D. K. Holmberg has 16 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 4 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.8★ across 11 ratings. The most-rated is The Dark Ability.
The Dark Ability
Summary
Exiled by his family. Claimed by thieves. Could his dark ability be the key to his salvation? Rsiran is a disappointment to his family, gifted with the ability to Slide. It is a dark magic, one where he can transport himself wherever he wants, but using it will only turn him into the thief his father fears. Forbidden from Sliding, he's apprenticed under his father as a blacksmith where lorcith, a rare, precious metal with arcane properties, calls to him, seducing him into forming forbidden blades. When discovered, he's banished, sentenced indefinitely to the mines of Ilphaesn Mountain. Though Rsiran tries to serve obediently, to learn to control the call of lorcith as his father demands, when his life is threatened in the darkness of the mines, he finds himself Sliding back to Elaeavn, where he finds a black market for his blades - and a new family of thieves. There someone far more powerful than him discovers what he can do and intends to use him. He doesn't want to be a pawn in anyone's ambitions; all he ever wanted was a family. But the darkness inside him cannot be ignored - and he's already embroiled in an ancient struggle that only he may be able to end.
©2015 D.K. Holmberg (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
Ice Dragon
Summary
When a mysterious stranger brings word of a dragon, Jason's whole world changes. The northern mountain village offers protection from the threat of dragons, but is a difficult place, especially for a misfit like Jason Dreshen. His days are spent hunting for food for his family, praying for warmth, and trying to hide his strange silver eye that grants him dragon sight. When a stranger visits during the local Freedom Festival searching for a different kind of dragon, everything changes. Forced down the mountainside, Jason learns the truth of powers he'd only heard about in rumors. While running from deadly Dragon Souls, he finds he might have more of a connection to magic than only dragon sight. In order to save himself and stop the Dragon Souls, he must learn a truth about himself that leads him closer to the one thing he fears above all others: dragons. Somehow, he might be the only one able to protect them from the Dragon Souls, but how can he protect what he hates?
©2020 D. K. Holmberg (P)2020 Tantor
The Tower of Venass
Summary
Master of lorcith. Gifted with Sliding. Pawn of the Forgotten. Rsiran now understands that he can use not only the arcane power of lorcith, but also that of heartstone. This ability makes him powerful, perhaps too powerful for some. Others know of his ability and seek to use him. After Brusus is attacked, Rsiran makes a decision that requires an unlikely ally, and brings him to dangerous Thyr, where the Scholars of Venass offer their aid, but for a price. But the scholars want Rsiran for the same reason as the Forgotten. While he strives to discover why, what he finds changes everything that he has come to believe, as he learns that the struggle he's seen is only the beginning to a greater battle. And somehow he's the key to ending it.
©2016 D.K. Holmberg (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
Iron Dragon
Summary
To protect the dragon misfits, he must first understand them. Jason has returned to the normalcy of the mountain village, but nothing is as it had been. Now connected to the Ice Dragon and responsible for keeping his presence a secret, it won't be long before the Dragon Souls return. They know the Ice Dragon exists and will stop at nothing to control him. When the Ice Dragon makes a request of Jason to search for other dragons like him, how can he refuse? The search leads Jason away from home and into direct conflict with those searching for another dragon misfit. Jason must find the dragon and a way to protect it before the Dragon Souls bring the full might of their force to bear. The arrival of a familiar foe forces Jason to look for help, but how can those of Dragon Haven trust him when they think he's betrayed them?
©2020 D. K. Holmberg (P)2020 Tantor
Forest Dragon
Summary
Jason has uncovered three dragon misfits. Now he must find the rest before Therin gains controls of them. Now that his sister knows of the dragons, Jason doesn't feel as isolated in their small village. The connection to the dragons lets him protect his people along with the existence of the dragons. An attack on his home village forces Jason to go to Lachen and stop Therin for good. To do so, he'll need the help of all the dragon misfits, but can the forest dragon help him master the art of illusion in time for him to save his people?
