Quick Take
- Narration: Abby Craden has established herself as a go-to voice for fantasy audiobooks and brings genuine energy to Evelyn Tarth’s complicated persona
- Themes: Power and its consequences, chosen family, redemption and moral ambiguity in a sci-fi fantasy setting
- Mood: Action-driven and character-rich, with a found-family warmth beneath the combat sequences
- Verdict: A satisfying sequel that builds meaningfully on the first book’s foundations, though new listeners should absolutely start with Chosen of Chaos before attempting this one.
I came to Adept of Chaos already knowing the territory. I had listened to the first book in this series, Chosen of Chaos, during a string of late nights when I needed something that would hold my attention without demanding I retain too much. Benjamin Medrano writes a certain kind of protagonist well: overwhelmingly powerful, emotionally complicated, and surrounded by a cast of people who are drawn to her as much by what she represents as by what she is. Evelyn Tarth is that protagonist, and by the time Adept of Chaos begins, she has already done enough to fill a lesser trilogy. The question this second volume has to answer is whether there is still somewhere interesting to go.
The answer, for most of this fourteen-and-a-half-hour listen, is yes. Abby Craden is back as narrator, and her performance continues to be one of the series’ strongest assets. She has a gift for making overpowered characters feel grounded in a way that is harder to achieve than it sounds. When Evelyn is exasperated by the women who have attached themselves to her inner circle, or when she is calculating the odds of walking into a trap she already suspects is waiting, Craden conveys the texture of that internal experience without leaning into melodrama. It is a technically demanding narration that looks effortless from the outside.
A Former Warlord Navigating Wonders and Old Grudges
Medrano sets up this volume with a premise that balances two very different tonal registers. On one hand, Evelyn is genuinely enjoying her freedom. The early sections of the book include encounters that are clearly meant to be wondrous: dryad terraforming ships, the orcish arenas of Skaloth, the strange and layered societies that populate this particular corner of the universe. Medrano is good at world-building that feels lived-in rather than constructed for the occasion, and these passages let the listener breathe before the story narrows its focus toward the threat that has been assembling since before the book began.
On the other hand, Evelyn’s past is not finished with her. Enemies who have not forgotten what she did are using the one vulnerability they can identify: someone she actually cares about. The trap that forms the book’s second half is reasonably well constructed, and the tension between Evelyn’s near-invincibility and her emotional exposure gives the plot genuine stakes even when the combat sequences never feel particularly dangerous for her personally.
The Supporting Cast and the Character Solution
Reviewer Mvargus puts it directly: Evelyn is far too powerful to be ideal as a protagonist by conventional measures, but Medrano makes her relatable in ways that override the power fantasy element. The supporting cast is where this happens most effectively. The women who have attached themselves to Evelyn are not interchangeable figures in service of the protagonist’s arc. They have distinct personalities, distinct relationships with her and with each other, and distinct reactions to the dangers they collectively face. One reviewer describes them as quirky and full of characters who might only have small parts to play, but who fit together into something real. That observation captures something true about Medrano’s approach to ensemble writing.
The LGBTQ element of the series is present without being the story’s entire frame. One reviewer describes it as speaking to their nerdy LGBTQ heart, and the series’ approach is notably unself-conscious about representation. The relationships and dynamics exist because the world contains them, not because the book is making an argument or performing its own progressiveness. This is the kind of writing that earns its inclusion rather than announcing it, and it gives the series a texture that is rare in the genre. The characters’ identities are simply part of who they are, handled with the same matter-of-fact attention that the author brings to their combat roles and their personal histories.
What the Second Book Does Well and Where It Strains
Adept of Chaos does what good sequels do: it expands the world and complicates the relationships without betraying what made the first book work. The action sequences are well-paced, and Craden’s narration handles them with physical energy that translates well in audio. At nearly fifteen hours, the book earns most of its length without the padding that afflicts many series entries at this stage.
Where it strains is in the familiar territory of overpowered protagonists. Some listeners will find that the sense of genuine threat never quite materializes. Evelyn’s near-omnipotence, which Medrano works hard to contextualize emotionally, can make the plot’s external stakes feel decorative. The trap she walks into is not really a trap she cannot escape from, and the resolution, while satisfying narratively, does not generate the kind of sustained suspense that would make this exceptional rather than very good.
Reviewer K offers the clearest guidance for anyone considering this book: if you enjoyed Chosen of Chaos, you will enjoy Adept. Do not start here. The callbacks and character dynamics assume the first book as their foundation.
Who Should Listen and Who Should Skip
Series readers who finished Chosen of Chaos will find this a rewarding continuation. Abby Craden’s narration alone is worth the investment for anyone who responded to her performance in the first installment. Listeners new to this world should start at the beginning without exception. If you want a found-family LGBTQ sci-fi fantasy with genuine emotional texture and a narrator who makes the material feel inhabited rather than merely performed, this series delivers on that combination starting from volume one. The 4.7 rating across nearly 1,000 reviews for this second installment, a strong result for a sequel in a niche genre, suggests the audience is finding exactly what it came for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Adept of Chaos be listened to as a standalone, or is the first book required?
Multiple reviewers and the book’s own setup make clear this is not a standalone. The story picks up immediately after Chosen of Chaos and assumes familiarity with Evelyn Tarth’s backstory, her relationships, and the events of the first book.
How does Abby Craden handle the large supporting cast in this series?
Very well. Craden differentiates the supporting characters through vocal texture rather than exaggerated voices, which keeps the ensemble readable across a long listen without becoming distracting.
Is this series primarily action-focused, or does it develop its characters substantially?
Both, with the character and relationship work carrying more weight than in typical military fantasy. The found-family dynamics and Evelyn’s emotional vulnerabilities are central to the story rather than incidental to the action sequences.
How long is the power gap between Evelyn and other characters, and does it undermine tension?
Evelyn is significantly more powerful than nearly everyone around her, and some reviewers feel this limits suspense. Medrano addresses this by locating the stakes in her emotional and relational vulnerabilities rather than in her physical safety.
