City of Thorns [Dramatized Adaptation]

The Demon Queen Trials [Dramatized Adaptation] #1

by Graphic Audio (Adaptor), C.N. Crawford (Creator), Wyn Delano (Reader)

"I never thought I'd be singing happy birthday to myself in a dungeon. And yet when a sinfully sexy demon crashes happy hour, that's exactly what happens. He's known as the Lord of Chaos, and he's mistaken me for my succubus doppelgänger. Happy birthday to me. When he tastes my blood, he finally understands I'm mortal. And I realize we have something in we both crave revenge. So we make a I can stay in the forbidden city to hunt for my mom's killer. In return, I'll help him get the vengeance he craves. I just have to pose as a sexy succubus. One problem--he's my number one suspect. And that's increasingly hard to remember as he teaches me my seduction. With each heated touch I drift further into peril. And if I fall under his seductive spell, death awaits me. Featuring Laura C. Harris, Gabriel Michael, Nhea Durousseau, Shanta Parasuraman, Wyn Delano, Bradley Foster Smith, Colleen Delany, Daniel Llaca, Elena Anderson, James Konicek, Karen Novack, Ken Jackson, Matthew Pauli, Michael John Casey, Zeke Alton, Richard Rohan, Scott McCormick and Yasmin Tuazon."

Genres: Audiobook, Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Supernatural, Magic, Paranormal

1 pages, Audio CD

Published June 13, 2023

About the author

Graphic Audio is a dramatic audiobook publisher.

Reviews

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars Love me some graphic audios

Man. I wish all audiobooks were graphic audios 😭. But alas… they’re not. Fantasy/urban/etc books are so much better this way.

This helped me love the book even more. Orion’s British accent was 🫠🥵. Lordt. I loved hearing his voice 🤣. I normally listen to audiobooks at 2x or more speed, but I found myself slowing it down just to hear his voice 🤣.

Extra points for being a graphic audiobook

Here’s my review for the book

[✨ Sarah Mariee ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book a few years ago and decided to listen to graphic audios for a refresher before finally reading book 3. I remember liking it so much but I don’t know. Didn’t hit the same.

[🦋 Shawna 🦋 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t for me.. just couldn’t get into at all.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars, I’d listen again and recommend it.

Loved:
-Any graphic audio, especially fantasy novels, it truly brings the novel to life.
- Orion’s British accent is delicious and makes me enjoy his character even more.
- The relationship between Orion and Rowan.
- Rowan’s inner dialogue with herself. She is a a beautiful anxious psychologist nerd that I so relate to.
- Enjoyed the female protagonist and the story of her coming into her body and finding her strength and sex appeal.
- Reminded me of the Mortal Instruments series with the storyline about the mystery with her Mom.

Wanted More:
- Short, 6 hour book
- Wanted to dive into the mystery of her Mom’s death earlier in the story and make that more of the focal point vs the challenge of finding the King’s weakness. Felt like finding the King’s weakness should have been a small side quest vs the main story line, but I understood it’s purpose.
- Dissatisfied with the ending, I wanted more of a resolution, but it got me ready to read the next book, so I guess it worked.

[Zen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I really liked this first book in the series. I liked the MCs, the conflict, and overall storyline. This authors books sometimes take a turn I don't enjoy, so fingers crossed that this one keeps up the same energy.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Nene Grant (TheKindleNerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up from a 3.5. Goodreads really needs to have half stars 🤦🏾‍♀️

[Desirae · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some audiobooks where I can appreciate the performances, the sound effects, and the production as a whole, and then there are audiobooks where Gabriel Michael is involved and suddenly I have forgotten how to be objective. City of Thorns [Dramatized Adaptation] by C.N. Crawford falls very firmly into the second category.

I’m just going to say it: my relationship with Gabriel Michael as Xaden Riorson is never going to end. Apparently, all he has to do is show up in another romantasy production with that voice and that particular brand of dangerous, seductive energy, and I am immediately seated. As Orion, the Lord of Chaos, he is absolutely delicious. The performance has this effortless combination of menace, arrogance, charm, and underlying vulnerability that makes Orion incredibly easy to listen to. I could probably listen to Gabriel Michael read a grocery list and give it five stars, but fortunately, he actually has a demon to play here.