©2020 D. K. Holmberg (P)2020 Tantor
The Risen Shard
Summary
An assassin with no rival meets a magic he cannot defeat. The Chain Breaker series begins. Trained to kill from a young age, Gavin Lorren finally escaped that life. No more killing innocents. No more working alone. The jobs are still dangerous, but at least he can choose. Now an old friend has invited him to the city of Yoran where the work is plentiful. The Roasted Dragon tavern is rough but cozy. The regulars are seedy but welcoming. The owner, Jessica, is fond of him. It's almost too good to be true. His good fortune is fleeting. Gavin finds himself facing a new enemy, fast and deadly El'aras warriors - an ancient race with innate magical talent. By the time he learns sorcery is involved, he's in too deep. To succeed, he’ll have to uncover parts of his past that he'd hoped to forget. It will take an assassin without equal to survive. It will take the Chain Breaker.
©2020 ASH Publishing (P)2020 ASH Publishing
The Shadowsteel Forge
Summary
Fresh off a victory against the Forgotten, and with unexpected allies, Rsiran knows that the war is far from over. An attack on someone close to him in the city leads to a search for answers, and he once again must confront the secrets hidden by his family. When he discovers a part of his people's history long forgotten, he realizes it might hold the key to what Venass really wants...and possibly the means to stopping them. Rsiran must learn to use all of the abilities given to him and discover a way to stop a danger to his friends as well as the city that none other than him is capable of defeating.
©2016 D. K. Holmberg (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
Blood of the Watcher
Summary
Trapped by Venass. Tormented by the Forgotten. And both desire the very ability that allowed his escape. Chased through the city by someone able to influence his Sliding, Rsiran and his friends prepare for the next attack, uncertain whether the Forgotten or Venass will move first. When Rsiran learns that his sister was abducted, he must decide whether to help a family that abandoned him. If he does not, Alyse might suffer a fate worse than any torment he has already endured. Finding answers leads him to discover a secret about his family and himself that changes everything that he believes, making him question who - and what - to support.
©2016 D.K. Holmberg (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
The Heartstone Blade
Summary
Blacksmith. Thief. Murderer. After killing one of the Elvraeth to save his friends, Rsiran finds a measure of peace, but fears that it will be short lived. When attacked using knives he forged, he is pulled into a struggle that he wants nothing to do with. Worse, friends have secrets they do not share, secrets that could place both he and Jessa in danger. Finding answers sends him Sliding throughout the city and beyond, testing his ability all while trying to understand the secret of the alloy that might be the key to their safety. When someone close to him is harmed, he must discover the extent he will go for his friends, and realizes that he might truly have darkness within him. But that darkness may be all that separates he and his friends from an even greater threat.
©2016 D.K. Holmberg (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
Rise of the Elder
Summary
Forced into the heart of the Aisl Forest, Rsiran and the guilds regroup and try to find a way to reclaim the city from Venass and the Elvraeth council. Rsiran has stopped the production of shadowsteel, but Venass still possesses dangerous weapons, and what's more, one of the great crystals remains missing. Forced into an alliance with the mysterious Carth in order to find the crystal, they make new allies and discover the means to reclaim the city, but will it be too late? With one of the Elder Trees already gone, recovering the crystal is the key to stopping Venass for good, but as they approach the final battle, Venass proves even more powerful than they ever imagined. The final novel in The Dark Ability series.
©2016 D. K. Holmberg (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
The Endless War
Summary
Journey of Fire and Night, Book 1: A warrior who cannot die. A water seeker who wants only to save her people. An endless war that obscures a threat greater than either has faced before. Jasn, a warrior known as the Wrecker of Rens, seeks vengeance for the loss of his beloved to the deadly draasin during the Endless War, wanting nothing more than to sacrifice himself in the process. When an old friend offers a dangerous chance for him to finally succeed, the key to understanding what he finds requires him to abandon all that he believes. Ciara, a water seeker of Rens living on the edge of the arid waste, longs for the strength to help her people. When the great storms don't come to save her people, she will risk everything for her village on a deadly plan that could finally bring them to safety. As the Endless War continues, both have parts to play in stopping it, but Jasn must discover forgiveness, and Ciara must find her inner strength if they are to succeed. If they cannot, a threat greater than either nation will be unleashed. Darkness Rising, Book 2: Jasn wanted nothing more than to hunt the draasin and obtain vengeance for what he'd lost in the Endless War. Time spent in the mysterious barracks revealed depths to the war - and his abilities - that he had never imagined. As he debates whether to continue his education with Alena, he follows her into the depths of Rens, where a surprising discovery changes both of their fates and entwines them more than either desires. Ciara returns from the waste changed, but her return is only a beginning. When her father demonstrates a powerful secret of his own, Ciara must once again leave her home on a journey for answers that will change not only her but the fate of Rens and the future of the war.
