Great narration! I had to lead with that, because the narrator did a great job in helping the listener really immerse themselves into the world. The characters were easily distinguishable, which can sometimes be difficult for narrators to successfully accomplish that!

This is an epic fantasy that follows a witch, after finding her grandmother murdered and discovering that a magic Tinder box (a very precious and important artifact) has been stolen. Isbet (our FMC) then journeys across kingdoms both human and magical realms on a journey that ultimately changes her.

This was W.A. Simpson’s debut fantasy novel and I think there are many more unique stories to come. I can’t wait to read the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 Stars rounded up

The characters are diverse, most are lovable and there is good representation. Some of the characters are a bit flat and there is limited character development. The world is detailed, unique, and interesting. I think where I struggled with this book is I didn't really relate to any of the characters. I listened on audiobook and I did find my attention wandering more often than it should have. I struggled to stay engaged and focused. Not sure if that is because of the narration, because I didn't relate to the characters and found them a bit flat, or a combination of both. I feel like this would be a book better read than listened to.

The overall plot was decent and I absolutely hated the bad guys (as you should!) in this book. The narrator did do a great job of making one of them creepy, which was a perfect fit for the character. This book also touching on and explores more things than I would have expected, including sexuality and assault. I really didn't expect some heavy topics like that and they were well handled in the writing.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape audio for this ALC!

I wanted to love this but it unfortunately didn’t capture me like I thought it would.

Things I liked about the book: it had an interesting plot, a strong female lead, quick paced, decent world building but there were some parts that I am still confused about.

A few things that I didn’t like…the only gay character ends up being an SAer. If you’re going to include diverse characters, please don’t have the only one be a horrendous stereotype 😭 and while the plot is interesting, I felt lost numerous times throughout my listen and the occasionally forgot who’s POV was speaking.

I felt the narrator, Ruthie Bowles, did a wonderful job. She has a very unique style-fits the epic fantasy tale-and was impressed how well she was able to give each character their own voice.

For a debut book, it wasn’t bad but I also see where it missed the mark in areas. Best of luck to this new author.

The narrators did not pull me in the way I would’ve liked. I might genuinely love this if it were told in a different manner of speaking. The story was interesting, just simply hard to follow in the audio form

A witch comes home to find that the person who raised her is killed and they stole her magical box. The human in possession of it has decided to take charge and be the new king. Many would like the kingdom to be free again though each of them fight for their own cause and things escalate when an ancient source threatens to be bought back to life by the faes.

The book is pitched to fans of SJM & Holly Black, so I thought since I am a Holly Black reader, might as well try this. Sad to say things did not exactly went as planned. The fantasy and magical tropes lured me into reading the book and frankly, the witchy angle was good too. I had difficulty aligning with the characters and understanding where the plot is going. Honestly just Its a good book, just not for me though.

Tinderbox has an interesting premise, with a strong female character, a world full of magic, a trip to the Underworld, and a kingdom to reclaim.

I will read this story; I did not care for the audio version.

Isbet returns home to find the witch who raised her murdered and her prized possession, the Tinderbox stolen. She discovers a common man has used it to seize the throne. The same who conquered Prince Bram’s kingdom. Isbet’s goals are vengeance and reclaim the Box. For Bram, it is to free his homeland. When they are summoned to an underground kingdom, they must set aside their personal desires as they learn dark fey are bringing an ancient source of magic back to life. If they cannot halt the rise of the old magic, it will tear apart the Riven Isles.

Overall this was a decent listen. I enjoyed the plot but I kept getting the characters confused and felt like there was information missing when I started the book. I kept wondering if I was listening to a different book in the series rather than the first book. I am an avid audiobook listener and I just struggled to listen to this book.

Tinderbox by W.A. Simpson and narrated by Ruthie Bowles is a simply stunning audiobook. Ruthie Bowles is an immensely talented narrator who is able to turn their hand to a wide variety of roles and dynamics with grace and integrity

This is a debut novel, but stating this is where it ends as W.A Simpson has created a book that is original, with novel concepts, breaking free from the worn out tropes in the genre and creating a world, magic system, lore and characters that are unique and utterly intriguing

Isbet the witch returns home to find her beloved grandmother unalived and her cherished tinderbox missing. The tinderbox is subsequently used to seize power in the kingdom of the Riven Isles and Isbet needs to retrieve it alongside the ousted Prince of the kingdom, Bram. Each has their own reason for the quest, and each must work with the other to achieve their goal

Stunning, a belter of an audiobook

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media | Dreamscape Lore , the author WA Simpson and the narrator Ruthie Bowles for this brilliant ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Decent worldbuilding! Detailed enough that for me, audiobook wasn't the ideal format, though. I found myself wishing I could reference a map of the fictional countries or quickly flip back a few physical pages to confirm a place name or a minor character's name.

Our female main character, Isbet, is confident, knowledgeable, and experienced -- a refreshing change from the many blushing, naïve FMCs flooding the romantasy genre. On the other hand, our male main character. Bram, is a stick-in-the-mud cleric. He's meant to be in his late twenties but I persistently kept envisioning him in his fifties. Perhaps the author was aiming for the "hot priest" trope but it missed the mark by a mile for me.

At 80% completion, I still had no idea what the eponymous tinderbox DID or why it was so pivotal to the main plot. This is frustrating. As a reader, I'm not inclined to simply take the characters' word that something is important; I need information! Show, don't tell.

Overall, while it doesn't break any new ground, it was a swift-moving story with many interesting characters and lush, descriptive settings. The audiobook narrator was clear and engaging.

I knew that I was going to like Tinderbox, but I ended up loving it. The author was not just able to develop an interesting world but was able to show us that world. In addition, she was able to develop strong characters that I cared about. The one issue that I have that brought down the rating for me is that the only gay character turned out to be a SA’er which came out of nowhere. Overall, I give it a 4.5/5.