The story follows Rowan, a mortal woman who finds herself in the worst possible birthday situation: trapped in a dungeon after being mistaken for a succubus named Mortana. Orion initially believes Rowan is his succubus counterpart, but after tasting her blood, he realizes she is human. Rowan, however, sees an opportunity. She has entered the forbidden City of Thorns because she wants revenge for her mother's death, and Orion has his own reasons for wanting revenge. The two strike a bargain: Rowan will pretend to be the seductive succubus Mortana while Orion helps her navigate the demon world and pursue the answers she desperately wants.

Of course, pretending to be a succubus becomes significantly more complicated when Orion is the one teaching her how to do it.

And yes, there is a LOT of flirtation.

Rowan is probably what I enjoyed most about the story outside of the romance. She isn't immediately transformed into some effortlessly confident heroine. She's anxious, nerdy, clever, and very aware that she is wildly out of her depth. Watching her gradually become more comfortable with herself—and with the role she's been forced to play—is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the story.

Orion is exactly the kind of morally questionable paranormal romance hero I expected him to be. He's powerful, mysterious, dangerous, and incredibly cocky, but there is enough vulnerability underneath all of that to make him more than just the brooding demon love interest.

And again: Gabriel Michael. Enough said.

The supporting cast also adds a lot to the production, particularly as Rowan becomes increasingly entangled in the politics and rivalries of the City of Thorns. The full cast gives the demon world a much stronger sense of life than a single narrator would have, and the performances from Laura C. Harris and the other leads work beautifully alongside Michael. The ensemble includes a huge cast, which makes the whole thing feel much closer to an audio drama than a traditional audiobook.

The Production

This is where GraphicAudio really shines. The sound effects, music, multiple voices, and dramatic pacing make the story feel cinematic. You get wings beating, magic, atmosphere, and all those little audio details that make the supernatural setting feel tangible. Even when the story itself is fairly light and playful, the production gives it a surprisingly immersive quality.

And honestly? I had fun.

Is City of Thorns the most complicated paranormal romance I've ever encountered? No. There are moments when the world-building feels a little rushed, and some of the plot developments are definitely more interested in getting me to the next dramatic reveal than slowing down to explore every detail. But I wasn't listening because I needed an elaborate philosophical exploration of demon politics. I wanted succubi, incubi, revenge, mistaken identities, forbidden magic, sexual tension, and a ridiculously charismatic demon voiced by Gabriel Michael.

And I got exactly that.

The romance is playful, the supernatural elements are entertaining, and the performances elevate the entire experience. Laura C. Harris gives Rowan plenty of personality, while Gabriel Michael is having an absolute field day as Orion. The chemistry between the leads works especially well in an audio format because you can hear every little shift in their interactions.

Overall, City of Thorns [Dramatized Adaptation] was exactly the kind of light paranormal romance I needed. It’s sexy, supernatural, dramatic, occasionally ridiculous, and ridiculously easy to binge.

And Gabriel Michael?

I regret nothing.

Five hours into this audiobook and I was basically ready to follow Orion into the City of Thorns myself.

Would I continue the series?

Absolutely. Put Gabriel Michael back in my headphones immediately.

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a good premise but read quite young considering it's got very adult themes

[meg (,,◕ ⋏ ◕,,) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kara Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book last year and loved it!! Just did a reread and I’m still in love with this book!! Orion 🥵🥵🥵🔥🔥🔥🖤🖤🖤

[Tash™ · Rating 3 out of 5]

GA did a great job as always, but I guess if I had to summarize this book to someone I literally wouldn't even know what to say, there was literally no explanation of anything whatsoever so it was just gaining more & more questions & not actually getting anything to help us understand what the point of the story even is. It's enough that I'll listen to the 2nd GA audiobook & hope there's finally.. well at this point I'd take anything.. answers, background information, explanation of the world's, information about the characters besides their names & titles, a plot.. like anything would be nice otherwise I won't finish the whole series if it's just going to make me sit & question everything nonstop instead of getting lost in an actual story. I have enough questions about our current reality, books are supposed to be my escape from such things lol

