin Hood and fantasy I was very intrigued by this book. I've read and now listened to the audio book and the narration has been almost perfect to how I've imagined each character. The story itself has kept me wanting to listen and read constantly right up till the very end. Throughly enjoyed. Great writing by A.P Beswick.
Highly recommend.