Manipulation cover art

Manipulation

Magic Eater, Book 1

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Manipulation

By: Sean Oswald
Narrated by: Giancarlo Herrera, Hannah Schooner
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Tad doesn't have any memory before waking up on the beach, apparently the sole survivor of a shipwreck. All he has from his past is a necklace with a symbol no one recognizes.

After growing up in the orphanage, he takes a job managing inventory for a merchant catering to adventurers. He knows he's a bit off, the world just smells different to him.

When he's confronted by a group of adventurers with more power than ethics, he learns that it's been magic he is smelling all along. As the confrontation builds he learns that he can eat that same magic, but it isn't enough to keep him from being taken.

Waking up in a dungeon, he quickly learns they are more than monster filled pits. They are tools of the Great System and just maybe doorways through the multiverse.

Now he must struggle to prove his worth, grow in power, and master his strange ability, all complicated by the fact that the enchantments on his gear might just be alive.

©2025 Sean Oswald (P)2025 Royal Guard Publishing LLC Action & Adventure Epic Fantasy Adventure Parallel Universe
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The start of the story is by far the weakest part of the story, feels extremely forced and illogical. However, eventually the writing evolves into very interesting entry into the genre.

Biggest issues with the book that prevent me from giving it 5 stars are two things:

While the narrator does almost perfect job, he absolutely fails with one of the main characters with second most dialogue in the book. That character speaks so slow, so unnaturally and with such bad articulation that it makes large swathes of the book almost unbearable to listen to.

The second issue is the fact that the author seems to forget that this isn't an Earth to fantasy isekai story and often uses US specific idioms (that other characters don't get) and makes constant references to modern Earth cultures, foods, education system, advanced knowledge like advanced philosophy, even thought the MC is supposed to be an orphan. He even accidentally refers to Earth at one point

As a bonus point, I really hate how misleading the cover art is

Starts out forced, but improves fast into a great LitRPG book

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A bit slow & without a clear picture of the long term story. For long enough that I can see many dropping part way. But it's a really fun series. Narrator is a bit annoying but mostly good. It's mainly the way he reads all intense emotion the same, as if about to cry. It's jarringly inappropriate at times.

Very fun but a bit slow to progress.

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book is great another win for Oswald but the one thing that I hated in this one is the voice the VA did for master mahjong to begin with it was mildly irritating but by the half way point it was giving me a headache and I had to take several breaks from the book.

great book, one terrible character voice

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I really enjoyed it. plenty of twists and turns and I can't wait to see where it goes next.

So much better than I expected

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Great author and series. Had me hooked all the way through and instantly had to start book 2.

Brilliant story, kept me wanting more

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