[Kiki Leroux · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎧 I listened to the graphic audio. Listening speed 1.85x. It’s as good as any of them. Nothing stands out about the production compared to all the others.
📚 the story is cute. I’m enjoying it. I like the fmc. Rowan is funny without trying to be funny. There’s some funny one liners or random sarcastic sounding thoughts that come out of nowhere. I like Orien. I like this doppelgänger plot. Is she or isn’t she Mortana. There’s some banter. There’s a female who doesn’t betray us.
🌶️ there’s a scene but it’s not going to live rent free anywhere. It’s pretty tame.
⭐️ it’s a pretty cute book so far. I’ll give it a 3.5⭐️ and round up to a 4. I’ll listen to the next one but not right away.

[Pink · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you liked the orginal story, its a better version.
Go ahead. Try this one.


But for me, I am tired of all the overdone sex in books.
And since the FMC is found out to be a Demon who gets her power from sex, yeah no thanks.


A little sex is ok.
Like maybe 1 or 2 chapters.
Anything more than that, yuck.

This book itself wasn't really more than that.
But I can see where it will go in the other books.

I do not wanna read about someone who constantly talks about or thinks about sex.
Its annoying.

[Michelle Rush · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good listen.
Honestly, I mostly wanted to listen to this because Gabriel Michael narrates Orion 😍
Rowan is our fmc, and Orion, the tortured demon that can't decide if he wants to kill her or love her, is the mmc.
This book sets up our story and begins an entire pile of questions before it ends.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the graphic audio, which is fairly short so I flew through it. But it is nice to find a Romantasy on the shorter side that is not too complicated from time to time. I’m definitely hooked and have already downloaded book two, so I’m fairly confident I will finish the trilogy.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It started off.. really cringe and I was worried but before long I was intrigued and devoured the rest. Less than 24 hours I'm all down and running to book 2. Also, this is like.. the 3rd audio in a row with the same narrator as Xaden. That guy is BUSY, lol.

[Lysandra White · Rating 3 out of 5]

its took me a while to write this review, and all honesty ive forgotten what the story is about. That how amazing this book was. I did enjoy it at the time of listening to it. I know that much LOL.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh —

[alicat ♡➹♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining

[Ana Laura Pereira]

Vale bem a pena pelo final, muito divertida a história. Fiquei com a impressão que tudo acontece muito rápido, ou que ficaram faltando algumas partes, mas pode ser porque eu não prestei 100% de atenção nos primeiros 70% do livro rs

[Gefen Barkan]

Did not like it. Listened the audiobook because of Gabriel Michaels and was disappointed he had the stupid accent, characters and plot. I'm not recommending this.

[Núria Azanza · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐
Rowan finds herself celebrating her birthday in a dungeon. wonderful! a demon, and not just any demon, the lord of chaos himself has mistaken her for someone else, a tsucubus, and until he tastes her blood he doesn't really believe that Rowan is mortal.
But Rowan will seize the opportunity, and make a deal with this demon because he wants revenge, revenge for his mother who was killed by a demon and now that she has managed to enter the City of Thorns, she will not leave without her revenge. Of course, the lord of chaos will also make her fulfil a promise as he also seeks revenge.

As you already know I love every dramatization I listen to from Graphic Audio, and once again we have Gabriel Michael as the male protagonist, and the voice and accent he gives to Orion, the lord of chaos is...🥵... so that's a plus to keep me hooked.

As for the novel, the start of a trilogy, it was a bit slow for me at first. I love that Rowan is studying to be a psychologist, that makes me feel very identified with her, besides her almost permanent anxious state, and her nerdy side. I really like her internal dialogues.
Also at the beginning I wasn't convinced by the role she had to play as a fake tsucubus, and how Orion teaches her to behave like Mortana, it clashes with my feminist self but I understood that it was just a role and that it was necessary for her to act like that. It's actually great how Rowan ends up finding herself confident and comfortable with her body.

