Great story and great narration

Yet another hit for Steve McHugh and brilliantly read by Tim Gerard Reynolds. So that's another series I'm going to have to be invested in and wait for the next book to be released

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wonderful story...when's the next part.. I need more

I particularly like Bokk, Felix’s security synth.. Bokk once belonged to his father, and I felt Bokk played a pivotal role which I hope gets expanded upon as there’s the interesting idea of these synth developing personalities.

The plot of the book develops at a swift but nice pace and hints there’s some good things to come. As setups go Atoned has it all, great characters and so much potential clear and ready to pour out.

There’s hints of past events becoming a focus.. were the events that played out during the war exactly as they seem? Or was there more to it? And what does this mean for Drake? He’s got his own sage abilities coming out.. but he seems special..and I’m excited to find out why!

This is my first foray into the authors imagination, and I was wonderfully impressed with the flow and development.

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Great story and effortless world building

Really enjoyed the story, looking forward to the next instalment in this series. Another great effort from Steve McHugh.

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Cracking sci fi adventure

I have got to say that this was an excellent read. Every time I read a Steve J. McHugh book, I always think to myself that I must read more, but as you know, life and TBR’s have a pesky habit of getting in the way of me picking up different books, and I am sure that it’s the same for everyone else.
The first book that I read by Steve J. McHugh was Crimes Against Magic, and I enjoyed that one immensely, so when I was invited on the tour for this latest novel, it was a no brainer.
Atoned takes place in the already established Union Empire Universe, which was introduced in the novella Blackcoat, focussing on the Blackcoat Celine Moro (who coincidentally makes an appearance in this book).
Atoned is the first book in The Wardens series and centres on the main character Felix Drake.
When Felix Drake is called to a triple homicide by his boss Celine Moro, the incident will unravel a plot to destabilise the Union throne and will shine a light on secrets that Felix had thought hidden in his past.
I really enjoyed this mix of noirish action thriller and sci fi as the plot runs to its final conclusion. As we get deeper into the book, there are twists and turns aplenty. The book itself is a light read and McHugh does a good job of mixing light hearted banter amongst the characters and intense action scenes.
Added to that, there is a likeable set of characters that help the story along, and whilst the side characters do their job of supporting the main character, you can’t help but have favourites amongst them. One of these being the sentient cybernetic lifeform Bokk, who doesn’t act like machines should.
I must say that if you liked things like Firefly, I am sure that you will enjoy this book, and whilst it is not set in a sci fi western setting, it has a similar feel to it.
The audiobook itself is a great rendition of the book. I have listened to many Podium Audio productions and they have always been good quality and this was no exception. Added to that, the narrator is Tim Gerrard Reynolds who happens to be one of my favourite narrators and has a great range when it comes to narration. In fact, shortly before listening to this one, I was listening to him narrate another series that I really enjoy.
I can’t recommend this one enough. It’s a great book, but now I need to read Blackcoats to get up to date.

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