©2016 D. K. Holmberg (P)2017 Podium Publishing
The Guild Secret
Summary
No longer forced to hide his ability, Rsiran now Slides openly throughout the city as he helps it recover from the recent attack. Requirements of his time continue to mount, not only as he tries to help his friends, but new responsibilities to the guild force him to interact with the Elvraeth, where he discovers the uneasy alliance that exists between the guilds and the council. When one of the great crystals goes missing, that alliance is tested, and the quest to find the crystal leads him to realize a secret long hidden, one that risks everyone in the city, and a discovery of a betrayal far deeper than he would have believed. Rsiran must risk everything to save those he cares about, but even that might not be enough to prevent the next Venass attack. The penultimate novel in The Dark Ability series.
©2016 D. K. Holmberg (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
Endless Night
Summary
Ciara has traveled to the barracks, but the promised teaching has not come to pass, leaving her worse off than before and her people without the nya'shin for protection. If she can't master the summoning, she fears the darkness will claim her. But now that the darkness has revealed itself, Jasn must find a way to save Alena from her connection to the draasin before that connection kills her. Only then can he search for whether Katya was destroyed by the darkness or learn if he can still save her. With her shaping limited, Alena discovers a different reserve of strength, one that will be vital in the coming days. The real war now begins. They all must learn how to suppress the danger of Tenebeth and discover and stop those responsible for summoning the dark, or none will survive.
©2016 D. K. Holmberg (P)2017 Podium Publishing
Seal of Light
Summary
Dark power builds. The Khalan prepare for their final attack. Only a few understand the true nature of the threat, and each must overcome their past to secure their future. In Atenas, the dark summoners of the Khalan press their attack. Alena's discovery of how to use spirit gives them an advantage, but the Khalan have numbers, and have infiltrated much of the city. Forced to lead, Alena struggles with the expectations now placed upon her. Returned from captivity and now a master of summoning, Ciara is the key to stopping the Khalan and Tenebeth for good, but she will need the help of both the warriors of Atenas and the remnants of Hyaln. While finding a way for them to work together, she must seal off the dark power of Tenebeth, but is she strong enough to move past the torment she had endured? Jasn must master all of his abilities and struggles with his growing affection for Ciara. His help is key to her success, but can she ever see him as anything other than the Wrecker of Rens? The final book in The Endless War series.
©2016 D.K. Holmberg (P)2017 Podium Publishing
Summoner's Bond
Summary
Those who fight the darkness have scattered as the ancient power grows stronger. When Ciara is abducted by summoners of dark power, they seduce her with lessons on how to summon the elementals, an education she never received in the barracks. Only a distant part of her knows that she must find a way to escape before they manage to turn her to their side. Alena has gone to the Seat of the Order to help stop the threat uncovered there, but she discovers the threat goes deeper than any realize, and for her to succeed and free the order, she may have to destroy it first. In Hyaln, Jasn finds an old friend, but she is not the person he remembers. Hyaln offers to teach, and he discovers strength that he never believed he possessed, but it still might not be enough, as they discover they fight not only the threat of darkness, but those who seek to control it.
©2016 D. K. Holmberg (P)2017 Podium Publishing
The Spirit Binds
Summary
The Inquisitors have been stopped, but the one who leads them remains at large. Tolan discovers a dangerous plot against the Academy - and all of Terndahl - the Inquisitors have planned for far longer than any have suspected. The power involved is unlike anything ever encountered by those within the Academy. Tolan isn’t sure he’s capable of understanding what has happened, but with his connection to the elementals, he might be the only one able. The key to what’s happening is tied to something in Tolan’s past. For him to stop the one who leads the Inquisitors, and to understand what they’re after, requires him to know more about where he came from and why his parents left him in Ephra. Stopping the Inquisitors is only the beginning, not only for Tolan to save Terndahl, but to finally know himself.
©2020 ASH Publishing (P)2020 ASH Publishing