Then towards the middle or so of the novel there starts to be a lot more action and the ending.... OMG! I can't wait to continue with the second one.
Long live that empowered Rowan at last!

Rowan se encuentra celebrando su cumpleaños en una mazmorra. ¡maravilloso! un demonio, y no cualquier demonio, el mismísimo lord of chaos la ha confundido con otra, con una tsucubo ni más ni menos, y hasta que no prueba su sangre no cree realmente que Rowan es mortal.
Pero rowan aprovechará la oportunidad, y hará un trato con ese demonio ya que quiere venganza, venganza por su madre que fue asesinada a manos de un demonio y ahora que ha logrado entrar a la cityo of thorns, no va a irse sin su venganza. Eso sí, the lord of chaos le hará también cumplir una promesa ya que él también busca venganza.

Como ya sabéis adoro cada dramatización que escucho de Graphic Audio, y de nuevo tenemos a Gabriel Michael como protagonista masculino, y es que la voz y el acento que le pone a Orion, the lord of chaos es...🥵... así que un plus para tenerme enganchada.

En cuanto a la novela, el inicio de una trilogía, se me hizo algo lenta al principio. Me encanta que Rowan esté estudiando para psicóloga, eso me hace sentir muy identificada con ella, además de su estado ansioso casi permanente, y su lado nerd. Me gustan mucho sus diálogos internos.
También al principio no acababa de convencerme el papel que le tocaba jugar como falsa tsucubo, y como Orion la enseña a comportarse como Mortana, choca bastante con mi yo feminista pero entendí que solo era un papel y que era necesario que ella actuara así. De hecho es genial como Rowan acaba encontrándose segura de si misma y a gusto con su cuerpo.

Luego ya hacia la mitad o así de la novela empieza a haber mucha más acción y el final... OMG! con muchas ganas de seguir con el segundo.
Viva esa Rowan empoderada por fin!

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Kind of spoilers but not really? Nothing in this review is revealed that isn't obvious from page 1**

This book was fine. Not amazing, but not bad either. I thought about giving it 2 stars because it wasn't very memorable but I did enjoy it so I gave it 3 stars. One thing I did discover about myself is that I don't like graphic audios. I love audiobooks and I think its one of the best inventions of our time, but I didn't realize this would be a graphic audio when I started it. I could've done without the dramatic music and sound effects, as well as the narrator moaning along with the characters (yikes). The main character is supposed to be acting as a succubus, which is literally a sex demon, yet I'd give this book like a 1 out of 5 on the spice scale.

This was a short book and I feel like not the much happened. Also, the MMC didn't seem to really show any romantic/sexual interest in the FMC until it just suddenly showed up and they almost had sex in a cave (if I had a nickel for every time two characters in books I read almost had sex in a cave, I'd have three nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that its happened three times).

I would've liked more answers about everything that was revealed at the end because I feel like it was just dumped on the readers. I personally cannot keep track of all that happened to be quite honest with you. I know it had to do with her mom and her heritage and her doppelganger, but I don't remember the specifics. There's more books in this series but I have no want, need, or desire to continue reading the series. I feel like it could've just been one longer book. Granted, I'm saying that without knowing what happens in the next book, so take that with a grain of salt. Easy read, I'd suggest it to friends (by friends I mean I'm gonna tell Gray to read this book if she wants something easy).

[Christina S · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5⭐️ Der Klappentext hat mich zunächst neugierig gemacht, und als ich das Hörbuch auf Spotify entdeckt habe, dachte ich, warum nicht mal reinhören. Also insgesamt habe ich eher zwiegespaltene Gefühle. Die Hauptfigur ging mir oft ziemlich auf die Nerven (v.a. zu beginn, wird aber besser). Die Geschichte bietet dennoch einige gute Wendungen, die den Plot spannend halten.
Die Welt ist grundsätzlich OK aufgebaut, allerdings hätte mehr gewünscht. Der Schreibstil ist angenehm und flott, was die Erzählung auflockert. Es gab auch schräge Momente, wie etwa „Wie heilt man einen Lu$t-Dämon? Naa?“ (Ich meine, wirklich?!), die mich dennoch zum Schmunzeln brachten. Rowan und Orion – ein echtes „Enemies to Lovers“-Traumpaar, das ständig überlegt: „Soll ich ihn jetzt umbringen oder doch lieber …?“ Diese ständige Mischung aus Misstrauen und zögerlichem Vertrauen war einfach köstlich. Auch die Momente, in denen die Protagonistin als Mortana agiert, haben mir gefallen. Da zeigte sie eine andere, faszinierende Seite von sich. Die Handlung war insgesamt nicht besonders komplex, aber trotzdem interessant. Es gab einige Wendungen, die nicht immer überraschten, aber die Geschichte dennoch frisch hielten. Am Ende fand ich, dass Rowan eine starke Entwicklung durchmacht, was Hoffnung auf den nächsten Band macht.
Trotz der Kritikpunkte bin ich neugierig auf den zweiten Teil. Ich hoffe, dass sich die Geschichte weiterentwickelt und mehr aus ihrem Potenzial gemacht wird.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic Plot: Rowan has always dreamed about living in the demon City of Thorns to find her mother's killer, and finally gets the chance.

Not bad, not great. There was a lot of toxic female competition and general nastiness that I didn't enjoy. Lots of slut shaming. For a bunch of demons, it didn't really track. Rowan was terminally oblivious for a psych student, and the level of clue-by-four she had to be hit with to figure out what was going on was painful.

There was some interesting world building, but there was a lot here that was frustrating. I'll listen to the next book just because this one ended on a serious cliffhanger and I already borrowed the next book from Libby. We'll see how I feel after that one.

[Theughost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished the audiobook and omg I loved it. Will definitely be getting the physical copies.

I gave this book 5/5⭐️ and I’d say spice is a 0.5/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.

In this amazing story we follow Rowan and Orion. Rowan is a human that is set on finding the killer and avenging her mother’s death. She stumbles upon the demon Orion and now finds herself in the city of Thorns needing to be the very succubus everyone hates. Problem? She’s human. Oh and the fact that Orion is starting to look very hot…

I absolutely loved listening to this book and it never felt boring, it had an amazing storyline and character development. Nothing felt out of place or slow, it also got me absolutely hooked on the series.

Now I will go back into my cave to read the next book.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like having books in Graphic audio. The production is great. All of the voice actors do a great job. As some descriptions and scenes have conversions into background sound effects, you can't read along word for word in your ebook version. For the most part I buy the GA version after I have read the book. For this book that was not the case. There was a great sale in Audible and I picked up most of the GA titles included. I liked the story but it was not suitable to listen to out loud. I finished the first book but did not immediately go to the next in series. This is primarily due to my story preferences have been trending to lhistorical mysteries and lighter

[katia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never read anything by CNC so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was looking for a fantasy graphic audio to listen to, and this seemed like it would be fun. I liked the premise of this book, but the execution was a little lackluster. TBH, the writing wasn't super well done, the pacing was off, and it was fairly predicatable and immature at times. I did enjoy the banter between the MCs, and there were some funny moments. Honestly, I would gladly listen to Gabriel Michael (Orion) read his grocery list for hours on end; his voice is heaven.

Overall, I found it to be enjoyable; it was quick (6 hrs) & easy to follow along with, and I will be continuing the series!!

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first book by this author. It was almost a 2⭐️, but the last 25% bumped it up to 2.5. If book 2 doesn’t come out swinging I’ll probably DNF.

Things I liked:
1. Interesting world where demons mingle with humans and they have a truce.
2. Rowan’s friend

Things I didn’t like:
1. Orion and Rowan have no chemistry. She just keeps talking about how hot he is.
2. Not many things are revealed until the very end and then only a minimal amount.
3. Human Rowan is terribly afraid of fire, and yet just casually interacts with it in her trial.
4. The history of both the FMC and MMC don’t quite add up in the timeline. It is dizzying.